Busti Bustamante Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Thank you all so very much for the advice... I'm pretty sure I'll follow the MA-PhD path, especially seeing how many of you have had wonderful funding opportunities to help finance your own graduate degree. I was just a little worried that I wouldn't be able to afford getting a MA, or there would be a lack of finance options (grants, scholarships, loans) to help with cost... I've read and reread all of your advice and will most definitely take it all into consideration!! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caramel08girl Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Hey everyone! So finally, I am posting! I have been following you guys on here (special shoutout to the person who applied from U of Michigan...GO BLUE! Anyways, I am anxiously awaiting. I was recommended, and my nervousness continues to heighten, mainly because if I do not get this....not sure what I will do post-graduation! Well...good luck! If we were recommended we have a 50% chance or better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Bee Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Hey everyone! So finally, I am posting! I have been following you guys on here (special shoutout to the person who applied from U of Michigan...GO BLUE! Anyways, I am anxiously awaiting. I was recommended, and my nervousness continues to heighten, mainly because if I do not get this....not sure what I will do post-graduation! Well...good luck! If we were recommended we have a 50% chance or better! Hey caramel08girl, you in A2? Graduating in April with an MUP and an MPP from umich here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caramel08girl Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Yes, I am in A2. I am also graduating in April with a BS in Biochemistry and BS in Political Science. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobitrye Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Yes, I am in A2. I am also graduating in April with a BS in Biochemistry and BS in Political Science. Hey caramel08girl, you in A2? Graduating in April with an MUP and an MPP from umich here! Hey everyone! So finally, I am posting! I have been following you guys on here (special shoutout to the person who applied from U of Michigan...GO BLUE! Anyways, I am anxiously awaiting. I was recommended, and my nervousness continues to heighten, mainly because if I do not get this....not sure what I will do post-graduation! Well...good luck! If we were recommended we have a 50% chance or better! Wow, looks like there's quite a few of us from A2 on here. Graduating in April with a simple BA in International Studies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caramel08girl Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 yay! cool for your BA in international studies, which foreign language did you take? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caramel08girl Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Did you guys apply for a full grant or ETA? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lg702 Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 (edited) ... That there are new ETA programs in those countries this year...? I'm really not sure what you're asking here. Oh, sorry--I guess I didn't word this right. At least for Armenia, there have always been 2 ETAs available, and for 2012-2013 there are also 2 available (or so the website says). So I'm just wondering how they're different--maybe in a different location or something? Edited March 17, 2012 by lg702 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncgirl12 Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Busti, perhaps I have misunderstood the situation, but it looks like you are considering applying for a Ph.D program without doing a master's degree first. Assuming that is the scenario--here are some thoughts. I agree with Eternal Icicle and smurfgurl. Don't forget that getting a Ph.D usually requires demonstration of a mastery of the whole field, as well as your particular thesis. Doing a master's degree first allows you to lay the groundwork for that, and therefore makes life easier in completing the Ph.D. It also lets you nose around the field for a while and figure out a really great topic for your thesis. Also, getting admitted to a Ph.D program is more likely with a master's degree in hand. It shows you've paid your dues, it gives the admissions committee more of a record for them to make a decision, and it also gives them a stronger rationale for admittance. If the admissions committee admits someone with just a BA for a Ph.D. program, and then the student fails, then the admissions committee might start to get some questions about their own competence. That makes them tougher on BA applicants from the get-go. You'd better be some sort of rock star to jump from BA to Ph.D at an elite institution (figuratively speaking--I'm not sure of just how successful most rock stars would be in doctoral program applications). :-) All around, everything just seems to go more smoothly if you go from BA to master's and then to Ph.D. If anyone remembers driving a stick shift, it's like working up through the gears--jumping from second to fourth gear can be jolting. Consider too--it might be easier to get into the master's program than the Ph.D program at the university of your choice. Once in-house, so to speak, one can often make a transition to the Ph.D. program at that university much more readily than someone applying cold from the outside. After all, you've already got a master's degree from their own institution. How can they denigrate that? That was the advice I received at Oxford, and that's exactly how it worked out. It isn't impossible to go from your BA to a Ph.D program - I am (Unless of course, the Fulbright comes through, at which point the Ph.D is going to have to wait!) It's not easy - I've been working for 4 years to make myself a viable doctoral candidate, but it can be done. I wouldn't rule it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junemichelle Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 hi all- for the spreadsheet India full grant no interview recommended Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caedmon Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 It isn't impossible to go from your BA to a Ph.D program - I am (Unless of course, the Fulbright comes through, at which point the Ph.D is going to have to wait!) It's not easy - I've been working for 4 years to make myself a viable doctoral candidate, but it can be done. I wouldn't rule it out. I'll second that--I'm also about to go straight into a PhD program (unless I end up getting a Fulbright...I'm an alternate), and I have several friends at my current institution who are also doing the same thing. We've all been planning on grad school for the past few years, and so have been able to shape our undergrad courses accordingly. When I've spoken with prospective advisors, they have claimed not to prefer MA students over BA students--I think it depends more on how focused you are as an undergrad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Bee Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 