Homeless

So, it may not work this year but (a) it may work out next year, (b) the people who supported you did so because they wanted to and hoped for the best for you. Good luck with everything, but don't feel too down (especially this year when there are fewer slots for more applicants).

Then I would talk to your LoRs and anyone you've felt a positive connection to at your current program. If you can spin it as a change in your research interest or something along that lines it will probably help. More specific than that depends on your situation.

It's difficult but not impossible. Given your circumstances it might be a good idea to contact your undergrad advisors and explain the situation, although anyone from your PhD program who you think would be understanding and write a letter for you would be a plus. How far along are you in your program? Usually the less far along you are the more understanding admission committees are.

I would contact the DGS for those with conflicting visits. They won't reschedule things, but they may set up another time to talk with a POI and a grad student or two.

I would email the DGS before calling, but if you don't hear anything it might be ok to call.

It may be worth checking with the DGS on that. Most schools have an agreement that prohibits them from setting deadlines before April 15 (and I think Albany is one). It may be different for you, but there may have been a mistake.

Is the deadline from Albany? If so it might be worth getting in touch with someone as their deadline shouldn't be before April 15th. If it's not a CGS (Council of Graduate Schools) member then you might want to reach out to UGA to tell them about your deadline. It might not change anything, but it's probably a good idea.

Thought I would bump this up, since my own visit day is coming up soon. How have people felt about/dealt with the zoom aspect of things?

Just want to chime in that you don't have to do this, and those who aren't in a position to do so shouldn't feel any pressure to do this. A kind email and an update on your plans is usually enough. Remember that for your profs this is a part of their job, and it should be something they're happy to do (obviously this depends on how well they know you). I'm not saying you *shouldn't* give gifts if you want to, but it's not the norm, and shouldn't be in my opinion.

I don't know. I think you should talk with people more knowledgeable about your work (LOR writers, POIs at the schools that have accepted you) before making any decisions. Don't get me wrong, there's a million and one reasons not to go to a phd program right now, and if you can imagine yourself being happy doing something else, I would say do that. BUT, as one stranger on the internet to another, I would say that you're letting this get to you more than it should (and I understand the feeling, trust me). Happy to talk about this more in dms if you want.

Two admissions is nothing to sneeze at! And while it's fine to change your research interests in grad school, don't do it just because you weren't the right fit for other schools. You might be able to pursue those interests at the programs you're admitted to--indeed, they may be excited for you to do so! There's so much that goes into an admit decision and so much of it is beyond your control that I would urge you not to give up something you're interested in.

I would argue that the program in the History of Political Thought at QMUL/UCL has a pretty good track record, but may or may not be worth the price tag. SOAS also has a program in Comparative Political Thought that I was looking at, but that may depend on your interests. What's your timeframe? If you're looking to apply next year, I'd recommend oxbridge and LSE, but it may be too late to get funding from them at this point for Fall 2021. For the US there's MAPSS and MAPH at Chicago, but they're notoriously expensive. Finally, a word of warning on one-year programs: You won't be able to develop solid enough rapport with your profs by the first semester for you to get LORs, so you're committing to finishing the program before you apply to PhDs. That may not be a problem for you, but make sure you've got a plan for what to do with that time away from school.

First of all, congratulations! It's an especially tough year so getting into multiple programs is quite the achievement. I'm not in IR, so I won't offer my opinion on the quality of the programs, but I will pass on some advice that's been given to me. 1) Think carefully about cost of living and your stipend. You'll have to be at your program for a minimum of 5 years. That's a long time, and you want to make sure your program is offering you the resources to keep out of debt. Funding matters a lot for your quality of life, so I would make sure to compare offers and negotiate better ones if possible. 2) Fit matters. We say this a lot, but in terms of your research and career prospects, having a well known prof at a less well known school can be to your advantage. On the flip side, keep in mind that your research interests may change, and if they do you want a program that has people who can take you on. 3) Look at placement data. Programs should be keeping track of "alt-ac" positions their students are going into, so you should see for yourself how these things matter.

