French PhD 2013, anyone?

[Nicko]

Hi everyone!

I didn't write anything on this discussion yet but I read everything you said with great interest!

I still didn't receive any answer from any university (except from Northwestern who interviewed me two days ago), so I'm wondering what's happening! I applied to NYU, Columbia, UPenn, Cornell, Brown and Boston, and I saw that some of you already heard from them (whether good or bad news). I have no news, urgh, what does it mean?!

[Patrick K]

Thanks, A nous deux. I'm technically not 100% accepted, I'd still have to be sent back to the admissions dept for review if I want to be considered for it. And I seriously understand your point, I really don't want to go into debt with all of this. I'm thinking about entering the high school job market if I don't get any good PhD offers this season, then look into future degrees down the line.

 

Hello, Nicko! I'm sure your news will come soon enough. Activity seems to be picking up, so you should get answers soon enough. Best of luck

[Nicko]

Thanks! 

But do you think that not having heard from anyone yet is bad news or good news overall?

Is it rude to email them and ask for some information?

 

If I were you Patrick, I think I would go and do my MA at NYU, whether they accept you for a PhD afterwards or not, it still looks good on a CV, and it's a great experience...

[Patrick K]

I think it's not out of the ordinary. I haven't heard from Columbia either, along with 4 other programs that I applied to. It looks like you aren't alone with some of the other programs you listed. Personally, it's hard for me to tell if that's good or bad news, depends on any visits that could be happening or other factors. As Northwestern said in an email, you're under consideration until told otherwise. I'd go with that statement. I'm not in favor of emailing to ask for information. Not sure if it comes off as rude, but I feel like you'll be getting answers soon enough. 

[Soleil ت]

I was rejected from Austin last night. I'm so heartbroken

[Fransces]

I was rejected from Austin last night. I'm so heartbroken

Same here. Michelle, I just want to ask you about your interview with UF? Did they ask any hard questions? I am having the phone interview with them this Friday and I am super nervous. 

[wmb]

Ugh, so sorry Michelle and Fransces. What a bummer.

 

Good luck w/the interview, F.!

[Fransces]

Ugh, so sorry Michelle and Fransces. What a bummer.

 

Good luck w/the interview, F.!

Thanks! Any advice you may have on the interview thing? I have never done this before. Completely have no clue at all...

[Nicko]

The interview at Northwestern was pretty easy really. It was very informal, breakfast with the faculty, visit of the campus, etc. We had to do a 15 min presentation of our interests + introduce ourselves, etc, then we had five interviews with potential supervisors, but it was more like a relaxed talk, they mainly asked me if I had questions for them.

Anyway, good luck with the interview!

[cicada]

Same here. Michelle, I just want to ask you about your interview with UF? Did they ask any hard questions? I am having the phone interview with them this Friday and I am super nervous. 

 

So sorry to read this, michelle and fransces  

 

michelle - have you heard from IU about funding? i'm still waiting.

 

fransces - I didn't apply to UF but Austin interviewed me on Skype. I had a very nice 15-min chat with three professors who asked me simple questions in English and then in French (What are your interests? What classes in related departments/fields would you be interested in taking? What drew you to UT Austin? Pourquoi voulez-vous faire un PhD en français alors que vous êtes angliciste à la base? and the last one - what do you do in your free time?) and asked if I had any questions for them. Always prepare a few questions, you may already have some, but if you don't, make sure you have something to ask, it may sound weird and like you're not really interested in them if you don't need details or info on anything...  Best of luck, let us know how it went!

[Fransces]

So sorry to read this, michelle and fransces

 

michelle - have you heard from IU about funding? i'm still waiting.

 

fransces - I didn't apply to UF but Austin interviewed me on Skype. I had a very nice 15-min chat with three professors who asked me simple questions in English and then in French (What are your interests? What classes in related departments/fields would you be interested in taking? What drew you to UT Austin? Pourquoi voulez-vous faire un PhD en français alors que vous êtes angliciste à la base? and the last one - what do you do in your free time?) and asked if I had any questions for them. Always prepare a few questions, you may already have some, but if you don't, make sure you have something to ask, it may sound weird and like you're not really interested in them if you don't need details or info on anything...  Best of luck, let us know how it went!

Thank you so much for the advice. 

[Fransces]

The interview at Northwestern was pretty easy really. It was very informal, breakfast with the faculty, visit of the campus, etc. We had to do a 15 min presentation of our interests + introduce ourselves, etc, then we had five interviews with potential supervisors, but it was more like a relaxed talk, they mainly asked me if I had questions for them.

Anyway, good luck with the interview!

That sounds nice. Guess I still have a lot to prepare.

