PhD applications poll

[anthroflea]

I decided to steal this idea from other fields

 

[Note: I've edited the options in question 1. Unfortunately that means that the answers of whoever voted before the change no longer reflect what they chose. I can't do anything to change that -- so please keep that in mind when looking at the results! --fuzzy]

Edited February 27, 2014 by anthroflea
Question 1 edited to add sub-questions.

[anthroflea]

Wonder whether there is a way to pin this so it doesn't get lost? Who do I need to ask about this?

[Kaitri]

Some suggestions:

 

1) Ask about background (i.e. had teaching or research experience).

 

2) Split the last question into two - a yes/no question (radio buttons, select one response only) and then a series of select all that apply questions for miscellaneous items such as perceived inpact of the visit.

 

3) I would also suggest asking questions about POI input/interviews.

 

4) Add a section for "other" to the first question. Some people may get offers despite having very different educational or professional backgrounds.

[anthroflea]

Thanks for the suggestions. It won't let me add another question, unfortunately. Think I should just exchange the question about how many schools people applied to?

[Kaitri]

Yeah - that's not as relevant.

 

The person who is managing the philosophy thread is changing it to a surveymonkey link instead of doing a poll through the forum software, which might work better here. Normally I would just offer to write the questionnaire (since survey research is literally my job), but I don't know that much about the U.S. PhD application process.

[anthroflea]

Ok, I took some of your suggestions, but couldn't take all. The things the pole template lets me do are relatively limited and I cannot ask more than 3 questions. I left out research experience, because I feel like field experience and publications are, in most cases, the same thing. (I realize that this is not always the case, but unfortunately, as I said, the pole is relatively limited). I also didn't ask about research experience for the M.A. because I assume most people in an M.A. have at least a tiny bit of teaching experience and those who don't can mention it in the discussion thread. 

[fuzzylogician]

Mods can help you modify the poll. PM with *specific* requests and I can make the changes for you. 

[anthroflea]

Awesome:) Thanks! Ok guys, lets collect some suggestions on how to improve this poll;) 3-2-1-go:)

 

 

(I wouldn't want to change toooo, too much though since people are already voting on it, it seems. 

[daykid]

yea i already voted before you changed it, so...alas.

[anthroflea]

We can't really split questions except for working with subquestions like I already tried to do:( I just asked about that. Sorry guys. 

Edited February 27, 2014 by anthroflea

[sarab]

I got in with a B.A and without publications, but my Honors Thesis is pending publication in the university journal. I know that doesn't really matter anyway, so I didn't mention it.

[daykid]

so since the questions got changed my answers are no longer correctly represented:

 

Got in with a BA

Over 1 year of field work

No Publications

Contacted POIs at all universities I applied to

Didn't visit until after I was accepted

[anthroflea]

I'm so sorry daykid. I didn't know changing the poll would change the answers. So I think we should just leave the poll as is from now on. My answers are also wrong now:(

 

I think there were only about 4(??) people who had taken the poll before it was changed. So hopefully it won't skew the results too much. Hopefully we'll get a lot of people taking this. 

[anthroflea]

Pushing this back up so people don't forget to take this as they are being accepted into programs;)

[NoSleepTilBreuckelen]

Sorry to ask another question, but does 1-year field experience mean 1 continuous year of fieldwork? What about something like 2 or 3 summers of field-work and some other fieldwork projects between 1 - 4 weeks in length (archaeology subfield)…. Would that be less than a year? I just ask because other than working CRM for an extended period of time, a lot of archaeology applicants (myself included) might have a bit of a piecemeal record, with multiple projects, but that time-wise it would take quite a few of these experiences to add up to a year.

 

Thanks for setting up this poll, btw! 

Edited March 6, 2014 by NoSleepTilBreuckelen

[anthroflea]

Good point NoSleep. I guess the one year is a bit arbitrary and maybe not the best category choice. This was really not an easy poll to create    I know a lot of people who worked in CRM for like 5 years before applying to the PhD and the question was meant to differientiate those from the people who "only" have a 2 week field school. Similarly, I know somebody who spent a year in Africa doing cultural research versus a lot of people who did a summer field school in cultural. I assume that everyone has at least some experience before applying to PhDs. I don't want to change the poll now because that'll change verybody's answers, but I can see how this is an ambiguous category. (Especially when it comes to research for honors/MA theses). 

[mutualist007]

Maybe it would be a good idea to do a poll that compares the attributes of those who got it to the attributes of those who did not get in right away (who are waitlisted or rejected). Any takers for creating that kind of poll? If no one does this in the next week I may do it, or I may get fancy and create a larger survey.

[DigDeep(inactive)]

Maybe it would be a good idea to do a poll that compares the attributes of those who got it to the attributes of those who did not get in right away (who are waitlisted or rejected). Any takers for creating that kind of poll? If no one does this in the next week I may do it, or I may get fancy and create a larger survey.

 

Here's a link to some info sarab and I worked up! It's only focused on accepted students, however. 

[mutualist007]

Here's a link to some info sarab and I worked up! It's only focused on accepted students, however. 

 

Looks cool. I still think it would be informative to compare the attributes of accepted vs not accepted

 

Maybe some demographic information and some other qualitative stuff like time spent outside the classroom in experiential activities would be good too.

 

But I'm impressed with what you have. It shows what one can expect among the accepted crowd.

[anthroflea]

Pushing this back up for people who recently got into places. Will probably turn this into some graphs soon.