Where should I apply for 2015 PhD?

[TaewooBurns]

Hey folks, I'm struggling finding appropriate programs to apply to for 2015.  

 

Stats 

GRE: Verbal 75th-ish, Math 50th-ish, Writing 50th-ish. (note: I did study for this and I'm not sure how much I could improve with a re-take) 

Undergrad: 2.69 GPA Public Relations

Grad: 3.91 GPA MATESOL

Experience: Six years teaching EFL at the university level in Seoul.  Two years teaching kids before that.

Research: Eight presentations, two small grants, and an as of yet unpublished solo research project related to migration and education (North Korean defectors).

Letters: I have two from grad school professors, and one from an undergrad professor.

Research interest: I'm interested in international education policy and "culture."  Specifically, I'm interested in the cultural problems migrant university students face.

 

I know that my undergrad GPA will keep me out of some schools.  Illinois flat out told me there was no way I could get it because the grad school (university wide) requires an undergrad 3.0, and OSU said without a POI having my back it would be very difficult to get in.  I had thought my grad GPA would help make up for my undergrad, but I guess not. I expect my undergrad letter writer will speak well of me, and point to how I've grown from when I was an undergrad.

 

According to magoosh's blog my GRE's place me outside of the top 10, which is ok with me.  The thing I'm not sure about is if my grad GPA, experience, and research experience will make be competitive to good programs outside of the top 10.  Where would I rate?  Aim for 11-25?  Be happy with top 100?   I've seen most of the programs that have specializations in policy and/or culture, but if someone could reaffirm the programs I've seen that'd be great.  

[bakalamba]

I can't really speak to how your GRE or GPA will affect your admission, but I'd suggest worrying more about fit with the program, whether it's in the top 10, 11-25, etc., and crafting your application around a specific focus that matches the department you're applying to. I think your work experience and research background will help make up for a low undergrad GPA and GRE, to a point. I think fit is a big deal, particularly with PhD.

 

I'm also interested in international education policy, but in a different continent, so the programs I applied to last year tended to have a focus on that area. Apparently there's a historical divide within education schools, which at some point decided to focus on various regions, so you might find this reflected in the schools that you're interested in. I didn't pay too much attention to ranking, but rather used my connections to see which faculty was working in my area, and also asked these faculty if they recommended other programs (surprisingly, most responded well to this and dropped names of other faculty members and programs). I also looked for a strong area studies program at the University.

 

I'd be happy to share what I know about international ed policy programs - which ones are you looking into? Some of the schools I looked into and applied to included Michigan State (strong ed policy with some international work, great funding), Minnesota (bias: I'm going here, however it has a strong African focus), Wisconsin Madison (strong critical focus, cultural studies, poor funding), Stanford (strong, competitive), Pittsburgh (rebuilding their international program and restructuring funding, may change for next year), University of Washington, Penn State, Indiana Bloomington, UCSB (don't know much about these last four but they all have programs in international education, comparative education, or cultural foundations).

[hj2012]

If you have a regional focus on East Asia, particularly the Koreas, it may be worthwhile for you to apply to schools with Korean studies centers, many of which bakalamba mentioned.

 

If you're interested in some "less competitive" PhD programs, I've met people (researchers from the States working in Korea, or Koreans who earned doctorates in the States before returning back) who studied at Florida, Hawaii, George Mason and Lehigh.

 

I'm  curious, though: what's your primary purpose for earning a PhD? Do you want to be a professor at a U.S. university? Continue in your career in Korea?

 

Good luck!

Edited May 21, 2014 by hj2012

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

Make a list of all the schools in places you'd like to live and then look at their standards.

[TaewooBurns]

I can't really speak to how your GRE or GPA will affect your admission, but I'd suggest worrying more about fit with the program, whether it's in the top 10, 11-25, etc., and crafting your application around a specific focus that matches the department you're applying to. I think your work experience and research background will help make up for a low undergrad GPA and GRE, to a point. I think fit is a big deal, particularly with PhD.

 

I'm also interested in international education policy, but in a different continent, so the programs I applied to last year tended to have a focus on that area. Apparently there's a historical divide within education schools, which at some point decided to focus on various regions, so you might find this reflected in the schools that you're interested in. I didn't pay too much attention to ranking, but rather used my connections to see which faculty was working in my area, and also asked these faculty if they recommended other programs (surprisingly, most responded well to this and dropped names of other faculty members and programs). I also looked for a strong area studies program at the University.

 

I'd be happy to share what I know about international ed policy programs - which ones are you looking into? Some of the schools I looked into and applied to included Michigan State (strong ed policy with some international work, great funding), Minnesota (bias: I'm going here, however it has a strong African focus), Wisconsin Madison (strong critical focus, cultural studies, poor funding), Stanford (strong, competitive), Pittsburgh (rebuilding their international program and restructuring funding, may change for next year), University of Washington, Penn State, Indiana Bloomington, UCSB (don't know much about these last four but they all have programs in international education, comparative education, or cultural foundations).

 

Thanks a lot!  My number one school is MSU, I've also checked into the rest you've mentioned. Minnesota looks like a good match for me as well. Bic Ngo's research is a close match to mine.  

 

 

 

If you have a regional focus on East Asia, particularly the Koreas, it may be worthwhile for you to apply to schools with Korean studies centers, many of which bakalamba mentioned.

 

If you're interested in some "less competitive" PhD programs, I've met people (researchers from the States working in Korea, or Koreans who earned doctorates in the States before returning back) who studied at Florida, Hawaii, George Mason and Lehigh.

 

I'm  curious, though: what's your primary purpose for earning a PhD? Do you want to be a professor at a U.S. university? Continue in your career in Korea?

 

Good luck!

 

Thanks a lot for mentioning Lehigh.  I didn't have them on my radar at all, but they have a really nice program. I'm interested in a PhD because I've been teaching at a uni in Korea for a while and I want to get a better foundation for my methodology.  I'd like to be able to teach in the US at some point, and with a PhD I'll have a better shot at teaching back home.  The PhD would also make me a lot more marketable worldwide, which is cool. As it stands now, I could try to come home and teach in an ESL program somewhere for $10/hr.  I'd rather spend 5 to 7 years teaching at a university as a grad student, and improve myself as a researcher. 

 

 

Make a list of all the schools in places you'd like to live and then look at their standards.

I've been doing that.  Looking at weather, cost of living, and grad programs.  

[hj2012]

I see. Very cool! 

 

I'm currently teaching in Korea, too, and it's always interesting to see others here who are doing the same. Frankly, I'm surprised that schools still care so much about your uGPA considering that you've already gotten an MA and have so much work experience. Depending on how your interests swing, you might also look into some rhet/comp programs with an emphasis on TESOL. 

 

 

 

Thanks a lot for mentioning Lehigh.  I didn't have them on my radar at all, but they have a really nice program. I'm interested in a PhD because I've been teaching at a uni in Korea for a while and I want to get a better foundation for my methodology.  I'd like to be able to teach in the US at some point, and with a PhD I'll have a better shot at teaching back home.  The PhD would also make me a lot more marketable worldwide, which is cool. As it stands now, I could try to come home and teach in an ESL program somewhere for $10/hr.  I'd rather spend 5 to 7 years teaching at a university as a grad student, and improve myself as a researcher.