joefc

Before you sign up for more debt, think about job prospects and potential earnings with the MS. Your earnings should allow you to pay down your debt in a reasonable amount of time while living comfortably.

So my friend was notified today that he is on the NYU waitlist. So if you aren't going to NYU in bio (specifically dev), please let them know now!!

Ok, not little

All too often people post here asking what their chances are at this and that school. I completetly understand their desire to know the answer. However, I also understand why some other people get somewhat annoyed by this question. Indeed, it is very hard to tell what somebody's chances are at certain schools, even if you know their stats and other details like a number of publications they have. That is why I decided to write this post. I will explain how, in my opinion, one can estimate one's chances and choose programs correctly. I hope that other people experienced in application process will correct me if I am wrong and add their advice. And may be, if moderators consider this post useful, they will be able to make it always stay on top of this board - if it is possible on this forum.

First of all, if you want to know whether your stats (GRE, GPA, TOEFL score) are good enough for you to be accepted to certain schools - there is one easy way to find the answer. Most schools post stats of students they have accepted, like on this page here. So try to find this info on websites of schools you are planning to apply to and if you can't find it, ask graduate secretaries/coordanators if such a page exists and if not, where you can find those stats. Remember that if your stats are low but not abysmal, that does not mean that your chances are low. It does not (always) go like - lower the grades, lower the chances (unless they are above some bare minimum) and vice versa. Because...

Second of all, even with the best stats, numerous publications, brilliant letters of reference, etc. you may not be accepted to a school if you have not chosen a program wisely. Because the most important thing in this game is fit. If a program thinks they are a bad fit for you, they will not admit you, however wonderful your application is. So you should apply only to schools that fit well your research interests and experience. How can you find schools with a good fit? First, of course, you schould know what your research interests are. If you know that, visit as many websites of programs in your field as you can find - and read about them, very carefully. Where can you find a list of programs? Well, browse the internet. When I was applying last year, I came across a biiiiiig list of programs in my field (it was not a ranking, just a list) and I spent a lot of time just going through all these program's websites. If you don't find such a list, just find some rankings. Not in order to find out what programs are the best in your field (many people don't believe in rankings anyway) but just to see what programs are out there. So, you read about the programs on their websites. From the way these programs are described you should get an idea if you would be interested in studying there or not. When I was choosing programs to apply to, I first used the list that I had found to make a shorter list of programs with a very general fit. Then, as I knew that I would not be able to attent a program without funding, I looked through this new shorter list looking for programs that were offering funding. As you can imagine, the list became even shorter after that Then I started to read about faculty in the programs from the last list, looking for professors who could potentially become my advisors. Then I contacted these professors, telling them about my research project, asking about their opinion. When some replied and I saw that they liked my ideas, I asked them if they would be taking graduate students next year. In the end I had only 5 programs left and I applied to all of them.

About contacting professors. As far as I understand, you can do that in all fields, except - for some mysterious reason! - English. (Here I ask other experienced forumers to correct me if I am wrong.)
BUT: If a professor is interested or even very very interested, that in no way guarantees that you will be accepted to this program because there are many other factors at play during the application process (most important of them being funding and faculty politics). But of course having a professor in a program who has expressed interest in working with you is a very good sign. It is definetely better than having no such professor. If you find a profesoor who is willing to take you as a graduate student but you are unsure about your stats, you can ask them about that. But of course don't ask it in the first letter to them!!! Only when you see that they are interested (and friendly).

Finally, I want to say, that all I have told above is based on my experience and it helped me - I was accepted to a school with a great fit (which is supported by the fact that they decided to give me a nice fellowship). May be there are other ways to choose programs and estimate your chances with them. May be in other fields (I am in social sciences) rules are different. I hope that others will correct me or pitch in some ideas based on their own experience with application process.

Good luck!

Forget your past and your guilt for a moment and focus on just one question to make your decision: Do YOU feel that you truly deserve to participate in this program, based on your current potential and dedication in regard to this field?

Only you can answer that question, and do not lie to yourself; if the answer is yes, I say GO FOR IT- enroll in the program and put the past behind you. Traditional wisdom would say that someone who failed twice at doctoral studies should not enroll in a Ph.D. program ever again, but there are few exceptions to a rule such as this. You said that you have justification for withdrawing those two times, so if you really believe that and you do not think your past represents a deficiency in your ability to succeed, then I sincerely think you should not feel guilty. In that case, I urge you NOT to confess- accept the offer, but give the program 200% of your effort and dedication in return for the circumstances regarding your acceptance. Remember that if you TRULY will be an asset to this program and to this field, your enrollment will be to everyone's benefit, and nothing in your past will be relevant in the long run. In this case, anyone who found out about your past failures would realize that you really DID deserve a third chance. On the other hand, if you think that you have taken a spot away from someone more deserving, and you have any serious doubts about your ability to succeed this (third) time, then you really should decline the offer.

I don't care what anyone here says...if you do enroll in this program and achieve stellar results, it is VERY unlikely that your past will ever matter. The likelihood of people finding out will diminish exponentially with each semester that you excel in the program, and so will the likelihood that they will CARE even if they do find out. These forums are full of so-called "academic saints" who love to go around and lambast others using the terms "academic integrity" and "academic honesty", although if you were to thoroughly examine the history of every move that THEY ever made in the academic world, you will only confirm that nobody is a saint. I am NOT condoning dishonesty in any way, but I have to be truthful, and so I must admit that less-than-saintly behavior is nearly omnipresent in academia in one form or another, even among almost every 4.0 student and world-renowned researcher. Anyone who says that "misrepresentations" equally severe as yours are not common among the big-wigs in academia is simply lying. What I'm trying to say is: do not feel guilty just because the academic world pressures you to feel guilty; feel guilty IF you are accepting a position that you do not truly deserve according to your abilities and dedication.

