PhD application suggestions

[Drewling]

Hello,
I will start this topic by saying that my situation is kind of peculiar. I am an Italian-American MA student who was born and raised in Italy but bilingual. I am 24 and I already have one year of experience as a full-time English teacher in a private language school and three months as an Italian intern teacher in Miami. My undergrad GPA in foreign languages (English and Polish) should be something like 3.0 or 3.2 max while my MA will be more or less the same I think. I already have a GRE score (303) and a TOEFL score (101). I had to take the TOEFL mainly because, even though my family is American and my ancestors for three generations helped build the country, I am not recognized as an American due to bureaucratic reasons (lol).
I am therefore an international student and this lowers my chances of acceptance by a lot. I am here to ask you if, according to my working experience, education and situation, I could be a valid candidate for a PhD job in any university. I want to apply to NYU, Stony Brook, Amherst and Kansas university. My main passion is sociolinguistics but I could accept a position for phonetics and phonology. Or honestly any position lol.
Should I mention my situation in the letters of intent?
Should I try instead to go for one of those MA + PhD programs?
Can the fact that I have studied different languages help? [French (even though I forgot most of it), Polish (Basic level), Spanish (Medium maybe)]
Thanks and have a nice day.

Edited July 20, 2015 by Drewling

[fuzzylogician]

Do you have any research experience? Any conference presentations? Publications of any kind? Are you writing a thesis now as part of your MA? What will your LORs look like -- will they be strong and from well-known scholars, or less so? Your scores don't really make you stand out much, so in order to get into these schools you mention, some of which are very selective, you will need to shine in some other way, most likely by have a very strong SOP. Having a strong SOP means being able to very clearly articulate your research interests, which usually implies having some kind of background and previous experience in what you're working on (or hope to work on) so you can explain why what your are working on is interesting and important. If you can write a strong SOP, have some experience, and have decent to strong LORs, I think you have a decent chance of getting in somewhere. I would possibly try to add at least 1-2 more schools to your list, to give yourself more opportunities. As far as languages go, my experience is in theoretical linguistics so things may be somewhat different, but at least as far as I know it doesn't really matter so much that you've studied multiple languages. If you can tie the languages you know into your research interests somehow then that helps but even then what really matters is leveraging your background with these other languages to better motivate and delineate your interests, not simply that you can speak multiple languages.  

[Drewling]

I am preparing some research on local dialects in my area which I will try to present next year. I wrote a thesis for my B.A. but it is garbage. Therefore the papers I want to prepare for next summer will be my first kind of real research.

Regarding the LORS, I will have three or four if I can include my boss at the school. There is a retired American professor with a good reputation who is willing to write aletter for me (he was my student). Finally there are my professor of Sociolinguistics and the phonology one. They are both experienced professors with publications but I do not really know how much reliable foreign professors look to them.

I could go for L2 acquisition or bilingualism to tie my knowledge in those languages as you say, but sociolinguistics and language variation is surely my first interest.

Do you have any research experience? Any conference presentations? Publications of any kind? Are you writing a thesis now as part of your MA? What will your LORs look like -- will they be strong and from well-known scholars, or less so? Your scores don't really make you stand out much, so in order to get into these schools you mention, some of which are very selective, you will need to shine in some other way, most likely by have a very strong SOP. Having a strong SOP means being able to very clearly articulate your research interests, which usually implies having some kind of background and previous experience in what you're working on (or hope to work on) so you can explain why what your are working on is interesting and important. If you can write a strong SOP, have some experience, and have decent to strong LORs, I think you have a decent chance of getting in somewhere. I would possibly try to add at least 1-2 more schools to your list, to give yourself more opportunities. As far as languages go, my experience is in theoretical linguistics so things may be somewhat different, but at least as far as I know it doesn't really matter so much that you've studied multiple languages. If you can tie the languages you know into your research interests somehow then that helps but even then what really matters is leveraging your background with these other languages to better motivate and delineate your interests, not simply that you can speak multiple languages.

Edited July 20, 2015 by Drewling

[fuzzylogician]

There was a professor who was your student? That seems odd, and if that's what you meant then I'm not sure what you'd expect the LOR to say.

