Ly Đinh Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Hey guys, since I noticed there's a page already for PhD, I figure we should have one for M.A applicants! Share with me/us your application process, and also the waiting and the decision! Fight On everybody, and best of luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommPhD20 Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Hmm...well I'm applying for MA at UIUC, UW-Madison, Syracuse (Media Studies), and Delaware. Washington-Seattle is technically MA, but acceptance would be through PhD. I applied MA to OSU but was asked to switch my application to PhD during an implicit offer of admission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ly Đinh Posted January 23, 2014 Author Share Posted January 23, 2014 Hi JLRC, thats awesome! I also applied for UIUC and UW Madison! I just heard back from Dr. Catalina Toma of UW Madison Comm Arts Program a week ago, and having an interview tomorrow. I didn't hear back from UIUC yet, how about you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommPhD20 Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 I haven't heard back from UIUC - I believe they have written somewhere that the AdComm meets in the first week of February. I should clarify that I applied UW-Madison's Mass Comm. program, BTW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natebassett Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 question: Why would you apply to an MA program unless it was a terminal degree and that's what you wanted? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meanyus Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 If you go to a Master's only program you are the cream of the crop for that department. Master's students can fall to the backburner in some (notable) Ph.D. programs because the professors are simply more worried about the students who have been there longer. Some people may also struggle with funding issues. As far as I've been told at both my undergrad and grad school, the Ph.D. students just come first. DrF8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eastside21 Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 (edited) Hey everyone! I too am quite enjoying the waiting game...and by enjoying I mean quietly dying inside and checking my mail daily even though I know most decisions are at least a month away. Nate - To answer your question, I guess much of the decision for me came down to a few things: A ) What can you do with an MA? (depends on your interests/program) B ) Do you want to teach? For my specific situation, getting an MA in Political Comm (depending on the program) isn't the worst idea in the world if I wanted to enter the political arena and look towards working in Washington or elsewhere (state politics). But at this point, I'm unsure whether I want to commit to a PhD program straight out of undergrad. I enjoy the idea of teaching, but have no idea whether I want to spend the next 5-7 years of my life in a rigerous program and end up wishing I hadn't. Additionally, my GRE scores weren't as high as I would have liked, and applying to MA programs allows me to work my way up without having to retake it. I plan on going to a good program and doing well, and hold off on making my final call until I have a better idea of what graduate school is like and whether I think a PhD is for me. Does anyone have any idea when UW-Madison (Mass Comm) or UT-Austin (Comm Studies) are going to start notifying people? Their applications were due the earliest for me (Dec 15th), so I'm thinking that they should be among the first to let us know. Edited January 24, 2014 by Eastside21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igetwrecked Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Hey everyone! I too am quite enjoying the waiting game...and by enjoying I mean quietly dying inside and checking my mail daily even though I know most decisions are at least a month away. Nate - To answer your question, I guess much of the decision for me came down to a few things: A ) What can you do with an MA? (depends on your interests/program) B ) Do you want to teach? For my specific situation, getting an MA in Political Comm (depending on the program) isn't the worst idea in the world if I wanted to enter the political arena and look towards working in Washington or elsewhere (state politics). But at this point, I'm unsure whether I want to commit to a PhD program straight out of undergrad. I enjoy the idea of teaching, but have no idea whether I want to spend the next 5-7 years of my life in a rigerous program and end up wishing I hadn't. Additionally, my GRE scores weren't as high as I would have liked, and applying to MA programs allows me to work my way up without having to retake it. I plan on going to a good program and doing well, and hold off on making my final call until I have a better idea of what graduate school is like and whether I think a PhD is for me. Does anyone have any idea when UW-Madison (Mass Comm) or UT-Austin (Comm Studies) are going to start notifying people? Their applications were due the earliest for me (Dec 15th), so I'm thinking that they should be among the first to let us know. Totally agree! Hey, I have a friend who applied for Both Madison and UT-Austin last year. Austin came out the very end of Jan, and Madison was at the mid Feb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candaceman Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Hi there! I applied to MA programs. UT-Media Studies and U of Arizona-Communication. question: Why would you apply to an MA program unless it was a terminal degree and that's what you wanted? I decided to go the MA route because I just don't know if I want to commit to a PhD. If I decide I want to teach, I can teach at a community college or I can go on and get a PhD later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natebassett Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 A ) What can you do with an MA? (depends on your interests/program) B ) Do you want to teach? For my specific situation, getting an MA in Political Comm (depending on the program) isn't the worst idea in the world if I wanted to enter the political arena and look towards working in Washington or elsewhere (state politics). But at this point, I'm unsure whether I want to commit to a PhD program straight out of undergrad. I enjoy the idea of teaching, but have no idea whether I want to spend the next 5-7 years of my life in a rigerous program and end up wishing I hadn't. Additionally, my GRE scores weren't as high as I would have liked, and applying to MA programs allows me to work my way up without having to retake it. I plan on going to a good program and doing well, and hold off on making my final call until I have a better idea of what graduate school is like and whether I think a PhD is for me. I decided to go the MA route because I just don't know if I want to commit to a PhD. If I decide I want to teach, I can teach at a community college or I can go on and get a PhD later. Good answers, you're both absolutely right... I had forgotten about when I applied to MA programs I had the same reasoning - professionally I could do what I want with an MA and I wasn't sure if I wanted to go into academics or not. It's a good way to toe the waters so to speak. Also didn't realize how MA students would be disadvantaged in a phd program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VioletAyame Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 Hey guys, since I noticed there's a page already for