Theatre/performance 2016 MA and PhD applicants

[mrbabaee]

I was stupid enough to start another topic without realizing that this topic here is exactly the same!

I'm going to delete that topic, but first, let me just copy my post here:

"have applied for these: Northwestern (ITT), Brown, CUNY The Graduate Center, Maryland-College Park, Indiana-Bloomington, Georgia (UGA), BGSU.

So far, I've been rejected from NW and Brown and been accepted in BGSU. They have offered me a PhD level assistantship which secures 14K for 9 months. Though, I have to deduct the the general fee (which I don't know for now how much it would be). Moreover, they have mentioned that there is a way to waive the non-resident fee. One more thing, I think (though not sure) that they don't offer any health insurance. I've heard that it's a cheap city and you can live off by that money for 9 months, but the summer gap worries me. I'd deeply appreciate any info on this university and city (especially in regard to its financial offer)."

So, what do you think of about BGSU? Can anyone help me with the program's reputation and robustness? What about the city?

[geekerjoy]

I'm not really familiar with the program at BGSU. If you're worried about budgeting, you might want to try to see just generally what apartments run there. I've been casually looking around the places I've applied on sites like zillow or craiglist to get a feel, which might be helpful to ease your nerves, and determine whether it's a viable option or not.

I'm curious, when did you hear back from Brown?

Sorry I couldn't be of more help with BGSU!

[mrbabaee]

4 hours ago, geekerjoy said:

I'm not really familiar with the program at BGSU. If you're worried about budgeting, you might want to try to see just generally what apartments run there. I've been casually looking around the places I've applied on sites like zillow or craiglist to get a feel, which might be helpful to ease your nerves, and determine whether it's a viable option or not.

I'm curious, when did you hear back from Brown?

Sorry I couldn't be of more help with BGSU!

Thank you for the hint friend!

In regard to your question about Brown, I've got the unofficial word. I was talking with Dr. Rebecca Schneider about an article and she was kind enough to mention the committee's decision. But she said it's going to be quiet a while until the official results get public. I knew that Brown is extremely competitive, but it hurt a lot to hear the news! What I (ever) look in theatre and performance studies is heavily related to Dr. Schneider's concentration and I was devastated to know that I missed the chance to study under her supervision.

[geekerjoy]

I completely understand, mrbabaee. Thanks for letting me know!

[talkingscop]

On 8 February 2016 at 8:09 PM, mrbabaee said:

Congrats to talkingscop; rock on pal

 

On 8 February 2016 at 11:18 PM, directeur said:

Congrats talkingscop and mrbabaee!  I've gotten two rejections and am waiting on 6 more.  I keep telling myself no news is good news, but I'm getting antsy.

Belated 'thank yous' to both - it's been a few days since I've been on gradcafe and I'm behind on all my threads 

I'm afraid I can't comment on BGSU, since I myself am an international applicant, so am not on-site, so to speak.

@directeur - I understand completely. I didn't apply to many places (two English, three theatre, according to where seemed the best fit) and so far I have one implied rejection and the request from NW for an interview - which yes, I appreciate it's something - at an unspecified date and time. Other than that there's been nothing (and I haven't heard about the English rejection, I just know all the acceptances etc have already gone out), so I can sympathise about how hard it is not to know anything when others are finding out and preparing for next year, and how difficult it is to keep yourself positive! In case you haven't seen it, there's a thread on here in the waiting it out section called Wine, Wait and Whine where lots of people from all across the disciplines support each other through the process of, well, waiting. They're really lovely people, and although I don't comment often, I find reading the discussion really helpful. I'm sure if you wanted to get involved in that the main contributors would welcome you with open arms 

Here's to all us theatre-types. May we all get our programs of choice next year!

[skw0007]

My department's administrative assistant just told me about this website today, and wow… it's so cathartic to read through and see that others are in similar positions. I'm currently a master's student at Washington University in St. Louis (excellent program in TAPS for anyone looking for a solid AM program…I'd love to chat with anyone about this program). I applied to Berkeley (PS), Minnesota (Theatre Historiography), Northwestern (IPTD), Tufts (Drama), Columbia (Theatre & Drama), NYU (PS), and Brown (TAPS). 

I haven't heard a peep from NYU or Columbia.

I've been accepted into the programs at Berkeley, Tufts, and Minnesota. 

I had a Skype interview with Brown earlier today (unfortunately, I feel like it was the worst interview I've ever done). I interview with Northwestern next week. 

Brown is my number one choice so I'm still holding out hope. Anyone else heard anything from Columbia or NYU?

[TAPS 2016]

Welcome, skw0007!  Congratulations on Berkeley, Tufts, and Minnesota!  Any one of those you're leaning towards more than the other?  Full disclosure: I applied to Minnesota, so I'm partially being nosy for that reason.   Crossing my fingers for you for Brown!

[skw0007]

TAPS 2016, out of those three I really only know that I will not be accepting the offer from Berkeley. I'm waiting to hear back about a fellowship from Minnesota which I'll then weigh against the one I was offered at Tufts, assuming I do not get into Brown or Northwestern (but still sending good vibes to those apps). Minnesota is an amazing program! 

