Fall 2017 PhD Thread

[OmarComin']

My suggestion would be to check our airbnb.com.  I ALWAYS use AirBNB when I travel.  It's much cheaper and usually much better than booking a hotel room.

[RoadtoPhD]

I won't be going this year but can't wait until the wait is over and we all find out where we're going. Good luck to everyone!!

[PhDorBUST]

@OmarComin' I'm staying with airbnb for the first time next week in NOLA, 10th-15th it was MUCH cheaper than a hotel so I'm excited to see how it goes. You're right, I should look into prices in KC. MI, right?

 

I wish everyone best of luck (on programs I didn't apply to)!!! 

[AspiringScholar17]

@OmarComin'@PhDorBUST I usually also do AirBnB, but I heard the hotels for ACJS are booked 7 years in advance, so they get rates that were contracted 7 years back; hence, making them more affordable. The guest hotel was only $199 a night -- I say "only" because the hotel rooms for other conferences are way over $250/night.

I am staying with a colleague of mine at ACJS, because God knows us students can't even afford $199/night on our own -- after all, there is alcohol money to consider into our budget

If anyone is indeed attending, let's legitimately plan a few hours within the conference dates to touch base and meet up. It would definitely be cool to see the people we've been supporting and encouraging. I know for a fact, you've all been quite supportive to me. ALSO, if we do know which schools we'll be attending by then, it would be nice to sit down and chat about potential living accommodations for the upcoming PhD semester -- hopefully we all get in to a program!

Just to check again, I think some of the common schools that we all applied to were Cincinnati, Northeastern, and MSU?
I can't wait for the wait to end. Cheers to that, anyone?

[RoadtoPhD]

15 minutes ago, AspiringScholar17 said:

@OmarComin'@PhDorBUST I usually also do AirBnB, but I heard the hotels for ACJS are booked 7 years in advance, so they get rates that were contracted 7 years back; hence, making them more affordable. The guest hotel was only $199 a night -- I say "only" because the hotel rooms for other conferences are way over $250/night.

I am staying with a colleague of mine at ACJS, because God knows us students can't even afford $199/night on our own -- after all, there is alcohol money to consider into our budget

If anyone is indeed attending, let's legitimately plan a few hours within the conference dates to touch base and meet up. It would definitely be cool to see the people we've been supporting and encouraging. I know for a fact, you've all been quite supportive to me. ALSO, if we do know which schools we'll be attending by then, it would be nice to sit down and chat about potential living accommodations for the upcoming PhD semester -- hopefully we all get in to a program!

Just to check again, I think some of the common schools that we all applied to were Cincinnati, Northeastern, and MSU?
I can't wait for the wait to end. Cheers to that, anyone?

Wish I could be going! My mutual schools are cincinatti and northeastern from that list. Also applied to temple, Dallas, FSU and UIC. Might have applied to one or two too many ?

[smcg]

On January 4, 2017 at 10:08 PM, PhDorBUST said:

@smcg I won't know if I am going for a WHILE so if you decide or wanna book a room through booking.com where we can cancel for free and pay when we get there, just in case we end up going, I'm totally down for sharing a room. I'm gonna need to know some stuff about you though, like are you a serial killer and generally what temperature do you like the room to be? LOL the important things, right?

Serial Killer? No... not "serial." Cereal killer, maybe. And I like things cold. I'll have to look into it, but I think ACJS members get a discounted room rate.

 

[PhDorBUST]

@smcg love it, just needed to make sure you aren't one of those monsters that turn the temperature to 80 degrees in a hotel room.

@AspiringScholar17 @RoadtoPhD My commons are cincy, FSU, and UIC if you mean University of Illinois at Chicago Criminology Law and Justice. I know UIC is also UC-Irvine so just being thorough.

Also, I just got an unofficial acceptance from FSU, official to follow according to program director. First one!!

[RoadtoPhD]

2 hours ago, PhDorBUST said:

@smcg love it, just needed to make sure you aren't one of those monsters that turn the temperature to 80 degrees in a hotel room.

@AspiringScholar17 @RoadtoPhD My commons are cincy, FSU, and UIC if you mean University of Illinois at Chicago Criminology Law and Justice. I know UIC is also UC-Irvine so just being thorough.

Also, I just got an unofficial acceptance from FSU, official to follow according to program director. First one!!

