geographyrocks Posted January 31, 2014 Posted January 31, 2014 I'm on the environmental analysis side of environmental studies. I'm starting to think it would have been better to have an atmospheric science undergrad, but I can't change that now. And although I'm on the science side, I may go to policy in the future. The science part of my brain wants to do nothing but research while the humanitarian side of my brain wants to change the world.
pohks Posted February 2, 2014 Posted February 2, 2014 And although I'm on the science side, I may go to policy in the future. The science part of my brain wants to do nothing but research while the humanitarian side of my brain wants to change the world. I had high hopes that in my current job I could do the latter. Needless to say it didn't quite work out. I still (somewhat idealistically) believe that you can combine the two, though; that's why I aspire to conduct research that would inform policy dialogue.
Extexan562 Posted February 2, 2014 Posted February 2, 2014 Hang in there - hopefully they'll give you good news soon! Hi Extexan, it's nice to have you joining the discussion! It's been rather quiet lately, but hopefully the conversation is about to become a little bit livelier - at least there seems to be some movement going on according to the results search page. Are your research interests aligned with what you are doing now? Broadly speaking I'm interested in environment-society interactions. I just received an email saying that I had been accepted to one of the schools, and they'd grant me an RA position. It's not a geography program, though, but related to my previous field - a huge relief nevertheless. I was doing policy work for the County of Los Angeles around substance abuse and it was bad! I had a cool team but the work was pretty uneventful. Apparently, most cities are into low cost alcohol and substance abuse policies! The work I have been doing related to my research interests has been working with self-identified men to address their abuses of male privilege and patriarchy in interpersonal spaces. Epic work! Also, I got into the University of Minnesota! So I am happy about that!! I am glad people are still into changing the world! That makes me smile!!
jmu Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 My interests are human-environment relations, political ecology, feminism and ANT (as theoretical approaches). I'm also interested in the history of science as an analytical framework to study conservation and the environment... However I also applied to an environmental studies program emphasizing in development We should talk. My work is in historical political ecology; race, gender, and sexual contact; and agricultural development using a mix of postanarchism and A-NT as theoretical frameworks.
pohks Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 The work I have been doing related to my research interests has been working with self-identified men to address their abuses of male privilege and patriarchy in interpersonal spaces. Epic work! Also, I got into the University of Minnesota! So I am happy about that!! I am glad people are still into changing the world! That makes me smile!! Congratulations - that is great news! And a good example of how an interesting and relevant background can offset not-so-perfect GRE scores (or other aspects) of an application. Are you applying for MA/MS or PhD programs?
kay123 Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 Hi everyone! I'm new to this forum, and glad to see there are so many critical geography folks out there! I have applied to the University of Washington's PhD in Geography. I have a Master's in Public Health, a GIS Certificate, and a few years experience using GIS to study neighborhood level determinants of disparities in chronic diseases. My interests are global health, health in conflict, and conflict resolution. GPA 3.7, GRE Q151, V160, A4.5. Has anyone heard from U of Washington? Good luck to everyone! LeoBixby 1
geographyrocks Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 As far as I can tell, U of Washington has been quiet so far. I know a few other people are waiting to hear back as well.
jmu Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 Welcome aboard Kay123. UW looks like they usually notify the second or third week of February. Who are you interested in working with there? One of the professors in our program is a recent grad of Lucy Jarosz and also looked at geography and public health.
LeoBixby Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 Hi everyone! I'm new to this forum, and glad to see there are so many critical geography folks out there! I have applied to the University of Washington's PhD in Geography. I have a Master's in Public Health, a GIS Certificate, and a few years experience using GIS to study neighborhood level determinants of disparities in chronic diseases. My interests are global health, health in conflict, and conflict resolution. GPA 3.7, GRE Q151, V160, A4.5. Has anyone heard from U of Washington? Good luck to everyone! I'm suffering right along with you. I also applied to UW for the PhD in Geography. My background is in environmental activism and both other degrees are in political science (BA and MS, 2014) with a strong emphasis on political ecology and world-systems analysis. Your background sounds like a great fit a UW. Good luck! You should look at the work Luke Bergmann is doing in critical GIS. He's asking really interesting questions.
