Fall 2015 PhD Acceptance/Rejection Thread

[jdivanich]

Hi, I'm a Ph.D. applicant. I heard from UMD (Maryland, College Park, but apparently nobody else knows it as UMD?) a couple days ago. Same as in doubt, I got in with ~$16K. Is that a lot? I want to be able to live by myself and afford a lot of plane tickets to visit my girlfriend. UCI is giving me over $18K plus like ~$3600 or something for the first summer, and it sounds like I can make that kind of money in subsequent summers by being a TA. And UCI is covering fees unlike UMD. But I heard, when I visited UCI, that what you make isn't that much and if you want to live on your own on that budget it will be tough. I was doing the math and I'm thinking where does all the money go? Food? I'm also being considered for a little extra money ($5K, just for the first year, not renewable) at UMD. I'm not yet sure how summer work works or any other details, but do any of you go to UMD or UCI and know about money stuff? I'm coming from undergrad so I've never lived on my own like this before. Of course I'm talking to other people about this stuff, but I would like as many informed opinions as I can get.

 

Oh and I got into the Master's at ASU, but I applied for the Ph.D. so I'm turning them down. Haven't heard from Penn yet, but I'm guessing I'm either waitlisted or they forgot to notify me about my rejection/acceptance.

 

I applied to a couple non-criminology programs as well (both Master's programs), but that's outside the scope of this forum I guess haha.

 

I think it is also important to remember that funding is not everything. Yes, funding is a big factor, but if they are funding you and are showing commitment to mentoring you then the figure is purely short-term thinking. I am NOT suggesting that it is not important, please do not mistake me, but I would sacrifice a few $$ now for a better program that is committed to shaping me into a great scholar.

 

In the long term the ranking, and skills learned will translate into better job offers and more $$ longterm. Once again, I am not saying go unfunded or at an extreme low ball offer,  but a few thousand for a better fit, a better rank, and better mentorship may be worth it in the long run...just my personal opinion though. 

[annafcd]

Has anyone heard from Penn State?

[smcg]

Yes... rejected from Penn State. I sent an email asking about my status and go not response, then got an auto-gnerated email.

 

Heard today from University of South Carolina... ACCEPTED!! 1st choice. Unknown funding.

[annafcd]

Thanks and congratulations on the offer

[CeeB]

Hi, I'm a Ph.D. applicant. I heard from UMD (Maryland, College Park, but apparently nobody else knows it as UMD?) a couple days ago. Same as in doubt, I got in with ~$16K. Is that a lot? I want to be able to live by myself and afford a lot of plane tickets to visit my girlfriend. UCI is giving me over $18K plus like ~$3600 or something for the first summer, and it sounds like I can make that kind of money in subsequent summers by being a TA. And UCI is covering fees unlike UMD. But I heard, when I visited UCI, that what you make isn't that much and if you want to live on your own on that budget it will be tough. I was doing the math and I'm thinking where does all the money go? Food? I'm also being considered for a little extra money ($5K, just for the first year, not renewable) at UMD. I'm not yet sure how summer work works or any other details, but do any of you go to UMD or UCI and know about money stuff? I'm coming from undergrad so I've never lived on my own like this before. Of course I'm talking to other people about this stuff, but I would like as many informed opinions as I can get.

 

Oh and I got into the Master's at ASU, but I applied for the Ph.D. so I'm turning them down. Haven't heard from Penn yet, but I'm guessing I'm either waitlisted or they forgot to notify me about my rejection/acceptance.

 

I applied to a couple non-criminology programs as well (both Master's programs), but that's outside the scope of this forum I guess haha.

 

I have a friend/former classmate at UCI currently. She lives in grad housing with a roommate, which cuts the cost of living by quite a bit. I think either stipend is doable, but it really depends on what kind of lifestyle you prefer and how careful you are about spending. I have survived the last two years on a ~14k stipend as a TA in my masters program and I live semi-comfortably.. I live in a decently sized 2 bd/2 bath apartment with one roommate. After rent, I would say most of my money is spent on groceries/food. Of course, California is more expensive than AZ, but if you're willing to live a certain way I think you can make it work. 

