Strangefox Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 And yes, I do need extra funding. Fulbright provides for the first year of study. But afterwards, I need university funding. The problem is also: I'm not allowed to work for somebody other than my university. So I don't have the possibility to just get a random job to pay for my studies. But it will all work out. I'm confident. The program is a good fit and the professor there is so great. Ok, then we'll keep our fingers crossed for you to get a great funding package from the program! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hejduk Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Rejected at LSU. Too many applicants, blah blah blah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TVDOC Posted March 2, 2011 Author Share Posted March 2, 2011 Talked to Miami. Still reviewing files and said it will prob. be another 2 weeks until decisions are emailed. Hmmmm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathiza Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Talked to Miami. Still reviewing files and said it will prob. be another 2 weeks until decisions are emailed. Hmmmm Really? Hmm, since they told me on the phone that they already started making decisions and it won't be much longer, I expected to hear from them this week... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strangefox Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Rejected from Syracuse but finally received the official admission offer from Temple! It feels so nice to have it in paper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooner Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Really? Hmm, since they told me on the phone that they already started making decisions and it won't be much longer, I expected to hear from them this week... I can confirm that they have begun making decisions, but they seem to do it on a rolling basis. Hopefully two weeks means that that is when they'll be done with all of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canesfan2011 Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 I'm about to graduate undergrad from comm studies at Miami if anyone has any questions about the school/professors! Side note: I just got my fin. aid offer from the media and public affairs program at GW... NOTHING. Full tuition at the better ranked public policy program... what gives???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seasonal Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 UNC is sending out admission results through email.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hejduk Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Was told today that LSU had over 45 people applying for 4-5 spots. The most applicants they've ever had. Man, can this season be any rougher? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmacnomad Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 I'm currently in a holding pattern with both my top choices. I'm waitlisted at Umass and UW-Seattle. I'm in at U of Denver and I'm going to check it out. It's my third choice at the moment behind the other two. Anyone else out there dealing with the agony of waitlists? I'm guessing that I won't know anything until the dreaded April 15th. I'm trying to stay optimistic but this is stressful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hejduk Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 I'm currently in a holding pattern with both my top choices. I'm waitlisted at Umass and UW-Seattle. I'm in at U of Denver and I'm going to check it out. It's my third choice at the moment behind the other two. Anyone else out there dealing with the agony of waitlists? I'm guessing that I won't know anything until the dreaded April 15th. I'm trying to stay optimistic but this is stressful! If you've never been to Denver, it rocks! A really, really nice city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmacnomad Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 If you've never been to Denver, it rocks! A really, really nice city. I've heard that! I'll let you know in a couple weeks. I'm looking forward to learning about the program and city! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tazo11 Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 I'm currently in a holding pattern with both my top choices. I'm waitlisted at Umass and UW-Seattle. I'm in at U of Denver and I'm going to check it out. It's my third choice at the moment behind the other two. Anyone else out there dealing with the agony of waitlists? I'm guessing that I won't know anything until the dreaded April 15th. I'm trying to stay optimistic but this is stressful! Congrats!!! My mentor/advisor is a PhD of U of Denver. My closest friend is in the PhD program there. In addition, a close friend of mine Dr. Bernadette Calafell is the grad director there. Also, Dr. Richie Hao is a graduate of my current institution. I have a lot of connections there. Hmmm....why I didn't I apply there, now I'm wondering. Nevertheless, I heard Denver is amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tazo11 Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Any word on UNC? I haven't received anything yet. I noticed on the results page some got "rejected" via email. Also, the "MyUNC" system isn't work so I can't check my status. Worrying a little bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strangefox Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Was told today that LSU had over 45 people applying for 4-5 spots. The most applicants they've ever had. Man, can this season be any rougher? You mean, 45 people for each spot? Or 45 people for 4-5 spots?? Because the latter does not look tough to me... Or may be I do not understand the process quite well. How many people do normally apply to grad school - I mean PhD level? (I know that it's different in different schools but I guess I don't know how much different...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathiza Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 For Columbia University it's usually about 100 applicants for 2 spots. That does not sound that bad - but you have to consider that those applicants are all going to be extremely competitive; they will all have great GRE scores (except for me), they will all have (close to) 4.0 GPAs, they will all have great work/research/teaching experience... So it's going to be extremely tough, even though it might not sound that bad at first... Same is true - of course - for LSU and every other PhD program. So even 45 applicants for 5 spots is hard to get into, I guess... