drapeblind

The timing of such things is dependent upon yearly travel and work schedules, so I wouldn't worry too much for those who haven't heard about interviews yet. Some programs don't even conduct phone/skype interviews and will just fly you out to meet you in early April. The basic rule of thumb is as follows: Hearing from an institution in February - You probably got in. Hearing by the second week fo March - Very promising sign. Hearing by the end of March - The program may just have some bureaucratic slowness and you may have an offer, or you're on a waiting list. Most offers are contingent upon an April 15th contract signature by students. So it's always possible that you could receive an offer after that if they don't get any of their candidates, but it's very unlikely except from third or fourth tier programs struggling to get students they want. The best advice you could hear right now is to never ever contact a graduate admissions director during the deliberations period. They're going to choose who they're going to choose and you have no influence on who they'll pick. A solicitous or probing email will annoy them and send your application right to file 7. If you haven't heard by late March it's usually OK to ask, though it's safe to assume that the answer is probably no by then. Good luck!

I try to paint the most practical and likely picture; but I do agree with Saviya that encouragement is warranted as you have a few promising intangibles that other applicants wont. That said, I can't think of any students in any program who didn't come in at the top of their class grade-wise, with some minor wiggle-room for GRE variation. The competition is just too fierce and the applicant pool too overqualified. Programs don't take those chances even if they hypothetically stipulate that they might under special circumstances. So you should definitely apply to a few choice Ph.D. programs that are a good fit for what you do, but also note that a strong MA program and good overall scores will increase your chances from very unlikely to likely. With 120-200 applicants per program, hold no illusions about a 'special scenario' in which an advisor sees your potential beyond the paperwork in front of them. The admissions process is run by abstract, cold, hard numbers and after the first round or two of cuts, your proposed research project. I recommend an ambitious plan to improve your profile accompanied by some 'dream school' applications. You should certainly try for your goal destination, especially if you have a GRE composite over 1400 and a 5 or better on the writing section. But otherwise a few MA programs offer funding and research experience and it's extremely common to make a stop before a final graduate destination. For all applicants who may read this, I can't stress enough that the process shouldn't seem like winning the lottery. There are certain milestones that significantly remove 'chance' from your candidacy: GPA over 3.6, GRE over 1300/5, having attended a first or high second tier institution, warm recommendations from noted professors in the field, applying to work on a topic that overlaps with a future faculty project (not one they've already worked on), ability to speak multiple languages, having studied abroad, work-experience intangibles, novelty of project proposed, and quality of writing sample. If you've covered all of these bases, you probably are going to get in somewhere if you maximize your application pool. A reputable MA in your field will significantly increase your chances and put you toward the top of their paper pile. On that note, apply to at least 12 programs, some successful students applied for as many as 30. And be willing to move anywhere geographically -- if you're only applying to Ph.D. programs in NY, for example, and you're looking for advice on a mssg board, you probably are missing the 'intangible' cultural capital that pushes many 'pedigree' students forward into the academic ruling class. I had to learn all of this myself, so take my advice as pragmatic and well-wishing.

Many programs cut the applicant pool off at about 3.4/4.0 at lowest, so the GPA could well be an initial problem. Your best bet is to get a high score on the GRE and to go to a master's program for communication and culture. Beware for-profit MA programs, in other words programs that have no doctoral program and fund few if any students. UT-Austin has good luck placing people in doctoral programs even for their non-funded students, for instance, because they have such an established Ph.D. A reference from a faculty member there means something. But the New School takes a very high number of MA students who then have to compete for attention. Many of those students are talented, and they have a good faculty, but that kind of environment isn't always copacetic for tracking their MA students successfully. Some get through, others are left disappointed. There are lots of examples that emulate shades both of these kinds institutions, so make sure that you note program placement before attending. A solid MA program with a few conference presentations should push you into a doctoral program if you're motivated.

