How did you guys started looking for PhD schools (except best ranking)?

[morningdew]

Hello fellow grad students,

I hope you guys can help me. I'm half way through my Master's, and I feel like I should start looking for PhD schools. My major is media communication and my specific interest is Internet/fandom culture (Jenkins). I want to become a professor. I'm not looking for best ranking communication schools because I know I can't get in, so I'm trying to find other ways to find my school. I'm looking through phD.org and this website (but it seems like everyone is so much smarter and has better qualifications than me!). Any websites or school recommendations will be greatly appreciated. My current grad GPA is 3.8. I'm writing a thesis to graduate. My undergraduate GPA is.... (it was my dark years, I was also pre-med before) 2.8. I will take GRE soon.

Also, can I apply to schools before I complete my Master's? It seems like many schools' deadline for application is December or January for Fall. I think I will finish all my classes and thesis like in Spring.

Thanks and good luck to you all!

[Strangefox]

I'm looking through phD.org and this website (but it seems like everyone is so much smarter and has better qualifications than me!).

First, it's an illusion Everybody who is applying feels uncertain of their skills and qualifications But if you do your best and choose schools to apply wisely, you will get in!

Can you apply to schools before you complete my Master's? You certainly can! A lot of people here do it this way. I don't know how they order transcripts, though... But you can ask about that on the Applications board.

On the same board you can read the first thread (it's pinned). There I have described how I, personally, have started looking for schools

[edost]

Here are some things you can do to find a program that fits you:

1. My first step was checking out where the people whose articles I used for my thesis are faculty members.
   
2. Do a Google search for your research topic, and add "site:.edu", so it will only give you results from universities.
   
3. Consult with professors at your current program.
   
4. Visit communications programs' websites and look at the faculty's interests. You might find people you didn't find during steps 1-3.
   

You can definitely apply before your MA is done.

[drapeblind]

I concur completely with edost. I'd add one more stipulation: never apply right out for an MA at a research program. Apply for the Ph.D. and you could always leave after the MA or equivalent. Stating right out that you lack dedication to finish a doctorate at a program that specializes in producing researchers is an easy way to have your application rejected in the first round.

[commcomm]

I agree with the above posts -- I'll add that I applied for doctoral programs when I still had a semester of Master's classes left (plus a thesis to write). I applied to programs based on recommendations from faculty at my current universities.

Don't count yourself out for any program, no matter the ranking. It's all about research fit.

[commcrazy]

My first step was checking out where the people whose articles I used for my thesis are faculty members.

1. Do a Google search for your research topic, and add "site:.edu", so it will only give you results from universities.
   
2. Consult with professors at your current program.
   
3. Visit communications programs' websites and look at the faculty's interests. You might find people you didn't find during steps 1-3.
   

This. Definitely. And don't be afraid to use your resources in your current program! Generally, your profs will have friends or connections in other programs that will, at the very least, give schools to rule out. They might recommend schools that you'd never considered.

I'd also like to add using conferences to actually meet POIs in person--big conferences, like NCA, will have both grad fairs and receptions, and if you have a narrowed-down list by then, you can go to panel presentations and actually see what people are doing right now. One of the faults with looking through publications is that they might be dated (since the time from writing the article to seeing it in published form can be quite long) and the POI might have turned a 360 in the meantime. Conferences are nice, too, because you can talk to current grad students about their experiences and get a real feel for what research is actually happening in the department.