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Communication/Media Studies Ph.D Programs Fall 2012--Apps, Decisions, and Waiting...


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reterik - I wouldn't think professors would be shocked at what we are talking about on the forums - we are all very very very eager to into a good program and to start!! I think that is a good thing =). Waitlisted is better than a rejection, so congrats on that - they want you! Unfortunately, waiting is becoming increasingly difficult for many of us =/.

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So, back from the Northwestern visiting weekend for TSB and MTS candidates. A few notes:

  1. One of the current students in TSB who is international told us that she was not invited to the weekend; instead, she did a series of Skype interviews.
  2. One of the professors told us that they do in fact watch what happens on this website. So, beware -- Big Brother is watching! :)

1.) So I'll just wait and see :) Thank you very much for sharing and I wish you all the best for your application!

2.) Of course they are, I would be disappointed if they weren't. It would be weird if someone was studying communication, networks and social media and wouldn't have any interest in forums, in which people discuss their application experiences, getting to know each other and often are in a most interesting position because they are competitors and on the other hand supporting each other ;)

Edited by Saviya
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I seem to be in the minority in having applied to Albany, but today (Feb 20) is FINALLY the application deadline so I hope to be hearing from them very soon. The saddest part is that I'm already leaning toward another school I've been accepted to, but I don't want to make a decision until I have all of the information in hand, and I know I'd be upset if I went ahead and committed elsewhere and then an offer finally came from Albany that was good. Ah! I would love to know why they have such a late deadline, especially since they don't do rolling admission reviews. It seems to me like it would put them at a disadvantage, since many of the people they extend offers to probably have already accepted elsewhere.

Anyway, that's where I am!

American also had a February deadline. I have no idea why schools do that!

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In other news, I wish more schools would give funding decisions with their offers. It would make things so much easier...

Agreed. I'm unable to consider an offer - no matter how I love the school - without funding details. I hate that money is such a large consideration, but it has to be, given my outstanding student debt and my international status (that will bar me from working off-campus). If only I were independently wealthy...

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According to the results survey, someone was accepted to NYU's Department of Media, Culture and Communication. I haven't heard from them myself yet. Congrats! Is it anyone active in this forum?

MediaMom, if I remember correctly, Albany's website said they'd give an answer six to eight weeks after the completion of the application, rather than after the deadline. So, if you applied six to eight weeks ago, you should hear from them very soon. As for myself, my 6-8 weeks will be up in early March.

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MediaMom, if I remember correctly, Albany's website said they'd give an answer six to eight weeks after the completion of the application, rather than after the deadline. So, if you applied six to eight weeks ago, you should hear from them very soon. As for myself, my 6-8 weeks will be up in early March.

I saw that, but the wording was vague, something like, "Decisions are made six to eight weeks after the deadline OR the completion of the application." I submitted my application in the first week of December, so it's been a long time, but surely they can't wait six to eight weeks from today's deadline. So yeah, hopefully I'll know more soon. The department website says that they begin to review assistantship applications on March 1, so I wonder if they just wait until early March and notify of acceptances/funding all at once? Oh well, either way I guess it can't be much longer.

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I randomly checked my application status at UMass today and saw that I was officially wait-listed. The change came the same day I sent my inquiry email, so I suspect I may get an email response too after the holiday.

It would be great to have more information (or just be accepted outright :)), but heck, I'm honored that I'm still in consideration. Fingers crossed!

Received a very nice email from the Admissions Director confirming my wait-list status and acknowledging the time constraints that I face. Given that, she mentioned the department would get word to me quickly when a final decision is made, hopefully in the next few weeks. The timing MAY just work out to not close any of my options prematurely. As for my chances of admission---"reasonable." I'll take that ray of hope!

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According to the results survey, someone was accepted to NYU's Department of Media, Culture and Communication. I haven't heard from them myself yet. Congrats! Is it anyone active in this forum?

It was me--got the call Saturday in the afternoon from POI!

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nullsymbol, on 20 February 2012 - 11:27 PM, said:

So, back from the Northwestern visiting weekend for TSB and MTS candidates. A few notes:

  • One of the current students in TSB who is international told us that she was not invited to the weekend; instead, she did a series of Skype interviews.
  • One of the professors told us that they do in fact watch what happens on this website. So, beware -- Big Brother is watching! :)

1.) So I'll just wait and see :) Thank you very much for sharing and I wish you all the best for your application!

2.) Of course they are, I would be disappointed if they weren't. It would be weird if someone was studying communication, networks and social media and wouldn't have any interest in forums, in which people discuss their application experiences, getting to know each other and often are in a most interesting position because they are competitors and on the other hand supporting each other ;)

I'm an international applicant but I haven't heard a peep- no skype chats, nothing. Has anyone else had a skype request? Although Skype is so nerve racking too, yesterday I waited 3 hours to speak to someone from a program I applied to and it never happened. Because of the time difference, I ended up waiting till 11 pm and thought the stress would actually knock me out. The interview has been rescheduled which means I'll be up late at night waiting again :(

The waiting is really getting to be too much. Come on Madison!!!!!!!! :wacko: and Northwestern! :unsure: and send me an acceptance please. Thank you!

Edited by mediaphile
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So I just had a skype interview that lasted all of 10 min- basically the adcom head wanted to let me know I had made the shortlist but wouldn't hear for about another week. I know some people have heard back already from this place, so I guess I didn't make the short short list yet. Does this sound like good news or bad news?

