SusieQ

Yay! It's exciting to meet new people! Where are you coming from?

I loved the campus too! I like that the school and the classes are small. I've had my fill of big campuses.

Anyone going to Texas Woman's University--Denton this fall? I'm starting Ph.D. program in Women's Studies. I'd love to get to know incoming and current folks.

You should consider some alternatives, such as working as community college faculty (teaching), activism/adovacy or non-profit work. It all depends on what you want to do, so you really want to look at your particular degrees, the market and your personal goals. Have you considered doing interdisciplinary work in WGS and Politics if you're taken off the waitlist? That way, you could apply for more varied positions. I have an M.A. in Criminal Justice/Justice Studies and I chose a program with a transdisciplinary/interdisciplinary emphasis for my doctorate so I have more marketability after I complete my degree. I think that having a varied academic background can help set you apart from other applicants, especially those who have a "streamlined" education (i.e.: same discipline from B.A. to Ph.D.). The more skills and knowledge you can offer (and how you make connections among the varied disciplines) the better.

Hi all! I am defending my Master's thesis in a couple of weeks and I've chatted with the chair of my committee about their expectations regarding thesis format/structure. They were extremely vague about the format and when asked if utilizing power point would be allowed, they said no. Can anyone give me some pointers, especially those those who didn't use PPT or other visual aids? I've scoured the university's webpages, looking for any formal written expectations but found nothing. I've been reading quite a bit online about the general guidelines for a successful defense and I've been keeping up with my literature, however, it definitely helps to hear from others who have gone through it already! (I was intending to go to some of my peers' defenses, but I had a serious illness that precluded me from doing so) Thanks for your help in advance!

Amazing news!! Congrats! That's fantastic to have such good funding!

This is a question for anyone that's defended and finished their M.A. I am defending my Master's thesis in a couple of weeks and I've chatted with the chair of my committee about their expectations regarding thesis format/structure. They were extremely vague and when asked if utilizing power point would be allowed, they said no. Can anyone give me some pointers, especially those those who didn't use PPT or other visual aids? I've scoured the university's webpages, looking for any formal written expectations but found nothing. I've been reading quite a bit online about the general guidelines for a successful defense and I've been keeping up with my literature, however, it definitely helps to hear from others who have gone through it already! Thanks for your help in advance!

I'm just graduating from Washington State University's (Pullman, Washington) M.A. Program in Criminal Justice. If anyone wants to know more about WSU, let me know!

I love the area. I'm big on the outdoors, hiking, horseback riding, camping etc and there's a lot of that in Texas. I have friends in Texas as well, and I want to lead a more balanced lifestyle than I have been at my current program. TWU's faculty are so flexible, thoughtful and helpful. The students give good reviews and are doing awesome things after graduation. It was nice to see that the graduates were equally represented in academics and activism. The school is small with a teaching focus. My previous university was huge and I felt lost with so many students. It was good to see that everything is clearly explained to incoming students and all of the resources centralized; I didn't have to go to a billion places for all the information I need. I like how the curriculum is structured. The department requires these annual reports submitted by doctoral students at the end of each year, intended to help students develop as a professional. They'll ask you about your teaching feedback/rating. What have you submitted? What're you currently working on submitting? They want to know what progress are you are making and have structured the program to ensure that you're meeting your professional and academic goals. I am a very hands-on kind of learner and I do well with deadlines and clearly explained protocol. I could have easily progressed to the Ph.D. with my current program, but the department is ridiculously unorganized and graduate students hardly know what they're supposed to be doing. They offer few or no courses dedicated to pedagogy (you have to go outside of the department), so I was not too keen on the extreme level of "independence" my current program insists upon. I wanted a program that stressed teaching, so the curriculum was important. I actually read through the coursework and asked profs for past syllabi. The icing on the cake was the renewable funding and scholarships. My key word in deciding where to apply and where to go is "balance". Where will you be happiest (considering location, weather etc)? What sort of qualities do you seek in ideal programs? What kind of learner are you? What kind of support can the school really offer you, reputation aside? What do you want to do with your degree? These are all questions you should ask yourself and have certainly helped me quite a bit in the decision making process.

Wow, you are offered funding during your M.A.? That's a nice deal!! I had to work through mine and I was horribly depressed and overworked. If you're gonna have to take out loans for Rutgers it is possible that cost of living might deplete your resources and might force you to look for work. Look very carefully at the area you will be moving and budget everything! I was doing a full-time M.A. program, working at a non-profit and trying to write my thesis all at once. If your funding and personal resources won't cover everything, then you'd have to find $ elsewhere. It sucks to have to work and do a rigorous academic program at the same time and I don't want to see you suffer.

Yayyyyyy congrats!

PS: Congrats!!