One more thing: remember that if you do confess now, not only will you almost definitely lose your chance to participate in this program, but you will probably NEVER be able to enroll in a Ph.D. program in the future. Make sure that you're okay with that before confessing. Furthermore, don't forget that anyone whom you tell may "snitch" on you with publicity that knows no bounds, and your future career plans may be ruined (even beyond the scope of graduate studies).

Hey everyone!

I just got accepted to the Ohio State University IBGP!!! Definitely going!!!! WHOO! The wait is over.

Prestige is not more important unless you can pay off the loans. Two years at Chicago, borrowing the whole thing, will easily cost you $100-120K. How do you intend to pay that back? You can't hope to make that much money as an English professor.

I say follow the money. Unless Villanova's program is the bottom of the barrel, you have to be pragmatic here. There's a reason you applied to Villanova's program - something appealed to you there.

I say more often, we need to treat education like we treat everything else. We wouldn't buy a house we couldn't afford just because it was in a nicer neighborhood, or a car we couldn't afford for the prestige of driving around a BMW. Let's also not go for degrees we can't afford to pay back after graduation. It'd be one thing if you could get the entire degree for $50K or even $80K, but over six figures is more than the majority of us can afford to repay unless it's a medical/dental or business degree.

Wow, quoting bible verses on me, huh? I wrote nothing on that eval that I haven't or wouldn't share in person. The problem is that very few people in this world are able to differentiate constructive criticism from destructive, and thus take every form of criticism negative. I am no worse than the people who talk smack about people behind their backs and then do nothing about it. I'd rather be upfront about issues than pretend they don't exist. That's how cancer kills.

With that said, what in my incident would be considered "self-inflicting"? I provided an honest, fair evaluation that many people are unwilling to give anymore because of politics. I did nothing unethical or improper, and I'll sleep easy tonight knowing that. I think if people in this country cut off the brown nosing and were just honest and constructive, we would get back on the right track. Instead, everyone just kisses up to the person above them because they think that's going to get them ahead. Brown-nosing only gets you so far, having skills is what gets you farther.

Zyzz, run in the directors office and let them have it, since you stand upon a firm bedrock of principle, err whackaloonery!

Thank you for clarifying semantics. I now see the err of my ways. Your ability to focus on the big picture of a topic and not miss the point is unrivaled. You have definitely contributed to this conversation. Unfortunately, I fear that your vast intellect is intimidating other posters, deterring them from contributing as well. Therefore, I kindly request that you refrain from further posting in this thread. It is important that others feel encouraged to participate, even those without your superior abilities.

Bluntly, I think that you need to take a look at your attitude and how it may impact the outcome of this process.

You are going to be discussing a very complicated and controversial issue with people who have power over you. I think it is in your best interest to take your emotions out of the equation. Among the emotions to control are your feelings of victimization, self-righteousness, and anger. It does not matter if you and your cohort are in the right and they are in the wrong. If you communicate with the tone you display in the OP you will not prevail.

If you decide to continue with this process,
Identify the issues you want to address.
Figure out the outcomes you'd prefer.
Figure out the outcomes that are possible.
And then figure out what you can do to close the gap between what you want and what you can get.
That is, manage your expectations. You may want heads on a platter but what may happen is that students will get nothing more than an opportunity to retake the class.



Do not say anything about the individuals you're dealing with either on line or to anyone else that you're not willing to say it directly to those people. If you need to vent, and I suggest you don't, do it with pen and pencil or in an encrypted file. Right now, your emotions are getting the better of you. If you have a talk with people higher up in the food chain with the tone you used in the OP, you are going to undermine your chances for a sustainable resolution to your issue. Do not, under any circumstances, make anything that sounds like a threat, especially if you do not have the power to carry out that threat. If you're set on tearing the temple down, then do it. But do not talk about it. (Make no mistake, I think that this would be an incredibly self destructive act on your part.)

Concurrently, please do take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror. Bluntly, some of what you say you did does not track with who you say you are. You need to figure out these inconsistences before you go into a meeting and say/do something that undermines your credibility and forfeits the high ground. For example, somewhere along the line, you made some pragmatic decisions. But now you're talking about principle. What prompted the transition?

And there are other questions you might consider. Why are you fighting this fight? (It is unclear if you got a poor mark in the second class.) Who are you trying to help? Did they ask you? Are you helping them the way they've asked you? Or are you imposing your solutions on their problems and thereby complicating an already difficult situation? Whose interests and what priorities are driving you right now? Do you want a sustainable solution or do you want revenge? What are you going to do if you can't get either?)

I understand that some of my comments may not be what you expected. You strike me as someone who has what I call a "crusader's mentality." IMO, that isn't such a bad trait to have. However, I urge you to understand the differences between giants and windmills before you grab a lance and charge down the hill. And also understand that being angry can get in the way of being effective. (FWIW, as a hot head, I often say to myself: [sigaba], do you want to be mad or do you want to get the problem solved--because you cannot do both? When I decide to get the problem solved, things tend to turn out a lot better for me.)

HTH.