Congrats!!! Did my undergrad there and can confidently say it's amazing there. My application is still incomplete because apparently one of my transcripts never went through -__- but yes Chicago is the one I applied to

[Ilspflouz]

Hi everyone! 
I'm new to this thread, and just wanted to say hello. :-)

I've applied to MSU, UCincinnati, and SUNY-Albany. Congrats to all of you who have already been accepted! & to those of you who have finished your applications already! I still have to complete 2 of my 3 apps.

This is my second time applying to doctoral programs. Last time was mostly to PhDs in forensic psychology, and it was unfortunately not very fruitful. I ended up doing my MS in CJ instead, and now I'm applying to PhD programs in CJ. Much better fit for me, so here's hoping this app cycle goes better! 

I saw some people were asking questions about MSU's application/interview process. I did my master's there - here's answers I have to some of the q's I saw on the previous pages in this thread: 

1) I don't believe they do interviews before accepting on a regular basis. Previously they sent out acceptances and then did an invite weekend where accepted doctoral students could come see the campus if they wanted to.

2) Last year they sent out acceptances & invites in early Feb & I think accepted around 12-15 people with the idea that about 6-8 would agree to attend. They have a new graduate director and the rumor is they are trying to expand the PhD program. Last year that meant more acceptances than in the years prior - so this could be good news for us! However, their pool of applicants is also growing. :-/ 

3) The graduate secretary and graduate director at MSU are two amazing and extremely nice people. If you have any questions seriously don't hesitate to contact them and I'm sure they will be helpful.

4) The invite weekend is multiple days. It consists of attending informational sessions, meeting faculty and doctoral students, & attending social outings. 

Anyone have any information about SUNY Albany and their interview/app process? Good luck everyone!!!!! We got this!!!!! Don't let the waiting get you down!

Edited January 8, 2017 by HerbieLove

[Ilspflouz]

On 1/5/2017 at 7:56 PM, PhDorBUST said:

@OmarComin' I'm staying with airbnb for the first time next week in NOLA, 10th-15th it was MUCH cheaper than a hotel so I'm excited to see how it goes. You're right, I should look into prices in KC. MI, right?

Kansas City, Missouri (MO). I'm also going to ACJS and have not found anything on airbnb that was any cheaper than the hotels unfortunately. The conference is in the "financial district" of the city so maybe it's just an expensive area? :-/ Here is a listing for what I found as the cheapest hotel in the area for the ACJS conference: check it out! It's $77 a night and is a 10 minute drive from the conference hotel or ~20 mins by bus.

You could uber it if you don't drive there to do that hotel? Or if you just go for a few nights, it could potentially work? In terms of cheap flights, I found a spirit flight for $59 for my area. Ended up being $160 round trip with fees. Worth a look! Good luck!

[Brooke2016]

Just got my first unofficial acceptance! Now the stress of waiting to hear about funding... it never ends!

However, I have to assume if they accepted me this quickly (I assume first round) then I must be on the list for funding.

[AspiringScholar17]

@PhDorBUST FIRST OF ALL, CONGRATS FOR GETTING ACCEPTED INTO FSU!! WOOHOO! You can breathe a little bit easier now knowing that you have a place somewhere come September! : D
@HerbieLove As for info on MSU, thank you for that! It is definitely comforting knowing some of the in and outs of these application processes! Hope you get in your applications soon and hear fruitful news !

 

@Brooke2016 Congrats to you too! Do you mind me asking what school you got admitted into? And YES, I assume you are in line for some decent funding given the time and date of your acceptance!

Here I am, waiting for Cincinnati, NE, and MSU to somehow fast-track time and let me in on their phd good news, haha. I have a month to wait, but I guess I'll keep myself busy by doing work! I have not heard much and/or read much about Northeastern in these forums...I wonder if its a difficult program to get into compared to the others :|

[Ilspflouz]

@Brooke2016 @PhDorBUST Congrats on the acceptances!!!!!! Wahoooo!!!!!! Isn't it nice to see all the hard work pay off? ;-)

@AspiringScholar17 Thank you! Crossing my fingers you hear good news as well! Also I'm wondering the same thing about Northeastern. I don't think they're harder than Cincy to get into from what I've heard at least, not sure about MSU. Got my apps in so I'm in the same boat as you now, & I hear you, the waiting suuuuuucks. Last time I applied to 13 programs (idk what the hell i was thinking) They started being due in December and I didn't hear back from some until late March. It was ridiculous. I'm hoping this time around the waiting is at least slightly shorter. :-/

 

 

 

 

[Brooke2016]

9 hours ago, AspiringScholar17 said:

 

@Brooke2016 Congrats to you too! Do you mind me asking what school you got admitted into? And YES, I assume you are in line for some decent funding given the time and date of your acceptance!

