Communication/Mass Comm/Journalism

[susangab]

does anyone think that there would be any draw backs from graduating with an interdisciplinary degree such as a phd in media, culture and communications (nyu)? ive heard criticism that it is a less competitive degree upon entering the job market?

Yes. All things being equal, that's exactly right. Of course, there are plenty of Communication departments out there, and they will probably view an MCC PhD as a degree in Communication. There are also some Media Studies departments out there that are looking specifically for Media Studies PhDs. But I can tell you I've already gotten bumped from an adjuncting job after the Dean had offered me two classes because the departmental-level faculty did not know what "Media, Culture, and Communication" is--and mistrusted it.

-Sue

[carlstreator]

What's up all.

After going through a slew of interviews and class-sit ins, along with talking to students and advisors...I was thinking strongly of documenting the process of getting into J-school and also what life is like during that time. I think it would be beneficial for people who are in the same position as I am now and was in planning this whole ordeal out. I can cover my admissions/rejections, decision making, financial aid leveraging...and then I was thinking of a twitter perhaps to give a glimpse into the busy life of a J-schooler.

So...does this seem like something that would have interested you before you got into your respective schools? I feel like I would really have wanted to see something like this, if only to know better what things are like at various J-schools. Let me know what you think, as well as any suggestions of what you'd want to see/hear about.

[sbrown]

Is it March yet..?

(finally our very own official sub forum!)

Hi All,

I just wanted to update you on schools that I have heard from in case you are waiting on them. Ohio, University of Wisconsin, Colorado, UPenn, UCSD, University of Washington. I'm still waiting to hear from USC and University of Maryland. (Yes I applied to a lot but I got nervous with the economy and grad school applications going up!)

I am happy to say I got full funding and fellowship awards from all of them except UPenn and UCSD which I got rejections from. This year UCSD only took 10% of their applicants and yes it had to do with the california budget to some extent. In speaking to the other schools it seems like there were record application numbers for a lot of them and financial/budget issues too which don't go very well together....

Does anyone know USC's process or timeline? I am leaning heavily towards University of Washington otherwise.

[veryeager]

But I can tell you I've already gotten bumped from an adjuncting job after the Dean had offered me two classes because the departmental-level faculty did not know what "Media, Culture, and Communication" is--and mistrusted it.

Hi Sue, thank you so much for sharing your experience. Frankly, this does seem to be an issue. The department itself sounds like my dream team but then again, if the degree itself is not held up to par with other Media Studies phds then that is a concern. Did this concern effect your reason for not applying there for doctoral studies?A few posts went up today stating that they received rejections via mail:( I have not heard yet.

[carlstreator]

A few emails I got yesterday and today:

Dear XXXX:

If you have been checking your online application account, you will see that your file is currently "in review." I wanted to take a moment to explain the next steps in the process.

If your application was complete by the priority deadline date, January 15, a decision will be available in your secure online application account by midnight, Central Time, on March 1. After you log in, look at the first screen to see if a decision is available (you may need to scroll down a bit); if so, click on the link provided to receive your decision. If we contacted you after January 15 because we were missing items from your file, a decision will be available a few days to a few weeks after March 1, depending on when your file was completed. If you don't see a decision by the time you think you should, please call me and we'll look into it for you.

We post decisions electronically for the convenience of applicants who wish to receive their decisions as soon as possible. Please be assured that you will also receive a hard copy decision letter in the mail, about a week to 10 days after your decision is posted online.

The Graduate Admissions staff at Medill takes great pride in the personal service we provide to applicants, answering questions and explaining requirements. While we don't provide admissions decisions to callers, you are welcome to contact us for general information and assistance.

Whatever the outcome, we genuinely thank you for your interest in Medill, and we hope that your experience interacting with our Office throughout the application process has been a pleasant one.

Sincerely,

Anne Penway

Director, Graduate Admissions and Financial Aid

Medill School at Northwestern University

1845 Sheridan Road

Evanston, IL 60208

847-467-1238

----------

Dear Applicant,

Thank you for applying to the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. We are in the process of reviewing your application. Here are some updates regarding the application and financial aid process.

Admissions Notification:

Please check your online profile to make sure your application is complete. Only complete applications will be sent to the admissions committee.

We will begin notifying all applicants of their admissions and financial aid decisions via email between March 23 and April 1. We appreciate your patience during this time. For applicants admitted to the School, we will host an Open House event in New York City on April 17-18. More details to come.

Scholarship Aid Form:

If you are interested in financial aid but have not submitted a Scholarship Aid Form, please do so immediately. The Scholarship Aid Form can be accessed by signing into your online application: https://app.applyyourself.com/?id=col-jour. The "Scholarship Aid Form" is located underneath the "Application for Admission." The deadline to submit this form and the FAFSA (http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/) is Friday, March 6.

Please feel free to contact us with further questions.

Thank you,

The Office of Admissions and Financial Aid

Columbia University

Graduate School of Journalism

2950 Broadway, 203 Journalism MC 3800

New York, NY 10027

T: 212-854-8608

F: 212-854-2352

Anyway, so things are progressing. Here's to checking my accounts every 2 hours for the next month.

