Linguistics 2012

[cunninglinguist]

GEORGETOWN FOR LANGUAGE ACQUISITION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Visiting this weekend and have yet to hear about funding, but I'll figure it out. WOO!!!

[burntwaffle]

Congratulations, cunninglinguist! I hope that you get full funding and everything!

[Triple Tall Cappuccino]

Yay, Cunninglinguist!!!!! Congrats! PM me... I'll be working with SLA as well!

[Chase Wang]

congrats to the admitted folks.

I've got a random question about applying for a Phd program in syntax and hopefully someone can enlighten me a bit.

I am not sure what constitute proper depth and width in the research proposal. What do profs look for in the RP? To what extent should the RP map out my research scheme in Phd study??

I'm constantly confused about this question since PhD programs do admit undergraduate who have little training in linguistics in general and their selected specialty. It seems to me very unlikely that students of this kind can come up with a very profound and workable RP yet almost every programs targets at undergraduates and explicits that they do not care much about previous training.

--

I am currently at a one-year non-thesis MA program in HK where I received scanty training in generative linguistics. Only two highly condensed courses - Syntax & Semantics and Phonetics & Phonology

For S-side, we only touched upon theta-role, argument structure, tense, aspectuality, x-bar theory and movements.

As of P-side, we only went as far as distinctive features and phonological rules.

I'm really not sure if I should go straight to apply for a PhD program or do a MA. The hesitation lies in my uncertainty of my background being adequate.

would love to hear from u guys. thanks!!!!!

Edited March 31, 2012 by Chase Wang

[LinguisticMystic]

Well, I can try to answer some of your questions since I applied to programs coming from a non-linguistics background. Hah, I guess I'm a bit shocked that you'd say a "non-linguist" wouldn't likely be able to come up with a "profound/workable research proposal" because that's just not true at all. Not much more to say than that! I mean, I consider myself a scientist & I /know/ I know a lot more about research methodology & statistics than students graduating with linguistics degrees from my undergraduate institution & that's a significant asset.

What they're looking for is potential to succeed, not that you've taken some linguistics classes & gotten As. I've presented research I've done in psychology at several conferences across the US & worked in a lab for 3 years. I think the programs that I've applied to acknowledge that I have a capacity to carry out original research. So what I'm saying is, don't be confused by this.

As far as your statement & how in-depth you make your research proposal, well that depends on a lot of factors, not the least of which is how well defined your research goals are in actuality. I mean, of course you might want to tailor them to the school/your POI in particular, but you will still be telling them what it is you want to do while complementing it with a demonstration of your ability to carry out that plan. And you can't really make up something that's not there (i.e., don't bullshit a research proposal), so I would just be as descriptive as the space allows.

Also, why not apply to both MA & PhD programs?

tl;dr -- Just because you don't have a linguistics background doesn't mean you have no idea what you're doing. And WRT a research proposal within a statement of purpose, describe to them your plan & your ability/qualifications to carry out said plan.

[funology]

I think that a certain aspect of the SOP is not necessarily to detail in specific terms what you hope to expect in research, but more so a narrative of your own preparation and what tools your background offers you to be able to do well in a program.

My undergraduate training is minimal compared to some of my colleagues at other schools (intro + 1 course in each subfield, and I haven't gotten to OT or Minimalism in any course), but I think, as LinguisticMystic mentions that, preparation outside of linguistics can be made relevant to your application.

Going to conferences are a really good idea, it was there that I was able to find out more of what I wanted to do and also got to see what kind of problems are being worked on by professors.

[Lindsay Giacomino]

I just joined the Grad Cafe, but I just wanted to say hello! I will hopefully be applying for linguistics grad school programs this fall after I graduate. A fellow colleague at my university told me this site is wonderful and supportive in the application process. You will be hearing more from me in the future!

[Chase Wang]

@LinguisticMystic

Congrats to your admissions and thank you so much for the reply!

It's true that research training and demonstrated competence are good assets. I think my problems lie in that 1, I come from a purely humanity background; 2. I had scanty research training and minimal hands-on research experience. It's not valued back in China...................I'm working on it and try to catch up....

I probably will apply for both MA and PhD. but it all depends on where how much i can achieve in the next few months.

[Chase Wang]

I think that a certain aspect of the SOP is not necessarily to detail in specific terms what you hope to expect in research, but more so a narrative of your own preparation and what tools your background offers you to be able to do well in a program.

My undergraduate training is minimal compared to some of my colleagues at other schools (intro + 1 course in each subfield, and I haven't gotten to OT or Minimalism in any course), but I think, as LinguisticMystic mentions that, preparation outside of linguistics can be made relevant to your application.

Going to conferences are a really good idea, it was there that I was able to find out more of what I wanted to do and also got to see what kind of problems are being worked on by professors.

Thanks for the suggestions.

That's what I plan to do. You certainly make me more determined to go.

Tho not too much conferences going on here, two big ones are going to be held in my department, one about bilingualism and comparative linguistics and one on Chinese syntax.

quite look forward to it!

[calire89]

I'm here to update... I just got accepted to University of Colorado at Boulder's MA program! Unfortunately, the funding for Master's students just sucks, so no funding, but I may defer until next year so I can make some more money! I love their program, in any case.

[brunett88]

Hi everyone. I'm just feeling really antsy. I've received mostly rejections and one waitlist. Usually, I'm pretty optimistic, but I *really* don't know what I would do if I don't get in. I just feel really scared and discouraged right now since it seems the school I'm applying to is super competitive and I don't see anyone giving up a spot to go there. I'm still holding out though!!

[LinguisticMystic]

The thing with the super competitive programs is that they make offers to a lot of super competitive applicants who likely receive multiple offers from which to choose. Which means it's still a definite possibility to get in off a wait list at a competitive school. At least that's what I'm thinking! Good luck! I can't believe it's April & I'm still waiting on 3 schools (2 waitlists). Yuck.

