Communication/Media Studies Ph.D Fall 2015--Apps, Decisions, and Waiting...

[The Pedanticist]

@the pedanticist My funding is all through HKU. They just built a brand new campus and have invested significantly in the research programs because all the universities in Hong Kong have just moved from 3 year to 4 year curricula for undergraduates. Moreover, instead of bringing in more grad students, they just hire more full time TAs. It's very different from the US system. Last application season the department did not accept any new PhD students. 

 

Because of my interests in philosophy I've looked at a number of places including HKU and found it very difficult to find places that offer funding for international applicants.  Are you aware of other international programs that fund students especially in Europe?

[autumn]

USC submitted. So happy it's over. (Yes, I am conveniently forgetting I have many more to complete by December 15). 

 

Right now, I'm just reveling in the sweet, sweet freedom. 

[kingsxrocks]

Congrats on the submission

[The Pedanticist]

Did anyone not apply to USC because of the earlier deadline?  I'm just wondering.

[autumn]

Does anyone know what TIME the USC app is due, exactly? I couldn't find a time on the site. I'm assuming midnight, Nov. 1st, PST?

 

I know this is too late to be helpful but I found it interesting that USC's application portal is set on EST, not PST. 

[Duna]

@duna Apologies, that did come off a bit pretentious. Probably stems from my own insecurities, but I wanted to be clear about the level of investment I'm willing to make. For those interested in applying, I would proof their SOI/Proposal, share my knowledge about the present state of the field, evaluate methodological approaches, and discuss what potential supervisors at different universities are researching. I do think that's worth a lot, and my supervisors only willingly gave me that amount of time when I was a confirmed attendee. We've only got 3/4 years to become expert teachers, writers, and researchers, not to mention conduct ground breaking work in our specific field. I for one am way behind, but I'm willing to spare that time, mainly because I'd like to recruit quality scholars for the students of Hong Kong. 

 

 Hmm. I have 5 years to do that during which I am completely funded. So what exactly are these resources that HK universities offer that are beyond what PhD programs in the US offer?

[grad_wannabe]

Did anyone not apply to USC because of the earlier deadline?  I'm just wondering.

 

I was VERY tempted to not apply, but figured ultimately that the early deadline would give me a nice kick in the butt in terms of getting my applications together.

 

plus my next deadline is Nov. 21st and that's not that far away. 

 

congrats to all us of who got our USC apps in!

 

Was anyone else a little stilted by the 1000-character field boxes where we had to enter publications and research experience? do they even look at those?

[autumn]

Was anyone else a little stilted by the 1000-character field boxes where we had to enter publications and research experience? do they even look at those?

 

Yes! I was tempted to just write "Please see my SOP and CV for more information" because... that is why those documents are required?

 

It was odd. As were the two different sections that asked you to identify faculty with whom you want to work.

[The Pedanticist]

I figured that the text boxes were for the grad school and not for Annenberg.  

Edited November 2, 2014 by The Pedanticist

[JCoe Wants to Go to School]

@the pedanticist That hasn't been my experience at HKU. Almost every PhD student I know in History, Philosophy, Comp. Lit, and Music is an international. Although, my sample size is pretty small and selective because I hang out with mostly expats. I recently met a philosophy grad student from the US studying Confucian and Taoist thought. We do mostly continental in the Comp. Lit department, but I think that many scholars in our department is hoping for someone to come along prepared to conduct philosophical genealogies of process philosophy and its phenomenological similarities to buddhist/daoist thought. <hint hint> 

 

@duna That's great that you have 5 years funding! Sounds like your program is very supportive. Clearly, I shouldn't overgeneralize about all US institutions. That being said, when I was applying to US institutions, it looked as though I would only receive 3 years and then have to find grants and TA-ships to get more time to complete the dissertation. Moreover, I'd have to complete coursework for the first two years despite already having an MA. I think working in small seminars with top scholars would definitely be helpful, but that's still less time spent researching and writing. Although I'm sure my research thoughts would have developed through these seminars, it would have taken me longer to complete highly-specific research. I've been told that it's difficult to finish the dissertation when you have to scramble for funding. Having to choose between your dissertation and working to support yourself is tough, no matter where a student attends.

 

It's not a contest though. I'm definitely a believer in different strokes for different folks. It's all about finding the right fit for you. Studying abroad won't work for everyone. And an international experience doesn't necessarily benefit all research fields. The reason I'm posting here is because I want people to know about other options that could fit.

 

One thing that a leading Film Studies scholar and head of department told me when rejecting me from her program is that the most important thing is figuring out who you want to learn from. Being able to articulate who you want to work with and why will go a long way in getting you into a program and securing funding. Secondly, applicants must demonstrate how that specific institution will be able to complement the proposed research. It's not about being the "best" or demonstrating the most potential. Institutions seek students that they are sure will graduate and produce publishable research by the time they graduate, while also fitting into the general research aims of the department. Yes, there are politics involved. Your research methodology and corpus are political. If you think that analyzing film/literature/culture/society/language is apolitical, then I'd recommend going down a formalist route and looking to work with scholars who agree with you. 