I almost feel like I should start taking bets on who is going to hear back next week...will it be France? India? Cambodia? Romania? Who wants to guess on odds? Bessie Reina 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lg702 Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 I almost feel like I should start taking bets on who is going to hear back next week...will it be France? India? Cambodia? Romania? Who wants to guess on odds? I'm feeling France and Argentina! amir389 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdoll Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Oh, sorry--I guess I didn't word this right. At least for Armenia, there have always been 2 ETAs available, and for 2012-2013 there are also 2 available (or so the website says). So I'm just wondering how they're different--maybe in a different location or something? Hmmm that IS strange. Maybe Armenia was technically part of a regional program before or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdoll Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 I'm feeling France and Argentina! I did see someone on twitter had heard back from Peru! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amir389 Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 5 euros that France ETAs will hear this week! I'm feeling thursday the 22nd... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caramel08girl Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 What about Africa! When are we going to hear back... --__-- I hear that, historically, we should start hearing back in april --___-- So, the wait continues Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eternal Icicle Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 I'm feeling Austria, France, Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Bulgaria (but I swore this past week was going to be Bulgaria's week...) Bessie Reina 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KB2012 Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Hi All For the spreadsheet: Bangladesh, full grant, no interview, recommended, grad level Anyone else out there waiting to hear from Bangladesh? Looks like we have another month to wait so just wanted to see who else was waiting with me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naturalog Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 I'm feeling Austria, France, Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Bulgaria (but I swore this past week was going to be Bulgaria's week...) PLEASE let this week be Bulgaria's week. lg702 and Bessie Reina 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KB2012 Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Thank you all so very much for the advice... I'm pretty sure I'll follow the MA-PhD path, especially seeing how many of you have had wonderful funding opportunities to help finance your own graduate degree. I was just a little worried that I wouldn't be able to afford getting a MA, or there would be a lack of finance options (grants, scholarships, loans) to help with cost... I've read and reread all of your advice and will most definitely take it all into consideration!! Thanks! Sorry to barge in on this topic, but I've seen a lot of my friends /former classmates wrestle with this same issue so I thought I'd add my two cents. Feel free to ignore though if you don't think its relevant! The key thing I want to add is you need to be strategic about why you are doing the PhD and consider what you want to do after the PhD. If you are planning on going into academia, then you should go ahead and go down that route (either with MA or without - I did my grad work in UK and it really did not matter there at all. Not sure about US though). However if you are unsure that you want an academic career, then I would strongly suggest figuring out that first. To put my situation into context, my field is wildlife conservation and I know many people who have gone onto to PhDs right after either a BS or MS due to a variety of factors such as lack of job prospects, academic interest in the PhD topic, or simply because it seemed that everyone else was getting one so they should too. However when they finished , they decided they did not want to be a professor/pure research and would instead like to more field level conservation action. The problem here however is that they have very little practical experience and from an employment standpoint, they aren't much better off than an MS grad. I hope that you find my comment helpful and not out of place. For all I know it may not be relevant at all to other fields, but just wanted to help if I could. Good luck with whatever you end up choosing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieJ Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Hey Michigan peoples I'm not in A2...but a little further north in Mt. Pleasant! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALSimon Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Hi all. This is my second post, the first being notice of my recommendation to Costa Rica. I have been on the web nearly every day searching for info on someone ANYONE who can tell me when to expect to hear back from my country. My husband is not shaving until we get word and his beard is making me insane! **We'll blame it on the hair, not my burning desire for confirmation** Does anyone here have info as to ballpark on when Latin American countries generally respond? I saw the Peru tweet (CONGRATS!!!), and of course Europe is always first out of the gate (Congrats to all of you as well!). *sigh* It's not like we're hearing anything today anyway. Stupid weekends- oh, how I used to look forward to you. Bessie Reina, redArcher, lg702 and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caramel08girl Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Hi all. This is my second post, the first being notice of my recommendation to Costa Rica. I have been on the web nearly every day searching for info on someone ANYONE who can tell me when to expect to hear back from my country. My husband is not shaving until we get word and his beard is making me insane! **We'll blame it on the hair, not my burning desire for confirmation** Does anyone here have info as to ballpark on when Latin American countries generally respond? I saw the Peru tweet (CONGRATS!!!), and of course Europe is always first out of the gate (Congrats to all of you as well!). *sigh* It's not like we're hearing anything today anyway. Stupid weekends- oh, how I used to look forward to you. Did you try contacting the person in charge of Fulbright for that area? I contacted my person and they told me when, historically, notices were sent out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallen127 Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Hey Bulgaria ETA applicants... I remember the application saying that they gave preference to graduate students... I'm not a graduate student, are any other Bulgaria ETA finalists grad students? Just wondering... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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