[brokenwindow]

Weirdalsuperfan, it seems almost crazy that you are even considering turning down Maryland for this reason, so part of me wonders if you might be trolling (apologies if you are not).

 

Maryland is generally considered to be the best Crim PhD program in the U.S. (with Albany in the running), so I personally wouldn't choose a noticeably lower-ranked program merely because of a $2,000 difference in stipends. I mean, you could make $2,000 a year by tutoring someone for 1 hour a week at $40/hour (or a myriad of other ways to make up the difference). The difference between, say, the #5 and #7 programs isn't that significant,  but the difference between Maryland and other programs is pretty significant as far as prestige/reputation (which unfortunately will make a difference when you're on the job market).

 

Now, if you were thinking of UCI because you were a great fit there and a terrible fit at UMD, that would make sense. But for $2,000? Not so much.

[brokenwindow]

Yes... rejected from Penn State. I sent an email asking about my status and go not response, then got an auto-gnerated email.

 

Heard today from University of South Carolina... ACCEPTED!! 1st choice. Unknown funding.

Congratulations on South Carolina!

[brokenwindow]

So I don't know if anyone is considering ASU (Arizona State), but if you are, I think you should know about something I just discovered yesterday, which is that according to an acquaintance in a different program, faculty are fleeing ASU's department because of a sexual harassment scandal that the department handled very badly. I don't know what all the implications are for PhD students, but I think it's worth at least factoring in.

 

Here are a couple articles about it, though they don't confirm what my acquaintance told me about faculty leaving the program (so that might just be a rumor):

 

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2013/12/sexy_grad_students_lawsuit_ove.php

 

http://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2015/03/04/fired-criminology-professor-coming-fsu/24382803/

 

And elsewhere at ASU:

http://www.statepress.com/2014/05/07/asu-students-seek-clarity-closure-in-student-professor-relationship-investigations/

[Sword_Saint]

So I don't know if anyone is considering ASU (Arizona State), but if you are, I think you should know about something I just discovered yesterday, which is that according to an acquaintance in a different program, faculty are fleeing ASU's department because of a sexual harassment scandal that the department handled very badly. I don't know what all the implications are for PhD students, but I think it's worth at least factoring in.

 

Here are a couple articles about it, though they don't confirm what my acquaintance told me about faculty leaving the program (so that might just be a rumor):

 

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2013/12/sexy_grad_students_lawsuit_ove.php

 

http://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2015/03/04/fired-criminology-professor-coming-fsu/24382803/

 

And elsewhere at ASU:

http://www.statepress.com/2014/05/07/asu-students-seek-clarity-closure-in-student-professor-relationship-investigations/

 

Holy crap, thanks for posting that. I almost applied to ASU but ended up applying for Texas State instead. 

[Clueless91]

Does anybody have any thoughts on UMSL? I'm visiting them next week- I feel like nobody ever talks about them lol

[Pennywise]

[Edited]

Edited March 6, 2015 by Pennywise

[Clueless91]

[Edited]

I pm'd you!

[justbetweenus]

Whats the word on UIC and Temple? If you have heard, when and how did you hear?

[weirdalsuperfan]

Weirdalsuperfan, it seems almost crazy that you are even considering turning down Maryland for this reason, so part of me wonders if you might be trolling (apologies if you are not).

 

Maryland is generally considered to be the best Crim PhD program in the U.S. (with Albany in the running), so I personally wouldn't choose a noticeably lower-ranked program merely because of a $2,000 difference in stipends. I mean, you could make $2,000 a year by tutoring someone for 1 hour a week at $40/hour (or a myriad of other ways to make up the difference). The difference between, say, the #5 and #7 programs isn't that significant,  but the difference between Maryland and other programs is pretty significant as far as prestige/reputation (which unfortunately will make a difference when you're on the job market).

