Applying for Fall 2017

[PhDavid]

All music fields and degrees welcome! There was a great thread for this last year and I wanted to get one started for this year (there is one already but it is targeted towards MA only).

Applications in? Heard anything yet?

I just submitted my last application yesterday (music theory) and have already been rejected by two schools.

[unitstructures]

Hey PhDavid! Glad you started this thread. I've submitted to nine PhD programs in musicology. Already heard back from one school which was surprising and delightful. Procrastinating on the tenth app by reading everything written by their ethno and jazz faculty available online before finishing the last damn sop. Bummer about your rejections. Was it to Indiana and Eastman? I heard they are ultra, super, impossibly competitive. Hope this torturing process results in at least a bite of fruit in the best or any form. Wish you all the best in the next weeks!

 

[PhDavid]

Wow good for you on hearing back so soon! That must be nice. 

Yes, I was rejected from Eastman and Jacobs. It appears from the results page that I wasn't the only one. I honestly expected these rejections but it's just hard to actually get rejected. It's made me wonder if I overshot with all of my applications.... oh well, still have plenty more to hear from. 

[quasifaust]

Hi all, I applied to musicology PhD programs as well - nice to find others in the same boat.  I kept my list fairly short and applied to four schools.  Haven't heard from anywhere yet, but not really expecting anything before next month.  Lots of anxiety until then!  Good luck to everyone.

[tray]

Hiii, yup: Musicology here, too.  I applied to three schools, so I kind of expect to have to do next year's cycle, as well.  I dunno..we'll see.  The waiting, though, is really bumming me out.  

Best of luck all around.

[PhDavid]

Hey! Good to see more people here!

Wow, you are both very brave with those short lists. I applied to a ton of schools and I am still considering adding a few more. 

I did finally have some good news though; I was invited for a Skype interview with a school next week.

[musiklehrer]

I applied to seven schools for conducting: FSU, UMich, Indiana, Columbus State, Michigan State, UT Austin, and UMemphis.

I have absolutely no chance at any of them, but what the hell. 

[tammtam]

Wow they were quick--Eastman and Indiana. I actually missed those schools with a lot of other schools too--haven't really thought about them since I have switched my major from piano(BA and MA) to musicology for phd degree. I was a fool. My earliest applications were due Dec 1st last year but since I haven't got a note! (oh except those auto-mails) IT IS DRIVING ME MAD. I just so painfully agree with you having friends saying you must enjoy your emancipation from those applications now they are all closed and left your hands--they are never in my shoes. I have applied too much schools so it would take at least two solid hours to check all the status so I am restraining myself. I just want to ask: have you or do you think you would get an interview offer from schools? There were none like that on their webpages but since I am an international applicant........... There are just no enough fingers to keep crossed anymore--ten fingers are always not enough from playing piano to everything--they have made so much mistakes in my SOP and CV and... anyhow now I have generated my new latest worry--what if, what if I get an offer for the interview? What to say what to prepare?!

Edited January 16, 2017 by tammtam

[tray]

On 1/3/2017 at 4:37 PM, unitstructures said:

Hey PhDavid! Glad you started this thread. I've submitted to nine PhD programs in musicology. Already heard back from one school which was surprising and delightful. Procrastinating on the tenth app by reading everything written by their ethno and jazz faculty available online before finishing the last damn sop. Bummer about your rejections. Was it to Indiana and Eastman? I heard they are ultra, super, impossibly competitive. Hope this torturing process results in at least a bite of fruit in the best or any form. Wish you all the best in the next weeks!

 

Hey unitstructures, which school did you hear back from?

 

[unitstructures]

2 hours ago, tray said:

Hey unitstructures, which school did you hear back from?

 

UNT. So far that's it except for an interview at CUNY. Which three schools did you apply to?

[tray]

1 hour ago, unitstructures said:

UNT. So far that's it except for an interview at CUNY. Which three schools did you apply to?

Duke, McGill, University of Toronto.  I haven't heard anything from them, yet. 

[tray]

1 hour ago, unitstructures said:

UNT. So far that's it except for an interview at CUNY. Which three schools did you apply to?

Also, congrats on your good news!  A friend of mine is at Stony Brook and is having a wonderful experience.

[PhDavid]

1 hour ago, tray said:

Also, congrats on your good news!  A friend of mine is at Stony Brook and is having a wonderful experience.

Isn't Stony Brook a part of the SUNY system and not the CUNY system? I assume unitstructures means The Graduate Center of CUNY. 