[imleaving]

I called the remaining school from which I am yet to hear (I got rejected from UCSD already) and thought I would share my findings:

UCSB- notifying next week and beyond

Miami- have not yet begun to review applications

USC- notify no later then 3/31 but most likly nothing until mid-march

Migill- notifying in March

I hope this is helpful to some...I know the wait is just about doing me in

[susangab]

Hi Sue, thank you so much for sharing your experience. Frankly, this does seem to be an issue. The department itself sounds like my dream team but then again, if the degree itself is not held up to par with other Media Studies phds then that is a concern. Did this concern effect your reason for not applying there for doctoral studies?A few posts went up today stating that they received rejections via mail:( I have not heard yet.

No. My reasons for not reapplying are multi-faceted, but one of the most important had to do with a long-term lack of fit between the faculty and my interests. I do not know how MCC PhDs do on the job market; you can call and ask them if you're interested. Try getting a hold of the Graduate Advisor.

I would not be very optimistic at this point if I were you. Last year, I met applicants the department wished to court who were invited to the Radars & Fences conference (http://blogs.nyu.edu/blogs/md1445/rf/). Well, it's on again, and I'd lay odds that they're inviting prospectives in the area this year also.

-Sue

[CopperBoom]

Anyone heard from U IL, Urbana Champaign (ICR PhD), Pittsburgh (PhD), Amherst or Cornell (M.S.)?

I already got a rejection from UCSD. I heard UCSB will start announcing sometime after next week but I am not optimistic after UCSD

VERY NERVOUS

[truckasaurus]

Hi All,

I just wanted to update you on schools that I have heard from in case you are waiting on them. Ohio, University of Wisconsin, Colorado, UPenn, UCSD, University of Washington. I'm still waiting to hear from USC and University of Maryland. (Yes I applied to a lot but I got nervous with the economy and grad school applications going up!)

I am happy to say I got full funding and fellowship awards from all of them except UPenn and UCSD which I got rejections from. This year UCSD only took 10% of their applicants and yes it had to do with the california budget to some extent. In speaking to the other schools it seems like there were record application numbers for a lot of them and financial/budget issues too which don't go very well together....

Does anyone know USC's process or timeline? I am leaning heavily towards University of Washington otherwise.

Me too! Still waiting to hear back from Columbia, I guess, and then I was waitlisted at a polisci department that I might consider, but otherwise I'm feeling pretty solid about Washington.

Here's a question: when is it polite to start notifying the schools that you're pretty sure you're not going to go to? The neurotic in me wants to wait until you've made your final notification to the school you do go with just to make sure they don't get cold feet and leave you stranded (not that this would happen, I'm just saying), but I don't want to make people's lives difficult or anything.

[pikatopia]

Anyone heard from U IL, Urbana Champaign (ICR PhD), Pittsburgh (PhD), Amherst or Cornell (M.S.)?

I already got a rejection from UCSD. I heard UCSB will start announcing sometime after next week but I am not optimistic after UCSD

VERY NERVOUS

I *think* (and I'm not positive, so take it with a grain of salt) that UMass-Amherst notifies right before they go on their Spring Break.

At least that's what past applicants have relayed.

Although, I'm not sure if you're talking about UMass-Amherst or Amherst College?

[pikatopia]

And I'm so glad we have our own forum!!

Although I have to admit, it is a little nervewracking to see others who have applied to the same places... : )

Best of luck to everyone!!

[CopperBoom]

I am sorry that you feel that way. May be you should have kept it to yourself, to keep the peace in the forum

[susangab]

USC- notify no later then 3/31 but most likly nothing until mid-march

For those waiting on Annenberg (west): USC has started making fellowship offers to Communication applicants. Someone also posted it on the survey: http://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/

This doesn't surprise me. I was speculating to myself that they would probably start notifying applicants sometime this week--and sure enough. Good luck everyone!

-Sue

[pikatopia]

I am sorry that you feel that way. May be you should have kept it to yourself, to keep the peace in the forum

Wow - I was not trying to start anything...it was just friendly banter.

Nonetheless, sorry if you were offended...but it was not a personal dig at you or anyone else here!

[milara]

Is this the same form rejection letter everyone got from Stanford?

Dear *****:

Your application for admission to the Ph.D. program in the Department of Communication at Stanford University has been carefully reviewed by the admissions committee. I regret to inform you that the department is not able to admit you to the program.

The number of applicants for Ph.D. study in Communication vastly exceeded the number of those whom we could admit. This year we received a large number of applications, most from highly qualified individuals such as yourself, for only four openings in the program. Clearly, a great many excellent candidates had to be turned down.

I can assure you that these are very difficult decisions, and the entire faculty approaches the process with extraordinary care and consideration. We regret that due to restricted resources it is not possible to provide applicants with an individual response regarding admission.

Thank you for your interest in our program. I wish you every success in your future endeavors.