Thanks. For now, I'd like to keep to myself what school it was. But what I can is that it isn't any of the schools that you are waiting on.

 

4 hours ago, HerbieLove said:

@Brooke2016 @PhDorBUST Congrats on the acceptances!!!!!! Wahoooo!!!!!! Isn't it nice to see all the hard work pay off? ;-)

Thanks.

@AspiringScholar17 Thank you! Crossing my fingers you hear good news as well! Also I'm wondering the same thing about Northeastern. I don't think they're harder than Cincy to get into from what I've heard at least, not sure about MSU. Got my apps in so I'm in the same boat as you now, & I hear you, the waiting suuuuuucks. Last time I applied to 13 programs (idk what the hell i was thinking) They started being due in December and I didn't hear back from some until late March. It was ridiculous. I'm hoping this time around the waiting is at least slightly shorter. :-/

Cincinnati is much more difficult to get into than Northeastern. That's nit to say NE is not a great school, but I've heard Cincinnati is a bear. Keep your chin up. 

 

 

 

 

 

[aml149]

@PhDorBUST & @Brooke2016 Congrats to you both on your acceptances! 

All three of my applications are due tomorrow; my part is done and has been for awhile, but one of my recommenders is dragging her feet so I'm getting anxious! 

I ended up applying to Cincinnati, MSU, and Nebraska at Omaha. My mentor, who is a Cincinnati alum, was there last week and they told her acceptances should be sent out by the end of January (don't know if that eases or intensifies the nerves!!). Based on the results search here, MSU generally sends out acceptances at the end of January/beginning of February, too. This waiting game is awful!! I just want us all to go where we want  

[PhDorBUST]

On 1/8/2017 at 3:35 PM, Brooke2016 said:

Just got my first unofficial acceptance! Now the stress of waiting to hear about funding... it never ends!

However, I have to assume if they accepted me this quickly (I assume first round) then I must be on the list for funding.

Hey @Brooke2016 why are you hesitant to share which program, if I may ask?

Can you at least tell me if it was Cincy or UI-Chicago

[Brooke2016]

48 minutes ago, PhDorBUST said:

Hey @Brooke2016 why are you hesitant to share which program, if I may ask?

Can you at least tell me if it was Cincy or UI-Chicago

I'm only hesitant to say because it is so early in the admissions process; most schools haven't even reached their application deadlines. You never know who is lurking in forums such as this. Thus, naming a school outright pretty much identifies you to any graduate director, admissions committee member or grad school admissions officer - or at least narrows down the field. This process is competitive. One misstep in words can cause an unofficial acceptance to become an official rejection. I don't plan on saying anything wrong, but you never know!

 

I will tell you that it was not either of those schools.

[AspiringScholar17]

Regardless of where it was, Im super happy for all of those that got in! Kudos do you all! You are all well deserving of a spot -- let's hope some of us also get placements to schools. 

It seems like Cincy is a common school among many of us --competition is bound to be tight. May the best few win! 

Im still debaing where the best fit for me would be. Should I pick the school that i have the best fit w in terms of faculty, the school reputation, or the location and funding package? 

 

[aml149]

@AspiringScholar17 I think it seems natural that so many of us would be applying to similar schools (including Cincy). Remember, we could all very well be offered acceptance to any of these schools! It's something like 40-50 apply and 15-20 are offered acceptance. I have so much faith that each and every one of us will end up at  the program we are supposed to be in (...assuming I get into SOMEwhere ;)). I think at the end of the day, you choose the best funding that also seems to be the best fit, wherever it may be.