[Wj2011]

.And I seriously understand your point, I really don't want to go into debt with all of this. I'm thinking about entering the high school job market if I don't get any good PhD offers this season, then look into future degrees down the line.

^^^^^^^^^^^^ THIS!

 

 

 

Totally 100% with A nous deux!  Do not go into major debt for your Ph.D.  A little loan to float your expenses maybe, but do not take out tuition loans.  Take a year or two (or more) off, work on your dossier.  Present a paper at a conference as an independent scholar.  Consider getting an MA from somewhere more local/less prestigious where you'll have professors that can vouch for your GRADUATE WORK and where you can also TA to gain experience. Seriously.

 

I was accepted into NYU MA unfunded 10 years ago - turned it down... had to!  You don't need to take 10 years, but with even a couple of years, you can make yourself into someone with multiple offers from programs you really want.  Scratch off NYU for now.  There's a little checkbox if you apply there again: "I have applied to NYU in the past."  There is no shame with that.  

Edited February 20, 2013 by Wj2011

[Wj2011]

Thanks! Any advice you may have on the interview thing? I have never done this before. Completely have no clue at all...

 

Practice an answer in French to describe (concisely) your research interests and your reasons for applying to the program.  I think I could have answered these questions concisely in English, but I was asked in French both times and BOTH TIMES ended up rambling on and on.  (You would have thought that I had learned my lesson the first time!)

 

Be concise and precise in your answers.  Make sure you give them the opportunity to ask all their questions so you have time to ask questions at the end... the only way this can be done is if you are brief and to the point.  They can always ask you follow-up questions to clarify or expand on something you've said.

 

Re-read your SOP, CV, writing samples, etc. before the interview so you remember what you've already told them.

 

Read the handbook and the website.  Ask questions about things that aren't clear or well-explained from the handbook and website.  Make sure that you don't ask about anything that's already been explained in the handbook and the website!

Edited February 20, 2013 by Wj2011

[Fransces]

Practice an answer in French to describe (concisely) your research interests and your reasons for applying to the program. I think I could have answered these questions concisely in English, but I was asked in French both times and BOTH TIMES ended up rambling on and on. (You would have thought that I had learned my lesson the first time!)

Be concise and precise in your answers. Make sure you give them the opportunity to ask all their questions so you have time to ask questions at the end... the only way this can be done is if you are brief and to the point. They can always ask you follow-up questions to clarify or expand on something you've said.

Re-read your SOP, CV, writing samples, etc. before the interview so you remember what you've already told them.

Read the handbook and the website. Ask questions about things that aren't clear or well-explained from the handbook and website. Make sure that you don't ask about anything that's already been explained in the handbook and the website!

[Fransces]

Thank you soooo much. Will definitely prepare it in French.

[Nicko]

Yes, do prepare it in French, although Northwestern didn't ask anything in French to me (well I'm French so it doesn't mean anything) or the other candidates at all. I suppose it depends, I did hear about a lot of unis interviewing in French. And yes, learn your SOP by heart, and think about as many theorists or general knowledge about your future research as you can. They might ask you some detailed questions, but most importantly, prepare some questions to ask THEM, it will show you're motivated and interested in the program. Don't worry and relax anyway, it's not very hard!

 

I was accepted into NYU MA unfunded 10 years ago - turned it down... had to!  You don't need to take 10 years, but with even a couple of years, you can make yourself into someone with multiple offers from programs you really want.  Scratch off NYU for now.  There's a little checkbox if you apply there again: "I have applied to NYU in the past."  There is no shame with that.

 

Wj2011: does it mean NYU just invites all the people they rejected from the PhD programme to their MA programme?! Did they make you wait a long time before sending this news?? Maybe you can answer the question I ask earlier, I'm worried they're just not replying because I'm rejected, and their visiting day is early March, so I suppose I still have a long time to wait before they let me know!

[Soleil ت]

Same here. Michelle, I just want to ask you about your interview with UF? Did they ask any hard questions? I am having the phone interview with them this Friday and I am super nervous. 

Hey there. Sorry for the response delay, and sorry about your rejection. I just came out of my wallowing hole (lol) to respond. I dont know about you, but I was contacted by Theresa Antes from UF. Their interview styles may be somewhat different if you were contacted by someone else, but be prepared to speak five to ten minutes in French. It was incredibly informal. Like you, it was my first graduate interview as well, and I was really nervous. I didn't prepare too much so I stumbled over my French out of anxiety a little She introduced herself and then she asked if she could start in French. She asked me to talk about fhe classes that have prepared me to study French Linguistics at UF. She also asked about ways in which I maintain my French, since I took a year between BA and my applications. She didn't ask me too much in French. In English she asked if I had questions. I asked her about why they didn't accept students into a PhD track, and she said that some programs recently merged and it's still working itself out. She said there is no guarantee that you will be offered an opportunity to move on to PhD but it's possible. She didn't sound too confident in her sales pitch which is why I intend to decline if offered a position -- despite the fact that it's 30 minutes south of my hometown and all my family, whom I miss so terribly It was really informal and there was very little pressure. The phone call from start to finish was 21 minutes. You will be fine! Just prepare better than I did! Bon courage. (Sorry for any typos; im on my ipad)