[tray]

29 minutes ago, PhDavid said:

Isn't Stony Brook a part of the SUNY system and not the CUNY system? I assume unitstructures means The Graduate Center of CUNY. 

Oh, maybe!  I didn't apply to either (and really only researched Stony Brook).  That would have been an embarrassing mistake, though, surely I'd have worked it out before applying.

[unitstructures]

4 minutes ago, tray said:

Oh, maybe!  I didn't apply to either (and really only researched Stony Brook).  That would have been an embarrassing mistake, though, surely I'd have worked it out before applying.

 

Thank you, tray! The interview is with The Graduate Center at the City University of New York.

I also applied to Duke. Did you see that they extended the deadline? That probably means more waiting for us.

[tray]

2 minutes ago, unitstructures said:

Thank you, tray! The interview is with The Graduate Center at the City University of New York.

I also applied to Duke. Did you see that they extended the deadline? That probably means more waiting for us.

Surely, but it also kind of makes me think that they aren't, like, swimming in applications.

[unitstructures]

They get around fifty a year.

https://gradschool.duke.edu/about/statistics/music-phd-admissions-and-enrollment-statistics

[HelloThisIsDog]

Best of luck to everyone applying!

Remember, if this is what you want to do, the first round of rejections mean nothing. I got rejected from all 8 places the first time I applied to grad school. I learned a lot from that (both what I want, and what programs want from me) and the second time around was the charm.

[tray]

20 hours ago, unitstructures said:

They get around fifty a year.

https://gradschool.duke.edu/about/statistics/music-phd-admissions-and-enrollment-statistics

Yup, have seen those.  I wouldn't be surprised if the volume of applications is lower than expected, though.  We'll see!

Do you have a professor-of-interest at Duke?

[unitstructures]

Tray, I applied to Duke because of Paul Berliner. Do you know anything about their funding situation? It doesn't look like an admit means automatic fellowship.

Does anybody know anybody who got an interview invite from Northwestern? Their website says they send them out in early Jan. at the latest. 

[tray]

18 minutes ago, unitstructures said:

Tray, I applied to Duke because of Paul Berliner. Do you know anything about their funding situation? It doesn't look like an admit means automatic fellowship.

Does anybody know anybody who got an interview invite from Northwestern? Their website says they send them out in early Jan. at the latest. 

It looks pretty well-funded! From the Duke Music website:  "There are multiple ways for students to receive or earn support for their graduate studies. At this time all entering students receive financial aid, which normally is maintained for five years (subject to certain conditions, such as satisfactory progress toward the degree). After the first year, graduate assistantships will be substituted for fellowship aid."

So I assume the funding offers vary from student to student, but everyone gets some!  Where did you see contradictory information?

I can't comment on Northwestern.

[unitstructures]

Below that it says "first year students usually hold fellowship." It's the "usually" that caught my attention. 

[PhDavid]

3 hours ago, unitstructures said:

 

Does anybody know anybody who got an interview invite from Northwestern? Their website says they send them out in early Jan. at the latest. 

I haven't heard a peep from northwestern. I didn't even know they did interviews. Is it a policy for all accepted students or is it just random? I saw somewhere that they only accept two students into the theory/cognition program every year.... 

[hiroshiman]

Northwestern usually flies in 4 finalists each from music theory, musicology, and music ed. to campus for a 3 day interview/orientation weekend in early February. 2 spots for each program, give or take.

[HoorayforMusic]

On 1/19/2017 at 5:17 PM, tray said:

It looks pretty well-funded! From the Duke Music website:  "There are multiple ways for students to receive or earn support for their graduate studies. At this time all entering students receive financial aid, which normally is maintained for five years (subject to certain conditions, such as satisfactory progress toward the degree). After the first year, graduate assistantships will be substituted for fellowship aid."

So I assume the funding offers vary from student to student, but everyone gets some!  Where did you see contradictory information?

I can't comment on Northwestern.

Hi Unitstructures,

I just stumbled back onto the forums, and I'd be happy to answer any questions you (or anyone else) may have about Duke as I'm currently a musicology student there. Regarding the funding issue, Tray has it right. My cohort is all generously funded, and you have no TA responsibilities your first year, so you're on fellowship; duties start in year two. The amount of funding doesn't change, only the places it comes from.  

Also, Paul Berliner is emeritus now, but there is an active search to fill the vacancy. If there's anything else anybody would like to know, please feel free to get in touch.