 

That being said, I want to explain why I think that some scholars looking to do specific types of research might benefit from studying abroad, and in particular cases, in Hong Kong. These advantages might be disadvantages for some, or vice-versa. Everyone's development is different. I think Malcolm Gladwell makes a great case for how not all learning environments fit for everyone in _David and Goliath_, explaining how being at the margins actually propels many individuals to the heights of their field. I think the reason for that is opportunities for growth.

 

So these are the types of questions I'd recommend applicants think over when choosing where to apply:

 

Who do you want to learn from? Why? Saying that this specific scholar is the expert in your field is not enough.

How would the institution supplement your research? Does it hold certain archives? Is it located in a cultural / political hub where things worth researching are actively being produced? Do a lot of conferences/lectures/workshops happen in the location/institution? Are there major film festivals that take place there? Will you have greater access to knowledge? For example, Hong Kong itself is a sort of political and cultural experiment because of its murky autonomous status. Tons of visiting scholars interested in globalization, cinema, politics, and Sinology come to HKU, sometimes for academic reasons and sometimes because it's more fun to visit than other places.

Hong Kong also has its own filmmaking industry, which exports to all of Asia and strongly influences mainland Chinese Cinema. It's important to know the trends of art and cinematic production. Blockbuster films make 2/3rds of their money outside of US theaters now. What kind of academic and cultural activity do these conditions produce? Art isn't produced in a vacuum, and there's a reason so much post-structural theory came out of Berkeley and Paris after the 60s and major post-colonial theories came out of India... Some people like living their research, but it isn't for everyone.

 

What kind of research experience do you want? How much attention do you want? How many grad students will your advisor be supervising? How much teaching will you do? How much teaching do you want to do? How many opportunities will you have to lecture? What type of students will you be teaching? What kind of work-life balance are you looking for? Research can be very lonely. You want to be in a situation that brings out your best.

 

How much free time do you want? How structured of a program do you want to be a part of? In international programs, you will be expected to teach yourself almost everything from your methodology to foreign languages. They are paying you to research and expect you to be capable as such already. It's not for everyone. I certainly wanted a more structured experience, but I've managed so far. Forced me to grow up a bit. But the freedom from the department has given me opportunities to do more. We've set up private reading groups, organized our own graduate student conference, arranged for guest lectures from directors and screenings, and have attended numerous conferences/workshops already because of regional proximity. I imagine having to take that sort of initiative is more similar to the actual experience of young tenure-track professors trying to make it in new places. If studying abroad for your PhD, you're going to get out of it what you put into it. 

 

Okay, good luck everyone! Let me know if you have more general questions and I can answer them in the thread. If you have specific questions about your individual situation please PM me.

[autumn]

I figured that the text boxes were for the grad school and not for Annenberg.  

 

Fair enough but it still seemed repetitive.

 

When is the next (or first) deadline for everyone else?

 

I've got three on 12/1 and six on 12/15.

[grad_wannabe]

Fair enough but it still seemed repetitive.

 

When is the next (or first) deadline for everyone else?

 

I've got three on 12/1 and six on 12/15.

 

It did indeed seem redundant, especially when they show you the PDF they make out of your application, and yearssss of research and publications are squeezed into boxes measuring 2x3 inches that can't possibly be thoughtfully perused.

 

Do we know what the timeline is for USC, when we start hearing back? Also, this is totally ignorant on my part, but do they do interviews?

 

RE next deadlines: I've got one on 11/21, two on 12/2, one on 12/10, and one on 12/15. 

Edited November 3, 2014 by grad_wannabe

[jujubea]

UCSB 12/1

[autumn]

Do we know what the timeline is for USC, when we start hearing back? Also, this is totally ignorant on my part, but do they do interviews?

 

Based on the changes to the application process, USC may be changing it's admission MO this year. If not, they usually start notifying their top choices at the end of January for the visit weekend. I'm unclear as to whether or not that weekend is an informal interview or if those invited are already accepted. 

[Duna]

Based on the changes to the application process, USC may be changing it's admission MO this year. If not, they usually start notifying their top choices at the end of January for the visit weekend. I'm unclear as to whether or not that weekend is an informal interview or if those invited are already accepted. 

 

I think I can shed some light on that process but I am not 100% sure if they changed it AGAIN. However, last year, a bunch of people who the committee found interesting and admissible candidates were invited to visit for a few days. I believe the purpose of this visit is not only to interview candidates but is also supposed to give the applicants the chance to meet with professors and figure out whether they think USC would be a good fit for them. And I think it should be around the same time as last year (check the results pages).

Edited November 4, 2014 by Duna

[jujubea]

Hi all,

I have a new question, and thought I'd poll the people in the field before starting a mass new thread.

How would you prioritize research experiences to fit in your SOP's? I have too much research experience to fit into most of the guideline lengths (or perhaps I have been too long-winded in describing it?).

Do you favor the most recent research? The most diversity of methodologies? The deepest research?

I have a handle on which aspects of each project to highlight according to the programs, but how would you decide which research experience to leave out or cut out entirely if there is too much to go into?

