Linguistics F18

[IA18]

Hi everyone! 

Does anyone happen to know if UC Berkeley already sent out all interview invitations for Linguistics (PhD, 2018)? I'm guessing by now I'll be rejected, so I'd rather find out soon enough.

If anyone reading this got an invite, what's your subfield? 

Also, when should we hear from UCLA, UMASS Amherst and Michigan Ann Arbor (same programme)?

Thanks and best of luck to everyone!

 

[IA18]

1 hour ago, Ling_Aud said:

I am sorry to be posting this. But unless you are sure you can publish 2-3 journal articles during your PhD, I would suggest that PhD in linguistics is not a good degree to pursue. The academic job market is grim. I got my PhD in linguistics from one of the good schools in the US, and now I am planning to go back to school to study a more useful degree.  Ignore what I said if you are planning to do things like computational linguistics.

Hi!

I appreciate your input and that's actually something I'm afraid of, but I can't see myself doing anything other than Linguistics - something I would enjoy. Funny enough, I thought I wanted to go into Computational Linguistics and then became interested in Speech Pathology and Communication disorders. I applied to PhDs in Linguistics with Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics as subfields. I also really like Forensic Linguistics. May I ask what school you went to and what area of specialisation you picked?

 

[spreadglottis]

19 hours ago, IA18 said:

...UCLA, UMASS Amherst and Michigan Ann Arbor...

Didn't hear anything from Berkeley but it looks like we applied to almost all the same schools! What's your subfield? Most of my research is in (socio)phonetics but I'm interested in theoretical phonology as well.

Best of luck!

[Ling_Aud]

16 hours ago, IA18 said:

Hi!

I appreciate your input and that's actually something I'm afraid of, but I can't see myself doing anything other than Linguistics - something I would enjoy. Funny enough, I thought I wanted to go into Computational Linguistics and then became interested in Speech Pathology and Communication disorders. I applied to PhDs in Linguistics with Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics as subfields. I also really like Forensic Linguistics. May I ask what school you went to and what area of specialisation you picked?

 

Hi, I will message you the name of my school and my area. If it is something you feel passionate about, by all means pursue it. Just make sure that you have excellent research output (that means three things: publications, publications, and publications). Otherwise, it would be impossible to get an academic position on today's job market.

best wishes

[IA18]

49 minutes ago, Ling_Aud said:

Hi, I will message you the name of my school and my area. If it is something you feel passionate about, by all means pursue it. Just make sure that you have excellent research output (that means three things: publications, publications, and publications). Otherwise, it would be impossible to get an academic position on today's job market.

best wishes

Thank you very much! It's good to hear from someone who's been through the process  

[IA18]

5 hours ago, spreadglottis said:

Didn't hear anything from Berkeley but it looks like we applied to almost all the same schools! What's your subfield? Most of my research is in (socio)phonetics but I'm interested in theoretical phonology as well.

Best of luck!

Oh cool! I feel less alone haha 

Neuro and Psycholinguistics. I have also applied to Masters here in the UK and I got an offer from my uni. If it doesn't work out this year, I guess I'll reapply next year with a Master's and a dissertation in my subfield.  What's your plan? 

Did you check the results page? Quite a few people had interviews on the 13th, 14th etc, and Berkeley invites shortlisted candidates to interviews, right? That's why I'm expecting a rejection. 

To you too! Hope it all works out for the best for both of us  

[Ling_Aud]

9 hours ago, spreadglottis said:

Didn't hear anything from Berkeley but it looks like we applied to almost all the same schools! What's your subfield? Most of my research is in (socio)phonetics but I'm interested in theoretical phonology as well.

Best of luck!

Not to scare you or the thread-starter further, but just to drive my point home, I am attaching a screenshot from Academic Jobs Wiki (a forum for academic job seekers). The posting happens to be for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in historical/socio-linguistics. And the university happens to be UC Berkeley. According to the info provided by some applicant(s) for that position, there were 188 applicants for this position. 15 were shortlisted, and  only 1 will get the job. And there is no guarantee that this lucky person will, in 5-6 years time achieve the Holy Grail of "tenure". If s/he does not, well, I don't know what they will do. Perhaps going back to school to study a more useful degree like what I am doing?? Or becoming a sessional instructor? (I know someone in this situation, and s/he graduated from a top-notch linguistics program in the US), or selling things online (again, I know a linguistics PhD in this situation).

 

 

Edited January 16, 2018 by Ling_Aud

[spreadglottis]

3 hours ago, Ling_Aud said:

Not to scare you or the thread-starter further, but just to drive my point home, I am attaching a screenshot from Academic Jobs Wiki (a forum for academic job seekers). The posting happens to be for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in historical/socio-linguistics. And the university happens to be UC Berkeley. According to the info provided by some applicant(s) for that position, there were 188 applicants for this position. 15 were shortlisted, and  only 1 will get the job. And there is no guarantee that this lucky person will, in 5-6 years time achieve the Holy Grail of "tenure". If s/he does not, well, I don't know what they will do. Perhaps going back to school to study a more useful degree like what I am doing?? Or becoming a sessional instructor? (I know someone in this situation, and s/he graduated from a top-notch linguistics program in the US), or selling things online (again, I know a linguistics PhD in this situation).

I, like most people pursuing academia, am well aware of the bleak job outlook, which is why I am applying to schools partly based on their placement rates. For example, UIUC Spanish claims a 100% placement rate in the year following graduation.

[Dark Chocolate Mocha]

On 16.01.2018 at 11:25 AM, Ling_Aud said:

Hi, I will message you the name of my school and my area. If it is something you feel passionate about, by all means pursue it. Just make sure that you have excellent research output (that means three things: publications, publications, and publications). Otherwise, it would be impossible to get an academic position on today's job market.

best wishes

Thank you for this message. I am also a linguistics student interested in psycholinguistics, and I have been applying to PhD programs in linguistics, psychology, and cognitive science; as my field kinda cuts across all of these. Could you also send me a message about your field and school and maybe write a few things about your experiences? I'd love to have a quick written conversation with you about a potential career in linguistics, and what kinds of challenges this could involve for me.