surefire

I might be a little more positive about your prospects. I totally believe that criminologist knows what they're talking about, but I think that I would be a bit more optimistic. For context though: I'm Canadian, which affects my interpretation here in two ways, (1) MA degrees are looked at differently here than in the US; they're often funded, required for PhD entry, and beneficial on their own as a qualification - I get the sense that this is different in the US where they have all this language about "terminal" MA degrees; and (2) I'm more familiar with CSIS than the FBI. You seem very focused and accomplished, and you are trying to get a sense of what you're getting into and what it'll do for you; for those reasons I think you'd fair better - and get more out of - a MA program than most. I would recommend looking at the nitty gritty details. (1) Where do these grad programs ACTUALLY PLACE students? (2) What do the ACTUAL JOB POSTINGS say, for the positions you want? (3) The ACTUAL PEOPLE who have the jobs that you want: what is their background? In my familiarity with CSIS, different positions have different requirements (they employ developmental psychologists who NEED an MA and program people who need specific technical certificates, and legal analysts who need JDs, for example). For positions that ask for an undergrad plus experience, they often say that a degree beyond the BA could partly "count" as experience. They also seem to really value multilingual applicants (potential good news for you). Finally, they have internship/co-op programs for undergrad and grad students, though one has to do a lot of their own legwork to coordinate this. Do any of these contexts translate to yours? Look at the actual FBI/ICE/etc; sites and job postings to get a sense of what they value. If an MA program can offer you networking and/or a springboard for interning, then this might be worth it. If you need the work experience, this might be a good way to segue into that, you just might have to be prepared to do a few years in a position that isn't your ultimate aim. So people often work for a couple of years, then go get an MA, and then move up - I don't see why you can't reverse this a bit by doing the MA, working, then working some more! If you're not region-locked and you have the capacity/interest for an MA, and you can get funding, now might be the most optimal time in your life to get an MA. Just, look at all the "actual"s first - actual placements/postings/people, as per my questions above, to see how MA programs can be translated in reality for you. Good luck!

Hi KoreofClassics, Two strains of advice: - The "feeling like you're failing" thing, with the exhaustion and transition issues sounds very much like imposter's syndrome. This is common and feeling the weight of it "all the time" will pass (not gonna lie though, it still barges in with a vengeance on occasion). Treat with: self-care, rest, tea, the gym, commiserating with colleagues (who probably are feeling it too), "faking it until you make it", leaving time to read things twice, trusting the process, other advice on grad cafe specifically about imposter's syndrome, and NOT constantly comparing yourself to (or coveting the smarts of) others (that way is ruinous). - The ACTUALLY getting 70's on mid-terms thing needs a different approach. I'm not going to lie, I got some "B"s on mid-terms my first year, and it was a sucky feeling for an over-achiever. But, feelings don't matter here. What you do next matters: schedule meetings and go and SPEAK with each professor about how to improve. DO NOT go to these profs and frame this as a global crisis ("I'm not cut out for the MA", "I'm vacillating wildly between feeling okay and devastated about my work", "This was all easy in undergrad" = not their problems!). DO approach each with assignments that you've done and handed in (after carefully reading and considering their feedback) and discuss how you can do better on the remaining work (again, not global stuff about how to study or write, but elaboration on specific gaps that you need to fill). Take notes in this meeting. ASK if you can maybe hand in a draft about two weeks before the deadline that they could give brief feedback and then re-draft with the feedback (they may not go for this, but you're right to observe that they don't want to fail you, if you were getting "A"s and grubbing for "A+"s, it might be a different story, but if you're getting "B"s, they're probably down to help you). I took the above approach and was able to round out "A"s in my final marks. Just in general, don't be afraid to ask for help and seek out resources (if your institution has a writing centre or workshops for fledgling grad students, access these) - you are not the first to go through any of this and stumble. By all means, work to recalibrate your strategies, but don't do this on your own, do this in an informed way! The hardiest grad students I know are the ones that overcame challenges and didn't feel cut out for this at some point - they tend to take this seriously and develop coping strategies that will serve them well going forward. Good luck!

