XOwlfan

I don't know anything about the media management track at either school, but I do know the dean of the school of communications at Carbondale--and she is AMAZING and taking the school in a really wonderful direction. She is also a leader in media internationally (not just in the US). Good luck with your decision!

UNC Charlotte is definitely offering you the best deal--and comparatively, Charlotte is less expensive than Chicago/Evanston. I say go for it! (Of course, I'm not in your field at all...but I'm older with a fair amount of debt, so I'm biased about the financial aspect).

Welcome to the Quiet Corner, future Huskies! Congrats--I completed an MA at UConn and currently live in the area. All the advice others have posted here is spot on. You all may also want to consider Ashford, Willington, and Tolland as options. Both are close to the University and have rentals that tend to cater to grad students. Most of the apartments that are walking distance to UConn are poorly maintained and WAY overpriced for what you get. I live in a condo community in Ashford that is less than 10 minutes from campus, and it is SUPER quiet and clean here--most of the tenants are UConn grad students. This page has some listings for off-campus housing: http://web.offcampuspartners.com/33 Feel free to PM me if you have any questions!

Hi! I live near UConn-- 6 miles away in Ashford. You can check ct.backpage.com for off-campus housing. There is also a website for UConn students here: http://web.offcampuspartners.com/33 Feel free to PM me if you have any questions you think I might be able to help with!

Hmmm. Congrats on such great choices! I'd say go with the funded offer. Is the one year master's degree at an Ivy by any chance Harvard Graduate School of Education? If so, most of the concentrations there accept more than 50% of the applicants, very few funded (in which sense you may be happier if you go somewhere you are more "wanted" if you know what I mean). If I had to choose between an unfunded program at HGSE (or other Ivy) and an unfunded program elsewhere, I'd choose the Ivy. But funding changes the whole scenario---especially if you're in the field of education where a big paycheck is never a guarantee in the end.

The first round of acceptances went out in late February and those prospective students visited the campus earlier this month. Once those individuals accept/decline their offers, another round of acceptances will go out (any day now judging by information from previous years on the results board). I think it's in poor form to not at least send out initial rejections and inform others that they are on a waitlist (IMHO). Good luck!

If both programs fit your research interests, but the cost of living is significantly cheaper attending Kent State....AND they give you more money, I would lean that way then, particularly as you still sound pretty open and flexible about what you want to do later as a career. I have a ton of debt....and I chose a masters program that gave me money over a program at an ivy league school that admitted me without funding two years ago...I've never regretted that choice. (And I'm really happy I didn't have to take out $35K in loans like I would have for the other program).

Are these MA programs or PhD programs? If you have any interest in political communications, it would seem American might bring you more opportunities. In addition to considering cost of living and program characteristics, it's helpful to think about your future "network" of peers. More than likely, you'll continue to keep in touch with your peers from graduate school--my adviser (now 30 years later) teaches in the same department with the person she published her first book with (they pursued their doctorates at the same time, in the same program). Which program will provide you with a network that you can call on later for connections, opportunities, collaborations, etc? If it's an MA program, you have a bit more flexibility--then I kind of lean toward the cheaper option because you could always go on to a doctoral program in a place like DC....Do you want to go into academia or into industry? If you'd rather work in the industry, perhaps DC would lend itself to more internship possibilities...

WOOOHOOOOOOO! That is wonderful! Congrats!

Thank you--and I LOVE your advice. Hmmmmm. How sad is it that as a reward I'd really like to clean my house?! I swear I'd be in trouble if the health department decided to drop by. I sort of put everything on the back burner while I numbingly hit refresh a bazillion times and pushed through my thesis and stats homework. Yeeesh!

This is so great, hedjuk! Congrats!!!

Not waiting any more here. Today, I withdrew my app at USC, declined two offers, and accepted an offer that was a perfect fit. I'm so relieved to be out of this process--it really was excruciating. Good luck to the rest of you! I can't wait to see all the final news.

Thank you, strangefox! I definitely feel like I've been very fortunate. My POI at Wisconsin emailed me and mentioned that the CS track had quite a few waitlisted applicants this time--not sure if anyone here applied to the CS track, but if so, good luck!

I just declined my offer at UW-Madison (Communication Science)--hopefully that will help someone waitlisted here!

Good luck with the interview! I don't really have much to offer that you probably haven't already considered. I'm sure you have great credentials and experience!! I'd really read through the program offerings and faculty CVs and such so that you can emphasize how your interests align with the current happenings there. I hope it all goes well! I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope that you hear some good news!