I don't think that the fiscal committees are going to be offended if you ask. They understand how all of that stuff works. Just be very careful with how you word it. I would let them know that you've heard from other schools about funding and you'd like to get as much information about their offer so you can give everyone a timely response. Try to give them some idea of what your other deadline obligations are. They're not going to rescind their offer just because you wanted to know how much everything is going to cost you or if they're going to be able to fund you. A brief and cordial email to the program director wouldn't hurt.

It wouldn't hurt to gently inquire. Just frame it as you're checking in to make sure the admissions committee doesn't have any lingering questions for you. You might want to gently mention that you have some other pending offers and you'd like to be able to give everyone a timely response.

I was told by the program director the cut off date for offers is March 15th for TWU.

Just as a note, M.A. programs admissions are usually sent out after Ph.D. offers are made, so don't be surprised if it takes longer.

Yep!! And I'm accepting the offer!

Received an email from the program director at TWU and was accepted for fall 2011 with full assistantship and $2500 scholarship! YAYYYYYY

I think that is appropriate, considering you have other offers on the table and you need to make a decision. I'm just trying to find the most polite way to ask! Any ideas would be helpful!

This is a great post and so helpful, especially for those of us still waiting. Thanks for inspiring patience in me once again!

Yes, I did get that email also! Crossing my fingers for you! -Susie

Nerni-- These sound like questions for some of the faculty/program director. I think they can give you supplemental information in addition to whatever forum members can provide.

Hey there, I'd be happy to send you my personal statement, sequi001. -Susie

Thanks for your response. I'm originally from Seattle living in Eastern Washington, so I'm not used to the warm weather down there. Visiting was like paradise since it is so darn cold here! Texas is very flat, dusty and warm. Everything is easy to find and evenly spread out by highways. The three main cities, Dallas/Fort Worth/Denton are linked in a loop of intersecting highways and spaced by expanses of farmland and ranches. Getting around is easy and all of the cities are clearly marked on the highway. Even when I got lost, it wasn't too hard to find my bearings again. The housing around Denton is what you would expect in a college-town; A little run down, but lots of interesting places to visit and be entertained. I strongly urge you to consider the graduate housing available on campus! I have a dog, so I won't be able to seek graduate student housing, but it was far superior in price and quality than some of the rental houses/apts in the area. If you're looking for a rental house, they're relatively inexpensive, but they're all constructed in the 70's ranch-style. As for leisure activities, I think Texas is an ideal camping/roadtrip state. I love hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, mountain biking, canoeing and all manner of outdoorsy stuff. With Texas' year-round warmth and scores of natural landscape, it is an ideal place for people who enjoy those kind of activities. The TWU campus is small. I went to Smith College for my undergraduate, which is pretty compact. IMO, TWU is comparable in size. I think I was able to cross the main areas of TWU's campus on foot within 10-15 minutes. (there are some obscure, out-lying buildings farther away of course). Lots of good parking areas and is supportive of commuters. The Human Development Building where the WS department is located has nice, modern classrooms that support seminar-style graduate course work. Overall, I was very pleased with the intimate nature of the school and the focus put on ensuring small class sizes and quality instruction. In regards to funding: I chatted with Dr. Downer at the academic preview about funding options for graduate students. The options seemed to be few largely because the program is so new (this is the first year they're accepting applications for a 2011 cohort). They assured me, however, that WS doctoral students are eligible for university wide funding options. The most common source of funding are teaching positions within the WS department because the university requires all of its students to take at least 3-4 credits in women's studies. There are literally hundreds of students taking introductory women's studies courses, the majority of which are conducted in hybrid and face-to-face instructional frameworks. (18 graduate credit hours in WS is required to be eligible for teaching assistanceships) They don't offer research assistance positions in the Women's Studies department, however, they encourage students to connect with faculty from other departments (i.e.: Sociology, Social Work, Nursing etc) and apply for open opportunities there. I think this is due to the interdisciplinary nature of the program and the small department size. Finally, TWU is very generous with grants and scholarships for graduate students. They have an online site where you can put in some basic information about yourself and academic achievements and it will indicate which scholarships and grants you are eligible for. (Let me know if you'd like a link) From that site, you are able to apply for all those you qualify for. Many of the scholarships are renewable. One-time grants can be has high as $2,000. The university allows the stacking of scholarships and grants too, which is very unusual. I am pleased with the amount of support and training TWU's WS department offers its students in teaching. In prior teaching positions, I felt like I was simply thrown into it without a lot of feedback. I'm looking for a program that equally promotes publication and teaching. It seems like the feminist pedagogies curriculum is excellent. If teaching is something you really look forward to, then TWU has a lot to offer you in that respect. I hope this helps give you a better picture of TWU! -Susie

Morthia--Just curious, how did you hear/found out about the WS Ph.D. program at TWU? Why did you decide to apply?