[TAPS 2016]

Sending good vibes to you for all of them!

[mjdances]

 

On 2/15/2016 at 8:33 PM, skw0007 said:

 

I haven't heard a peep from NYU or Columbia.

I've been accepted into the programs at Berkeley, Tufts, and Minnesota. 

I had a Skype interview with Brown earlier today (unfortunately, I feel like it was the worst interview I've ever done). I interview with Northwestern next week. 

Brown is my number one choice so I'm still holding out hope. Anyone else heard anything from Columbia or NYU?

NYU's admissions committee reads PhD applications and deliberates from February 1-March 8. Then they pass their decisions onto Tisch graduate admissions, and then someone will make contact. Unofficially, their decisions are released around the same time as NYU's spring break so that the current MA cohort has a "mourning period" if they were not accepted. NYU's spring break is March 14-20, so I wouldn't even worry about NYU until then. (That's a lie. I will start worrying on March 8.)

I didn't realize that WashU had an MA in TAPS, though! I'm all done with my MA, but I have a soft spot for STL, and I wouldn't mind spending some time there someday.

[Maeterlinck18]

Although I'm only in the application season for MA programs right now, this thread has be very helpful for future reference, if I do ever get far enough to apply for the PhD, so thank you all!

 

On the MA front, heard back good news from both King's London and UPitt, so I'm pretty content. Still waiting to hear back from a few more schools, with an interview upcoming at one of them soon. 

[mrbabaee]

Congratulations skw0007 for those wonderful programs!

Today, I got an email from Indiana University- Bloomington, arranging a SKYPE interview on Friday. Thing is, this is the first time ever that I've been asked for an interview and I don't have the slightest clue what they want to talk about! Can I ask you friends who have experience in interviews to enlighten me in this regard? What are the questions? Should I be prepared for something in particular beforehand?

 

[BipsyBot77]

I am applying for a PhD in theater at a number of places. I've been accepted at 2 places, interviewed at 3. 

Today I was rejected from Brown-- a place where I interviewed. Very sad. 

I have not heard from the following places:

Tufts, UPitt, and Cornell.

I saw that skw0007 has heard from Tufts, and this worries me. Although it says they've received my application, and all other materials are in... I simply never heard from them. I'm not sure what to do...

[directeur]

Welcome, BipsyBot77!  2 acceptances - that's great!  Sorry to hear about Brown though.  

mrbabaee - how did your interview go?  I just heard I have a Skype interview with UCSB tomorrow, and I'm curious as well about what kind of questions I'll be asked.  

 

[LadyZed]

Hi all, I'm glad I found you! Has anyone applied to or heard back from Davis? It's my first choice and I'm in agony waiting! I would love to chat to anyone who applied and swap notes...

I didn't get into Berkeley or ucla but I flunked the gre so I'm not surprised..

 

[mrbabaee]

6 hours ago, directeur said:

Welcome, BipsyBot77!  2 acceptances - that's great!  Sorry to hear about Brown though.  

mrbabaee - how did your interview go?  I just heard I have a Skype interview with UCSB tomorrow, and I'm curious as well about what kind of questions I'll be asked.  

 

To be honest, I think I gave the most awful interview ever!!! I was in lots of pressure (I had a real bad day) and made a big mistake: wrote down my answers (to probable questions)!!! Although I was completely right about the questions, the whole interview got an awkward taste (at least, for me). They asked two questions:

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and research interests.

2. Why did you choose our university?

Then, they let me to ask any questions in regard to the program, the university and the city. They continued by elaborating on funding details.

One thing just kept my heart warm during the event and that was how calm and kind my interviewers were; they understood my stress and made some jokes to comfort me. They were completely honest in their answers and treated me like I'm already their student.

So, to sum up: Think on your answers, but not too much. Just try to have a friendly chat and know that even for being considered for an interview, it puts you on the top of dozens of applicants. You are halfway there buddy and I wish you the greatest interview ever!

BTW fellas, can anyone help me in regard to my choice between BGSU and Indiana? Although, I don't think I can get an offer from Indiana, but given the odds, it's better to have a comparison beforehand. I know that the program in Indiana is rooted in history and literature (two things that I like the least!!!), while BGSU is more performance theory-related (which I dig the most!). On the other hand, Indiana is (greatly) more recognized university (but I couldn't find any review in regard to their theatre program).

I've found this website useful for its ranking in theatre and performance studies:

http://www.phds.org/rankings/theater

It has given BGSU a quiet decent rank (higher than Tufts, CUNY The Graduate Center, Georgia, and even Minnesota). But, since I'm not from the states, I cannot attest to its precision. So, yeah, I appreciate it if anybody can shed a light on my dilemma! 

Cheers (and sorry for the long post).

[BipsyBot77]

Has anyone applied to, or heard anything from Cornell or UPitt?

I emailed Tufts and they said they had not yet made decisions... which seems odd because someone a few posts up said he got in. I'm guessing this means I'm on some kind of waiting list??

