michigan girl

For those of you who are on the waitlist (me included), I was told that many admitted students will make their decisions between April 1 and April 15. Those who absolutely know their first choice will make a decision by the end of March. Hopefully, we will receive a status update during that window!! Even if it's not ideal, keep up the faith!

Is anyone still waiting to hear back from Ph.D. programs? I have radio silence on my end with no updates on my remaining applications.

Did you receive the Cornell and Princeton rejections via email?

Don't give up if your name is on the waitlist! Openings will become available when candidates begin making their decisions next month. Keep in mind that candidates who receive numerous offers can only ultimately select one school. It's possible that you won't get a status update until the end of March or perhaps April. A waitlist option is better than a rejection!

I agree with the above poster. I plan to make my decision sometime in mid-to-late March after I have compared all offers. It's very important to have all the information to make an informed decision. Sometimes, many fellowship awards don't become available until late March.

Do you know if the top 25 applicants included joint program applicants (e.g., American Studies, AFAM Studies, etc.)?

Has anyone listed relevant coursework on their CV/resume for Ph.D. applications? If so, how did you list your courses?

I know this thread is old, but I am also interested in learning if it's appropriate to include an assistant professor as a potential POI in the statement of purpose. I was told that it was safer to list tenured faculty with a strong publication record in my statement of purpose. My field is sociology. Please share your thoughts!

Hello! I am considering applying to doctoral programs for Fall 2023 admission. I have been thinking about where I see myself five years from now personally and professionally. However, I am wondering if a doctoral degree is even worth it for me at this point of my life. I am in my mid-30s and single with a research-based master's degree. I enjoy where I am currently living. I have stable full-time employment with a think tank. My colleagues are master's and doctoral degree-holders. If I am admitted into a doctoral program, my intended long-term career is becoming a senior administrator at a nonprofit organization. Seeking a tenure-track position is not a priority for me. My best friends have confided in me that I should pursue a law degree because it will be a better ROI and it's only three years in duration. Plus, law would be an evolution of the research that I currently do at work (law and society). I have even considered the JD/PhD route, but I fear that I may encounter burnout. I know that law school is not easy. I look forward to your advice!

NotNomNom makes a valid point. If you desire to build a credit history, you will want to seek off-campus housing. Having a good credit report (e.g., making on-time rent payments) will boost your credit score and give you better credit card offers. You will have more options for housing in cities with higher cost of living too.

I would also recommend checking out apartments in the surrounding Ann Arbor suburbs like Pittsfield Township and Ypsilanti if you are looking for affordable or budget-friendly options. I also believe the Ann Arbor public transit system is free to UM faculty and students. Please research if this is still the case.

RyanS makes a lot of valid points. I also want to ask if this is your first time living away from your parents (assuming you did your undergraduate studies at the same institution where they teach and/or work). Assess yourself: is your depression due to living in a different location away from your parents or are you just not interested in the field of study? Can you see yourself doing something other than research? Once you have answered those questions, then you can decide whether it's worth staying in the program. Given the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, I will emphasize that this is not a normal academic year. The virus is making a lot of people anxious and stressful because so much is unknown about it. At the same time, follow your intuition. I believe you will have a better picture of your career direction six months from now.

I wonder if I should pursue a doctorate in the near future. I like the salary and benefits at my current workplace, but I miss reading academic journal articles and writing about topics unrelated to the workplace. I also get excited when I look up graduate programs during my free time. Is a doctorate recommended if I want to enter senior management at an education nonprofit organization? I have master's degrees in education and social work. I am open to suggestions: how do you know if PhD is the next step?

Look up the name "Ciaran" in Wikipedia. After that step, then you can see why some may think applying the name to the child could be seen as offensive.

I am not sure which is more insulting and offensive to African Americans: having your adopted African-American grandson (1) dressed in pink, front and centered, in the family photo (scroll down to the bottom in the link, the girls are dressed in pink and the boys are dressed in blue) or (2) literally named "black" or "dark-skinned" or "little black one" in Gaelic? Mitt Romney's family should be ashamed of themselves. http://www.rickey.org/mitt-romneys-grandsons-name-literally-black-romney/

Keurig (when I am home) and Starbucks (when I'm not at home) I love how you can make coffee, hot cocoa, and tea in Keurig machines.

Blogs are not outdated if you want to spread awareness, insight, or reflection on specific current events, particularly real-world issues related to your academic field. In addition, the other websites that you mentioned above are easier for hackers to invade and steal your personal information. Nothing wrong with using old technology.

I agree wholeheartedly with everyone has said. Only you can determine when the time is right for you to pursue a PhD. Keep in mind that you don't have to rush if you have further doubts. If your gut feeling is saying that you should wait, then listen since graduate school will always be there for you. However, if you feel that nothing else will make you happy, then apply to doctoral programs.