Chapuller Posted February 4, 2014 Posted February 4, 2014 Hi, is there any news from UNC? good lucks to everyone
pohks Posted February 4, 2014 Posted February 4, 2014 (edited) Out of curiosity, how did you select the programs you applied for? Was your decision affected more by the programs' strengths in general, or did you apply to work with a specific faculty member(s)? Did rankings play any role in the process? What about location? In my case, I applied to programs that have faculty conducting research on topics that are compatible with my research interests (socioeconomic impacts of global environmental change at community level, the role of natural resources in shaping resilience to climate change, and political ecology of carbon offset mechanisms), and that are generally strong in environment-human interactions. Thus, I ended up applying for a wide range of programs when it comes to rankings, and fit will be the most important factor in deciding which program to attend (although the rank and rigorousness of the program undoubtedly affect the employment prospects in the future). As for location, I thought it didn't matter that much until I visited an up-and-coming program that had faculty doing research on intriguing topics, motivated grad students, good facilities, etc., but the campus area and the city where the university is located made me feel really uncomfortable. I did not apply there, as although there obviously are factors that are way more important than location, I don't want to spend the next five years in a place that makes me miserable, either. Edited February 4, 2014 by pohks
ProfMoriarty Posted February 4, 2014 Author Posted February 4, 2014 It was a strange process for me. Some I picked because of a POI. Others, I started out by looking at rankings, and from there selected universities with a decently-sized nature-society research cluster, people doing work on Latin America and/or a strong focus on ANT. Location wasn't that big of a factor for me because regardless of where I get accepted, I'm still going to have to move to another country.
jmu Posted February 4, 2014 Posted February 4, 2014 pohks, When I was deciding I went through a similar process and ending up applying to the programs that had the most interesting research and overlap for me. When it came time to pick, I chose the program I liked the most over other factors. As a result, I turned down two top-25 schools for an "unranked" program (you couldn't really rank it, I don't think, because faculty in the department come from three different fields and rankings tend to be very disciplinary focused). I couldn't be happier with my experience here so far and it doesn't seem that program rank is really going to hurt too much in this case. I think that generally comes into play with the research output and networking capabilities of the faculty which is definitely going well here.
pohks Posted February 5, 2014 Posted February 5, 2014 (edited) Thanks for the insight, jmu and paolaplease. jmu - the program you are attending sounds extremely interesting, especially because of its interdisciplinarity. And paolaplease, my regional area of interest is Latin America, too. Yes, I'd believe that ultimately it all comes down to fit; it is more likely that one ends up doing amazing research in a lower-ranked program that is compatible with their research interests and has productive and enthusiastic faculty with good contacts, than in a high-ranked program with little expertise or networks related to topics that one wishes to research. That said, it is of course possible that research interests change. The results search page looks a bit ugly today because of the Berkeley and Syracuse rejections. Hopefully it will turn greener towards the end of this week. Edited February 5, 2014 by pohks
geographyrocks Posted February 5, 2014 Posted February 5, 2014 My process was a bit different because I wasn't very knowledgeable about which schools had the best programs or even where they were doing research I was interested in. So I started with the places I could see myself living for 5 years. Then I looked for programs in my field and professors doing research I'm intersted in. Then I visited all but one of the schools on a crazy summer vacation road trip. That narrowed my choices down because I absolutely hated two of the campuses. I also had a program debate at one of the schools, but the graduate coordinator of one of the programs convinced me that I definitely didn't want to be in that department by being rude and haughty. The one school I didn't visit was actually added late because I started panicking by only having 3 schools I was interested in. Of course, I'm now starting to question everything. I'm pretty sure that's normal at this point. Especially since I haven't heard a peep out of any of my schools. I never realized how demoralizing it can be to watch others be accepted and rejected when you've heard nothing, even when all of the rections and acceptances are for schools you didn't even apply to. *sigh* Anyone else feel like you weren't properly warned of the emotional rollercoaster that is the graduate school application process?
jmu Posted February 5, 2014 Posted February 5, 2014 Be prepared to question everything for a while. Weekly existential crises are normal and you begin to identify as a grad student above all else which makes things weird.
geographyrocks Posted February 5, 2014 Posted February 5, 2014 So far, I'm at three existential crises since Monday. I'm just hoping my sanity holds up through this process! What little I have left...
kay123 Posted February 5, 2014 Posted February 5, 2014 Thanks for the encouragement everyone! pohks, I applied somewhat based on location, but mostly based on research interests and how well I thought the program may be able to support my interdisciplinary work across public health and geography. geographyrocks, its totally normal to feel the way you are feeling. Having heard nothing so far, I was feeling doomed last week as well, and had a severe case of the existential crises :-) but, you will get over it, and all will be well! just keep your chin up, and remember that acceptance/rejection/phd none of it defines who you are as a person and your impact on this world. YOU do. Good luck! pohks 1
pohks Posted February 5, 2014 Posted February 5, 2014 Geographyrocks, feeling what you are feeling is perfectly normal; applying (and especially waiting) is such a stressful process. There were days when I felt like withdrawing my applications, as I imagined admission committees reviewing my file like “what was this person thinking and why did she even bother to apply – there is no chance that she’ll get admitted anywhere, ever”. I was lucky to receive two admission offers at an early stage, as most geography programs haven’t started sending out their acceptance/rejection letters yet (one of the programs that admitted me is not a geography program, and they were hiring a person for a specific RA position). So hang in there – in a couple of weeks we’ll know more. I’d believe that it greatly benefits your applications that you have already visited most of the programs and they know who you are.