PhD, I figure we should have one for M.A applicants! Share with me/us your application process, and also the waiting and the decision! Fight On everybody, and best of luck! So are you not applying to USC anymore? How many programs are you aiming for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommPhD20 Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 Main reasons I applied to MA programs: -were at a school where I hope to get a PhD, but cannot apply to PhD program w/o MA -wanted to have options if I cannot get into any PhD program Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duna Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 (edited) I think there are several reasons. Another really important one is that you might think you love research after undergrad but this can a) change since you're still in the process of growing up (yaya, I know, with 22 you're an adult. You will most likely feel different about that statement in 5 years) and I think the MA is a good way to experience graduate school in a short amount of time and with less stress. If you loved it, come back. If you did not love it: Apply for great jobs in industry! oh and you did know if you can cope well with the workload, the actual way things work etc after undergrad. Two different worlds. When I look at the syllabus from classes our juniors and seniors take, it's really just a little tiny part of the amount of readings and writing you will do. Therefore, bridging with an MA can't harm. It's fine to not want to do it, but arguing there is no reason for first going into an MA program is not sensible imo. Edited January 26, 2014 by Duna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leblebleb7 Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Did anyone get an interview for UWisconsin-Madison Mass Comm MA? Nervous since I haven't heard anything from them at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eastside21 Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 (edited) Did anyone get an interview for UWisconsin-Madison Mass Comm MA? Nervous since I haven't heard anything from them at all. As far as I know, nobody has heard from Madison regarding Mass Comm MA's yet...looks like we're gonna be waiting until February sometime for their answers. How common are interviews for MA applications?? I know that they can be used to get a better idea of who should be funded and who shouldn't, but aside from the obvious utility to PhD admissions I can't imagine they are that prevelent in MA programs, unless I'm completely naive about this whole process. Edited January 27, 2014 by Eastside21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leblebleb7 Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 As far as I know, nobody has heard from Madison regarding Mass Comm MA's yet...looks like we're gonna be waiting until February sometime for their answers. How common are interviews for MA applications?? I know that they can be used to get a better idea of who should be funded and who shouldn't, but aside from the obvious utility to PhD admissions I can't imagine they are that prevelent in MA programs, unless I'm completely naive about this whole process. I thought that they weren't common for MA applications either - was just wondering since I saw that someone got an interview for the Comm Arts program. Good to know we don't know anyone that heard back from Mass Comm yet. And the waiting game continues!! Hoping for good news for all of us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommPhD20 Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I know that their Comm Arts programs do interviews, but be aware those are completely independent departments. Comm Arts doesn't accept terminal MAs FWIW. Somewhere out there you can find Dr. Jonathan Gray discussing their interview process and why they do it -- its on his blog...I think it's called "The Intertextuals." It's a great resource. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PsycD Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Thanks for creating this thread! I thought I was the only Comm MA lurking around. My degree is in Psychology but my research interests lie in the interpersonal and nonverbal communication area, so I added a few Comm programs to my list of schools to apply to. I wish everyone the best! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leblebleb7 Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Just got notified of acceptance to UW Madison - mass comm MA! Funding information pending. First acceptance so I am so relieved!! PsycD 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommPhD20 Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Just got notified of acceptance to UW Madison - mass comm MA! Funding information pending. First acceptance so I am so relieved!! Awesome! Strange that I haven't heard anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ly Đinh Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 Just got notified of acceptance to UW Madison - mass comm MA! Funding information pending. First acceptance so I am so relieved!! Oooh Congratulations!! That is great news ) Did you apply to the Professional MA or the Research MA? I also applied to Research MA at school of mass comm and journalism but haven't heard back anything yet. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eastside21 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 (edited) Looks like Texas has just started reviewing applications...opened the online portal today to find that it says, "Attention: Your file has been forwarded to the Graduate Committee for review. Each individual graduate program sets its own schedule for reviewing application files. You should consult the graduate coordinator in the program to which you have applied to determine when decisions will be made." Not sure if good news or bad news or everyone's news. Guess I'll be making a few phone calls today. Edited February 5, 2014 by Eastside21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deleonj Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Looks like Texas has just started reviewing applications...opened the online portal today to find that it says, "Attention: Your file has been forwarded to the Graduate Committee for review. Each individual graduate program sets its own schedule for reviewing application files. You should consult the graduate coordinator in the program to which you have applied to determine when decisions will be made." Not sure if good news or bad news or everyone's news. Guess I'll be making a few phone calls today. I applied to a PhD program at UT-Austin, but I got this message after submitting my application back in early December. I think it is just a generic message that is generated when adcomm/departmental staff confirm your materials and officially submit the application. Though now I'm hoping that I will get a result soon as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leblebleb7 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Oooh Congratulations!! That is great news ) Did you apply to the Professional MA or the Research MA? I also applied to Research MA at school of mass comm and journalism but haven't heard back anything yet. Thanks! Hi Ly, Thanks! And it was for Research MA. Hopefully you'll hear back soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ly Đinh Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 Great thanks! Did you receive the decision by email/mail? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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