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Hi everyone, I have a question about calculating cumulative GPA...I graduated about 7 years ago with a 2.72 Degree GPA, which only accounts for courses I took for a year and a half at a liberal arts college. I transferred some courses from a community college, but these were not taken into consideration for my Degree GPA. Should I calculate the grades from the courses that were transferred to the liberal arts college to get my cumulative GPA (My GPA would be 2.95 with all my courses listed). I've also been a grad student for 4 years (two master's degrees), with nothing less than a 3.7 GPA.

Long story short: I ended up with a TA position (this upcoming semester) in a program that I'm applying to for a Ph.D. in the fall. (I'm a masters student at the school, but not officially in their department.) If I do a good job as a TA, what do you think the chances are that they would accept me full time into their program? (I interviewed with both the current and former department chair for the position.) My academic record is pretty competitive, save a semester when I was diagnosed with a chronic illness and my mediocre GRE scores. Thoughts? I realize this is a pretty unconventional of ingratiating myself into their good graces.

Have you looked into joint JD/PhD programs that would allow you to pursue your intellectual interests? You have a shot at stellar law programs with that GPA/LSAT combo, and you would have a variety of options upon graduation. http://www.lawschoolpredictor.com/wp-content/uploads/Law-School-Predictor-Full-Time-Programs.htm just a thought.

Petersons.com puts the Human Development and Social policy admissions at 13% http://www.petersons.com/graduate-schools/northwestern-university-school-of-education-and-social-policy-program-in-human-development-and-social-policy-admissions-000_10014738_10088.aspx Hope that helps!

With a 3.9 GPA and 1500+ GRE, I'd be surprised if you didn't get into a couple of the schools on your list (for a Ph.D.). Just make sure there are professors in the departments who are doing the same kind of work that you're doing, and see what happens. :-) Good luck!

It might be worth your time to consider an M.A. before applying to Ph.Ds to help clarify what exactly you are interested in, as well as gaining some research experience in the field. I would suggest looking at NYU's MA in Media, Culture and Communication, as it accepts 30% of applicants and anything above a 1100 on the GRE is what their FAQ's implies is "competitive" (http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/mcc/masters/faq#courses)...

I think this is something you should talk to your adviser about, as I think it is pretty case-specific. I think that you really get along with a professor and join their lab or something, the chances of getting into the PhD are easier, but this is something that you should know upfront (before investing a lot of $$$ in an M.Eng...).

Thanks so much! I did everything you said, and it went well. They pretty much were excited that I was in a similar field, as opposed to getting TAs from other departments who don't have as much knowledge in the field as me. Thanks again!

I'm interviewing at a department (at a school that I'm currently attending...and a department I was planning on applying to this upcoming cycle) for a GTA position (they don't have enough TA's for some reason). I already have a Master's in the general area of study...which presumably is why I'm being considered. The course itself is somewhat outside of my previous knowledge background (although not entirely. I've studied the material individually, never in a comparative analysis which is what would happen). It is also a sophomore level course, so I'm not too scared of the range of difficulty and am confident i could do a good job. I have an interview on Tuesday, and I was wondering what I should do to prepare: Should I make a portfolio that contains my C.V., my graduate school transcripts/course descriptions, maybe a paper (though I don't really have one polished enough for consideration)? Or would this look too desperate? What questions should I be prepared for? I'm currently reading the scholar's work that I would be the TA for....anything else? Thanks!

Harvard used to require a writing sample for NELC. They've re-structured their program in the past couple of years, so I'm not sure what it is like now. You should look into Harvard Divinity for a Masters, even though you say you don't want to take out more debt. I've known people who were impressive enough candidates to swing free tuition + a small stipend. Good luck.

My friend is working on his dissertation at a top program. I'm applying to a few NES programs, but really, I'm focusing on where I fit the best based on what I want to do, regardless of the department.

I don't think the JD hurts you in the adcom's eyes of "this person is/isn't capable of doing good research." I think it hurts it when they see someone who has devoted three years to a degree, and doesn't use it practically. Programs want scholars who, ideally, will go out into the world and produce a lot of scholarship, so it gets better known, so tenure-track professors get tenure, so it has more influence, more money, etc. They don't want someone who will spend 5 years in their program, write a dissertation, and then switch on to something else. (I'm not saying you'll do this. I'm saying you need to articulate to them why you are serious about this commitment.) Sure, there are professors with JD/PhDs out there. But, it doesn't mean they have a PhD in NELC. As I'm sure you know, there are lots of joint programs in law school, where you earn a PhD concomitantly with the JD. I have heard of professors with PhD/JD combo, who adjunct in NES departments, that know next to nothing about the historical context of Mesopotamian legal codes. I know of people who are experts in Islamic law without a JD. I don't think it is particularly going to help/hurt you. What I think will help/hurt you is not knowing the prevailing opinions about what your research area is, and the way you show that is by having a great writing sample. Demonstrating a solid understanding of an issue in NELC will be significantly to your advantage, as will applying to departments that is a good research fit for you.