[autumn]

My approach could be all wrong so please (PLEASE) feel free to correct me but I'm letting my CV/writing sample address most of my existing research experience. 

 

In the SOP, I'm mostly talking about my proposed research and why this program/these faculty members are the ideal resources for said research, with a little bit of background that shows some personality and addresses some items I wanted to address (e.g. passion for field, non-comm degrees, unique characteristics). 

[jujubea]

I had been planning to do kind of what you mention, but my programs specifically ask to mention research experience and preparation in the SOP.

[autumn]

Ah, I see. USC was super specific about what the SOP should cover, as well. Did they specify how long it can be?

 

In that case, I'd suggest maybe choosing the research that is 1) most relevant to that program (as you said) and 2) best ties in with your proposed research. That way you're still discussing what they asked for but you're also using it to lead into and contextualize your proposed research.

[Duna]

Hi all,

I have a new question, and thought I'd poll the people in the field before starting a mass new thread.

How would you prioritize research experiences to fit in your SOP's? I have too much research experience to fit into most of the guideline lengths (or perhaps I have been too long-winded in describing it?).

Do you favor the most recent research? The most diversity of methodologies? The deepest research?

I have a handle on which aspects of each project to highlight according to the programs, but how would you decide which research experience to leave out or cut out entirely if there is too much to go into?

 

Hmm. What does research experience really mean? I think the definitions here have a huge range. Do you define research experience as "I've done some extensive reading / lit review on this topic!" or "I took two classes and wrote two 20 page papers about it" or "i've conducted a survey on this topic and found XXXX for a class" or "I worked with a research group on a grant doing this and was XXXth author on a paper" or "I've done this amazing research project on this topic, I went to ICA and presented on it" or "Actually, I've done research on it and it was published in".

 

See, when I came to the US, only the last 3 counted for me as "having done research on something" because the rest, well, that's not really something I would have considered as research given my own background (I come from a family of academics and grew up handing out conference packages to people and the like". So, to me, it meant to actually have engaged in research and received recognition for it. 

Then, during my first classes in the US I was freaking intimidated because people introduced themselves telling me they've "done research" on things and I was blown away. 

Hmm. Well, there are pretty amazing and intimidating people at my school and a bunch of them fit into the last categories but still, people would define "research experience" very loosely. 

 

Say, you define it as referring to the first few statements. Then I would mention it if it has something to do with what you wanna study now. If you took 2 classes on SNA and you apply to a school saying you want to do SNA, yeah, mention that you've collected a dataset and know methods for analyzing it briefly. But if it does not directly relate to what you are planning on doing and it's not a conference presentation you gave or hasn't been published, I probably would not waste so many words on it. 

Cause, well, the past is in the past.

[JCoe Wants to Go to School]

I'd have to echo what the others have said above. Cut anything extraneous, and let your CV do the talking.

 

One option for the the SOP is to form a narrative-like argument about why a particular experience underscores your belief in a methodology and the importance of your proposed research. I think they know that your beliefs will change as you learn more, so using the SOP to demonstrate your writing / argumentative talents can't hurt. Like Duna says, a lot of "research experience" is bluster, but the proof of quality is in the writing sample itself. (Especially if you're applying to departments that have historical ties to Comp. Lit/Rhetoric departments.)

 

Good luck!

[jujubea]

Thanks - yes - much of my "research experience" is not "recognized", it's just experience doing research (of many different kinds and depths - some classes, some conferences, some working for xxx author, some independent studies, several 20-30 page original research papers [for much of this I was in undergrad and had no clue about publishing, so didn't ever think to try then]).

 

But for one of the SOP's in particular, a major part of it is to emphasize the research an applicant has in her/his background, and his/her "preparation to do research" in grad studies.

 

Thank you for the feedback so far.

[Duna]

Thanks - yes - much of my "research experience" is not "recognized", it's just experience doing research (of many different kinds and depths - some classes, some conferences, some working for xxx author, some independent studies, several 20-30 page original research papers [for much of this I was in undergrad and had no clue about publishing, so didn't ever think to try then]).

 

But for one of the SOP's in particular, a major part of it is to emphasize the research an applicant has in her/his background, and his/her "preparation to do research" in grad studies.

 

Thank you for the feedback so far.

Well yes, in that case you want to mention stuff that demonstrates your preparedness. So either something that is methodologically related to what you are planning on doing or something that has lead you to being interested in your proposed research areas. Or, if that is something completely new, which is fine too, you can highlight a paper that you did by yourself maybe and presented somewhere and say: I know how to do research. Done it. Here. Now, I'm trying something new but I know how.

[jujubea]

Thanks Duna!

[kingsxrocks]

I took the GRE yesterday. I don't think I scored very high, so I'm hoping the programs I'm looking into don't heavily weigh the scores.

 

I also sent out 3 applications today:

 

northwestern

georgia state university

u. of pittsburgh

 

my U. of Texas @ Austin app was sent out a few weeks ago, but for all of the above I'm still waiting on GRE scores and letters of recommendation for the applications to be considered complete.

 

I'm hoping to send out the remaining 4 applications this weekend. There's a bit more paperwork I have to do before I'm ready for that. Ugh stress!