Max Power Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 For what its worth, Columbia isn't yet operating at full capacity. I have family on the faculty and they don't start their semester until next week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhDhopeful2013 Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 I called them the other day for this same reason and it's just that they are using a new computer system and have not been able to upload scores into the system. If you've sent them, then they have most likely received them. Seriously, I started the phone conversation saying "It doesn't seem that my GRE scores have arrived..." and he said "Don't worry about it! If you sent them, there will be no problem whatsoever." Same situation for me. Was going to call today, but I will hold off.... Thanks for the info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brady Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 got a call from Emory-- invitation to the visit weekend! I'm taking it as a very positive sign since its so early even without the formal offer of admission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhDhopeful2013 Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 got a call from Emory-- invitation to the visit weekend! I'm taking it as a very positive sign since its so early even without the formal offer of admission. Sounds promising... Congrats!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balledematch Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 got a call from Emory-- invitation to the visit weekend! I'm taking it as a very positive sign since its so early even without the formal offer of admission. Congrats! Typically in years past, they've used the admit weekend as a sort of final round interview. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisGuyRiteHere Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 got a call from Emory-- invitation to the visit weekend! I'm taking it as a very positive sign since its so early even without the formal offer of admission.Sounds good to me...Schmoooooze them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiffRam Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 got a call from Emory-- invitation to the visit weekend! I'm taking it as a very positive sign since its so early even without the formal offer of admission. Congrats! Definitely can't be a negative thing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomsmonticello Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 How similiar/different are the SOP objectives for a stand-alone MA program and PhD? I applied a couple of years ago for PhD programs and was rejected by top-ranked schools. This, I think, was a combination of my GRE scores and my lack of focus in a research topic. My SOP could have been stronger in making the case and narrowing my focus. Does a different approach apply when seeking an MA in Political Science (not a professional degree). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhDhopeful2013 Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 (edited) How similiar/different are the SOP objectives for a stand-alone MA program and PhD? I applied a couple of years ago for PhD programs and was rejected by top-ranked schools. This, I think, was a combination of my GRE scores and my lack of focus in a research topic. My SOP could have been stronger in making the case and narrowing my focus. Does a different approach apply when seeking an MA in Political Science (not a professional degree). well most MA programs are much less competitive than PhD programs, based on acceptance rates, etc. So for an MA app, I would think the SOP is not such a "make or break" piece as long as you have a solid profile. Also, for an MA SOP, I would think you'd be discussing more general areas of interest that you want to explore and develop. For a PhD SOP, you should have already begun to develop those specific research interests, so the SOP would be presenting what you already know and how you want to develop those interests further and with particular faculty members... so in general the PhD SOP is just a more important piece of the app and would ideally be more focused and sophisticated than an MA SOP... that's my brief take on it.. anyone else? Edited January 10, 2013 by PhDhopeful2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisGuyRiteHere Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Why torture me by having the head of graduate studies in the department email me and say things are missing or have there been any changes. I was doing so good to this point and just forgetting about everything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollyollyoxenfree Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 hi all, long-time lurker, first-time poster. with my anxiety now beginning to rise with decisions coming in the next few weeks/month, i wanted to take advantage of this great community. better off together! well most MA programs are much less competitive than PhD programs, based on acceptance rates, etc. So for an MA app, I would think the SOP is not such a "make or break" piece as long as you have a solid profile. Also, for an MA SOP, I would think you'd be discussing more general areas of interest that you want to explore and develop. For a PhD SOP, you should have already begun to develop those specific research interests, so the SOP would be presenting what you already know and how you want to develop those interests further and with particular faculty members... so in general the PhD SOP is just a more important piece of the app and would ideally be more focused and sophisticated than an MA SOP... that's my brief take on it.. anyone else? on this note, i agree that your SOP for a PhD should be more akin to a research proposal in your description of interests. i was advised to include specific research questions, data sourcing, brief references to the literature/prominent theories in your field, and how you plan to build on that. granted, with the word limit, you can't go into toooo much detail, but important to at least touch on these points. at least from what i was told from others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GopherGrad Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Also, for an MA SOP, I would think you'd be discussing more general areas of interest that you want to explore and develop. For a PhD SOP, you should have already begun to develop those specific research interests, so the SOP would be presenting what you already know and how you want to develop those interests further and with particular faculty members... so in general the PhD SOP is just a more important piece of the app and would ideally be more focused and sophisticated than an MA SOP. I