[Wj2011]

RE: NYU

 

I seriously doubt they invite everyone they don't accept to the PhD!  I think it's more people that could be interesting but NYU isn't ready yet to invest 5+ years (and if I'm not mistaken, all Ph.D's are funded there - which means beaucoup d'argent, too).  The direct-to-PhDs are people who already have MAs (like me) or people that they think (for whatever reason) are sure-things.

 

I don't really remember the timeline 10 years ago... plus I was in Germany studying abroad.  However, when I think back to my 2003 application, my SoP was much more vague in terms of research interests, I was coming from a small LAC in KY, my writing sample was good French but not really profound thinking, and so on. I certainly had good letters (from two NYU alums!), was motivated, was a 4.0 student who had studied in France, etc., but I wasn't as polished as I am now.  (Please note I am older, non-traditional.)

 

They are having visiting days Feb 26-27 and Mar 4-5.  The e-mail said that those who were coming would be accepted or waitlisted, which leads me to believe that their 2013 potential new PhD students (both accept & waitlist) have been invited.  HOWEVER, as long as you have not been rejected, you are still technically alive.  Perhaps you are on an unofficial wait for the MA program.  Seems like I saw where someone on the results was outright rejected by NYU the other day?

 

FWIW, I would take funded anywhere over unfunded NYU... and I adore NYU!

[Soleil ت]

michelle - have you heard from IU about funding? i'm still waiting.

No, but to be fair, I only received my official acceptance letter today, so I would expect it within the next two weeks or so.

[Patrick K]

Sorry to hear about the UT rejections, guys. 

 

And thanks for the "ain't nobody got time fo dat" Wj2011, exactly what I needed to pick me up haha! 

[Fransces]

Hey there. Sorry for the response delay, and sorry about your rejection. I just came out of my wallowing hole (lol) to respond. I dont know about you, but I was contacted by Theresa Antes from UF. Their interview styles may be somewhat different if you were contacted by someone else, but be prepared to speak five to ten minutes in French. It was incredibly informal. Like you, it was my first graduate interview as well, and I was really nervous. I didn't prepare too much so I stumbled over my French out of anxiety a little She introduced herself and then she asked if she could start in French. She asked me to talk about fhe classes that have prepared me to study French Linguistics at UF. She also asked about ways in which I maintain my French, since I took a year between BA and my applications. She didn't ask me too much in French. In English she asked if I had questions. I asked her about why they didn't accept students into a PhD track, and she said that some programs recently merged and it's still working itself out. She said there is no guarantee that you will be offered an opportunity to move on to PhD but it's possible. She didn't sound too confident in her sales pitch which is why I intend to decline if offered a position -- despite the fact that it's 30 minutes south of my hometown and all my family, whom I miss so terribly It was really informal and there was very little pressure. The phone call from start to finish was 21 minutes. You will be fine! Just prepare better than I did! Bon courage. (Sorry for any typos; im on my ipad)

Thanks for your detailed answers. I just finished my phone interview one hour ago. They sounded very happy. They said the result will come out pretty soon, but funding may be a bit slow. Just wish me best luck.

[cicada]

Thanks for your detailed answers. I just finished my phone interview one hour ago. They sounded very happy. They said the result will come out pretty soon, but funding may be a bit slow. Just wish me best luck.

 

Fingers crossed for you, Fransces

 

I got 3 rejections in a row, this week   Stanford, Brown and now Cornell... looks like I'm headed to Austin, unless I get off the waitlist at Duke...

[Fransces]

Fingers crossed for you, Fransces

 

I got 3 rejections in a row, this week   Stanford, Brown and now Cornell... looks like I'm headed to Austin, unless I get off the waitlist at Duke...

Thanks,cicada. Sorry to hear about the rejection. But Austin is still a cool place to be. I am still waiting to hear back from UF. Hope they will just accept me.

[Nicko]

Sorry to hear about the rejection. I was just rejected from Cornell today as well

 

Still no answer from NYU, Brown, Columbia, or any other. Why do people hear back from them, and not me??!!

 

NYU just told me that my application WILL BE reviewed! Isn't it too late already? They're probably just being polite, their interview day is in three days!

 

Good luck Fransces, if they sounded happy, that should be fine!