MAC2809, I am not "tripping out" when I stated that applicants generally need a GPA of 3.5 or higher to increase their chances of getting into a competitive and highly ranked Education PhD program. I am referring to institutions that compete with the Harvards, Michigans, Ohio States, Stanfords, and Vanderbilts. MAC2809, master's programs are relatively easy to get into (minimum GPA of 3.0 is generally recommended). Doctoral programs, however, are a different story altogether (more competitive, higher academic standards, and fewer spots since students are PAID with a stipend to conduct research). It is expected that doctoral students will excel in their coursework. A cumulative GPA less than a B (3.0) in graduate school can put you on academic probation. Furthermore, it is not difficult to obtain a GPA of 3.5 or higher in a master's program if the courses and field truly interest you. Many students graduate from education master's programs with high GPAs. It's a disservice to tell the OP that their GPA does not matter if their goal is a PhD.

wjdavis, the academic statement of purpose and curriculum vitae are an automatic given in the doctoral application process. But if you want me to be more specific, it is important that the OP mentions their academic background, why a PhD in (blank) field fits their research interests, their tentative research question(s), and identify professors who are familiar with and/or can help with the research question(s). It is also foolhardy for the OP to assume the other factors (GRE scores, letters of recommendations, professional experience) do not matter in doctoral admissions. Remember, a bad GRE score or negative letter of recommendation can lead to an automatic rejection (OP won't even proceed to the second stage of application review) since many competitive and highly-ranked doctoral programs receive more applications than spots available. As for your second part, very few education PhD programs admit students straight from college. This is especially true for higher education/student affairs and educational administration/foundations. On your list, the only program IMHO that doesn't require a master's degree is educational psychology because the curriculum is similar to psychology programs. Education is a professional field where theory informs practice (and vice versa), so of course it is recommended that an applicant have prior experience which can influence and enhance the future direction of the field. For instance, a master's degree in higher education or related field strongly increases your chances of being admitted into a Higher Education PhD program. From my own observations, the majority of doctoral students in the Higher Education program at Michigan had earned master's degrees prior to their enrollment into the doctoral program. For those who did not have a master's degree upon acceptance, they had over five years of work experience in higher education.

You don't need an undergraduate major in education to obtain a PhD in Education. You can major in any field. What counts in the doctoral application process is a good GPA (major GPA > 3.5 out of 4.0), extensive research experience in an education-related field, good GRE scores, and solid letters of recommendations from professors who can write positively about your potential. A senior thesis and/or publication is a plus but not generally required. Depending on your field, you may need to complete a master's degree in education and have professional work experience before you can apply directly to PhD programs. This is definitely true in educational administration and higher education and student affairs.

Redpill, you missed my entire point. Just because someone has a master's degree from Harvard does not mean they will be hired over a state university graduate in, let's say, the Midwest or South for that matter. That's reality. I know many competent professionals in the field of education who did not attend Harvard. If I was a hiring manager, I would want to hire the person who has prior experience in the field, understands the responsibilities of the position, the needs of the (underserved) students, and the culture in which he/she will be working with. The latter is extremely important. If a Harvard graduate expects to get a position based only on institutional reputation, he or she will be in for a rude awakening because that's not how the real world works.

HGSEstudent, the "Harvard" name is only national / international in three fields: business, law, and medicine. Public policy is 50/50 (international development, yes; domestic affairs, not so much since Michigan and Wisconsin are equally strong in the area of social policy). If a prospective applicant wants to pursue a career in any of those four professional fields, then I highly recommend Harvard. Outside those fields, the Harvard name is regional (East Coast). For instance, no one outside the Northeast cares if you have a master's degree in education from Harvard. If your career focus is K-12 teaching, you will start off on the same pay scale as the directional state university graduate. Another example is engineering -- most employers hire from the MITs, Michigans, and Virginia Techs for entry-level workers. A Harvard degree in engineering isn't infinitely better than many flagship public universities with prestigious engineering programs. Michigan, Michigan State, and UCLA are considered the most prestigious programs for the study of higher and postsecondary education (if you attend ASHE events, Michigan and UCLA alumni dominate the annual conferences). At the graduate level, the department/program ranking is often more important than the overall university ranking.

If you are cost-conscious, try to find a MSW program at a local public university. Make sure it also offers your concentration. This is a better investment than attending an expensive private or out-of-state public institution.

If you have no post-BA work experience, then it's highly recommended to get the master's degree first, work in the field for 2-3 years, and then apply to Higher Education PhD programs. Higher education PhD programs want applicants with strong academic record and PRIOR WORK EXPERIENCE. Faculty know that graduate students who have been in the field for some time perform much better (and persist to candidacy) than straight-from-undergrad applicants. Higher education is a professional field, not a discipline like sociology or psychology. Prior experience in higher education administration/research/policy and student affairs work will enhance your research goals. You can apply what you learned in practice to theory (and vice versa). Thus, it's not uncommon for higher education programs to have an average age of 30 for incoming cohorts.