don't know that I agree about the difference in importance, but the focus part is exactly what I would have said. An SoP at the PhD level is supposed to spend most of its time articulating a question or two, discussing the extent to which it has been answered and connecting the study of those questions and answers to the target department. A personal statement, which I think is more appropriate for an MA, should in some ways be more like a cover letter for a job application. It should discuss some of the past experiences that led you to want to study political science and link your past achievements to your preparation for graduate study. If you are applying for an academic MA, you might want to spend a little time on why you didn't choose a PhD program. (I am pursuing an academic MA right now, and explained in my statement that I did not study political science as an undergrad and wanted to test my interest and develop more sophisticated understandings before applying for PhDs.) In my opinion, you want to do both things in both types of statements, but you frame the overall essays very differently. The PhD version explains your interest using some examples of your past achievement, the MA version explains your qualifications to study the questions that animate you. If that makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tupamaros Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 (edited) Congrats on the invitation brady, positive news. No word from Columbia or anyone else in relation to missing scores, or anything at all. No news good news at the moment I guess. Having said that, Columbia's website still says my GRE's have not been received, so doubt there is need for anyone to worry yet. Edited January 10, 2013 by Tupamaros Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisGuyRiteHere Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Another interview posted for Emory...Congrats to the lucky one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
q&a Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Would schools like Emory call everyone in one day or spread them out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balledematch Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Would schools like Emory call everyone in one day or spread them out? I'd guess they probably go by subfield, but not sure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
q&a Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 maybe. the results page can be a hard thing to look at for expectations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiffRam Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Got an email from Wisconsin today, so course when I saw it I got pretty excited...it just told me my application was complete. OF COURSE IT'S COMPLETE! IT'S BEEN COMPLETE FOR A MONTH NOW! Grrrrr! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhDhopeful2013 Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 welcome! yes - our collective anxiety is on the rise! only a few more weeks of uncertainty to go.... hi all, long-time lurker, first-time poster. with my anxiety now beginning to rise with decisions coming in the next few weeks/month, i wanted to take advantage of this great community. better off together! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cthulhu Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Got an email from Wisconsin today, so course when I saw it I got pretty excited...it just told me my application was complete. OF COURSE IT'S COMPLETE! IT'S BEEN COMPLETE FOR A MONTH NOW! Grrrrr! The same happened to me today - I think my heart stopped for a few seconds These cruel, cruel people... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomsmonticello Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Thanks for your replies about the MA SOP--they were helpful/reassuring. I feel one of the reasons my PhD apps a couple cycles ago were not succesfsul was the lack of a clearly defined research focus. If you are applying for an academic MA, you might want to spend a little time on why you didn't choose a PhD program. (I am pursuing an academic MA right now, and explained in my statement that I did not study political science as an undergrad and wanted to test my interest and develop more sophisticated understandings before applying for PhDs.) I studied Political Science as an undergrad and hope to use the MA to hone my research and better equip me as a successful PhD candidate. Should I state that I hope to use the MA as groundwork for a PhD or will they just wonder why I didn't apply for a PhD again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brady Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Congrats on the invitation brady, positive news. No word from Columbia or anyone else in relation to missing scores, or anything at all. No news good news at the moment I guess. Having said that, Columbia's website still says my GRE's have not been received, so doubt there is need for anyone to worry yet.Thanks!I've had the same problem with Columbia. I think its just their system, since everywhere else I applied has registered that they received my scores. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GopherGrad Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 "Should I state that I hope to use the MA as groundwork for a PhD or will they just wonder why I didn't apply for a PhD again?" My opinion is that you'd need to be a bit more specific, yes. The MA is an opportunity to develop a skill previously lacking or rehabilitate some crap credential (again, just my opnion). I think that being able to articulate clearly why an MA is likely to move you up the candidacy ladder is kind of important. "I've had the same problem with Columbia. I think its just their system, since everywhere else I applied has registered that they received my scores." This is my second time watching these forums as I apply and no school gets more complaints about its admin process than Columbia. They figure it out eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balledematch Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 This is my second time watching these forums as I apply and no school gets more complaints about its admin process than Columbia. They figure it out eventually. +1 It can't be that hard if literally every other school can figure it out. smh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulgroove Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Long time lurker here. Emory has emailed me about conducting a telephone or skype chat in late January or early February. They mentioned that actual admission offers are sometime in mid-February. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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