Ps this is not a comm program, I applied to a couple of antho programs to study media.

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So I just had a skype interview that lasted all of 10 min- basically the adcom head wanted to let me know I had made the shortlist but wouldn't hear for about another week. I know some people have heard back already from this place, so I guess I didn't make the short short list yet. Does this sound like good news or bad news?

Ps this is not a comm program, I applied to a couple of antho programs to study media.

My guess is that they are perfectly aware that a lot of people have received acceptances already, and so they wanted to make sure that you didn't assume that you were out of the running and accepted another offer. Having said that, the fact that the adcom director took the time to speak with you personally suggests that you are important to them. I'd interpret it as a "better than neutral" sign. You're still in the running, but it's also still a competition.

I'm an international applicant but I haven't heard a peep- no skype chats, nothing.

FWIW, Northwestern TSB said it would take ~2 weeks to hear back from them. UW-Madison said that they plan to finish the review on February 24, and have decisions about assistantships and admissions out by March 1. They also don't do interviews. So at least you can be confident that a lack of response is no reflection on your desireability as an applicant!

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Hi All,

The wait is killing me! Applied to TEN schools, rejected by FIVE. Talk about 50/50!

Got my BA in psych from a small liberal arts college. SOP states interest in racial (esp. Asian-America vs.Asian) representation in the media, differences in representation, conjunctures, production etc. 93, 79, 72 percentile in GRE.

Reading and refreshing the results section in here is keeping me busy.

Tempted to go to a clairvoyant to get my cards read..haha!

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nullsymbol Thanks so much- sounds like you read the situation pretty well. I did have an informal skype chat with Madison, so I know I made it to some kind of a short list but this was a month ago and the proff I spoke to said it would take a month to hear back, so it should be happening soon hopefully.

MeMeMeMe; don't lose hope yet, I think its a question of fit more than anything else. Although GRE scores and GPAs have their place in the process too. Were the 5 rejections for v.v competitive places? This is my second time applying. Last year I applied to 4 unis in the US and they all rejected me. I re-took my GREs for a huge increase in score and percantile, re-wrote SOPs- made them more like research proposals with only a couple of lines dealing with personal info. The format was Focus/Fit/ Future. Also 2nd time around I asked people who already had PhDs although in different subjects to go over my SOPs and this really helped me restructure them to read like a professional document.

Keep the faith, I'm sure the 5 remaining applications will bring great news your way.

Edited by mediaphile
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Thanks Mediaphile. I hope your prophecy comes true. Yes, the 5 I got rejected from were very competitive- UPenn, Indiana-bloomington, UMass-amherst, Brown, UWashington. I have minimal faith in the remaining 5- Northwestern, UPitt, GSU, DenverU, UIUC. Oh Pitt, Me! Me! Me! Me.

If not, i guess there is always next year and i do have a job right now.

This sucks.

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Hey guys!

I just got a decision mail from UIUC, and I'm afraid to open it. For those who got acceptance letters over e-mail, did you get multiple attachments? I only got single Microsoft Word attachment so I'm really afraid to open it...

ARGH

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Updates on decisions:

Scheduled a phone interview with Temple U (Mass Media and Comm) today. Accepted at NCSU two weeks ago. Any thoughts on which of these are better, provided I'm a good fit at both programs?

Still waiting to here from UI U-C, UW-Madison (Comm Arts - Rhetoric), UC-Boulder, and U Utah. Anyone know about these?

Assuming rejection at NYU. Actual rejections from Indiana U and UNC-Chapel Hill. Also rejected at U Minnesota, OSU, and UC San Diego, but for non-comm programs.

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FYI for edost - and anyone else who may be interested - I exchanged emails with the DGS at UAlbany and he said that applications have been/are being prescreened by the admission committee, and then final decisions will be made by the faculty as a whole in a meeting that will take place in a couple of weeks. So decisions are coming...but not for a little bit.

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I was the other MCC admit, and was called by phone this past weekend. Cohort size is 6. There is a waitlist, but I am not sure if those people have been notified. There is an admitted students weekend in a month. I think about 250 people applied this year. Best of luck!

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I was the other MCC admit, and was called by phone this past weekend. Cohort size is 6. There is a waitlist, but I am not sure if those people have been notified. There is an admitted students weekend in a month. I think about 250 people applied this year. Best of luck!

Congratulations! Unfortunately, if the cohort is just six and I haven't heard anything yet, it doesn't sound promising for me.

FYI for edost - and anyone else who may be interested - I exchanged emails with the DGS at UAlbany and he said that applications have been/are being prescreened by the admission committee, and then final decisions will be made by the faculty as a whole in a meeting that will take place in a couple of weeks. So decisions are coming...but not for a little bit.

Thanks for the info, MediaMom. I guess I shouldn't visit Albany's status page until the second week of March.

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Are there others out there who are still waiting on USC? I saw two acceptances on the results survey, but I haven't heard a peep.

Also, my Indiana application says something like "thanks for adding your name to the waitlist; we can't admit you." Does that mean waitlist or rejection? I assume rejection but no one has responded to my e-mail. Annoying.

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<-- USC applicant and also waiting...

I did ran into huge trouble with missing documents though and I am not sure if my application has been passed on to the committee before early february. So, still waiting.

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