 

Now, if you were thinking of UCI because you were a great fit there and a terrible fit at UMD, that would make sense. But for $2,000? Not so much.

 

Thanks everyone who's responded. So a little more specifics, there are certain things that are very essential for me to afford, like semi-frequent cross-country travel (probably $5000/year) or, alternatively, depending on which school I choose, a car.(price?) and only about $2000/year in plane flights, and my first year I'll probably have startup costs for furniture and things. If I'm willing to not live very lavishly otherwise, do you think both stipends are sufficient for what I want? I don't care how big my place is, and I would prefer a tiny place alone to a large 2 person place.

 

It's more like a $3000 difference ( about $15800 compared to about $18500) and at UCI I'm already guaranteed an extra 3600 (so $6600 more) for the first summer, plus I think I was told I can expect to earn at learn that much ($3600) each additional summer by working as a TA. I have no information about UMD so far in that respect, so right now it looks like it could be as much as a $7,000 difference. Also, UMD is #1 but UCI is #5 so that's still pretty good. And as far as prestige and things go, not to sound like a douche or anything (really, don't mean to), but I go to an Ivy League (I'm not studying criminology) right now so I already have the reputation in my college degree and I'm already quashing my ego by considering places like UMD and UCI. Are UCI and UMD really that far apart?

 

Also, I'm not trolling. I think UMD very well could be an excellent fit for me, but UCI also has a lot of things I'm interested in (albeit more like a ton of slightly lesser interests compared to UMD's couple big interests). To make the difficulty of my decision a little clearer, I'm also considering a specialized Master's program at MIT in a related but much more technical field (but I'm trying to compare like degrees first, so I'm trying to determine the best Ph.D.). Do you have any recommendations for UCI vs UMD if the stipend difference ends up being as big as like $7,000/year? Of course, it might end up being exactly the same if I can earn money over the summer by working at UMD or tutoring, like you said (and I'm sure I could tutor at UCI as well), which I did consider. Do you have enough free time to tutor a few hours a week, especially in the first 2 years with classes? And I guess I'll find out about summer work at UMD's open house, but I would like to get an opinion on the cost of living and what a reasonable amount to get paid is and what a reasonable difference in payment is, mostly considering what I mentioned at the beginning of this reply. Thanks!

[Guest criminologist]

About those rankings though they were last updated in 2009 so they are very outdated.

[CeeB]

Thanks everyone who's responded. So a little more specifics, there are certain things that are very essential for me to afford, like semi-frequent cross-country travel (probably $5000/year) or, alternatively, depending on which school I choose, a car.(price?) and only about $2000/year in plane flights, and my first year I'll probably have startup costs for furniture and things. If I'm willing to not live very lavishly otherwise, do you think both stipends are sufficient for what I want? I don't care how big my place is, and I would prefer a tiny place alone to a large 2 person place.

 

It's more like a $3000 difference ( about $15800 compared to about $18500) and at UCI I'm already guaranteed an extra 3600 (so $6600 more) for the first summer, plus I think I was told I can expect to earn at learn that much ($3600) each additional summer by working as a TA. I have no information about UMD so far in that respect, so right now it looks like it could be as much as a $7,000 difference. Also, UMD is #1 but UCI is #5 so that's still pretty good. And as far as prestige and things go, not to sound like a douche or anything (really, don't mean to), but I go to an Ivy League (I'm not studying criminology) right now so I already have the reputation in my college degree and I'm already quashing my ego by considering places like UMD and UCI. Are UCI and UMD really that far apart?

