ntrobaugh

Sorry to revive an old thread, but I received my MA from an unranked school where all they had was a terminal MA. I made sure to go into PhD apps with eyes open regarding this, but I was still able to swing a decent acceptance. In my humble opinion, if it seems like a good fit for you, you'll get out of it what you put into it. If the faculty see that you are motivated and serious, they will likely queue to help you reach your potential. Personally, I think I needed the unranked MA to be able to develop the skill-sets needed in order to even consider applying to doctoral programs (as I came from a relatively strong, but completely unknown (and very SMALL) liberal arts school for undergrad. In my home state, I've only heard of one major school just outright rejecting students who came from my MA program, but I have no proof of this and I don't know if it actually happens. My advice agrees completely with that of EngineerGrad's - you'll stand out more being a serious student at an unranked school if you work your tail off and do great work while developing strong professional relationships with a few professors.

To the OP, Well, kinda. I was absolutely shocked to get in at all, and then to get full-funding plus a fellowship, I thought for sure they must have confused me with another prospective student who happened to have my last name (which is uncommon). But I've also visited the program, trying to rely on my intuition and skills of observation to see if there was any proverbial "man behind the curtain" to look for and. . . I didn't find one. So now, it's just nightmares about my offer getting rescinded on ludicrous grounds, akin to the nightmares I had (both before and after my thesis defense) about flunking because I didn't know how to care correctly for dragons. (What? I'm a creative person. . . ) Also, I agree with PsychChick - I know I was preparing myself for the worst, too, especially since I only decided to apply one place and knew all too well how easily this could have blown up in my face, so I was convinced I wouldn't be accepted. Made it an awfully nice surprise when I got the official notification! Probably Imposter syndrome. . . I hear that's rather common in our particular demographic. . .

I was presenting at a conference! The night before, I had given up, thinking I'd definitely been rejected. I went to the conference, and after I presented and attended panels, I saw missed calls, voicemails, and emails on my phone from the school. I read the first sentence when I got home, screamed, scared the hell out of my poor dog, and ran to the phone to notify others. I only applied one place, and I was sure I wouldn't get in.

Good question - I've been asked this a lot in real life because people were surprised at what my top choice was. 1.) There are a couple of professors who I want to work with, and I have heard good things about them from faculty in my MA program. 2.) It is close to home - that is a priority for me right now with an ill mother. 3.) It is quietly ranked - not one of those programs that you hear about all the time, but it is respectable. 4.) At least two students in recent years from my MA program have been accepted there, had very good careers there, and landed tenure-track jobs right after graduating (which I found impressive in this job market), so I know that I have a chance when applying with my Master's degree. I only applied to one school this time around - not because I'm arrogant and think I'm a sure bet; far from it. But if I don't get in, or if I decide to wait another year, I'll apply to more schools next round. However, I think that my top choice is the best choice for me.