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strangefox Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Same is true - of course - for LSU and every other PhD program. So even 45 applicants for 5 spots is hard to get into, I guess... Well, 100/2 = 50 applicants for a spot vs. 45/5=9 applicants for a spot seems like a huge difference to me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathiza Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Well, 100/2 = 50 applicants for a spot vs. 45/5=9 applicants for a spot seems like a huge difference to me... Well, when you look at the numbers it seems like a huge difference - but to me it isn't. Because at LSU for example you'll just need 5 applicants who are better than you - and you don't have a chance. At Columbia you need 2 applicants better than you. I guess it's going to be hard either way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strangefox Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 (edited) Well, when you look at the numbers it seems like a huge difference - but to me it isn't. Because at LSU for example you'll just need 5 applicants who are better than you - and you don't have a chance. At Columbia you need 2 applicants better than you. I guess it's going to be hard either way. When I was studying for GRE there was something about probability As far as I remember, the probability me being one of the best 5 among 45 applicants is higher than probability of me being one of the best 2 among 100 applicants Or may be I am totally confusing something Edited March 5, 2011 by Strangefox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathiza Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 No no, of course you're right! What I am trying to say is that - to me - it doesn't really make a difference if there are 45 applicants or 100... It will be very hard either way, because all applicants are going to be extremely qualified. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmacnomad Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Congrats!!! My mentor/advisor is a PhD of U of Denver. My closest friend is in the PhD program there. In addition, a close friend of mine Dr. Bernadette Calafell is the grad director there. Also, Dr. Richie Hao is a graduate of my current institution. I have a lot of connections there. Hmmm....why I didn't I apply there, now I'm wondering. Nevertheless, I heard Denver is amazing. Thanks for the info! I'm actually talking to both of them when I visit. I'm looking forward to it. The more I hear about the program, the more intrigued I become! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner24 Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Well, 100/2 = 50 applicants for a spot vs. 45/5=9 applicants for a spot seems like a huge difference to me... Both of these are extremely competitive acceptance rates. Obviously a 2% rate at Columbia is crazy and to be expected (it's Columbia...!), but 10% at LSU is fierce...neither are "easy"...for every school mentioned on here, competition is keen this year. I doubt that any one of these places have admit rates over 25%...at which the odds are definitely still against you! It seems every place has an oversupply of fully qualified candidates...yikes! Good luck to those who haven't heard from schools yet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooner Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 As far as I remember, the probability me being one of the best 5 among 45 applicants is higher than probability of me being one of the best 2 among 100 applicants I certainly disagree that 5/45 and 5/100 doesn't make a difference, but I think Kathiza's larger point is that the relationship between number of applicants and likelihood of getting in is not linear (since at this level, most applicants are likely to have similar, stellar stats). Having said that, I think an under-appreciated point is the importance of your stated research interests; it seems to me that programs generally don't just pick the most qualified candidates, but rather try to put together a diverse cohort. Having twice as many applicants is likely to substantially (though not linearly) increase research interest diversity, which makes vying for those limited spots significantly more competitive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StlLiz Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 (edited) Saluki88- if you're talking about UNC Comm Studies, I received a direct email from the grad coordinator a couple of weeks ago informing me that I had been wait listed. Apparently they're having problems with their electronic notification system, which doesn't surprise me given the technical difficulties I encountered with the online app. I'm assuming that all those that have been accepted/wait listed have been similarly notified... just wanted to let you know Any word on UNC? I haven't received anything yet. I noticed on the results page some got "rejected" via email. Also, the "MyUNC" system isn't work so I can't check my status. Worrying a little bit. Edited March 5, 2011 by StlLiz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sputnik Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 I agree with Googer, 100%. I used to compete in a judged event and we had a saying about certain elements of your performance: They won't help you win, but they can sure make you lose. That is, most applications are going to be in a certain range with GPA and GRE. Those won't help you win, but they can sure as heck knock you out of the running. (An above average score like a 1300-1400 isn't going to guarantee anything, but a combined 700 is probably going to get your application thrown out). So, all things being (basically) equal, what I am learning most through this process is that the LOR and the SOP have far more weight than any of the numbers. Of course we're all going to have solid GPA's and GRE's. That should go without saying. So the real competition is in making your research interests align with the profs that are there now, the kind of research the institution is doing, and (the hard part) the kind of research they want to be doing. The feel I'm getting after some of these recruiting weekends is: We read your file. The research you're doing is the kind of research we are doing. Here are some profs who you could work with and here's where their research is going, etc. etc. No one has mentioned my stellar GRE or gradepoint on any of these meetings. It's all been about research. So, it seems to me it doesn't matter how many applicants there are. It matters how many spots are open and that your fit with the school's line of research is one of the best 5 or 2, respectively. The visits I've been on have told me that these people are genuinely interested in finding students who will fit with the program institutionally, personally AND academically. It's a big commitment when programs bring in PhD students. They realize that more than I realized that. I wish I could have gone on some recruiting weekends before I had to submit my apps! I would have focused even more exclusively on fit. I feel now like the competition is less between you and the other applicants than it is about you and the institution. What I mean is, your application is competing to show just how great you would fit into the program and it's about showing that you're asking good questions with your research. Anyone can be trained in methods, it's the questions you have asked and plan to ask that are what set you apart and show if you will be a good fit. That has nothing to do with the other candidates. Which is really, just a semantics argument, but one I now have a lot of faith in. Anyway, that's what I've learned in the last month. I certainly disagree that 5/45 and 5/100 doesn't make a difference, but I think Kathiza's larger point is that the relationship between number of applicants and likelihood of getting in is not linear (since at this level, most applicants are likely to have similar, stellar stats). Having said that, I think an under-appreciated point is the importance of your stated research interests; it seems to me that programs generally don't just pick the most qualified candidates, but rather try to put together a diverse cohort. Having twice as many applicants is likely to substantially (though not linearly) increase research interest diversity, which makes vying for those limited spots significantly more competitive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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