This may not be relevant at all (which would explain why no one has brought it up so far) but, does your program have a residence requirement? That might be worth looking into! The residence requirement of my PhD program is only 2 years. After that time, students can - and frequently do - live in different cities. I know of many students who leave, often to conduct research/fieldwork elsewhere, and work out arrangements with supervisors at the "home" institution. I can see how this might work; once you finish all the coursework/exams and approach ABD status, people sometimes go months without setting foot on campus. I'm in the social sciences, so perhaps this is less feasible in other fields? Just a thought! Lots of great advice above! Good luck OP!

Hi harrisonfjord! I had a totally overwhelming 2nd semester of the first year of the PhD, punctuated by some of the things you describe. I was taking too many courses (mandatory ones offered once a year and best completed early on in the program that were also a total time-suck - stats, in particular, which didn't come easy to me). I was also TA-ing too much. The breaking point came with a death in the family in April, as I was rushing to complete my marking and my own final papers/projects/exams. Something had to give, so I took a SHORT course extension (1 month) for one of my courses, so I could complete everything else without worrying about the final paper for that class, which I eventually knocked out by the end of May. I think that there are some periods of grad school that one just has to "take as a montage" (like, bursts of 3-6 weeks were one is totally overworked, but you just imagine it like those studying montages in movies, where the protagonist is at the library day and night). You can do these and recover, but burn-out happens from too many of these stacked back-to-back over time. And crisis can occur if you don't leave any room for "life" to happen (like illnesses or deaths in the family). So, my advice is to (1) initially, take this as a montage and buckle down and try to get 'er done while practicing some self-care (lots of rest and trips to the gym and tea, for example) and (2) have a contingency plan if "life" happens and something's got to give and then don't be afraid to take the "out" and ask for help. It really can make all the difference in the world to your mind-set just knowing that you've got an "out". The course extension might be worth looking into - I found my admins and the prof to be very understanding - but I would recommend that this should be (i) a one-time thing (ii) for ONE course (iii) that is a SHORT extension (maybe to write a final paper over the holiday break and have it done for January, you don't want this over-lapping with whatever you have next semester and it'll just get harder to wrap-up as time goes on). Again, I think you should look into it and having the strategy in your back pocket might on its own make all the difference. Talking to the grad admins and colleagues can help as well, just to figure out what the culture of your program is and what people typically do - grad students are often an overachieving bunch, and I remember that semester as being kind of a profound moment where I was staring down a situation that I maybe couldn't negotiate without some help, a circumstance that had been foreign to me at the time, where all challenges up until that point had just been rectified by my working REALLY hard. It's actually good to get a sense of your limits to know what that landscape looks like, but you need to know when to pull back, and if you get a sense of prospective "taking something off your plate" strategies before you're in crisis and actually need them, then this will help to make it feel more manageable, and you'll have an "out" if needed. I'm sure you're not the first in your program to feel overwhelmed, and give yourself a break - get acquainted with your limits, flirt with them a bit, but don't walk over the edge, ask for help! HTH! Good luck!

I can't tell from your post how long ago this took place. If this is a really recent thing, you might have some bureaucratic options. -Sometimes you can request course extensions for a few weeks/months to get a paper turned-in. You generally need to have a good reason and this would have to be VERY recent (like, you would have taken the course in THIS current semester), but just an FYI. - Every SGS will have a petition and appeals process, so you should consult that. Not sure what Canadian school you're at, but some institutions (like U of T, through their Grad Students' Union) provide academic advocates that can advise you on your options. In any case, you should see what this entails. I get that you're not really debating the "fairness" of the "F" (and I've never been through the academic appeal process so maybe you do need to have a really good reason or a strong case that unfairness took place), but this is still worth exploring. It's possible that there's something in the process that will give you the opportunity to "make it right" or, at least, diminish it in some way on official record. The bureaucratic stuff is worth exploring though. If the "F" is in fact there to stay, you've got lots of good advice above on how to try to re-frame it. Like proflorax, I'm not sure that I'm optimistic, but if you're committed to trying, you've got strong insight here on how to execute. Good luck.