 

If you won't have any research experience until next summer (meaning, I presume, a year from now, well after the application cycle ends and implying that even then you'll only have a couple of months of experience because you'll then have to move to the States to start some program in the Fall), then I think it may be difficult for you to articulate your research interests in an SOP, and for that matter I also think it will be hard for your to define them in the first place and to choose appropriate schools for a PhD. I don't know that saying that your interests are different than they really are just because it's easier to fit your knowledge of languages into the SOP is a good move, especially if you're applying for PhD programs. I don't mean to discourage you, but I think a stronger application comes from someone who really knows what they want to do, and if you haven't had any relevant experience it's hard to see how you can be very sure, and how you can communicate that to others. Since your grades aren't great, you need to stand out in these other ways. Without any experience it's hard to see how your LORs can be very strong or how your SOP can really stand out. In this case, it may be wiser to either apply to MA programs or to wait another year until you can have a stronger application, or alternatively you could of course still try, but adjust your aim and expectations. (And, of course, this seems like a good time to again reiterate my disclaimer that I don't have full knowledge and I could be wrong, so take everything I say with a grain of salt.)

[Garyon]

I am therefore an international student and this lowers my chances of acceptance by a lot. I am here to ask you if, according to my working experience, education and situation, I could be a valid candidate for a PhD job in any university.

 

Ciao!

 

I just want to start this post by saying that, as far as my experience goes, I don't think anyone up here can really tell you how "a valid candidate" you could be for a PhD anywhere.

Sure, you can get an idea about how good your "numbers" are compared to others but in the end what really matters is: Do you really want to get a PhD in Linguistics in the USA? Then apply!

 

The point, maybe, is to understand if you really want it and why. This, I think people here can help you, a lot (they helped me!).

What this forum has helped me realize though (and I think Fuzzy posts are a very good example of this) is what you can/should focus on in the long and tiresome (but also, so exciting!) task that is writing your application. Also, people here can really help you  be realistic  and - even by asking you simple questions - can help you understand if you are ready for a PhD, or if it would be better for you to think about it a bit more.

 

Back to your post! I get you are currently at an Italian University? Can I ask which one? (this one just because I'm curious)

Are you getting your MA in Lingue or in Linguistics? And are you sure about the conversion from italian media to US GPA? It could be tricky. I'd suggest to report your italian grade and leave the conversion to them unless they ask you to convert it yourself (I think NYU does, not sure about stony brook and Amherst).

 

The list of programs you plan to apply to seems pretty specific but, from what you said till now, your research interests seem a bit unfocused: why do you want to get into these programs in particular? Do you have any particular Professor in mind?

I'm asking this because -again, as fuzzy said- writing a good SOP would be a crucial part in your application, and a good SOP has to express clearly what your reserarch interests are/will be and why you want to study in the program you are applying to. My "fit" with the some of the faculty's current research interests was essential to get in the places I wanted, even if my profile was a bit un-orthodox.

 

As for your teaching background, I think it could be of some use if you where applying to TESOL programs  but I'm not sure for a socioling application, unless you can find a way to tie your background/language skills to the topics you are interested into (otherwise, they will know you can speak other languages from other parts of you application - i.e. cv, language certification etc).

 

Finally, what do you mean by the MA+PhD thing?

As far as I know the few programs offering both a MA and a Phd offer them as two separate things (i.e. Stony Brook): so you can apply to a MA (usually unfunded) but when you finish you'd have to apply for the PhD all the same.

 

 

That said, I'm italian and I'm starting my PhD at Stony Brook in about a month (!!) so if you need more info about applying from italy and/or about Stony Brook Program feel free to ask (or to PM me).

Edited July 20, 2015 by Garyon

[Drewling]

There was a professor who was your student? That seems odd, and if that's what you meant then I'm not sure what you'd expect the LOR to say.

I wrote that I taught Italian in a private language school in the US, so yes I had this professor as a student, I do not see the odd part in this.

I can try to do my best. If you have any suggestions about journals to follow, or where I could publish my research in the future, it would be a start. Also, I work 30 hours a week and attend a university which is on the other side of the country, 9 hours by car, I took unpaid days off to go to do exams. I think I am dedicated in what I do and I know how to work my back off, I think this must count something, right?

I do want to try be ready for when I will have to send my application, so this is why I am asking for help too.

Ciao grazie!

Studio linguistica all Università di Pavia linguistica ma come ho detto sono lavoratore a tempo pieno (a Bari) e vengo a Pavia solo a dare gli esami.

Purtroppo l'università italiana non da basi e fondamenti per il lavoro di dottorato ho scoperto quindi finisci il tuo MA senza sapere come si faccia ricerca o scriva un paper. dato che finiró per settembre dell'anno prossimo I miei studi ho tempo fino a Febbraio 2016 per sceivere qualcosa e sperare venga accettato. ho già cercato alcuni call for papers in Europa.

Le università le ho scelte sotto suggerimento di amici e perchè ho famiglia nel Queens varie città.