 

Also, I'm not trolling. I think UMD very well could be an excellent fit for me, but UCI also has a lot of things I'm interested in (albeit more like a ton of slightly lesser interests compared to UMD's couple big interests). To make the difficulty of my decision a little clearer, I'm also considering a specialized Master's program at MIT in a related but much more technical field (but I'm trying to compare like degrees first, so I'm trying to determine the best Ph.D.). Do you have any recommendations for UCI vs UMD if the stipend difference ends up being as big as like $7,000/year? Of course, it might end up being exactly the same if I can earn money over the summer by working at UMD or tutoring, like you said (and I'm sure I could tutor at UCI as well), which I did consider. Do you have enough free time to tutor a few hours a week, especially in the first 2 years with classes? And I guess I'll find out about summer work at UMD's open house, but I would like to get an opinion on the cost of living and what a reasonable amount to get paid is and what a reasonable difference in payment is, mostly considering what I mentioned at the beginning of this reply. Thanks!

 

Unless you already have $$ saved up, or have some external funding (parents?), I wouldn't count on being able to spend upwards of $5k on travel. That is also discounting the fact that you really can't afford spending your off-time traveling during the school year. The workload is no joke.

 

The cost of living is pretty high in Maryland, and Irvine is about the same, if not more expensive. Not sure if it matters much to you, but these two cities are very different. College Park, like most urban areas (think Chicago, NY, etc.), can be pretty sketchy - something to consider if your GF is planning on joining you at some point. Irvine is more suburban, has a very low crime rate, and obviously the weather is way nicer. I applied to both schools as well, and I know my GF prefers Irvine for those reasons. 

 

If your biggest priority is seeing your GF more often, I would choose whatever school is closer to her. There's nothing wrong with that. Ranking is nice, but who is to say they won't change at some point? Both programs are great, so you really can't go wrong with either one. Hope that helps. 

[smcg]

I know that I posted this in another thread that I created, but the answer is very important to me, so forgive me if I am "spamming." I was accepted to the U of South Carolina on Thursday, but there was no word on funding and the program director has not replied to my email. Now, I see under the results page that someone else was accepted on Friday with funding. The USC is my top choice school and my wife and I have already began looking at houses down there. If I don't get funding, I don't get to go.

 

If you are the person who got the funding, how did you find out? My acceptance email seems pretty generic and does not mention it anywhere. Also, if you are NOT the person, do you have any advice for me? DO they sometimes offer funding AFTER your first year? I simply can't swing $28,000/year. This would crush me if it is the only thing holding me back.

 

Also, while I am asking, how long does a Ph.D. program typically take? One of the programs I was accepted to is forecasting just under 2 years because I completed my Master's there. However, I've also seen schools that state up to 6 years! That's $180,000 in tuition!! That HAS to include Master's level work for those who have not yet attained that degree, right?

Edited March 7, 2015 by smcg

[Pennywise]

I know that I posted this in another thread that I created, but the answer is very important to me, so forgive me if I am "spamming." I was accepted to the U of South Carolina on Thursday, but there was no word on funding and the program director has not replied to my email. Now, I see under the results page that someone else was accepted on Friday with funding. The USC is my top choice school and my wife and I have already began looking at houses down there. If I don't get funding, I don't get to go.

 

If you are the person who got the funding, how did you find out? My acceptance email seems pretty generic and does not mention it anywhere. Also, if you are NOT the person, do you have any advice for me? DO they sometimes offer funding AFTER your first year? I simply can't swing $28,000/year. This would crush me if it is the only thing holding me back.

 

Also, while I am asking, how long does a Ph.D. program typically take? One of the programs I was accepted to is forecasting just under 2 years because I completed my Master's there. However, I've also seen schools that state up to 6 years! That's $180,000 in tuition!! That HAS to include Master's level work for those who have not yet attained that degree, right?

 

2 years for a PhD is bizarrely fast and raises red flags about the quality of such a program -- there's no such thing as a free lunch. Truly becoming an expert in your field takes time. Four years is considered fast even if you have your Masters.