*Raises Hand* I applied last year (in my second year of the PhD) and got the "super SSHRC" (the CGS). So I'm to be funded for my 3rd, 4th, and 5th years to the tune of 35k per year. This is kind of perfect, since my program only funds through year 4. Your understanding is correct, you're eligible for the three-year span. Feel free to PM me if you want to ask for more details. Just want to say though: I strongly recommend availing yourself of any workshops/seminars/writing centres at your institution that offer help on crafting SSHRC/OGS proposals. I went to a bunch of these and it's totally worth it to have some scrutiny from generalists as well as a sense of the proposal "formula". Good luck! ETA: from last year is helpful to see how the process unfolded for people in the last round!

I find this blog post from The Thesis Whisperer to be helpful for some perspective (warning: therein be some salty language, as befits the frustration level I think). ^Of course, that's not to negate that there may be some real reality to attend to here, on the planning front (it might legit be time to get 'er done and move on and, you know, plotting something other than the TT pursuit). Thanks for checking in with an update - I'm glad that you're doing some seminars and workshops, I too have found those helpful. I also find Versatile PhD to be a great resource. I went to one of their meet-ups a little while ago and they're great! I also follow a handful of similar accounts on twitter (like @FromPhDtoLife). Good luck!

My two cents: 1 = Yes, 2 = Maybe, 3 = Ugh, no! My initial gut reaction is that you should find someone else. You recognize that this recommender made a concentrated effort to get the letters done with ample time in recognition of their mother's decline. I realize that adding schools late in the game isn't atypical, and that this is an unfortunate development, but it's not totally unanticipated on your part so now I think it's on you to figure it out. I'd make an effort to find someone else. As TakeruK says, even if you wait for a spell and then e-mail them (which would be the minimum decent thing, I think), they might be hard to reach. That being said, if you are really wedded to keeping this recommender on for additional letters, I'd recommend some gentle recon on this to figure out what might be apt. If this is a prof, you could speak to the grad admin or their secretary or someone that works with them in an administrative work capacity to see what they think. I had a death in the immediate family the first year of my PhD right around exam season. The death was after a decline over a couple of weeks, so I took measures in anticipation of being gone for a spell. I marked everything rapidly and arranged some e-mail forwarding with an admin, knowing that there would be appeals and the like right after the exam (stressed undergrads with their own applications and the like), but I was going to go completely off-radar for two weeks. It's possible that this recommender left similar instructions and/or an admin might be able to comment upon what is typically done in such circumstances (life happens, people appreciate that). If you get an encouraging response, maybe reach out in two weeks (or whatever the admin is able to comment upon for a timeline). If you contact them, be sure to give them an "out". I think it's great that you're posing this question. I know that apps are stressful and all-consuming, but good on you for stepping back to think about the bigger picture here. Your attention to decorum here, in addition to just being a general good sympathetic reaction, generally speaks well of you. I have been privy to cloying students who don't think twice or made insensitive requests around stuff like this and, while I appreciate the stress of grades and applications and just general scholastic pressures, that kind of stuff sticks in one's craw and it can be difficult to interact with them after that.

The GradCafe Results Search page is a good place to start for this type of comparison. The entries with little red triangles have stats embedded, but people often plug some stats into the "notes" section as well. I did my MA at York and am currently in a PhD at U of T (different department in the social sciences, so can't help ya on poli-sci specifics - though I'd recommend also looking at York's Social and Political Thought program), but feel free to PM me if you want to ask about my experiences there (FWIW: I don't know my GPA on a 4.0 scale, but it was 85/100 for my undergrad and an "A" from my MA). Good luck!

Ditto the above, about 50-60 hours. I tip over the 60 hour mark sometimes on weeks where there is lots of grading to get done.

First of all: good for you! This is a good thing to do. Second: there are LOTS of threads on this if you're looking for a variety of responses (I suggest that partly because everyone is in the "GET LORs" part of the application season, the "THANK LOR WRITERS" notion usually doesn't kick-in wholesale on the GC for a few months!) FWIW: some people I know gave gifts from the PhD comic store: http://www.phdcomics.com/store/mojostore.php For myself: I send a hand-written note and a mug from the institution that I chose to attend (so, obviously, I sent it after acceptances; I think this is easier, because letter writers DO want to know the outcome, so it's easier to issue the "thanks" and the "update: this is where I'm going!" at the same time!). Good luck!