Congrats anyway

Finally, University of Texas is one of those University that offers an M.A. + PhD course if I well remember.

 

 

Ciao!

 

I just want to start this post by saying that, as far as my experience goes, I don't think anyone up here can really tell you how "a valid candidate" you could be for a PhD anywhere.

Sure, you can get an idea about how good your "numbers" are compared to others but in the end what really matters is: Do you really want to get a PhD in Linguistics in the USA? Then apply!

 

The point, maybe, is to understand if you really want it and why. This, I think people here can help you, a lot (they helped me!).

What this forum has helped me realize though (and I think Fuzzy posts are a very good example of this) is what you can/should focus on in the long and tiresome (but also, so exciting!) task that is writing your application. Also, people here can really help you  be realistic  and - even by asking you simple questions - can help you understand if you are ready for a PhD, or if it would be better for you to think about it a bit more.

 

Back to your post! I get you are currently at an Italian University? Can I ask which one? (this one just because I'm curious)

Are you getting your MA in Lingue or in Linguistics? And are you sure about the conversion from italian media to US GPA? It could be tricky. I'd suggest to report your italian grade and leave the conversion to them unless they ask you to convert it yourself (I think NYU does, not sure about stony brook and Amherst).

 

The list of programs you plan to apply to seems pretty specific but, from what you said till now, your research interests seem a bit unfocused: why do you want to get into these programs in particular? Do you have any particular Professor in mind?

I'm asking this because -again, as fuzzy said- writing a good SOP would be a crucial part in your application, and a good SOP has to express clearly what your reserarch interests are/will be and why you want to study in the program you are applying to. My "fit" with the some of the faculty's current research interests was essential to get in the places I wanted, even if my profile was a bit un-orthodox.

 

As for your teaching background, I think it could be of some use if you where applying to TESOL programs  but I'm not sure for a socioling application, unless you can find a way to tie your background/language skills to the topics you are interested into (otherwise, they will know you can speak other languages from other parts of you application - i.e. cv, language certification etc).

 

Finally, what do you mean by the MA+PhD thing?

As far as I know the few programs offering both a MA and a Phd offer them as two separate things (i.e. Stony Brook): so you can apply to a MA (usually unfunded) but when you finish you'd have to apply for the PhD all the same.

 

 

That said, I'm italian and I'm starting my PhD at Stony Brook in about a month (!!) so if you need more info about applying from italy and/or about Stony Brook Program feel free to ask (or to PM me).

Edited July 21, 2015 by Drewling

[onzeheures30]

I'd suggest to report your italian grade and leave the conversion to them unless they ask you to convert it yourself (I think NYU does, not sure about stony brook and Amherst).

 

In my experience, none of the institutions you list ask to convert international grades. Some departments might ask to provide a description of the grading system (unless such a description is already included in your transcript, which was my case).

 

I wrote that I taught Italian in a private language school in the US, so yes I had this professor as a student, I do not see the odd part in this.

 

The point of a LOR is to describe your research potential, so it's unclear how a former student of yours can contribute that kind of information.

[Drewling]

Ok, I may not count it in my LOR list then . What about my question on journals?

For example, next summer I would like to present a paper about a small community in the region I live in that speaks a mix of Italian and Greek. This dialect / language is also endangered because the number of speakers is dropping. What I want to do is to interview as many speakers as possible, understand how the dialect has changed in recent times, why it is disappearing and analyze with softwares like praat the differences in their vowel system from those of nearby towns and standard Italian.

In my experience, none of the institutions you list ask to convert international grades. Some departments might ask to provide a description of the grading system (unless such a description is already included in your transcript, which was my case).

 

 

The point of a LOR is to describe your research potential, so it's unclear how a former student of yours can contribute that kind of information.

[rainbowpink]

I would recommend applying to MA programs as well. I've encountered people that have a strong undergrad background in linguistics but still go for an MA before a PhD to have even more research experience. If you are serious about studying linguistics at the PhD level then you'd want to have a stronger shot at the best programs out there (like the ones you've mentioned). Also, since your interests don't seem to be super well-defined yet, it would not be good if you end up realizing that you like certain things but the department you end up going to isn't the best place for you. There are definitely many good MA programs out there.

