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

[S@lly]

Thanks @Saviya! :-)

[milara]

So one of the programs to which I applied (U Michigan iSchool) invited someone to interview, according to the results page. They said to give them 4-6 weeks to reach a decision, and it's been longer than that. Do you guys think it would be appropriate to call or email and ask them what their timeline is looking like, or ask about the status of my application, or even ask them how they will inform applicants?

[commcomm]

@nullsymbol -- No harm in calling the department secretary and asking for a general timeline. I called to ask about the protocol for notifying applicants of admission decisions and the secretary was more than happy to chat. I'm sure they're used to getting those phone calls.

@Iamhere -- I applied to UW- Madison's Mass Comm/Journalism program as well and haven't heard a thing. I'm not very confident I'll get in-- but even if I do, I'm worried that the funding won't be there.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to work on my thesis for my Masters (Journalism) at Mizzou and am finding it hard to concentrate during this waiting game...

[AlexGuermantes]

Hey Alex,

I recently heard back from Wisconsin-Madison with an informal acceptance to their Communication Science PhD with a fellowship; (under the Communication Arts department). I don't know of anyone else who has received word from them.

I personally think your chances are fine. My Undergraduate g.p.a was 3.42; Luckily, that isn't the only thing they look for.

Best of Luck!

@ironicstatement Congrats! That seems like a really cool program and Madison looks beautiful. Thanks for the encouragement, also.

[edost]

I just got an invitation to a Skype interview from Indiana (Telecommunications) and an e-mail from NYU telling me my application is under review.

Edited February 2, 2012 by edost

[IronicStatement]

Thanks for all of the support everyone!

I just got my first rejection today from UT Austin, so I needed the good karma.

Does anyone here use LinkedIn? I am curious if it is useful as a networking tool.

[Iamhere]

@ mrpbn7 Hi! Nice to see another applicant to UW Madison! I really like some professors there, especially Prof. Dhavan Shah who specializes in the effects of television on consumption. However, I've also heard that funding is insufficient. Hey, I'm also getting my master's thesis ready...but I can hardly concentrate!! Ackk!!

@edost Congrats on the interview! I also applied to telecomm. They only asked me for a translation of my master's thesis proposal. I gave them a translated section but haven't heard back from them since.

@IronicStatement Hey me too! I just got my first rejection from UT Austin I knew the school and I didn't fit very well but rejections still suck. I hope there're more good news on the way for you!

to All...I think February will be the peak of hearing back from schools! I wish everyone good luck!

[gurlsaved]

Hey @iamhere and @ironicstatement - Sorry about your rejections. I just got one myself from Arizona State University in the Comm program ...the e-mail was even titled "Deny Letter" and they sent it right before my dinner. I don't feel like eating anymore....It was my 2nd choice and it is a fantastic program...oh well lets just hope that Feb will be better.

Did you both apply to the Communication Studies dept or to another comm area?

Hang in there everyone!!!

[Iamhere]

Thanks gurlsaved and sorry about your rejection too. I'm sure good news will come so please don't lose your appetite! Those are some manners though...deny letter. UT didn't even send an email the results were just posted on the status site. FYI I applied to comm studies.

[S@lly]

Hi all...I was just about to carry on quite a bit...because I just got my first Admit. But, now that I see @gurlsaved got a denial from the same school...it wouldn't be nice. It is ASU...and it is my first choice school! I'm sorry @gurlsaved...I'm certain that you will get good news this month. I'll send positive vibes your way!

I really am excited though and, as soon as I know if I'm funded, I will be withdrawing my applications from the other 7 programs to which I applied so that I can let them focus on other applicants. Considering that it is my first choice program...there is no point in me dragging it out. But, I got a Congratulations email that directs me to their website to view the Admit Letter...and the link leads me to a statement: "We are unable to display the requested document at this time. Please check back in 1 to 2 business days." So, I've got to see that first to make sure it is real...and that I'm funded!

How on earth am I going to sleep now!? I've got a long day at work tomorrow, so I've got to figure out a way!

[S@lly]

Wow, I'm fickle. I just looked at my first posting and see that I listed Purdue as my first choice school. Haha! Well, now it is ASU. Truth is, I did tell my friends that the only school that would make it difficult to choose if Purdue offered me admission is ASU. ASU is actually a better fit...but the Purdue faculty were so warm and friendly when I first contacted them about my interests that they got bumped above ASU at the time.

