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Where are you applying for 2015?


TruffleTime

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Having gone through the PhD application process last year (with mixed results) - and finding a similar forum very helpful - I thought I would try and get this thread started. I am looking into geography, regional science, and planning programs for 2015, but have yet to narrow down my complete application list. Below are my first round targets, with the intention of narrowing them down to around 5 final schools after communication with departments and individual professors:

 

Syracuse - Geography

Penn State - Geography

Temple - Geography and Urban Studies

WVU - Geography and/or Resource Management/Sustainable Development

Rutgers - Planning and/or Geography

UPenn - Planning

VaTech - Planning

SUNY Buffalo - Planning

Cornell - Regional Science

UVA - Constructed Environment

 

I look forward to hearing what other programs people are looking at and the steps everyone is taking to put together the best possible application. Good luck.

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  • 2 months later...

Well…it looks like I might be having a public conversation with myself, but maybe this forum will pick up now that deadlines are getting closer. After a number of phone calls, email exchanges, and a handful of face-to-face meetings with professors I have narrowed down my application list to the following:

 

Penn State – Geography               

Rutgers – Geography

Temple – Geography and Urban Studies

VaTech – Planning and Policy

Maryland (CP) – Urban and Regional Planning

UVA – Constructed Environment

WVU – Geography and/or Resource Management/Sustainable Development

 

At this point, I have a few meetings/calls still to come, but my main focus is on making my SOP as sharp as possible. Hopefully, everyone is making good progress and best of luck moving forward.

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UW-Madison, Indiana, and Kentucky. I think that's about it for those three.

 

Do you guys have any suggestion for good human geography programs focusing on critical geopolitics?

 

Kentucky is a great program. I go there every year for DOPE and love the people there.

 

As for critical geopolitics, it seems like there is no one program that is really strong in it but a lot of programs with really good people doing work in that general area of study. Maybe try to find programs with a few people in political geography/geopolitics and people with a matching regional focus or something.

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Thanks guys! Yeah it seems like that so far. I may end up just applying to the three school listed because it seems like even with political geography, the primarily focus is on geopolitics and not critical geopolitics :( 

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Anyone still looking for places to apply who are interested in critical cartography/gis should check this out:

 

The Department of Geography at the University of Kentucky is currently accepting applications for graduate study at the Masters and PhD level to participate in the New Mappings Collaboratory (http://new-maps.com). New Maps is a research cluster with support from the College of Arts & Science to pursue innovative and critical research in the areas of community-based mapping, big data and society, information geographies, and geointel and digital mapping studies.

We are particularly interested in students with a desire to think carefully about the social implications of geospatial technologies, drawing upon their direct experience with these technologies and the work of code, more generally. To get a better sense of what this program of study might entail, take a look at some of the recent publications by the New Maps faculty co-directors: Jeremy Crampton, Matthew Wilson, and Matthew Zook.

Admission to the Geography Graduate Program at the University of Kentucky is internationally competitive and represents the opportunity to join a world-renowned scholarly community. More information on the program and application process is available through the department website (http://geography.as.uky.edu/applications-and-admissions). Students admitted to the graduate program receive full tuition waivers and stipends in exchange for working as teaching assistants. Fellowships and other funding are also possible. Applicants should submit their materials by January 15, 2015 to ensure a complete review.

If you are interested (or want more information), please contact any of the New Maps directors directly: jcrampton@uky.edu, matthew.w.wilson@uky.edu, zook@uky.edu. For questions specific to the admissions process, please contact Patricia Ehrkamp (p.ehrkamp@uky.edu), director of graduate studies.

 

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Also I got this in the email - it might be helpful to you guys looking for backup school:

 

The Department of Geography at the University of Utah is seeking Master’s and Ph.D. applicants for the 2015-2016 academic year. Our department has core strengths in many areas of geography:
-          health, population-environment, and urban geography

-          hazards and security
-          climate change and paleoenvironment
-          GIScience and remote sensing
We will be offering multiple teaching and research assistantship positions to incoming students, as well as graduate assistantships in our DIGIT GIS Lab. All assistantships include a stipend and waived tuition. Salt Lake City is a dynamic, high-tech metropolitan area with great bike and public transit access. Situated between the Rocky Mountains, Colorado Plateau, and Great Basin, our students have unparalleled opportunities for outdoor recreation. 
 

To learn more information about our department, please see our website: http://www.geog.utah.edu/

 

---

 

Also, Do you guys know how much the GRE counts for admission? My GRE scores are really bad and since I'm completing my MA its been super hard to study for the GRE and complete assignments.... I

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How heavily GRE scores are weighed really depends on the program preferences and how many applicants they get.  Places that receive ridiculous amounts of apps generally use the scores to cut people so people with low scores shouldn't even bother applying.  The exception to this is if you have a professor who really wants to work with you.  Then you pretty much just have to meet the minimum set by the graduate school. 

However, fellowships and scholarships are sometimes based on GRE scores so it could hurt your chances of getting funding. 

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How heavily GRE scores are weighed really depends on the program preferences and how many applicants they get.  Places that receive ridiculous amounts of apps generally use the scores to cut people so people with low scores shouldn't even bother applying.  The exception to this is if you have a professor who really wants to work with you.  Then you pretty much just have to meet the minimum set by the graduate school. 

However, fellowships and scholarships are sometimes based on GRE scores so it could hurt your chances of getting funding. 

I second this. Check out the results search page; people have been admitted with not-so-solid GRE scores, but these applicants often have other assets, e.g. a professor willing to work with them, a lot of relevant research experience, a great fit, etc. That said, as long as you meet the minimum requirements, you should be ok, even if your GRE scores aren't stellar. As geography rocks mentioned,GRE scores do affect funding, though, and especially fellowships.

 

I know that not everybody agrees with me on this, but I'd strongly recommend to contact professors before/during the application process. That helped me tremendously last year, and having someone to advocate for you can also help mitigate GRE scores that are on the lower side.

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You guys are wonderful. Thanks so much for the feedback. I got a pretty warm response the few professors I emailed, but a little worrisome because of my GRE scores. Will be taking them again in a few days, so I'll definitely keep that in mind and do my best. Thanks! :)

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You can also just ask about GRE scores. It's not terribly uncommon for fantastic applicants to do poorly on them and a lot of people realize this. 

 

Besides that, Graduate School cut offs tend to be fairly low and they don't always and everywhere affect funding. It's just that certain funding opportunities available to the department are affected by them. You can still get funded even with low scores in a lot of places..

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