 

I think it's too easy for people to feel that they are familiar with linguistics from having had experiences with language from another field and whatnot (e.g., teaching experience) -- I've been in the same boat, coming from an undergrad background in related fields. After a year in a linguistics MA program I realized that there was so much of the basics about linguistics I didn't know before I started studying linguistics properly. Also, when it comes to PhD applications, stuff like life experiences and general comments don't matter very much. I was interested in language all my life because I grew up bilingual, among other things, but I probably spent like a sentence discussing it in my statement of purpose because my adviser told me to cut out that sort of general comments. The rest was about my research experience and interests. I didn't even discuss how my undergrad majors contributed to my experience, since that wasn't concretely reflected in my research projects. Basically almost everything I talked about was research-related stuff I did in my MA. Anything I mentioned having interest in was tied to some project I did (some were less developed than others), so they felt a bit more concrete than just passing interests.

[Drewling]

Thank you very much for your answer. In this year and a half I will try to get more specific ideas and read articles online. The idea of the M.A. is good and I was thinking about it too, but it is expensive unless I get an assistanship or solve my problems in order to be able to work in the US. Nice to hear the point of view of someone who has been in a similar situation.

 

I would recommend applying to MA programs as well. I've encountered people that have a strong undergrad background in linguistics but still go for an MA before a PhD to have even more research experience. If you are serious about studying linguistics at the PhD level then you'd want to have a stronger shot at the best programs out there (like the ones you've mentioned). Also, since your interests don't seem to be super well-defined yet, it would not be good if you end up realizing that you like certain things but the department you end up going to isn't the best place for you. There are definitely many good MA programs out there.

 

I think it's too easy for people to feel that they are familiar with linguistics from having had experiences with language from another field and whatnot (e.g., teaching experience) -- I've been in the same boat, coming from an undergrad background in related fields. After a year in a linguistics MA program I realized that there was so much of the basics about linguistics I didn't know before I started studying linguistics properly. Also, when it comes to PhD applications, stuff like life experiences and general comments don't matter very much. I was interested in language all my life because I grew up bilingual, among other things, but I probably spent like a sentence discussing it in my statement of purpose because my adviser told me to cut out that sort of general comments. The rest was about my research experience and interests. I didn't even discuss how my undergrad majors contributed to my experience, since that wasn't concretely reflected in my research projects. Basically almost everything I talked about was research-related stuff I did in my MA. Anything I mentioned having interest in was tied to some project I did (some were less developed than others), so they felt a bit more concrete than just passing interests.

[xolo]

Hi Drewling, You should stay positive about your prospects. The trick will be a good writing sample that shows capability to do graduate, original research. You also need a similar focus in your SOP. I would certainly include your Italian and American background in the SOP - that is interesting - but try not to sound bitter about your situation. Remember, make it a positive! I had a successful app cycle for fall 2015 and I had some similar challenges as you. If I can do it, surely you can do it.

 

ADD: Have you considered applying to Italian departments that have linguists? (Just an idea)

Edited July 22, 2015 by eyepod

[Ziggyfinish]

Hey Garyon, if you don't mind my asking, how was your profile a bit un-orthodox and how did your "fit" work out? 

I ask because I have a very unorthodox profile and an even more unusual set of research interests and I am struggling to find a way to find a "fit."

 My "fit" with the some of the faculty's current research interests was essential to get in the places I wanted, even if my profile was a bit un-orthodox.

Hey Drewling,

For example, next summer I would like to present a paper about a small community in the region I live in that speaks a mix of Italian and Greek. This dialect / language is also endangered because the number of speakers is dropping. What I want to do is to interview as many speakers as possible, understand how the dialect has changed in recent times, why it is disappearing and analyze with softwares like praat the differences in their vowel system from those of nearby towns and standard Italian.

Preserving languages and documenting them before they vanish is a big field right now and if this is your interest I don't think you'll have too much trouble finding a good "fit" at any number of faculties. I agree with Fuzzylogician that you should broaden the number of schools you apply to. I'm not sure about Stoney Brook but I feel like you can find a closer fit to your interests if you cast a wider net.

Best of luck!

[vonham]

There was a professor who was your student? That seems odd, and if that's what you meant then I'm not sure what you'd expect the LOR to say.

 

If you won't have any research experience until next summer (meaning, I presume, a year from now, well after the application cycle ends and implying that even then you'll only have a couple of months of experience because you'll then have to move to the States to start some program in the Fall), then I think it may be difficult for you to articulate your research interests in an SOP, and for that matter I also think it will be hard for your to define them in the first place and to choose appropriate schools for a PhD. I don't know that saying that your interests are different than they really are just because it's easier to fit your knowledge of languages into the SOP is a good move, especially if you're applying for PhD programs. I don't mean to discourage you, but I think a stronger application comes from someone who really knows what they want to do, and if you haven't had any relevant experience it's hard to see how you can be very sure, and how you can communicate that to others. Since your grades aren't great, you need to stand out in these other ways. Without any experience it's hard to see how your LORs can be very strong or how your SOP can really stand out. In this case, it may be wiser to either apply to MA programs or to wait another year until you can have a stronger application, or alternatively you could of course still try, but adjust your aim and expectations. (And, of course, this seems like a good time to again reiterate my disclaimer that I don't have full knowledge and I could be wrong, so take everything I say with a grain of salt.)