Good to hear -- but remember to really prepare well for the GRE. If programs are only funding 3-5% of all applicants these days it's crucial to have high percentiles for funding purposes. I recommend classes for structure but there are certainly other ways to study...

First of all congratulations on getting in! Second, I would wait to hear from all applied institutions before you accept any offer. Third, I'd decide based upon 1) institutional placement (i.e. where do students get jobs after finishing their doctorate, if anywhere, and 2) funding (expect an offer of at least 3 years that includes tuition, teaching experience, and an advisor assignment). Last, what counts as a good program varies depending on your concentration. If you have an advisor who will help you to develop the subject of study that you're interested in then you're better off than most.

I'm going to demur a little from the other comments and say yes to taking a loan. Admissions aren't necessarily GRE based but funding often is. So a high GRE score will improve your admissions and increase your chances of an assistantship or fellowship. The GRE class is about $1000, but in the larger scheme of a potential payoff it's a good investment. Let's say you receive a good score and get into a program with a 3-5 year contract. Each year that contract is roughly worth, on average, $42-60,000 if one includes tuition, insurance, stipend, and printing, depending on the school. If you're in good standing funding is usually expanded to 5-7 years. So even on the low side of say $40k, being funded in grad school will account for $240-250,000 of investment by your home institution. If you're absolutely serious about getting a Ph.D. and are willing to put hard work into your preparations, that $1000 should be seen as an investment into your education. Those classes are fairly effective and the competition is quite fierce, so you'll want to take this process as seriously as possible, which in your case may include a little bit of financial aid.

this is a pretty broad question. i'll speak to conferences, which are a good place to start for testing out ideas. international communication association (ica) -- strengths in political, quantitative, and historical research national communication association (nca) -- strength especially in rhetoric, as well as mass communication (a very wide spectrum of work) society of cinema and media studies (scms) -- a middling conference because it does not require papers or go through peer review, just very short abstracts, but it's the default one for film, media, and popular culture work. cultural studies association (csa) --- similar to scms in that it doesn't require actual completed work, but open to a wider net of qualitative phenomena. it's wildly inconsistent but some surprisingly strong material.

I concur completely with edost. I'd add one more stipulation: never apply right out for an MA at a research program. Apply for the Ph.D. and you could always leave after the MA or equivalent. Stating right out that you lack dedication to finish a doctorate at a program that specializes in producing researchers is an easy way to have your application rejected in the first round.

It should be clear to all applicants interested in 'media studies' that it's a small and somewhat internally-contentious subfield that used to be theory and history centered and is now moving toward an Anthropological-English approach. Further, though media studies is usually based in some elements of film analysis, not every film program has media scholars or is willing to support media-centered students. There are roughly 10-11 'major' programs which produce one to four Ph.D. graduates per year, which means programs don't take many incoming students. In a completely unscientific ranking, these are the most established programs for media studies: (Tier 1) USC, NYU, Texas, UCLA, Penn; (Tier 2) Northwestern, Santa Barbara, Michigan, Illinois, Madison, Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota. There are also many excellent programs that are either English-based, American Studies-based, new and still building, slightly outside the mainstream, or have lost faculty in recent years. Each of these programs are worth examining but are perhaps without as long or consistent of a track record for matriculating Ph.D. students into the 'media studies' subfield: Brown, Irvine, Penn St., Toronto, Pittsburgh, CUNY, Washington (Seattle), Georgia, Georgia State, Arizona State, Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Again these are all excellent programs worth attending but not quite as situated in the 'power center' of that subfield. This is not an evaluation of the quality of each department's scholarship, and indeed programs like Brown, Pittsburgh, and CUNY probably have more success placing students at interdisciplinary positions than 'media studies' centered programs. Some programs have simply been around longer and hold an established track record for training graduate students. It's also worth noting that 'media studies' isn't always housed in Communication departments, though it often is. Some schools have specific Film and Media departments, others have large sprawling English departments with media as a concentration.