Communication/Mass Comm/Journalism

[mediahistory]

I'm really sweating, but working on my thesis seems to distract me.

Just to clarify, working on my thesis helps me to worry less. Also, I highly recommend 5 minute dance breaks every few hours of thesis work. Keeps the circulation up.

[Ville]

I've just received an email from Penn State that they're pleased to offer me an admission to their Master's Program and I will be receiving their letter with more details this afternoon! I'm ecstatic right now. But I don't know if they're also sending out their decisions to the Ph.D. students this afternoon.

Thanks PRguy101! I was happy to be accepted at Purdue, but now that Penn State gave me a good news. I think I'll likely go to Penn State. I hope naptown, mediahistory, deanne and whoever is applying to Penn State hear the news soon. Good luck everyone!

[naptown]

I've just received an email from Penn State

Hey vit,

Are you Communication Arts and Sciences, or Mass Communications? I see a PhD waitlist in the results section, but it may be CAS. Haven't heard anything here.

Edited February 12, 2010 by naptown

[PRguy101]

Hey vit,

Are you Communication Arts and Sciences, or Mass Communications? I see a PhD waitlist in the results section, but it may be CAS. Haven't heard anything here.

My friend just got accepted to CAS PHD, so maybe it is CAS?

[Ville]

Hey vit,

Are you Communication Arts and Sciences, or Mass Communications? I see a PhD waitlist in the results section, but it may be CAS. Haven't heard anything here.

I'm applying to CAS with a focus on health comm. Yeah, mass comm. is a different college so may be your results will be announced later?

[mediahistory]

That's great news, vit! Congratulations! I applied to UPenn, not Penn State (sorry for the ambiguity); I don't expect to hear back from them until the end of the month.

Edited February 13, 2010 by mediahistory

[mediahistory]

Oops- after reading this thread through I see it's customary to give stats, so here goes!

BA psychology, 3.176 gpa, research assistant 2 semesters.

5 years experience in industry, executive position 2 years (retail/merchandising).

MBA (full-time 2 year), 3.6 gpa, top 15% of class, graduate assistantship 1 semester.

MA Communication (Research Track), 3.93 gpa, research assistantship 5 semesters, Alpha Sigma Nu. I am in the final semester of this program right now.

GRE: 640v/680q/5.5a

1 conference presentation pending

Applied to:

UPenn-Annenberg PhD in Communication

NYU PhD in Media Culture and Communication

Columbia PhD Communication

I chose these programs based on fit with faculty first, then factors like completion rate and number of graduates placed in tenure track positions. I visited all 3 and met with professors in October. Met with 1 prof apiece at NYU and Columbia, met with profs and the Dean at UPenn (meeting these awesome scholars was really inspiring). I'd be thrilled to be offered a place in any of the programs I've applied to.

Research interests: Technology and culture, history and political economy of mass communication, critical-cultural studies, economic ideology.

Edited February 13, 2010 by mediahistory

[deanne]

My friend just got accepted to CAS PHD, so maybe it is CAS?

Yes.. It's CAS. I e-mailed for a status update and some application questions. They e-mailed me back with "To update you on the status of your application, I can report that we have made initial offers and we will not be moving forward on more offers until it is determined that openings are available....If we are able to extend an offer, you will hear from Dr. Dennis Gouran, our Graduate Officer. If you wish, you may contact Dr. Gouran by e-mail at g8v@psu.edu and he may be able to give you an idea of where you are on the waiting list. "

Good luck everyone!

[powerlift2000]

I don't suppose anyone has heard back from Stanford?

I heard they were making decisions yesterday (Friday the 12th).

[red_crayons]

Yay, I got into Cornell! Not trying to gloat, but I want to introduce myself on the thread.

I originally planned to apply to Science and Technology Studies, but near the deadline I realized that there was a LOT of overlap between that department and Comm, so I also applied to Comm, as a back up. Turns out Comm had lots of extra funding from new faculty grants, but STS had had their budget slashed and were only accepting TWO students. My app was quickly moved to the Comm pile, and... yay!

FYI, from what I understand they're not done with the process yet.

As far as my interests... I am literally taking my first Comm class ever right now, a survey on science communication. I was a biology major, with a minor in French and extra coursework in linguistics. I stuck around campus to work and took some courses in comp lit/literary theory. I have lab experience in organic agriculture, and other work experience at a science museum, as student disability services support staff with deaf students, and with a USDA agricultural grants program that also does outreach. I tried my hand at some science journalism last fall, too. I want to try applying literary theory/reading techniques to the "texts" of medical and food advertising. How are ideas of health constructed, how do people filter through opposing ideas, what agendas are hidden from the public, and what distracting messages are used to convince people to try a new medicine or "nutraceutical" product?

Open house weekend is 3/5-3/6, so quite a bit of time still. If anyone else gets it, I'd be really excited to chat before then!

[PRguy101]

[Yay, I got into Cornell! Not trying to gloat, but I want to introduce myself on the thread. ]

Congrats Red_canyons! Welcome to the board. We are happy with everyone's success on this board, so be proud! Cornell sounds amazing and very geared toward technology and communication. When I was looking for PHD programs I did some looking at Cornell. Since I am hopelessly qualitative I knew that it wasn't a good fit for me, but I was impressed with their faculty (MIT graduates, tons of visual technology and technology effects researchers.)