Hi Fuzzylogician, excellent responses as usual. I was wondering if perhaps you (or someone else) can clarify what you mean by "research experience".....does it mean writing an original research paper, like a term paper? Being a research assistant? The reason I ask is that I have two aspects of my BA so far that I think could be considered research experience, but I'm not very clear on what it means, and I'd like to focus on whatever will look better, in my SOP. 

 

1. I've written original research pieces for term papers. Most notably, my seminar paper (like a BA thesis) due in a couple of weeks, on code-switching among the English speaking community in Israel. For this paper I've collected and transcribed over 10 hours of conversation, which gives me a corpus of tens of thousands of words. I've been working on this paper for pretty much 8 months now. It's shaping up to be an amazing paper that will serve as my writing sample, and I know that if the adcom gets to reading it, it will make me a competitive applicant indeed.

On a smaller scale I've designed and implemented an experiment for my experimental phonology class, and wrote a term paper on that. For advanced phonology I also wrote a paper that presented original ideas, albeit to an already existing corpus. Next year pretty much every course I'm taking (loan word phonology, structural and perceptual similarity, multilingualism and language contact in Israel, acoustic phonetics etc etc) requires a term paper that must be an original piece of research, based on either my own data, or a pre-existing corpus. I'll be writing another seminar paper (we have to do two) for the course segmental optimality, and it will be completely different than this paper (I'll be using pre-existing corpus on Scottish Gaelic). 

Each one of these papers requires me to collect, organize, and analyse data meanwhile familiarizing myself with the language I've chosen to study, and with the existing literature. Is this research experience? In that case, don't all BA students have research experience? Or in the states do BA students not write papers in this manner? 

 

2. I'm a research assistant for a very well known professor emeritus in my department. I do absolutely nothing connected to research in this position. Basically I assist her in editing a volume that she's serving as main editor on. And do other odds and ends. I'm so grateful for the opportunity, which usually isn't presented to BA students, and of course she'll be writing me a letter of recommendation, but to try and spin it like this position is "research experience"....well it would mean I'd have to be very crafty in how I word things, if not downright lying. She isn't even involved with any research at the moment (I have the worst timing; she had just finished a project when I joined), so there's not much in the way of research that I can do using this position. Also, her research is more in the field of language acquisition, wherein my focus is more sociolinguistics, language contact, multilingualism. 

 

Anyway I guess my main question is, given the above information, do I have research experience, and what is it? 1 or 2? 

[fuzzylogician]

Research experience means being involved in doing original research. Most undergraduates will not have done anything on their own that leads to a major publication, but you can still be part of the process of formulating a research question, doing a literature review, coming up with a new idea to contribute, choosing a methodology to implement your ideas, perhaps presenting it and/or writing it up in some form or other. A term paper could be such an experience. Often a term paper really means something you put together in a week or two at the end of the semester, and in that case it would be just the very beginnings of saying something original, but if it's a larger scale project or something you'd been developing over a substantial period of time, that would certainly count. Other things you might do is be a research assistant or lab manager, which might expose you to some administrative sides of the job and might have you involved with something that is someone else's idea and project, but still you make some contribution. Things like a lit review would be something you could learn from. If all you did was typesetting of someone's existing manuscript, that's a little less relevant. Still, all is relevant in the sense of showing initiative and seeking opportunities to get involved in research. 

For what you describe, your term paper sounds like a good example of an original project that is relevant. Presumably it taught you about the research process, from how to formulate a question, to data collection, to analysis, to writeup. All are good things to bring up in a SOP. Same goes for your other projects with original contributions (though for a SOP, I'd choose one or two experiences to concentrate on, and I would not spell all these details out for every paper I've ever written). As for your experience as a research assistant, that sounds like it was less productive, so you might discuss it briefly and try and think about what you did learn, perhaps about the behind-the-scenes aspects or what makes a good paper, or any other skill that is relevant to the life of an academic that this experience taught you. If you really can't think of any way that it contributed to your development as a scholar, perhaps it's best to leave it in the CV but not discuss it in the SOP; but it'd be hard to believe that you learned absolutely nothing from it.