[katrocap]

Hi everyone!

Congrats to those who've been accepted and good luck to those who are still waiting. I'll be applying for linguistics PhD programs next year. I'm interested in language documentation, SLA and ESOL education. I keep seeing the term "POI" pop on this forum. What exactly does "POI" refer to?

Thanks!

[antecedent]

Hi everyone!

Congrats to those who've been accepted and good luck to those who are still waiting. I'll be applying for linguistics PhD programs next year. I'm interested in language documentation, SLA and ESOL education. I keep seeing the term "POI" pop on this forum. What exactly does "POI" refer to?

Thanks!

"Professor of Interest" or "Point of Information" depending on who you ask. It's basically the researcher (or researchers) that you are most interested in working with, and probably one of the main reasons you're applying to the program.

[katrocap]

@ antecedent:

Thanks!

[KWIKKI]

I'm here to update... I just got accepted to University of Colorado at Boulder's MA program! Unfortunately, the funding for Master's students just sucks, so no funding, but I may defer until next year so I can make some more money! I love their program, in any case.

I totally agree with you. The program is just amazing! Besides, Kira Hall is there. I admire her and what she is doing.

I had the same situation last year. Got accepted without any funding. The office of admission asked me to show the proof of 44000$ on my bank account....I defered my studies until 2012. However, I didn't manage to make that much (it's a bit difficult for international students coming from developing countries). I applied to the programs this fall and got admitted into NAU (MA applied linguistics program). They offered me a TA position. So, that's how I switched from Colorado to Arizona

[mellyz]

still no news from georgetown applied linguistics...how late could they be?

[elizabethrose14]

I just got my Georgetown response yesterday- for Sociolinguistics. I sent e-mails to both Pittsburgh and Boston to get timelines, haven't heard back from Pitt- but Boston sent me the most ambiguous e-mail. They said I'd hear between mid-March and mid-May.

[LinguisticMystic]

Saw that Georgetown is on Easter break right now... so probably can't expect anything this week.

[Robertpt]

Was that someone put off from the waitlist of Rice already? Congrats to whoever that was!

[mellyz]

Are you guys familiar with the field of L2 Phonology? Is it a promising one? Are there famous advisors/programs in this field? Thank you very much!

[Cockneysparrow]

I've got a random question about applying for a Phd program in syntax and hopefully someone can enlighten me a bit.

I am not sure what constitute proper depth and width in the research proposal. What do profs look for in the RP? To what extent should the RP map out my research scheme in Phd study??

I'm constantly confused about this question since PhD programs do admit undergraduate who have little training in linguistics in general and their selected specialty. It seems to me very unlikely that students of this kind can come up with a very profound and workable RP yet almost every programs targets at undergraduates and explicits that they do not care much about previous training.

It depends on whether they are asking for a SOP or a RP.

If a SOP is required (which is much more common in the case of US universities), you are expected to give information on your background, i.e. how you got into linguistics, what interests you the most, what you specialise or specialised in, what research or teaching you have done over the years. So, anything relevant can be included, but things which are fairly tangential if not completely irrelevant to your professional background / goals (such as hobbies, sports, club memberships etc.) should be left out. Therein lies the difference between a graduate and an undergraduate SOP. In the second part of your SOP, you can elaborate on your plans for graduate study and your research goals much more in depth. The target length should be about two pages.

In the case of a proper RP (some graduate programmes - especially in the UK and continental Europe - do ask for this) your research topic and goals should be made much more explicit. It's hard to tell how in-depth it should be. It has be a lot more detailed if you are applying to a PhD programme than if you wish to do an MA. Of course, there is no magic formula for the RP but basically it should include the following things:

• a title (it can be a working title, may be changed later I reckon)
  
• some background to your proposed research (the focus of your research, similar work done in the field, your major influences)
  
• the focus of your planned research - the data and the phenomena that will be investigated
  
• questions, hypotheses, the relevance of the topic and the questions asked
  
• methodology - the framework and research methods you intend to use
  
• bibliography / references - previous work you cited in your RP
  

You usually don't need to strictly adhere to the plan you described in your RP - it's just there for the adcom to see that you are (or at least will be) able to formulate interesting and meaningful questions and have some (but not necessarily much) background in your desired field. However, I don't think you'll be required to write such a detailed RP unless you are applying to a three-year research degree course type PhD programme.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

[calire89]

I totally agree with you. The program is just amazing! Besides, Kira Hall is there. I admire her and what she is doing.

I had the same situation last year. Got accepted without any funding. The office of admission asked me to show the proof of 44000$ on my bank account....I defered my studies until 2012. However, I didn't manage to make that much (it's a bit difficult for international students coming from developing countries). I applied to the programs this fall and got admitted into NAU (MA applied linguistics program). They offered me a TA position. So, that's how I switched from Colorado to Arizona

Ooh, that's awesome! I live in Phoenix, so it might be worth looking into ASU's linguistics program and see if they provide any funding. I didn't consider that before, because their program isn't particularly prestigious, but I've realized that since I want to go into the private sector, prestige might not matter as much as I think it does. What do you think?

[KWIKKI]

Can't wait to start my master's degree studies! I'm really looking forward to my new life in Arizona this fall.

For me, it doesn't really matter where to get MA from. Besides, I'm international and do not know much about prestige of some programs. I think that TESOL programs are pretty much the same everywhere.

Can I PM you? I have some questions about the state of Arizona and thought it would be nice if someone could help me

[katrocap]

Did anyone apply to George Mason's linguistics PhD program? I'm considering applying there for fall 2013 and wondered if anyone had any feedback on their program.