Thanks for the elaboration, it makes it easier to see where you're coming from. This sentence that I've quoted is where you're going off the rails a little bit. You are making a mistake in assuming that the addcomm is going to go ahead and do the work of mentally slotting you in with some available profs. They have hundreds of apps to read, you can't expect them to do this, this is work that YOU should be doing - that is, articulating a RELEVANT research fit with some AVAILABLE faculty. You are not hedging your bets by avoiding any tailoring at the risk of excluding a potential POI - that is a weak and paralyzing approach, better to just DO YOUR BEST to research the department/program and try to account for a good chunk of the prospective fits (and maybe name one or two of the MOST relevant, as determined by your research effort). The statement is not a test with one right answer, where you can avoid flunking because you're leaving up to the adcomm to project the correct response; you might not end up working with the faculty that you name - adcomms KNOW this - the "test" is seeing whether or not you can articulate your interests aptly and whether or not you can identify resources that make sense. You should generally aim to establish "fit" in two respects: why THIS discipline and why THIS institution/program. You've established a great statement for the former, now you need to tailor a bit to capture the latter. I would suggest a sentence or two at the end of your "areas of interest" bit, where you can connect it by stating that your interests would be extended/cultivated by (specific resource in program) given (something relevant about that resource that parallels your interests). It doesn't HAVE to be a faculty member; I'm in a different field, and sometimes people cite program specializations or department conferences or a university's research institute that can be relevantly connected to their interests. You don't HAVE to read the work of every prof in the department (that is an anemic rationale for not doing the "fit" work); look at faculty pages and see who has listed areas of interest that parallel yours, and then skim through THEIR articles (and check to see if maybe they're going on sabbatical before naming them); faculty interests do not have to DIRECTLY mirror yours or be "obvious" on first blush (if they already had a faculty person doing your EXACT interests, they wouldn't take you anyway right? what would be the point?), the point is to find someone relevant and articulate the fit. Best of luck, you've made a good start here!

"Changes" could mean lots of things, micro or macro, and they're not all necessarily deal-breakers, but it's good to consider the source. Grad students might give you a heads-up about changes to funding packages/awards or the amount of TA/RA work expected or professor appointments (I've encountered departments that had shifting rules about cross-appointed profs, like, they couldn't supervise a student in department X because 51% of their appointment is at department Y) - these things can often be figured out. There might be other changes that are tougher to find out about or predict the fall-out of, and these would be the things that faculty are sensitive to, like changes to the department's fundamental culture/vision/priorities (maybe signaled by a new chair that faculty aren't sure they like yet, or new search committee/tenure committee structures). And there might be scandalous stuff that you hear whispered about (divorces, affairs, failed collaborations) that effect the department a bit on its periphery but ultimately doesn't impact your day-to-day or grand scheme stuff - though that juicy stuff you usually become privy to once IN the department. But this right here: That sounds pretty global and dire, man! This person doesn't know you from a hole in the ground, but they feel confident/compelled enough to ward you off (in writing!)? You had best heed it. I'd also add: take care broaching this with the primary POI. I'm pretty sure it'll be a bad scene for SOMEONE if you directly quote professor Y to the primary. It's not nice to find out that someone you are referring students to is warding them away, and professor Y should be able to give good faith advice if they think students are better served elsewhere. If you have a good relationship with a recent prof of yours (maybe one that's writing you a letter), you might float it by them to see if they can comment on the ambiguity; these fields can be tiny, so they might know what the deal is, or at least, they can confirm what others have said here: this is a red flag, regardless of where it came from.