Maybe I'm wrong, but when I hear a lot of these questions/read a lot of these posts, they seem to equate "interdisciplinary" with "less competitive" and therefore, they think that if they apply to the NES department at a school they want to go to, they will have a greater chance at getting in, than say...a department of history (which is ridiculously competitive) or sociology (also, not a cake walk).One of my friends had two masters degrees (and published an answer key to a language grammar) before he got into a competitive program. I'm on my second masters degree (one in a NES-related field, and one in the social sciences from an Ivy), and have a ton of experience (taught 5 classes as an adjunct, TAing, publishing, presenting, studied 4 Semitic languages)...you get the idea. NES is an extremely broad field, therefore it is extremely important to have a well thought out area of research and experience in that area before you apply. If you don't have the requisite languages, you likely won't get in. Many of the NES students that I know seek methodological training in other departments (you CAN take classes from other departments, since it is interdisciplinary), depending on their research. The fact of the matter is, in regards to "limiting your employment opportunities"...like PhD admissions, it's either a crap shoot (e.g. your sub interests fit what a search committee is looking for), it depends on who you know (who you meet at conferences, who your adviser is on good terms with), or your kick-ass hard work (the length and quality of your C.V...). Or, in this field, you could do other things. Like work for the CIA or work at a coffee shop.

If you really enjoy programming, you should learn it on the side. It is pretty accessible for people to pick up and learn on their own. Don't pay for another degree. Most jobs require the knowledge of certain languages and experience. Maybe a bachelors degree (but you already have that), but not always. If you want a job in computer science (e.g. programming), you won't need to go for a masters degree. I worked for a tech start up, with guys who went to MIT to do computer science and guys who didn't finish college. It's kind of the great equalizer. A third bachelors degree will probably send an opposite message to the adcom -- you don't know what you want, and you aren't mature enough to be successful in their program (not necessarily get good grades, but graduate and be successful in the field that will add to its reputation, in general). An internship or job in comp. sci would mean a lot more to an admissions committee (if you're set on doing a masters...), because it shows you're trying to gain experience and improve your skill set--not only in a classroom. I would highly suggest this, instead of investing $$$ in another degree.

Being a native speaker (and obtaining fluency) in relevant languages will (of course) give you a boost...but after your quantitative aspects of your application are reviewed (which they are fine, by the way). Your GRE would meet the cut offs for most (if not) all programs. Your UGPA is a tad low, but may be made up for with a good fit. That being said, you should focus on narrowing what you want to study (NELC is a broad field, and "legal structures" is vague...)--which scholars would you like to work with? If you don't have much of a NELC background, you need a solid writing sample that shows you're familiar with the corpus of literature that is "standard" in the field. Do your homework, learn what works are respected and cite them in your papers. Cite in an appropriate style, particularly Chicago (which is what is typically used in religion publications). One up-hill battle you might have to address is why you're switching fields, particularly so far in the game. The ad coms may feel like you're not truly passionate about what you want to study, but you're just getting another degree for the sake of getting a degree (and not mature enough to handle the "real world" thereby staying in the warm glow of the ivory tower).

Hi there, The best thing that you can do at this point is study your ass off for the GRE and hammer out a great statement of purpose. Your GPA Isn't bad, but it isn't stellar either. You will need a really solid GRE score be considered for the programs you want. The best thing for Cornell (besides grades/GREs), is fit. I overheard a conversation about the poli sci grad admissions process (here at Cornell), and they said that they throw out applicants that don't demonstrate a good fit right off the bat, or if they say they want to do a particular research topic that the department isn't well-known for. Honestly, I think the going back to grad school thing in 3-4 years is in your best interest. It puts some space between your undergraduate GPA and gives the admissions committee reasons to believe you have matured. While you're teaching, you may want to read lots of academic papers and write something that might be suitable for a conference. That can be a very good (and somewhat easy) thing to do that a lot of people don't take advantage of. Also, I would also not worry about names/prestige, particularly at this point in the game. Read a LOT of scholars in your field, and then find places that you fit the research that is being done, with a good placement record, and apply for those. This may or may not be "name recognition" school, which has nothing to do about your abilities or how smart you may be, but the process is insanely competitive. For example, I have two B.A.s, two Masters degrees (one in the humanities, one in the social sciences from Cornell), have published, presented, taught seven college courses, taken the requisite languages/coursework, a 1400+ GRE score...and I don't think I'm even applying for any Ivies in the Fall. I am applying for one outstanding program, and two great programs, and are still looking for other programs that I'm excited about/fit the research/love to go. Two out of these are state schools that I would jump up and down and scream like a little girl to attend. However, I'm worried about getting shut out and not being competitive anywhere, because I have a less-than-stellar undergraduate record from 10 years ago.