 

As for funding in your second year, that would be a school-by-school question, but in general you are more likely to have your funding removed after your first year than to magically get new funding. I mean, of course you can apply to fellowships and other competitive awards, but if the department isn't enthusiastic enough about you right now to give you guaranteed tuition and stipend, why would they give you their most competitive awards? Not getting tuition and stipend funding is a very negative signal.

 

If I were you, I would hold off on making any big plans until you locked in guaranteed funding. If you cannot get the funding, I would seriously consider reapplying next year. From your posts it sounds like you *really* did not do enough research about this process.

 

ETA: 6 years is not $180,000 in tuition, because no sane PhD student who figured out how the system works would ever pay tuition for 6 years. You're not supposed to pay tuition to get your PhD, period. The worst thing to happen is getting a stipend so low that you have to take some extra money out in loans to live -- that does happen. But no, you do not pay tuition. If your Masters program is encouraging you to take out loans to pay them tuition to continue in their PhD program, then you should 1) politely decline, and 2) name and shame them so others can avoid a department that treats its students like cash cows.

Edited March 8, 2015 by Pennywise

[Sword_Saint]

I know that I posted this in another thread that I created, but the answer is very important to me, so forgive me if I am "spamming." I was accepted to the U of South Carolina on Thursday, but there was no word on funding and the program director has not replied to my email. Now, I see under the results page that someone else was accepted on Friday with funding. The USC is my top choice school and my wife and I have already began looking at houses down there. If I don't get funding, I don't get to go.

 

If you are the person who got the funding, how did you find out? My acceptance email seems pretty generic and does not mention it anywhere. Also, if you are NOT the person, do you have any advice for me? DO they sometimes offer funding AFTER your first year? I simply can't swing $28,000/year. This would crush me if it is the only thing holding me back.

 

Also, while I am asking, how long does a Ph.D. program typically take? One of the programs I was accepted to is forecasting just under 2 years because I completed my Master's there. However, I've also seen schools that state up to 6 years! That's $180,000 in tuition!! That HAS to include Master's level work for those who have not yet attained that degree, right?

 

It really depends on the school. Temple University for example requires about 60 credits for their PhD program, at 9 credits/semester that would be 7 semesters, but they also say they can waive up to 30 credits of master's level work. That's way different than a school that operates on a quarter system for instance. 

 

The schools I've looked at, realistically after your masters (1-2 years) you should anticipate 3-4 years for a PhD. But I was looking at Texas State, Cincinnati, and Simon Fraser mostly. 

 

Also, "Pennywise" is correct in my opinion about funding. Ask anyone in higher education, especially in this field, and they will tell you to go wherever there is the most funding. If you have a very not competitive application for graduate school and don't get funding your first year, re-apply next year and work to get a better application. I would try to become a research aide/graduate research assistant and/or get more research experience to make your application more competitive. Study for and retake the GRE or correct whatever it is dragging your package down.

 

The University of Cincinnati in their acceptance letter to me indicated I was accepted, and would receive a minimum of 50% tuition coverage, but that their funding situation would not be entirely determined for a few more weeks- so that scenario can happen. 

Edited March 8, 2015 by Sword_Saint

[Guest criminologist]

What I have found is that how long it takes to complete a PhD depends on the standards of the program and whether you can get your master's credits to count towards the credits, for some this is automatic but most you have to get it approved. For example Michigan State's PHD program is 72 semester credits (without a masters) and even if you have a master's or grad coursework you have to get your credits approved first, and then can only reduce it to like 60 (about 7 semesters). At SC's program if you have a masters or law degree then 24 credit hours transfer into the program automatically and you only need 36 semester hours to graduate so you can potentially finish in 4 semesters if you are in a hurry. So there are programs that are better for people who only have a BA and ones better for people with a MA.

 

Also there are programs that making application decision separate from funding for example FSU, they accept many people but only fund like 10%, some only accept funded students.

 

Most people look at the grad student handbooks before applying to figure out long it will take to graduate. Some people won't even apply to PhD programs that take too long of a time to complete.