The letter arrived today: 50% tuition scholarship for the first three years and 75% for the fourth year. I love the program but will be accepting a better offer elsewhere. Good luck to all the other JHU admits!

I can absolutely see how somebody would want to contact members of the admission committee to share their enthusiasm and excitement about a program. It's unfortunate that some people could take such a genuine emotion in the wrong way. (Once, my husband applied for a job in person---years ago...before all job applications were online--and he ended up totally offending an office full of people who thought he was too cocky and forward for doing so. Another office loved the fact that he came in to deliver his application in person, and he made it as a runner-up for the position he applied for there. We're Southern--and very personal and open--qualities that are not necessarily appreciated by everyone else.)

Hmmmm. I consider an MA to be a time where you explore the field and decide what your more narrow trajectory will be later (if you go on to a phd). Many of the people applying to PhDs that are focused on a particular faculty member probably already have master's degrees under their belts (I assume) and really have their research foci nailed down. Then again, it also depends on the model of the program. Many programs operate with the apprenticeship model you described--where students align themselves with a particular faculty member. But there are also programs that prefer students to work with many faculty members (and the more you line up with, the stronger your application). Congrats on the acceptance! It sounds like a sweet deal!!

You'll hear time and time again that "fit" with current research at your prospective schools is the most important thing that will set you apart. in addition to fit, you'll want to check with prospective faculty you'd like to work with to see if they anticipate bringing on new advisees--you may be a perfect fit, but if their lab is full, they may not be able to accept you. In the months before I applied, I reached out to a number of faculty members in prospective programs--if they never replied, I didn't apply to their program. I kept in touch with three---and was accepted by each of their programs. I did apply to one school without contacting any faculty members (but it turns out that it is the one school that hasn't gotten back to me....considering that a round of acceptances have gone out and that those applicants will be on campus for a visit next week, I'm assuming I've been rejected or waitlisted there).

Seriously!!!! What were they thinking?!!!! So cruel.

I should add--if you choose to contact your person of interest, I wouldn't explicitly ask them to address the admissions committee. Just letting your POI know that you are enthusiastic about the program and hopeful that you make it off the waitlist would be enough. If your POI really wants you, they'll speak up for you.

In my current program, the admissions committee changes from year to year. The professors are careful to keep low-profile about their roles if they're involved. I personally would avoid trying to find out which faculty members are on the committee--as you run the risk of being perceived as pushy (or lacking boundaries...or maybe lacking patience). Of course, life feels like it's hanging in the balance of their decision--which can feel awful. One option may be to correspond directly with the faculty member you're most interested in working with--that person may be on the committee--if not, that person can approach committee members and plea on your behalf. Regarding waitlists, do you know if it's ranked? If not, it may be that whether or not you're accepted depends on whether or not any of the rejected offers line up with your specific research interests (and person of interest). For example (and hypothetically speaking), a committee may want an incoming cohort with one student interested in new media, one student interested in online communities, one student interested in media effects on children--Your interest may be in new media and you're waitlisted, but a person with an interest in children's media ends up rejecting their offer of acceptance...then the committee may look to replace that person with another waitlisted applicant interested in children's media. (Not all committees work this way...some do. It depends on the program--it's size, resources, and needs.)

Oh my goodness! Congratulations! When I saw that the most recent post was yours, I found myself saying out loud, "Please let it be something good!" (The application process is hard enough to get through with a measure of sanity WITHOUT having to additionally work through the Fulbright process.) So happy for you!

Such good advice here from all the previous posters. Definitely visit the campus--a campus visit made all the difference in how I perceived a program (I really fell in love). Both Ann Arbor and State College are fantastic places to live and raise a family. If it becomes a real toss-up between the two, I would go where I felt most wanted and would work with the POI that I felt I had the best personal connection with (that relationship can make or break the experience, which you've probably already seen as a graduate student in a masters program). You have a fantastic dilemma--two excellent scenarios. Congrats!

My guess would be that whether or not someone in your situation would be selected from the waitlist would be determined by the research interest of the people who decline the offer. My sense is that if someone with very similar research interests to yours declines their specific offer, you would be next in line for it (if the other two people on the waitlist are interested in a slightly different area within your concentration). Or...it could be POI specific...so, if the admit that your POI initially selected declines, you could be the next one on the list. Or am I just making things more confusing?