Thanks, this is really helpful. I'm going to talk with a professor at my school who graduated from the Comm. Ph.D. and see what his experience was like, and see what if I need to be doing anything differently in order to be a competitive candidate.

I'm not sure what field this is in, but I'm currently a Masters student at Cornell. If you *think* you'd like to do a Ph.D. here, it would probably be in your best interest to do the M.S. here, as I've known several people who were accepted to Ph.D. programs (here) directly because of their work/interests that they developed at Cornell. Talk to your adviser about it, and ask about the possibility of this happening. I've noticed that a lot of other people have been able to switch programs quite easily (e.g. MPS-->MS).

That's incredibly encouraging. I really admire one person in the Communication dept's work (Gary Fields) and one in science studies (Tal Golan), and I really thrive in interdisciplinary settings, so I'm loving this program already (plus, being stuck in Ithaca, NY for awhile...I could use the sunny weather!). What do you mean that there is a separate admit process for science studies? Is it that you have to be approved by both programs, or are you simply considered in a different applicant pool than a "pure" Communication Ph.D.?

Hi everyone, I'm particularly interested in applying to UCSD"s program in Communication and Science Studies this upcoming fall. I was wondering what kind of information people have about the program (particularly regarding the mass chaos of funding issues in the UC system), and if anyone who was accepted would provide their stats so I can gauge my chances (my research does "fit" with a professor in the Comm. dept. and another one in the Science Studies program)....Thanks in advance!

That sounds very similar to what happened to me when I applied to Brandeis. I was denied acceptance to the Ph.D. and accepted into the Masters program (I already had a Masters, so I didn't take the offer) with limited funding.

I know almost all the current grad students in this department and can try to answer some of your questions, though I've only been at Cornell (in a different course of study than NES) for a year. (In fact, if you end up coming to CU, I'll probably meet you at some point...I'm in White Hall every day for Arabic). From what I've seen, the faculty is really helpful since it is a small department (I don't really know anything about Patel, since he teaches more in the government program), but they bring in a lot of speakers for their colloquium series., The program is flexible enough that you can take courses of interest in whatever school you'd like (graduate school, law school, etc) if you and your adviser think it would be suitable. I don't think any of the current students have had any trouble getting accepted to conferences, and as for "job security"...one of the ABD PhDs is working at NYU, and a recent grad of the program is doing a post-doc here at Cornell.

I applied to HDS twice, and I was a very "non-traditional" student (homeschooled, midwestern, first in my family to graduate college, lower class),and I also worked full-time during my education, putting myself through undergrad and a masters program (I applied for Hebrew Bible). I had a poor undergraduate record, and a relatively better graduate record with the requisite languages (3.7+), teaching experience, relevant field experience, publication/presentation. I was not given many opportunities, but made all the opportunities I had, I made for myself. Did I catch a "break" in admissions because I was from a lower socio-economic status? That I was female? That I was <insert whatever excuse here>? No. I was rejected just like everyone else (presumably, because I had a lower GPA than other applicants. YDS straight out told me that if I didn't have a 3.7 undergraduate GPA, that I could basically forget about it, regardless of my other qualifications). That, coupled with the fact that I knew a lot of people in the NELC dept. who told me that some of the admitted Hebrew Bible candidates couldn't even pass a first-year Biblical Hebrew text class because they didn't know the language....made me question what exactly adcoms wanted. And it made me upset because I worked so hard and other, seemingly less-qualified candidates, were accepted. Whatever HDS does, they have a rubric for admissions that I didn't figure out. Don't sweat it. HDS isn't the end-all, be-all of academia. I'm now at a different Ivy League school, in a different field (social sciences) than religion. So, you can still be successful...you just have to love what you do and not give up.

A group paper that I'm contributing to (for a graduate class...it is not intended for publication) was chosen to be represented in poster form (e.g. our abstracts and photos) in a poster exhibition, in conjunction with a conference that my school is hosting on a similar topic. I'm not sure if it would be a suitable thing to put on a C.V. or it will look like I'm just trying to pad my credentials. My C.V. isn't lacking by any stretch of the imagination (I've adjuncted 4 classes, have a publication and presentation under my belt, and likely to add another one of each by the time I apply for schools), but I just was wondering if I should include it or leave it off... Any thoughts would be appreciated! Thanks.

For top-10 Poli Sci. programs, you would probably be better to crack 700 in both v and q on the GRE. It is a highly competitive field and two Masters degrees won't help if you don't get past the initial weeding out phase.