Edited March 8, 2015 by criminologist

[smcg]

Thanks for the info. Hopefully the funding comes through. I'm very happy with my acceptances so far. For someone who didn't do enough research into this process, I fared very well.

[Pennywise]

What I have found is that how long it takes to complete a PhD depends on the standards of the program and whether you can get your master's credits to count towards the credits, for some this is automatic but most you have to get it approved. For example Michigan State's PHD program is 72 semester credits (without a masters) and even if you have a master's or grad coursework you have to get your credits approved first, and then can only reduce it to like 60 (about 7 semesters). At SC's program if you have a masters or law degree then 24 credit hours transfer into the program automatically and you only need 36 semester hours to graduate so you can potentially finish in 4 semesters if you are in a hurry. So there are programs that are better for people who only have a BA and ones better for people with a MA.

 

Also there are programs that making application decision separate from funding for example FSU, they accept many people but only fund like 10%, some only accept funded students.

 

Most people look at the grad student handbooks before applying to figure out long it will take to graduate. Some people won't even apply to PhD programs that take too long of a time to complete.

Presumably it would be 4 semesters of coursework, and then at least a year to write your dissertation, right? That is the bare bones minimum I have heard of, and it's frowned upon and not considered a good path toward getting a job in academia. Perhaps if academia is not the goal, these things are different? I have never heard of an American PhD that could be finished in 2 years even with a Masters, but maybe I'm wrong.

[Guest criminologist]

Actually I meant 4 semesters to finish the whole PhD with a master's in hand (coursework and dissertation hours). According to their degree requirements page it is 24 credit hours of coursework and 12 hours of dissertation credit hours. But if someone very well qualified did it and already had for example, 2 masters, industry experience and several publications, maybe it wouldn't be frowned upon?

Edited March 9, 2015 by criminologist

[Pennywise]

Hm interesting. I think it might depend on what your goal is. People get criminology PhDs for a lot of reasons other than wanting to get a tenure-track job in a well ranked Criminology or Sociology program, whereas that has been my focus.

 

ETA:

But if your goal is a tenure-track job at a relatively prestigious research institution, then I think 2 years would be generally frowned upon. What you're suggesting would involve doing your coursework while writing your dissertation. That suggests that you didn't really learn anything in your coursework, since it would be almost impossible to, for example, change your research design a year into writing it, based on PhD-level research methods that you were only learning after you had already designed your research.

Edited March 9, 2015 by Pennywise

[donj]

Anyone have any thoughts about Maryland vs. Penn? I know the ratings are old, but Penn is ranked #12 and Maryland is ranked #1. That would seem clear cut, but when I ask opinions, I get mixed results. Any advice would be super appreciated. Here's some of my factors in the decision:

 

Penn is...

- small program (incoming class of 3 phd students, about 10-12 altogether)

- smaller, interdisciplinary 11 faculty members (public policy, economics, soc, psych, etc.)

- personalized, flexible program (work with mentor to determine courses & comprehensive exam format, can spend time away)

- dissertation can be three publishable papers instead

- two faculty w/ cool research that have been in touch with me regularly

- don't know what the environment is like

- afraid of degree marketability in crim or of too many expectations/too much pressure in program

- awesome stipend

 

Maryland is...

- considered #1

- larger program  (about 45-50 active PhD students maybe?)

- 15-20 well-respected faculty. obvious powerhouse

- common path for all PhD students (courses, comp exams, dissertation) seems to be some flexibility in courses, though

- no faculty have been in touch yet, just offer letter, but there is an open house coming up

- I have heard rumors of bad competitiveness inside program

- afraid of faculty mentors mismatch, and of competitiveness/getting lost in the crowd of students

- a good amount of money, but not as much as Penn

 

Thoughts?? I know it's a great choice to have but I am so stressed and indecisive right now 

 

Also - I will be visiting both soon for a short time. I could get that "gut feeling" but it's not guaranteed!