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Communication/Media Studies Ph.D Fall 2014--Apps, Decisions, and Waiting...


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First of all, congrats to all the recent acceptances! I'm still hoping next week brings more happy results for us all.

 

Second, I was wondering for those of you who heard from UGA already, their email says if you are accepted you will be notified by a mailed official letter- does this mean they do not send email announcements?

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First acceptance! UIC sent me a very nice letter from the department, with a very nice offer including an assistantship. I'm super excited, it's still sinking in. Very glad I visited Chicago last week but wish I had taken the chance to visit the campus. 

Congrats Nate! That's wonderful news! So happy for you :)

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First of all, congrats to all the recent acceptances! I'm still hoping next week brings more happy results for us all.

 

Second, I was wondering for those of you who heard from UGA already, their email says if you are accepted you will be notified by a mailed official letter- does this mean they do not send email announcements?

For UGA, I was sent an email with a PDF attached letter from the department and was mailed an official letter from the University a few weeks later. I have already turned down this acceptance hoping that someone who really wants to go here would get bumped off the waiting list. 

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Initial thoughts on how to tactfully decline a PhD admittance offer:
"We need to talk. I really appreciate that you think that we could work so well together. The fact is, though, I'm just not ready for a long term relationship with you. You're great and any scholar would be very fortunate to attend you. Really, I should be so lucky - it's me, not you. What? Is there somebody else? Oh shucks, you can read right through me! I'm sorry, it happened so unexpectedly. I never thought that others would be so interested me - and such a perfect match, too! You two would actually really get along well. Really though, as for me and you, it just wasn't the right time... be strong, you'll find some other great young scholar that will make you both very happy. I'm sure of it. I wish you the best. Take care."

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Hi everyone, 

 

I need some guidance here because this is my first time applying to doctoral programs. I have recently received an offer and have not heard from some others schools about acceptance or an offer. I plan on waiting a few more weeks; however, I wanted to know what appropriate protocol is in asking others schools about my application given I have an offer elsewhere. Mainly, when you email the other schools, do you ever tell them which school has given you the offer? Or do you remain as generic as possible and state something along these lines, "I have been given offers elsewhere..." I'm just not sure if you say the school that offered or you remain quiet about the actual school. Also, when the others school respond, would they ask what schools have made you offers and how much they have offered? I'm just so confused! 

 

Thanks so much for the advice! 

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Hi everyone, 

 

I need some guidance here because this is my first time applying to doctoral programs. I have recently received an offer and have not heard from some others schools about acceptance or an offer. I plan on waiting a few more weeks; however, I wanted to know what appropriate protocol is in asking others schools about my application given I have an offer elsewhere. Mainly, when you email the other schools, do you ever tell them which school has given you the offer? Or do you remain as generic as possible and state something along these lines, "I have been given offers elsewhere..." I'm just not sure if you say the school that offered or you remain quiet about the actual school. Also, when the others school respond, would they ask what schools have made you offers and how much they have offered? I'm just so confused! 

 

Thanks so much for the advice! 

 

Hi! When I've emailed other programs, I've just been extremely generic and asked about the timeline for admissions decisions and when the program thinks I will know something. Personally, I wouldn't mention your other offers or anything - they all have April 15th deadlines, and if you already told them on your apps which schools you'll be applying to, they know you'll have other offers. Unless they offer you something and come out and ask you what they're competing with, I wouldn't offer up any extraneous info, you know?  You don't want them to think they're second-best if you really would like them to make you an offer.

 

Hopefully that made sense. Haha.

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Hi! When I've emailed other programs, I've just been extremely generic and asked about the timeline for admissions decisions and when the program thinks I will know something. Personally, I wouldn't mention your other offers or anything - they all have April 15th deadlines, and if you already told them on your apps which schools you'll be applying to, they know you'll have other offers. Unless they offer you something and come out and ask you what they're competing with, I wouldn't offer up any extraneous info, you know?  You don't want them to think they're second-best if you really would like them to make you an offer.

 

Hopefully that made sense. Haha.

 

 

Hellofandom, thank you so much! That makes a ton of sense. Hope everything is going well for you! I see you were accepted at Kentucky! I love that department and almost applied but did not. 