Sincerely,

James Fishkin

Professor

Director, Ph.D. Program

Chair, Department of Communication

[Gramo]

Is this the same form rejection letter everyone got from Stanford?

Yep, I got the same message. It's too bad, but oh well life goes on. Best of luck in getting into another program!

[milara]

Yep, I got the same message.

Too bad. I was hoping that it was a "rejection with hope," since I'd like to re-apply next year. Now I need to figure out if there's any point in re-applying.

It's too bad, but oh well life goes on. Best of luck in getting into another program!

Wish I could be so complacent; I'm not likely to get into any of the programs to which I've applied. To boot, I'm graduating with an MJ in the midst of massive layoffs (online pubs excepted, of course).

Oh well. I may be unemployed (er, freelancing) living with my parents next year, but at least I'm not living in the basement. Then I would be the quintessential loser.

Congrats on your acceptances! Are you holding out for the last school, or have you made up your mind which one to accept? That must be exciting!

[Gramo]

Thanks! I'm still waiting for the last school (it's not in Communication), though I doubt I will get in. I feel really blessed to have been accepted by one of my top choices...and it was the first school I heard back from! That being said, I was denied by what I thought was my safety school :? So it can be difficult to gauge admissions chances, at least in my case.

I see that there are a lot of journalism and mass. media people here...any interpersonal communication/social psych people?

[samoth]

For those waiting on Annenberg (west): USC has started making fellowship offers to Communication applicants. Someone also posted it on the survey: http://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/

This doesn't surprise me. I was speculating to myself that they would probably start notifying applicants sometime this week--and sure enough. Good luck everyone!

-Sue

Yeah, that was me! I have acceptances from both Annenbergs! I know a lot about Penn Annenberg, but much less about USC,and I will probably not attend visit day (I'm literally on the other side of the globe). It sure took me by surprise!

[susangab]

Yeah, that was me! I have acceptances from both Annenbergs! I know a lot about Penn Annenberg, but much less about USC,and I will probably not attend visit day (I'm literally on the other side of the globe). It sure took me by surprise!

What are your interests? UPenn Annenberg is better for political and interpersonal communication. USC Annenberg is better for media studies--and they just recruited Henry Jenkins(!)--so their profile can be expected to rise further in that area. (And by rise I mean like if gravity pulled up instead of down.) I only applied to the latter due to major issues of fit and am pleased as punch with the result.

-Sue

[yaeli]

Hello,

I have officially decided to join your forum

I just received a positive reply from USC. I am a bit confused as I hardly know a thing about this program. Mainly, what is its reputation?

Forgive my pragmatic approach; I really need to know how the USC program is viewed as I am considering another offer (different major).

In addition

[susangab]

I just received a positive reply from USC. I am a bit confused as I hardly know a thing about this program. Mainly, what is its reputation?

Forgive my pragmatic approach; I really need to know how the USC program is viewed as I am considering another offer (different major).

In addition

[yaeli]

USC is excellent, of course, and highly-regarded. Check out the 2004 NCA rankings. If you're interested in (entertainment) media studies, USC is *the* place to be.

But where's your other offer, and what are your research interests? If you're undecided, you should make a decision by comparing the two schools, not by trying to understand one or the other in isolation.

-Sue

[susangab]

Other option is Columbia, Political Science (theory). This is why I asked about the reputation of USC...

I studied both fields (comm and ps) and like them both. Specifically, I enjoy mass-communication theory (which I also teach) and my USC offer focused on employing critical thinking to children's media content (content analysis).

At the present, I think there are more job opportunities in communication (I mean academic positions). While ps seems to be a more conservative, up-tight place.

Oh Lord, poli-sci theory? I can see why you're concerned. Are you rational choice? If not, just don't do it. I've heard a lot of talk about the theorists getting systematically drummed out of departments all over the U.S. by the quantitatively focused factions. It's happening at NYU, where I did my MA, and that's just downtown from Columbia. If you're a qualitative researcher, and it seems like you might be, poli-sci is definitely not a field you want to be in if the job market is a concern.

May I ask, what is your field?

Communication with a concentration in Media Studies, I guess you could say. I did my MA degree in "Media, Culture, and Communication," but I have a limited, hodgepodge background in many fields.

-Sue

[yaeli]

Thanks!

I'm not a rational choice person. More a philosophy type... Let's say I really wish I had the chance to work with the late Silverstone from LSE - his philosophical and inter-disciplinary points of view are right up my ally.

I did not even apply to NYU because I knew their orientation was quantitative and strict. I did see that the Columbia theory faculty is more philosophy oriented. I'm now trying to go over recent course syllabuses to see what they actually teach. I do not fear a method course here or there. But I already have an MA and am at a point a would really like to choose my orientation.

Are you going to USC? Haven't called them yet (time gap!), do you know if they are holding an open house? How do you feel about moving from a city like NY to LA?

Thanks so much for the kind answers! I never imagined I would actually be posed with such a dilemma! I was not very optimistic