geographyrocks Posted February 5, 2014 Posted February 5, 2014 Thanks for the support! And it just so happens that when I read the very last line, my prospective research advisor at my #1 choice emailed me to tell me to expect an acceptance letter in the mail with full tuition, health insurance, and a $16,000-$18,000 TAship that will turn into an RA as soon as he gets funding. I think I broke my voice I screamed so loud! Ah hells...I get to change my signature now. Whooo! LeoBixby and pohks 2
pohks Posted February 5, 2014 Posted February 5, 2014 Thanks for the support! And it just so happens that when I read the very last line, my prospective research advisor at my #1 choice emailed me to tell me to expect an acceptance letter in the mail with full tuition, health insurance, and a $16,000-$18,000 TAship that will turn into an RA as soon as he gets funding. I think I broke my voice I screamed so loud! Ah hells...I get to change my signature now. Whooo! Congratulations! That is awesome news! Your new signature looks great!
pohks Posted February 5, 2014 Posted February 5, 2014 (edited) FWIW, here is some information regarding the notification dates of a few universities in the past years (2011-2013) according to the data posted on the results search page (I’m not obsessed with that page or anything...) I’ve drawn some extremely unscientific conclusions and shortcuts, so please take the list with not a grain but a bucket of salt. I left out the universities that have already sent out some notifications (Minnesota, OSU, Berkeley, Syracuse, Maryland), as well as schools with little entries (n<6). ASU: First notifications after February 20, generally in March. Some in April. Clark: All notifications reported on GC in February, normally around Feb 14 – 16 Johns Hopkins: One acceptance in February, most notifications in March/April MSU: First notifications around Feb 22 – 25 Penn State: First notifications around February 11 (2013), February 22 (2012), March 3 (2011) SDSU: Notifications normally in March SUNY Buffalo: First notifications around Feb 15 – 17; a bunch of acceptances still in March Texas A&M: First notifications in the first two weeks of February U Arizona: First notifications in the first (2012) or second week of March (2011), Feb 14 in 2013. UBC: First notifications around Feb 18 – 20 (little data from 2012 – 2013) UC Boulder: First notifications on Feb 19 (2011), Feb 28 (2012) and Feb 22 (2013); thereafter a steady flow of notifications (also acceptances) until around March 20 UC Davis: First notifications around Feb 8 – 23 UCLA: First notifications in the middle of February, most notifications in the two first weeks of March UCSB: First notifications generally after Feb 15 U Denver: First notifications in the end of February U Florida: First notifications in the end of February (little data from 2012/2013) UIUC: First notifications around Feb 13 U Kentucky: First notifications generally late January/early February; thereafter notifications until the end of February (March for those been waitlisted). This year one acceptance on January 29; however, included in the list as they seem to send out acceptances on a rolling basis. UNC – Chapel Hill: In the past 2 years first notifications in the last week of February/first week of March (in 2011 in early February) U Nebraska – Lincoln: First notifications in the end of February U Oregon: First notifications around Feb 15 U Toronto: First acceptances around Feb 4 – 25 UWashington: Notifications between Feb 12 and 14 (2013), Feb 15 and 17 (2012), and Feb 8 and 15 (2011) West Virginia: First notifications around Jan 31 to February 11 Wisconsin-Madison: Notifications constantly around February 15 – 23 As you can see, it is not alarming if you haven’t heard anything from the programs you applied to yet. We might have some busy weeks ahead of us, though. Edited February 5, 2014 by pohks mandarin.orange 1
Extexan562 Posted February 6, 2014 Posted February 6, 2014 Thanks for the support! And it just so happens that when I read the very last line, my prospective research advisor at my #1 choice emailed me to tell me to expect an acceptance letter in the mail with full tuition, health insurance, and a $16,000-$18,000 TAship that will turn into an RA as soon as he gets funding. I think I broke my voice I screamed so loud! Ah hells...I get to change my signature now. Whooo! Congrats!!!
ProfMoriarty Posted February 6, 2014 Author Posted February 6, 2014 UW-Madison sent out an email earlier this week to update on the process... notifications should be sent out during the upcoming weeks, so it's right on schedule according to pohks' list!
obviousbicycle Posted February 7, 2014 Posted February 7, 2014 3 rejections (2 PhD and 1 masters) from Penn State in the results page... This is terrifying lol
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