[gurlsaved]

Congrats S@lly!! ASU has an excellent program and one of my classmates from last year is now currently attending and so I've heard a lot of great things. ASU was my 2nd choice, UT Austin my first and I got accepted there so I shouldn't be too down in the dumps but waiting for the funding offer is pretty stressful too. Did ASU say how their funding works? I remember applying for a TAship there separately. Actually, my only beef with ASU is the SOP guidelines did not allow me to really explain a lot about my research, whereas, UT Austin requested a separate essay on just research questions. But a lot of students apply there. Congrats again!

@iamhere - did you apply for the MA program? the e-mail that UT Austin sent me stated that they still haven't made all their decisions...but I guess if you saw a reject on the website, that might be final...sorry again.

[S@lly]

@gurlsaved - Thank you! I'm going to start a separate chat session with you....as soon as I figure out how. Another poster and I have been chatting...after I noticed I had a message on the top banner of the page. But I'm not exactly sure how she got the chat started....hmmm...

[gurlsaved]

I PMed you S@lly

[kalinga]

So one of the programs to which I applied (U Michigan iSchool) invited someone to interview, according to the results page. They said to give them 4-6 weeks to reach a decision, and it's been longer than that. Do you guys think it would be appropriate to call or email and ask them what their timeline is looking like, or ask about the status of my application, or even ask them how they will inform applicants?

I was the one who posted that result--I don't know if it really counts as anything formal, since it was just the person I was interested in working with calling me up and chatting about my interests and whether or not they were within the remit of the department. Pretty informal stuff, but I thought people might want to know so that they'd be better prepared than I was!

[Iamhere]

S@lly congrats! After all that worrying you got into your first choice program! Way to go!

Gurlsaved Oh I applied to the phd program. Texas wasn't actually a good fit for mr cuz my focus areas are more about media communication. No worries I think I already got it over with.

For ppl applying to UC Santa Barbara, I just had a long chat with one of the professors and was informed that the pool of applicants have been narrowed down to about 20 ppl. It's gonna take about two weeks for the final results to come out so people let's hang in there!

[IronicStatement]

Hey @gurlsaved, I applied to UT Austin for a Masters in Communication Studies. My interests weren't that great of a fit with the department. *shrug*

I am sorry to hear about ASU! I am sure you'll get many acceptances elsewhere.

Speaking of acceptances... I just got word late last night that I was accepted by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). Did anyone else apply to their program? It focuses heavily on communications technologies, so I don't know if anyone in this thread would have noted it as an option.

Best wishes to everyone!

[MediaMom]

Ironic - I was accepted at RPI as well. I'm going to PM you

[gurlsaved]

Congrats MediaMom and IronicStatement for your acceptances!!

I think a lot of PhD programs look for research interests to match more than just the numbers game, which should in the long run help both the department and everyone's career. I, too, am trying to get over ASU. I still have two smaller programs that are pending (Univ of Denver and Univ of Nebraska,Lincoln).

@iamhere - I would love to go to UCSB!! I looked into it but they are more quantitative and there isn't an area for my research interests...I am from Los Angeles and the only place I would consider moving back to would be the SB area because it is so freaking awesome. There might be too many younger college kids, but the weather and scenario make up for it. Good luck, I'm crossing my fingers for you!!!

[edost]

Thanks, Iamhere. I hope you'll be invited to an interview soon, too. I don't know if they interview everyone or only international students, since they said my English would also be evaluated.

Congrats S@lly, IronicStatement and MediaMom!

[Ville]

Congrats to everyone who has been offered a place! It's always a great relief to know that we're wanted somewhere.

I have just exchanged an email with a Prof at U Washington and she told me that the communication department received over 220 applications this year for an approx. 10 spots. Boy, it's going to be super competitive. The faculty are reviewing the applications and she thinks I have a very good chance, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I think the first round of offers will be announced in a couple of weeks.

[nix]

Berkeley made "double-check" and "more information" calls/emails this week and last so I assume results will be in next week. That would certainly be in keeping with their pattern over the years (at least as far as the Results Survey is concerned).

Still not soon enough.

[TVDOC]

Hi everyone. I've been "lurking" in here for the past 2-3 weeks and thought I might offer a bit of encouragement. I applied last year to 8 PhD programs and it had to be one of the most stressful times of my life, so I know what its like. From my experience, I don't think this is a numbers game. My GRE scores were average at best. I had a strong GPA and good work experience. However, it came down to fit. My current program had an opening for someone with my research interests and I was in the right place at the right time. If I had different research interests I know I would not be in this position now. I have spent a lot of time talking w/ my cohort members about their application experiences and they agree. As an example, I know someone who had perfect GRE scores and did not get in to some schools where offers were made to people with average scores. At the end of the day, you just don't know. Acceptance or rejection should not be taken as a measure of worth.