3rd-year PhD here! There's LOTS of great advice on the forum, but here are some quick points that I wish someone had told me in my first year: (1.) Lots of good advice on this list, pick a couple items out (especially the ones about forming good habits) and commit to trying them: http://scholarshape.com/blog/2014/3/18/101-tips-for-finishing-your-phd-quickly (2.) Try to get social like, once a week. While out, especially with other grad students, talk out your projects a bit (but talk about other stuff too!). You'll be amazed at how often things "click" while you're talking them out. The majority of my academic epiphanies happen when I give my eyes/brain some space from my desk, either (a.) while I'm being social (b.) when I'm in the shower (c.) when I'm at the gym. (3.) Go to the gym! Or join a rec league or something. Just, move! Don't let your social skills OR your muscles atrophy! (4.) Identify the time of day when you're most productive and schedule the harder/higher priority tasks for that time period. (5.) Related to number 4 (and what some have said about trying to predict burn-out): know the difference between pushing through a rough patch and straight-up PUNISHING yourself. There's something in the academic culture that makes grad students think that, if they're not actively producing while working, they should at least be sitting at their desk SUFFERING and feeling bad about it - don't do that! Don't sit staring at a blank document for hours. There's a distinction between "this task sucks and I don't want to do it but there's a deadline" (pushing through a rough patch) and the paralyzing "I don't know how to proceed" (and then punishing). If you're experiencing the latter, step away, do something else for a bit, consult some resources (asking a supervisor or colleagues, advice from good websites on how to do specific stuff (The Professor Is In; Get a Life, PhD; Explorations of style - some of my faves), seminars/workshops offered by your SGS), then come back to the task and do something different in your approach as informed by your advice-seeking (can't make sense of a piece you're writing? print it out! for example). (6.) Said in the above but worthy of its own point - ask for help! It was a turning point for me last year when I discovered some of the workshop series that my institution offers (like, a prof wanted me to do some research with software that I had no idea how to use, so I went to a three-hour workshop on it, this is vastly preferred to spending a full day or so figuring it out on my own). You are not the first on the planet to struggle with some of this stuff (especially the things that you THINK you should know how to do, like time management or public speaking) so why not benefit from those that came before you and glean the strategies that they've developed to tackle stuff! You are surrounded by smart people, utilize them! You PAY for some of the institutional structures that exist at your university via your tuition (EVEN when you have funding/get remissions) so USE them! Does your Uni have a writing centre? USE IT! Seminars on "how to be a more efficient TA"? GO TO THOSE. (7.) NAP. Oh man, power naps! The ultimate brain re-set! I myself have come to embrace the "caffeine nap" once or twice a week - that is, I down a coffee or tea, nap for 20 minutes (the amount of time the caffeine needs to get in my system) and then get up totally re-energized and feeling sharp! (8.) Find some organizational apps that work for you and use them. I like Zotero for citations and I'm a recent convert to Workflowy (thanks to fuzzylogician). (9.) Do a little something that gives you an appreciation/understanding of your departmental/discipline culture. I know that you don't think you have time to go to speaker series or job talks or some kind of service association meetings, but these will give you a great sense of what is prioritized in your area, who the big-wigs are, what's in store for you and on and on. Again, this is more efficient than just trying to absorb these intangibles by reading journals in your area. (10.) Teach others how to do stuff. This will enforce it in your own brain and aid the collegiality generally. Nothing irritates me more than people who TAKE other people's advice or drafts of grant applications or information about interesting conferences but they don't reciprocate and foster this "well, more for me" mindset. Appreciate the successes of your colleagues, rather than coveting. Learn to collaborate and share and be helpful. Look out for yourself, for sure, but don't undermine others and, as in life, follow the Wil Wheaton maxim: "Don't be a dick". Suerte!

In my experience, I would add a third. (3) When you do one of the first two AND THEN PAY THE APP FEE. This is a pretty common inquiry, I'd imagine, so check for a "Online App FAQ" to make sure. Good luck!

This wouldn't be "wrong", I think it makes sense to have the university's crest or whatever on your card, but do a little bit of recon to find out what is typically done. I actually endeavoured to have cards made last year. I knew of a good business card guy that my friends used and I was looking through my university's website (communications and marketing dept.) to see if they had any standard templates for business cards with the crest. Turns out my university REQUIRES people to request business cards through them. It's a PR thing and they prize standardized cards, which makes sense. So, I had to make an order through my department's grad secretary, who submitted it to the university. My university is big, so this might not be standard practice in all institutions, but definitely check around to make sure! I'm happy with the cards and it's nice to have a standardized (albeit uncreative) card that resembles the ones my profs have (though I wasn't pleased about shelling out $40, I could've gotten a much better deal on my own, but them's the breaks!). FWIW, as per previous items in this thread, I find the cards to be invaluable at conferences and the like. If you get talking to someone and you have to part ways, they may not always say, "do you have a card?", but if they say, "we should talk more about this", then you take out the card and write the name of the conference you're at and a keyword (the "this" that you want to keep in touch about) on the back, and maybe something will come of it! Even if you don't keep in-touch every time, it's worth it for that one time that the person decides to do something about the "this" (put together a panel or a call for papers or something) and they think of you and touch base (or, alternatively, you do something about the "this" and touch base with them!). That's been my experience anyway.