I think it depends, but like others have said, think about the money. One thing you could do is get you MA at the phd programs and (assuming it's not a great fit) transfer after your first year. That being said, I would also think about what your specialty is and how the PhD program reflects that.

Can also claim a UCLA admit, sent a couple of hours ago. Theory. Totally expected to be shut out this year.

To be frank, no. People deserve to make a living and shouldn't have to sacrifice for "love." A phd is really a job and a job training program. Programs in the US already offer too little in terms of stipends because they don't see grad students as workers proper, you don't need to buy their PR line on top of it.

Can also claim a UVA waitlist (Theory). A very nice email, but they're definitely going out subfield by subfield.

You can probably ask someone who works there about student outcomes, but I don't know what they'll say. That being said, I still think you might want to worry first about the classes you take and how you like them. Program status maters, but even more important is the ability to articulate an interesting research project to show that you fit with a particular program's faculty, and you won't be able to do that until you've taken more than a few classes.

So, first a question: Are you going to the Extension school or do you plan on going? If the former, then it's probably best to ask your professors/ someone at the school, they'll have a better shot of knowing what's up. If the latter, then I think it's way too early to plan for a PhD. Without knowing how well you do, the connections you'll make, how your research interests shape out, I would recommend just focusing on school. Second, the above aside, I think it would be a challenge to get into a top program (which all the schools you listed are) but not impossible. While you won't have the cache of the traditional Harvard brand, you will (I believe) be working with Harvard professors who will know the field and be known, so LoRs could be persuasive.

First off, congratulations! You have good choices before you. I would lean towards Madison for a couple of reasons. 1) It's funded and a cheaper living situation than London; 2) If you don't have a MA you can get one as part of the PhD program without paying for it. If after a year you still want to go to London, you can try for a PhD program with MA in hand without (hopefully) accruing more debt. Finally, I imagine it will be easier to move husband and pets to Madison, where they can support you during the stress (and joy) of a PhD.

Thanks for the feedback, even if some of it contradicts previous advice I've been given. One question that remains is if the problems with cultural studies are there for other interdisciplinary programs (I'm also interested in American Studies, for example) or if that poses similar problems. And does anyone have advice on English/lit departments that are amenable to interdisciplinary work? Also, isn't Brown's Modern Culture department essentially a communications department?

I posted this in the interdisciplinary studies forum, but thought I would try here since things are livelier. I'm looking into Cultural Studies PhD programs in the fall and trying to get a better sense of what's out there. I know it's a relatively small field, but I'm wondering what people have heard about the programs that are out there and what might be the best fit for me. I recently got my MA in English and WGS, and wrote a thesis on Virginia Woolf and the public sphere. However, while I was in the program (I actually started out in the English phd program) I realized that I wasn't a great fit for a traditional literature degree. My current research involves looking at how counter-publics challenge and interact with the larger public sphere (specifically around the issues of race and gender. I'm happy to say more, but I'm wondering what programs people think might be good to look at. So far I'm looking at UC-Davis, Carnegie Mellon, GMU, Pittsburgh, and a few others (maybe MTL at Stanford, maybe Rhetoric at Berkeley) but like I said, I don't have much sense of how these programs are thought of, so any thoughts would help.

It seems that Culture and Theory didn't accept applicants last and might not this year. Does anyone know what's going on?

Thanks, that looks really interesting. Love the Agent Carter pic too!

This might go better in Lit, but I thought I would try here too. I'm looking into Cultural Studies PhD programs in the fall and trying to get a better sense of what's out there. I know it's a relatively small field, but I'm wondering what people have heard about the programs that are out there and what might be the best fit for me. I recently got my MA in English and WGS, and wrote a thesis on Virginia Woolf and the public sphere. However, while I was in the program (I actually started out in the English phd program) I realized that I wasn't a great fit for a traditional literature degree. My current research involves looking at how counter-publics challenge and interact with the larger public sphere (specifically around the issues of race and gender. I'm happy to say more, but I'm wondering what programs people think might be good to look at.