I chose the risky move of only applying to three schools. I had to be strategic about where I applied, because I could only afford to apply to a few and my boyfriend will be moving with me, so I had to keep him in mind (I'll admit - he's the only reason I didn't apply to a few places, such as UMSL and Northeastern). I am still a bit worried that I may have shot myself in the foot by not applying to more. Regardless, I hope the best for you all - we could all easily get in where we want without taking spots away from each other. I wish you all well during these next few weeks especially, Xx

[RoadtoPhD]

7 hours ago, aml149 said:

@AspiringScholar17 I think it seems natural that so many of us would be applying to similar schools (including Cincy). Remember, we could all very well be offered acceptance to any of these schools! It's something like 40-50 apply and 15-20 are offered acceptance. I have so much faith that each and every one of us will end up at  the program we are supposed to be in (...assuming I get into SOMEwhere ;)). I think at the end of the day, you choose the best funding that also seems to be the best fit, wherever it may be.

I chose the risky move of only applying to three schools. I had to be strategic about where I applied, because I could only afford to apply to a few and my boyfriend will be moving with me, so I had to keep him in mind (I'll admit - he's the only reason I didn't apply to a few places, such as UMSL and Northeastern). I am still a bit worried that I may have shot myself in the foot by not applying to more. Regardless, I hope the best for you all - we could all easily get in where we want without taking spots away from each other. I wish you all well during these next few weeks especially, Xx

I'm on the same boat! My boyfriend is moving with me wherever I go too. I went the opposite route and applied to a lot of schools (around 6) with the hopes to find the best fit for both of us.

@AspiringScholar17 I would also chose fit and faculty over reputation. At the end of the day, if you're doing research you're passionate about you're bound to work harder and do more! Reputation of a school is a foot in the door but it's not a replacement for the work you put in which will stand out wherever you go and with a good mentor by your side in my opinion! 

[smcg]

Hey PhDorBUST, I sent you a DM. I'm not sure if you saw the notification?

[AspiringScholar17]

Hmmm, yes! Thank you for your advice -- I agree, fit and funding is most important!

I applied to 5 places myself. All I need is 1, so here's to hoping for the best fit!

 

[fall2016applicant]

On 1/8/2017 at 9:54 PM, AspiringScholar17 said:

@PhDorBUST FIRST OF ALL, CONGRATS FOR GETTING ACCEPTED INTO FSU!! WOOHOO! You can breathe a little bit easier now knowing that you have a place somewhere come September! : D
@HerbieLove As for info on MSU, thank you for that! It is definitely comforting knowing some of the in and outs of these application processes! Hope you get in your applications soon and hear fruitful news !

 

@Brooke2016 Congrats to you too! Do you mind me asking what school you got admitted into? And YES, I assume you are in line for some decent funding given the time and date of your acceptance!

Here I am, waiting for Cincinnati, NE, and MSU to somehow fast-track time and let me in on their phd good news, haha. I have a month to wait, but I guess I'll keep myself busy by doing work! I have not heard much and/or read much about Northeastern in these forums...I wonder if its a difficult program to get into compared to the others :|

I don't know how to evaluate whether or not Northeastern is hard to get into, but I can give you some background info.

If I'm remembering correctly, they told us there were about 100 applicants last cycle. They selected 12 applicants to come out for an interview weekend (though they won't call it that). The description of the MSU interview earlier in this thread is consistent with my experience at NEU. Of those they accept 6, and then the remaining 6 were put on the waitlist.

I think that at the interview stage it's more about fit than anything. I know people who got into places like Cincinnati and Maryland who weren't accepted to Northeastern. 

On the bright side, turn around on apps should be pretty quick. Visiting week is in late February I hear.

[OptimiscallyAnxious]

I noticed on UC Irvine's website that the interview days are January 26 & 27. I was just wondering if anyone has been extended an invitation or heard from them?

[AspiringScholar17]

@fall2016applicant Thank you for your insights about NEU! Yes, I assume that applicants will hear back sometime in late Jan/early feb! How was the interview process? What kind of things do they ask -- that is, if you know and are willing to share some common insight : )

 

@OptimiscallyAnxious woah! That's relatively soon...I recently got an email from UCI saying that my application is being reviewed, but nothing close to an invitation for an interview -- it was more of a "thank you for applying" and "we are evaluating applicants now" email. A general email to say the least. Given the interview dates, I expect the school to get back to its prospective students by the end of next week? Hopefully sooner...

Is Irvine's interview process also an interview weekend like NE where they cut the prospective students down to a few after the interviews? And does anyone know if they pay for the flight there? Accommodations? Or is that out of pocket?