Given your background, I see you will definitely prosper in a program like that. Congrats again.

Edited February 13, 2010 by PRguy101

[mediahistory]

Congrats red_crayons! Your research area sounds really interesting (I do similar textual analysis with archival investment materials) and it goes without saying that Cornell is a great school. Welcome to the board.

[red_crayons]

Thanks! I was worried I might be too qualitative as well, and that my "interdisciplinary" background would be seen as flaky or too out-of-the-box to fit into any single program at all, ever. But I am willing to have my research methodology directed by people who are more specialized than me - and I made a point of emphasizing that in the fit section of my SOP - so that probably helped.

Plus, although the department information emphasizes their quantitative focus, there are people who are VERY qualitative (several ex-journalists/writers, for example), and there is a lot of cross-breeding with other humanities departments, particularly science and technology studies, and through STS to philosophy and history and French.

Thanks again, guys! Best of luck!

[magkman]

Hi Everyone,

I'm pretty sure that UPenn-Annenberg will be releasing admissions decisions on Monday. I'm excited to finally hear back from Penn!!

[deanne]

Hi Everyone,

I'm pretty sure that UPenn-Annenberg will be releasing admissions decisions on Monday. I'm excited to finally hear back from Penn!!

Hi Magkman.... if what you say is true...Then I am soooooooooooooooo happy because I despise all this waiting. I wasn't expecting to hear from them until friday of next week. How did you find out about them releasing decisions on Monday? Thanks for the good news.

[naptown]

magkman... what kind of a source told you this? And how certain is it? I am right there with deanne!

[naptown]

magkman... what kind of a source told you this? And how certain is it? I am right there with deanne!

Ah, shit! Just got my UPenn rejection email 30 minutes ago.

"We received hundreds of applications to fill an incoming class of approximately 15 students."

[mediahistory]

Ah, shit! Just got my UPenn rejection email 30 minutes ago.

"We received hundreds of applications to fill an incoming class of approximately 15 students."

As did I.

[mobicat]

Did everyone who applied to UPenn Annenberg hear from them? I didn't. Wonder if it means something positive ;0

[deanne]

As did I.

rejected here too. Oh well.

[red_crayons]

Don't think I've updated on here lately.

Accepted to BU Science Journalism program, but had a weird interaction during the acceptance phone call. That, combined with dubious funding possibilities, makes me very hesitant about going there.

Rejected from Madison's Life Sciences Communication department. Meh. I was feeling good about Madison.

The department at Madison seemed extremely similar to the group of people at Cornell that I plan to work with, in terms of interests, background, etc. Cornell faculty agreed with me on this, too. But I also have a strange background and a definite point of view, and I can understand how it may not translate well to different programs, even if they are superficially similar.

[PRguy101]

Don't think I've updated on here lately.

Accepted to BU Science Journalism program, but had a weird interaction during the acceptance phone call. That, combined with dubious funding possibilities, makes me very hesitant about going there.

Rejected from Madison's Life Sciences Communication department. Meh. I was feeling good about Madison.

The department at Madison seemed extremely similar to the group of people at Cornell that I plan to work with, in terms of interests, background, etc. Cornell faculty agreed with me on this, too. But I also have a strange background and a definite point of view, and I can understand how it may not translate well to different programs, even if they are superficially similar.

My friend here in my masters program was admitted into the life sciences/mass comm department going for a PHD. She is a Chinese national interested in international health messages, etc. However, she received no word on funding and the Madison Mass Comm program is notoriously known NOT to fund a significant amount of their students. So while she is honored, her odds of getting aid are pretty slim, especially as an international student.

My background also translated a little weird to the departments I applied to. I have had great success and some failure so far. Sometimes I wonder if 10 years of media experience is an asset or a liability. It was hard to boil that down into a 500-800 word personal statement!! You have Cornell, Madison's loss red_crayons.

Sorry to hear about the Upenn folks. Hundreds of applications for 15 spots? Yikes...Continued good luck to all.

Edited February 20, 2010 by PRguy101

[naptown]

Did everyone who applied to UPenn Annenberg hear from them? I didn't. Wonder if it means something positive ;0

I hope it does! Maybe you're on the waitlist, somewhere in the middle?

I see 6 rejections on the results page... wondering if any cafe-goers got into that program.

[mobicat]

I hope it does! Maybe you're on the waitlist, somewhere in the middle?

I see 6 rejections on the results page... wondering if any cafe-goers got into that program.

Thanks for the positive forecast, naptown! Waiting list is waaay better than nothing.

There's someone who said got an admission phone call from Annenberg. I wonder....

[jadedid]

HI Everyone, just wanted to introduce myself. I'm Jade. I was accepted to UNC-CH for Communication Studies and NCSU for Communication Rhetoric and Digital Media. I am in the process of making my decision and so far UNC is winning. I have guranteed funding for 6 years (unversity wide award for the first year +5 years of funding from the program. I only applied to one other program and that was last minute due to a fee waiver, and won't hear back until march. They were more of a last resort/maybe just in case school

Anyway, I hope I am in the right place. .