This is an important thing that you should look into; while you shouldn't necessarily dismiss a program based on this, you should explore it to help contextualize what you're getting into. Something to consider, before I point out some broad strokes: take care re: where you get this info. Some schools have projected timelines for how long they think their PhD SHOULD take, and this might be out of step with reality. A program may, for example, have a timeline on their website that details how one could progress through the degree in 5 years. But if you ask what the ACTUAL AVERAGE time to completion is, it might be more like 6 or 7. You should find out what the average is for the department, it's a mistake to just go by the projected timeline. On reasons for the variance: there are lots of reasons. A big one is whether or not you're made to work (TA/RA) or if you have some external funding. Another might have to do with how things like comprehensive exams are administered. Another (and this is me speaking anecdotally, others may feel differently) might pertain to what kind of work you're doing (I tend to see people doing quant projects that are extensions of their own MA work or their supervisor's work finish faster). Another thing to consider is: what is the average amount of time it takes people in the program to get to ABD status? That will help to highlight where students may be getting bogged down (is it with the initial requirements or the actual diss. research stage?). How this should impact your opinion: Be wary of super-long average completion times; but consider this especially when you look at how many years you would be funded for in the department. Does the department only fund for 4 years and it usually takes people 7 or 8 to finish? That doesn't bode well, especially if there are limited TA/RA work opportunities. Just a few broad thought from me! Good luck!

I just wanted to chime in to say that this is LEGIT THE SWEETEST THING! What an awesome gesture! My day is actually better knowing that there are people like you around, plotting little ways to aid beleaguered loved ones in PhD programs! Fuzzy is on-point (as per usual!) I like having a little plant on my desk, but I'm wanting for outdoor space in my urban apartment! I used to have a little tea/coffee station but I have replaced it lately with a good carafe that is superb! I like having tea/coffee on the go all day, and this thing keeps it warm for 8 solid hours. Seriously, I could write sonnets about this device (and I might too, to avoid my own dissertation work). This is the one that I've got: http://www.amazon.com/Copco-Chloe-Thermal-Capacity-Carafe/dp/B000MAOOLE/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1411512250&sr=1-1&keywords=copco+chloe+1+quart+thermal+capacity+carafe+white Have fun putting this room together! Your brother is a lucky dude!

Hi ellen_ai, Welcome to the GC! Funding arrangements vary widely. I'm not in your discipline, but I'm in a grad program at the University of Toronto, so I thought I'd chime in with some details that might help you cohere your search! - First, you generally need an MA to pursue a PhD in Canada, while this isn't the case in the States. I just wanted to point this out as you mentioned that you're looking at both MA and PhD apps, but you can't just segue into a PhD program in Canada without an MA. - International student spots are competitive and pricey. I typically hear that only 10-25% of a grad program cohort is comprised of international students (this varies across departments and programs though). - At U of T, the funding arrangement is, generally, as follows: (1) professional MA programs (like an MA in Public Policy) aren't usually funded and they also charge quite a bit more in tuition; (2) the School of Grad Studies allows other programs to fund students for 5 years and then individual programs get to decide if that arrangement will be, say, for a student's 1-year MA plus 4 years of their PhD (this is the case in my program, Sociology) or if they'll just fund 5 years of the PhD straight-up (this is the case in English, where completion times are longer). - Might you be after, say, an MA in Enviro Science? If so, it appears (on the program's webpage) that U of T/the dept. considers that a "professional" MA program. Here's a link to the funding page: http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/physsci/financial-support-menvsc ^ So, there's no base funding package, but there are opportunities to make money (via TA-ships and the like) AND there's a (funded!: http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/physsci/funding-phd) PhD program to prospectively move into afterwards (this isn't the case for all professional MA programs, like there's no PhD in Public Policy). You'd have to look into the MA here a bit more to see if living on the TA-ship alone is feasible. Generally, you'll have to look into each program on its own merits to suss out details. I applaud your pragmatism here though; while "fit" in a grad program is paramount, I believe it generally behooves grad students to "follow the money". Good luck!