Some advice from my experiences:

1. Plan on waiting, waiting and doing some more waiting. If you plan for the process to take until April 15th, you will not be disappointed if you hear from everyone early. However, if you set your expectations to hear early, you will surely be disappointed.

2. Don't be shy. Pick up the phone or send an email. Most schools have someone that deals with these applications every year and its part of their job descriptions. So, its your right and their job to be available to you. I only got answers from 3 of my schools because I called to find out the status.

3. Ask questions. I had a school tell me the notes from the person who reviewed my file said I would be a good fit for their business school. Really? Obviously this person did not read my SOP or got my file confused w/ someone else. I would not have found this out if I didn't ask why I didn't get accepted. To make matters more stressful at the time, that was at my "safety" school. So, the reviewers are real people. They make mistakes. Not that rejecting me was a mistake, but the mistake was the way this person mis-read or mis-interpreted my SOP.

4. Getting in is not the same as getting funding. Make sure to do your research on funding if you need it. Every school is different. Don't make any assumptions or decisions until you know about the $. You might get an acceptance and get it in your head that you are 100% going, and then later find out there is no $. That would be a let down. So be diligent. Many schools do not come out and say what their funding situation is because it usually changes from year to year. A few have set patterns. For example, 1 school I know makes 8 fully funded offers each year. Everyone in the program is funded. No admissions offers to people w/ out $. Others are highly dependent on state budgets. So, the governor says he is cutting university funding and your program may only offer half the number of funded spots as the previous year. To keep the enrollment numbers up they will offer admissions, but you will be expected to pay. Three to four years of tuition, books, fees and living expenses can get VERY expensive.

5. The great thing about this board is that we are all in it together. Leave the negativity at home. Encourage others and you will receive encouragement in return. This is a stressful time for everyone. I personally still keep in touch w/ several people I met on this board and you never know who might even end up at the same school as you, so be nice.

6. When deciding on schools its ok to talk to current students. If you can not visit the school, call and ask for a list of people who you could call. They should be more than willing. What would they have to hide. The people who are in the program ahead of you are the best source of honest information. You want to make sure people are happy, that its a good collaborative program, that the professor you plan on working with is not talking about retiring the next year, and that things generally work the way you expect they will.

7. Dont just look at the programs website, but the universities general site. There is a difference between courses listed as possibilities to be offered and those that are actually offered. Go through old class schedules to see what you might have taken from semester to semester to make sure your interests are covered. Go thru the syllabus from a required class to see what the work load is, what you might expect in terms of papers, exams, etc... This is your future and you want to make sure your goals match those of the program. My goal is to do research and teach at university level. So, its important to get a research agenda established and get papers presented at conferences and hopefully published. The classes in my program usually culminate in a quality paper that can be used for conferences and journal submissions. So, that is a good fit for me. This is an example of the types of things you want to mesh well.

Anyway, I am sure I could go on and on. But, as usual, its time to get back to studying. Yes, I am aware it is Friday night.

If I can answer any questions for anyone, I would be happy to try and help, feel free to send a private message.

Edited February 3, 2012 by tvphd

[Duna]

@ S@lly

See, your positive thinking totally paid off! Congrats

After I got an answer from the first school yesterday (Cornell) and it was a rejection ( ) I was extremely disappointed. But my Mom always says whenever one door closes, another one opens up: I was accepted to UT Austin the same night. YAY. I only applied to schools I really want to go to and don't really have safety schools, so I am very relieved and happy now.

@ MediaMom & Ironic: Congrats to RPI admissions. My application got in very late, so I still haven't heard back but I am totally interested in the whole communication technology and also media design area (went to an arts school) as well as game design, so RPI is definitely interesting for me

[S@lly]

@Iamhere and @Saviya - Thank you for the congrats! I know it seems that I was unnecessarily worried but this was actually my second go around. I applied to 10 schools last year and it was 0 for 10. Thus, my paranoia. Although, I did it much smarter this time around. Someone at some point asked how people figured out the programs to which they applied. The first time around, I was working at a sweat shop and had little time to do much more than just apply to the reputable schools that offered something close to what I was interested in.

This time around...I started with the 2004 Reputational Study, then narrowed down to the programs which emphasized a course of study in org comm, then picked out the professors whose bios interested me. Then...and I think this was key...I read the articles written by each of those professors in the last 10 years to isolate my top choices. It is amazing how my assessment changed from reviewing department bios to actually reading their work.

But @tvphd--you are right! Getting in is not the same as funding. And although I got into ASU...which I think is the best fit of all my options...I haven't heard anything about funding...so.....