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Initial thoughts on how to tactfully decline a PhD admittance offer:

"We need to talk. I really appreciate that you think that we could work so well together. The fact is, though, I'm just not ready for a long term relationship with you. You're great and any scholar would be very fortunate to attend you. Really, I should be so lucky - it's me, not you. What? Is there somebody else? Oh shucks, you can read right through me! I'm sorry, it happened so unexpectedly. I never thought that others would be so interested me - and such a perfect match, too! You two would actually really get along well. Really though, as for me and you, it just wasn't the right time... be strong, you'll find some other great young scholar that will make you both very happy. I'm sure of it. I wish you the best. Take care."

 

I laughed hard at that. I've been reminded many times during this process how much it resembles the intricacy of courtship. Just with an enormous power imbalance.

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@Rhetgirl,

 

It was freezing cold, given they were having an historically awful storm.  That said, expect cold winters, but really beautiful spring, summer, and fall.  I enjoyed my visit, as did some other prospectives I met.  I have a friend in the CAS program (com arts & sciences), and overall people were very friendly, humble, and happy.  There is a lot of flexibility to take classes outside of the college (including english, law, IST, etc.).  They do things a little differently in CAS (including better conference funding, teaching 1st year as opposed to 3rd, more flexible academic timeline, nicer student offices), but I've been told there is strong relationship between both colleges, if you wanted to do mass comm work as well.  I would recommend visiting campus if possible before making a decision, as State College is a unique, mountainy college town, and not for everyone.  Maybe you could tie it into your UNC trip.  I've heard UNC is great, btw.

 

Best of luck!

 

Thank you very much JL24! I hope I can go there because I think I need to see it in order to make a decision, but I'm not sure I'll be able to do it, since I already go to UNC and that would make the trip harder and way more expensive...

Are you considering accepting Penn State?

 

Accepted to U of M (Screen Arts & Cultures) after a truly great interview weekend experience. Looks like I'll be shipping off to Ann Arbor this summer!

 

Congratulations!!! :)

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Has anyone been in contact with Wisconsin or Pitt regarding their status in the admission process or a timeframe for notifying applicants?

 

No, I had no news either... and no timeframe.

 

Got an offer at Penn State!   :) :) :)

 

Congratulations!!! In which College did you apply? The College of Communications or the CAS?

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No, I had no news either... and no timeframe.

Congratulations!!! In which College did you apply? The College of Communications or the CAS?

College of Comm. Still never heard from Pitt, either! Oh well. I can't imagine they have the funding to offer many spots, anyway.

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Ok. Just got the phone call. Accepted at Penn State!

 

Congrats! :)

 

SO just talked to Pitt today. They are only accepting 6 people, he's third on the waitlist I believe. 

 

How did you contact Pitt? Or did they contact you? I did not get any news from them either but I'd like to know...

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Congrats! :)

 

 

How did you contact Pitt? Or did they contact you? I did not get any news from them either but I'd like to know...

Sorry, I meant my significant other. They emailed him a week or so ago looking to talk to him on the phone about his interest in the program and they finally spoke today. I also have not gotten news either way from them, so I feel ya, I'm also getting anxious.

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Sorry, I meant my significant other. They emailed him a week or so ago looking to talk to him on the phone about his interest in the program and they finally spoke today. I also have not gotten news either way from them, so I feel ya, I'm also getting anxious.

 

That sounds like they called the people they're ready to extend offers to. No one else on here got a Pitt phone call? Considering the top-tier programs that some of you who also applied to Pitt got offers from, I'm surprised Pitt wouldn't be interested too.

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One of my coworkers got an email w/ funding offer from Pitt yesterday. She said they are moving back their visit weekend but wasn't given a reason. Probably because they wanted to have people fly out tomorrow and they had just extended some offers over the weekend/Monday.

 

Anyone going to the Utah visit this weekend? I've tried messaging the few people I've seen say they were accepted there. My wife and I will be staying in the guest housing there and it'd be nice to have a partner in crime or two as we've never been to SLC and won't know anyone there!

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