 

[directeur]

On 2/29/2016 at 2:48 PM, mrbabaee said:

To be honest, I think I gave the most awful interview ever!!! I was in lots of pressure (I had a real bad day) and made a big mistake: wrote down my answers (to probable questions)!!! Although I was completely right about the questions, the whole interview got an awkward taste (at least, for me). They asked two questions:

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and research interests.

2. Why did you choose our university?

Then, they let me to ask any questions in regard to the program, the university and the city. They continued by elaborating on funding details.

One thing just kept my heart warm during the event and that was how calm and kind my interviewers were; they understood my stress and made some jokes to comfort me. They were completely honest in their answers and treated me like I'm already their student.

So, to sum up: Think on your answers, but not too much. Just try to have a friendly chat and know that even for being considered for an interview, it puts you on the top of dozens of applicants. You are halfway there buddy and I wish you the greatest interview ever!

BTW fellas, can anyone help me in regard to my choice between BGSU and Indiana? Although, I don't think I can get an offer from Indiana, but given the odds, it's better to have a comparison beforehand. I know that the program in Indiana is rooted in history and literature (two things that I like the least!!!), while BGSU is more performance theory-related (which I dig the most!). On the other hand, Indiana is (greatly) more recognized university (but I couldn't find any review in regard to their theatre program).

I've found this website useful for its ranking in theatre and performance studies:

http://www.phds.org/rankings/theater

It has given BGSU a quiet decent rank (higher than Tufts, CUNY The Graduate Center, Georgia, and even Minnesota). But, since I'm not from the states, I cannot attest to its precision. So, yeah, I appreciate it if anybody can shed a light on my dilemma! 

Cheers (and sorry for the long post).

Thanks for the interview info; sorry yours didn't go better!  You never know though - I bet it went better than you thought.  I don't know much about BGSU, but I have a friend who attended the directing program at Indiana and really loved it.  He said the faculty were great to work with.

[Shakesqueer]

Hi all,

Longtime lurker here.I wanted to make an account to respond to BipsyBot77's question about Cornell.

I was accepted to Cornell in early February. While I can't say for certain, I get the sense that all acceptances have gone out. I have no idea about a waitlist. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings for you. I hope you have great news from Upitt and Tufts to make up for it!

In other news, I can also claim an acceptance from UT's Performance as Public Practice program and rejections from Berkeley, Stanford, and Brown.

Keep hoping and dreaming all, I hope good news is awaiting each of you.

[ThePandaBard]

Has anyone heard from Northwestern yet? I know one person was playing phone tag as far as a phone interview went, but I've seen no other news.

[talkingscop]

48 minutes ago, ThePandaBard said:

Has anyone heard from Northwestern yet? I know one person was playing phone tag as far as a phone interview went, but I've seen no other news.

I can only speak for the IPTD program (not Performance Studies) but I had a couple of interviews for it just over a week ago. I was told by a faculty member that he believed that the adcom was meeting to discuss final choices this week, but as always plans can change.

Edited March 3, 2016 by talkingscop

[ThePandaBard]

4 hours ago, talkingscop said:

I can only speak for the IPTD program (not Performance Studies) but I had a couple of interviews for it just over a week ago. I was told by a faculty member that he believed that the adcom was meeting to discuss final choices this week, but as always plans can change.

Thank you! I should have been more specific: I am interested in the Performance Studies PhD within the communications department. But you were super informative nonetheless :-).

[skw0007]

5 hours ago, talkingscop said:

I can only speak for the IPTD program (not Performance Studies) but I had a couple of interviews for it just over a week ago. I was told by a faculty member that he believed that the adcom was meeting to discuss final choices this week, but as always plans can change.

Hey how was the interview/prospectives weekend? I got invited by the IPTD program but I was giving a paper at a conference that weekend and couldn't make it. I interviewed on skype. They seemed really great for what little time I did get to speak with them (~1 hour). How many folks did they invite that weekend?

[talkingscop]

9 hours ago, skw0007 said:

Hey how was the interview/prospectives weekend? I got invited by the IPTD program but I was giving a paper at a conference that weekend and couldn't make it. I interviewed on skype. They seemed really great for what little time I did get to speak with them (~1 hour). How many folks did they invite that weekend?

I'm afraid I can't tell you - I'm in the UK so I also Skyped! And they did seem great. Fingers crossed for both of us 

[skw0007]

On March 4, 2016 at 3:13 AM, talkingscop said:

I'm afraid I can't tell you - I'm in the UK so I also Skyped! And they did seem great. Fingers crossed for both of us 

I heard from Harvey Young a couple of days ago. I was accepted into the IPTD at northwestern (pending approval of the dean.  I hope you got similar good news!

Finally heard back from Columbia--rejected. Was also recently rejected from Brown after interviewing with them. 

So even though I am still waiting to hear back from NYU, I am very happy with the options that I have: Berkeley, Minnesota, Tufts, and Northwestern. If anybody has any info they want to share about these programs id love to read it.