Jump to content

cacao to cacao

Members
  • Posts

    62
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Not Telling
  • Location
    NYC
  • Application Season
    2015 Fall
  • Program
    Ph.D.

cacao to cacao's Achievements

Espresso Shot

Espresso Shot (4/10)

11

Reputation

  1. I see you what you (takeruk & bsharpe) both mean. I definitely don't want to come off as desperate. I have the ability to budget for a week-long visit to the west coast. But I can also see why it is also a good idea to wait for the recruitment weekend. Who knows --? If I decide to not visit campuses, I will still find ways to enjoy myself hanging out with friends and family.
  2. re: pre-application & post-acceptance visits As a result of informational phone interviews, a good handful of faculty encouraged me to visit the school post-application & pre-acceptance so I that can meet them along with other affiliated faculty. I understand there is a formal interview timeline built within in the decision phases of the process. But this is not that. At this point, we are nowhere near decision time. At the end of the day, if certain faculty want me to visit their school, who am I to not take them up on their offers to meet in person, to chat, and get to know each other?
  3. Ah yes, we will most definitely cross that bridge once we get there
  4. Thanks for the heads up TakeruK. It is likely I will be able to stack reimbursements if they are available from these schools! But since this would not be an "official" visit (I'm going to visit to check out the program myself and -- not because they invited me) I question whether or not these associated costs will be eligible for reimbursement. Probably not, right? Hi jujubea. I would love to visit the campuses but I am on the east coast. All of these programs are on the west coast. BUT - by opening up my research interests just a little bit, I was able to expand my list to 8 schools. Refining my research interests also gave me a better perspective to tell a more effective and cohesive story in my SOP! I feel so much better now.
  5. thank you everyone for the feedback! looks like I have a bit more digging to do. the 18 in the original list included the top 10 schools in my field. Unsurprisingly, less than half of those (only 4) made it through to the next round. I am open to my research topic changing a little bit -- not A LOT, but there is some wiggle room. I will continue digging into the top 12 on my list to see if there are a couple programs I would be open to considering if accepted. There were definitely at least 2 other programs that could work. It makes me uncomfortable just thinking about it, but I figure the sooner I confront the possibility of my research topic(s) changing, the better off I will be once I'm actually in the program. These schools are on the other side of the country on the west coast, so I won't be able to meet with faculty and graduate students in person before I submit my applications. I do REALLY WELL with in-person interviews, too. But such as life - we have email, and we have telephones. Gotta use what I got... and my intuition too. As for Plan B, I would continue working in my current position which keeps me close to research, refines my project management skills, and exposes me to the new tools of interest in the field. No loss if I don't get in this round -- I definitely won't mind being a well-seasoned cat come Fall 2016. Yup, thank you for empathizing with me on this point. Geography is a non-negotiable. Clear pros and cons here. for those still lining up information interviews with PIs, here are a few reminder tips about speaking to your PIs on the phone: 1. If it's the first call, be ready to present your burning question (limit this to one or two sentences) and finish the statement within 20 seconds. Had to force myself to stop rambling a few times. 2. Ask them high-quality, thoughtful questions about their research. Then, Wow them with follow-up questions. 3. Stay within the allotted time for the call & be respectful of their time.
  6. So I was one of those that started out with a list of 18 programs that I thought I might want to apply to... Chopped it down to 12 programs based on geography. Got it down to 8 based on program fit with my career goals. Looked into faculty research interests and got it further down to 5 programs. I emailed around 3 faculty (PoIs) from each of the 5 schools for short informational interviews. With a 50% response rate, I was able to get on the phone with 3 schools. Results: School A - not a good fit with faculty (personalities or research interests) School B - faculty research interests are nearly identical with my own, lots of doors for future career advancement (already tons of experience in the field) School C - personalities, research interests, and interesting opportunities for research. Overall, great vibes about the program, faculty, and current doctoral students. Now, I'm down to only 2 schools (Schools B and C).... did I narrow down my list too much? People say there is no such thing as a safety school.. and that you should only apply to programs where you know you have a great fit. So I did my homework and hoped to come up with around 4 to 6 programs. But I only came up with 2. Should I be freaking out? I feel really confident about these two, but I don't want to be a fool come next spring and find that neither of my 2 eggs have hatched. Quality over quantity? I guess I'd rather devote my time and resources to submitting amazing applications to these 2 programs than stretching myself thin applying to 4 other programs that would kind of be a stretch anyway... right? one or two safety schools at this point sounds mighty tempting... somebody stop me!
  7. Especially with regards to the UCs, i have a feeling they're negotiating university/departmental funding both within and between schools for their top candidates. They may have notified a few students here and there, but maybe the admission committees are still studying up on the rest of us or waiting to hear back about available funding for us.... Still too early to assume anything else. Might as well stay as hopeful as possible in the meantime.
  8. UC Irvine "applicants will be notified near the end of the month" info received today via grad coordinator (not sure if it applies to MAs since I asked specifically for PhD program I applied to)
  9. hehe good! I'm glad you got a laugh outta that! in other news, i have a co-worker that keeps asking me if I've heard back... and she keeps getting the same answer.. a smile, a "nope, not yet" followed by a shrug followed by "we'll see!" acting all hopeful.. *sigh, TGIF!
  10. ew! rude. *imagining apple exploding on her face.. in slow motion.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use