I very earnestly did not undertake to chastise. My "boundaries/buttons" comment was ventured in consideration of your comment regarding not taking the GRE on "principle" and in light of the title of this thread (FWIW I think that the tone of the responses would have been very different if you had titled the thread "Is it possible to make up for academic deficiencies with research experience?" instead of "Getting around admission requirements?"). Regardless, I would agree with you that feeling beset upon by a series of users does not make one feel helped, and the GC generally does aim to be a helpful community! Answers to grad admissions questions tend to come in varying shades of "it depends", rather than "yes" or "no". So I'm actually gratified that the responses, while some of them put the "tough" in "tough love" (lookin' at you GeoDUDE!), still helped to suss out a distinct but different response for you: look into an MA! I do think that the content here can be helpful for you, in terms of offering a concrete next step as well as some insight (unsolicited, I know, but still!) on how to approach admission expectations. While I don't want to volunteer anyone for additional correspondence work, one of the awesome mods here (fuzzylogician) is in linguistics and might be receptive to a PM, if you feel so inclined. The GC is really an awesome community and I hope that you continue to engage here as you consider potentially pursuing MA stuff! Really sincerely, best of luck to you!

You would not be pushing boundaries by trying to buck (or "get around") these requirements, you'd just be pushing buttons - and YES, that is undesirable. What is the story here that you want the adcomm to "buy"? That you are capable of being successful if certain circumstances are in place (oh, and btw, you don't mean their rigid definition of "success", you mean the definition of success that you've taken it upon yourself to craft)? You don't get points for circumventing requirements. While it's entirely possible that you'll find a supervisor who will agree that GPA and the GRE are indicative of squat, I guarantee you that an admissions co-coordinator or committee is not interested in humouring you in that debate, and you need to get through the latter to get at the former. Your narrative here is one of non-accountability - you're casting yourself as a victim of circumstance and thus you cannot HELP but have a low-GPA, lack of traditional letters ect; The circumstances that you describe (small school with limited faculty in your area, not knowing what you wanted to do initially in your undergrad) are not at all unique. You can peruse the forum and find that these situations are fairly common - but many successful applicants "get it together" in their final year or so and then craft a narrative that points to their accountability and resourcefulness in turning it around. These narratives are often more compelling than those from students who consistently pulled down 4.0 grades - it is helpful to see how a student takes ownership of, and resolves, challenges. So, you need to establish an "upward trend" that is recognizable to the adcomms, and then craft a narrative around that. A good way to do this, as others have said, is to try your hand at an MA. I think that you've got a lot going for you if you've had your mettle tested on the publishing/research front (as others have said, this is dependent on the peer-review nature of the endeavours). There's a lot to be said of a student who is acquainted with some of the nuances of fieldwork and collaborative research. So leverage this to get into an MA, and then use some of your time in the MA to establish some markers of "success" that are recognizable to PhD adcomms. While GPA/GRE may not comprehensively indicate quality of research, they do indicate one's capacity to navigate a grad program (I mentioned that your supervisor may not care, but a grad program WILL care, as it might give them pause about your capacity/willingness to contend with other non-fun standardized/bureaucratic things like progress reports and quals/comprehensive exams). Your entire academic career will partially entail translating your passion and research into recognizable markers (for departmental people, funding agencies, ect;). Your admission application is an opportunity to begin to hone the skills you'll need to do that. Pull in a third letter from someone you've been doing high-level (hopefully peer-reviewed) research with. Speak with that esteemed scholar that holds you in high regard to figure out what MA programs might be appropriate and how to write compellingly and relevantly about your experience. Apply for that MA. Good luck!

I like wuglife's recommendations! I just wanted to say: good for you for committing to reaching out to these letter-writers, even though it's not to communicate the desired result! In my experience, letter-writers actually genuinely MEAN it when they say that they want to know the outcome, and I think it shows a strong character that you're touching base to let them know - they'll remember that! Good luck in your future pursuits!

That's not fair. Eigen is a mod here, and you can quibble about their familiarity with Social Work if you want, but the fact remains that the OP is exhibiting an attitude and describing a predicament that is recognizable to grad students in different disciplines. Eigen offered solid advice to the OP on re-examining their approach and assumptions in order to glean a different result, but I think it's clear that the OP isn't actually after advice, they would just like validation for the choices they've already made. Eigen's advice pertains to both the micro-issue of the placement and the global issue regarding "trust" of the program; on both levels they advocate honest reflection and diplomacy (while maintaining the importance of standing up for yourself) - these are good recommendations regardless of the grad program. When the dust settles and the OP feels a bit more receptive to advice, perhaps they could revisit Eigen's comments and the utility of the feedback will be more apparent. Congrats on the self-advocacy OP - it IS an important skill to hone and I hope that you continue to cultivate it! Best of luck going forward!

My institution also does the three payment thing (Sept., Jan., and May). I just get the lump sums and the uni reminds me that they want the tuition paid by end of April, lest I incur late fees (so, it behooves me to pay the tuition in full between the first two payments). I got my first lump sum on Thursday (the 4th). Glad you got an update Nerd; hope that you see it hit your account soon!

Congrats on your acceptance and impending start! I don't have a lot of insight on the industry vs. academy quagmire for your discipline, but I can give a little bit of advice for things you should do before you start! 1. Set up some mechanisms now that will benefit your life/work. Often, these are the kinds of things that, once set up, require minimal effort to maintain but can have a profound influence on your organization and networking. I'm thinking of things like: (1) going to the bank to set up something tiny and automatic fortnightly or monthly to address your debt - grad students are a broke bunch, but even a tiny arrangement to pay off some principle will compound advantageously over time; (2) set up a twitter account and follow your university, department, colleagues, relevant professional organizations, media that will put out stories regarding your areas of interest, and academic associations that will host the conferences you'll want to attend - it behooves you to partake in these conversations; (3) install software/apps and the like that will help you get organized - university libraries often provide "alert" systems that you can subscribe to that will notify you when someone publishes on your interests based on key words that you punch in and there is great (and free!) citation management software that will help you organize your research (many ppl tout the benefits of Endnote, I prefer Zotero). 2. Empower yourself with information. If you're at an institution with a Union, get acquainted with your collective agreement. Read through the expectations for your program and your School of Graduate Studies (SGS) (or equivalent, where applicable). Peruse the academic calendar to get a sense of typical semester-to-semester deadlines. Become familiar with funding/award structures and agencies via SGS (or, again, whatever equivalent) to get a sense of what's available in terms of things like conference bursaries. The info empowerment also applies to getting acquainted with a few "advice-esque" sites that you can depend on for PhD navigation help. Here are some of my faves and example articles from them: - ScholarShape: http://scholarshape.com/blog/2014/3/18/101-tips-for-finishing-your-phd-quickly - The Chronicles of Higher Education Vitae (this one is really hit-and-miss and can be a little hostile about post-PhD prospects, so it's good for hard truths but it also easily produces cynicism, so beware; I joined and subscribed to the e-mail list, so I get weekly updates on what's being published on the site and I just access what's relevant to me): https://chroniclevitae.com/news/623-the-worst-advice-grad-students-get - Get a life, PhD (this site is GREAT for easy how-tos on "things that you feel bad for not knowing but are actually tricky to get right", like building an effective Powerpoint presentation for a conference; I highly recommend this one!): http://getalifephd.blogspot.ca/ - Any other blog that might help you navigate. It's hard to find an exact match (something written in a style you're amicable to AND relevant to your discipline AND (in your case) with included industry vs. academia narratives) but, have a look around to find some voices that you trust, these places are solid refuges when you're feeling unsure about the role of your discipline (or YOUR role within it). You might like this one: http://andrewgelman.com/ 3. Cultivate some good strategies now (this is connected to number 1). Get a gym routine (and a grown-up-ish sleep pattern). Figure out what time of the day you do your best work and make sure that those hours go towards the most important things (so, if you work best in the morning, research happens in the morning and the many other things that you'll be tasked with - bureaucracy, e-mails, marking - happens in the afternoon). Similarly, figure out under what environmental (ect;) conditions you do your best work and aim to cultivate your space/work habits accordingly. HTH!