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Posted

I will be applying to Masters and PhD programs in geography this fall. Would like to focus on critical/Marxist geography under a human/cultural geography program. Dream school is PhD at UVic, BC. Undergrad in History. 

Posted

Physical Geography and Climatology based here. Mainly looking at UNC, Penn State, Colorado, and Oregon State.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

 Economic/Environmental Geography, Cartography, Multispecies Ethnography, Law.  Wisconsin - Madison, UCLA,  University of New Mexico.

BA Geography. UC Berkeley '15

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Have you all reached out to faculty at each of your prospective schools?

  • 2 months later...
Posted

Hey @syza, there's a really good resource here that I liked- he tends to update it every year too which is awesome!

 http://www.justinholman.com/2017/07/27/2017-geography-graduate-program-rankings/

I'm not sure if I'll put an application in this cycle just yet, I might leave it a year to gain a bit more experience or pick up a MSc in the UK. Good luck to all of you who apply this time around- may luck be on your side! 

  • 1 month later...
Posted

Maybe the QS ranking will be of help?

https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2017/geography

Based on QS, the Top 20 in the US  are the following:

UC Berkeley
UCLA
University of Washington
University of Wisconsin-Madison
University of Chicago
University of Minnesota
Ohio State
UNC, Chapel Hill
Arizona State
Penn State
CUNY
Clark
Indiana University Bloomington
Michigan State
UC Davis
UC Santa Barbara
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Boston University
Dartmouth

 

 

  • 2 months later...
  • 1 month later...
Posted (edited)

Undergrad Institution: Medium-Large State School (decent program but not particularly well-known)
Major(s): BS Geography (GIS Concentration)
GPA in Major: 3.8
Overall GPA: 3.7
Position in Class: Not sure - Dean's List & Chancellor's list a few semesters
Type of Student: US Male

Research: Social Demographics impacting Life Expectancy in the City of Baltimore

Professional experience: 

GIS internship at a local municipality

Planning Director/GIS Coordinator for a small town

GRE Scores: Average quant, strong lit, good writing

Applied to:

University of Idaho - MS dendrochronology/fire ecology

Penn State - MS pyrogeography/GIS

UNC Chapel Hill - PhD medical geography / landscape epidemiology

Appalachian State University - MS Hydrology

I haven't heard back from anyone yet but am not yet too worried but am anxious to hear back. I keep seeing people posting about numerous applications (I can't believe how expensive that is). I just hope to get into one of the programs I'm applying to. I've had good interactions with POIs at all the places I've applied. I have pretty diverse experience within the field of geography but am a bit nervous that my research experience doesn't specifically line up with my interests relating to fire ecology and surface hydrology. Anyone else concerned about relevant research experience or think it much matters?

 

Edited by Shnoztastic
Posted

Hello everyone! I'm such an average person compared to all of you! I'm literally so nervous about grad school I want to puke. My professors told me that I have a fair shot but looking at everyone else I don't think I'm nearly as qualified.

Degrees: BA in geography & BS in Secondary Education with Social Studies Certification (I am licensed to teach social studies grades 5-12)

School: Small state school that is known for education, not so much geography, but has some "diamond-in-the-rough" professors in the department.

GPA: 3.65 cumulative (I'm pretty proud of myself to achieve 2 degrees in 4 years with honors)

GRE: pssshhhh so bad but decent on the writing portion

I am a white female if that helps idk.

 

My research interests include Asia Pacific, Japan, Korea, refugees, conflict, genocide, world systems theory, exploitation, and international political economy. I also am going to learn Japanese along the way.

 

I applied to University of Hawa'ii Manoa, UNC Chapel Hill, University of Arizona, and Clark University. I also applied for the East-West Center Fellowship at UHM which is a suuuupppeeerrr long shot but I figured I should just go big or go home. I mean, if I don't get into grad school I can still teach, but I am so passionate about critical human geography and would love to research in Asia/Pacific Islands. I like to think that my recommendations will really help me overcome my lacking test scores. This is my first post so I hope this helps? Idk I'm just trying to not have a cow :):):) 

Posted
19 hours ago, Shnoztastic said:

Undergrad Institution: Medium-Large State School (decent program but not particularly well-known)
Major(s): BS Geography (GIS Concentration)
GPA in Major: 3.8
Overall GPA: 3.7
Position in Class: Not sure - Dean's List & Chancellor's list a few semesters
Type of Student: US Male

Research: Social Demographics impacting Life Expectancy in the City of Baltimore

Professional experience: 

GIS internship at a local municipality

Planning Director/GIS Coordinator for a small town

GRE Scores: Average quant, strong lit, good writing

Applied to:

University of Idaho - MS dendrochronology/fire ecology

Penn State - MS pyrogeography/GIS

UNC Chapel Hill - PhD medical geography / landscape epidemiology

Appalachian State University - MS Hydrology

I haven't heard back from anyone yet but am not yet too worried but am anxious to hear back. I keep seeing people posting about numerous applications (I can't believe how expensive that is). I just hope to get into one of the programs I'm applying to. I've had good interactions with POIs at all the places I've applied. I have pretty diverse experience within the field of geography but am a bit nervous that my research experience doesn't specifically line up with my interests relating to fire ecology and surface hydrology. Anyone else concerned about relevant research experience or think it much matters?

 

Happy to provide feedback for you on App State. I really enjoyed my experience there. 

Posted

Major(s): MA Geography
GPA in Major: 4.0
Overall GPA: 4.0
Type of Student: US Male

Research: Climate Variability and Influence of Global Patterns on Regional Scales

Professional experience: 

GIS and Hyrdologic internship at Non-Profit

Teaching and outreach regarding climate change

GRE Scores: Average quant, Average Verbal, 93rd Percentile Writing

Applied to:

Tennessee

Penn State 

UNC Chapel Hill

Idaho

South Carolina

Posted

Major(s): BS Geographic Science at a good state school
GPA in Major: 3.98
Overall GPA: 3.52
Type of Student: US Male

Research Interests: Impacts of climate variability on agrarian livelihoods and how people adapt/could adapt in the future; looking to integrate GIS/Remote Sensing, ecological modelling, and ethnographic field work methods. Also really into indigenous traditional ecological knowledge and its value for collaborative environmental management. 

Professional experience: 

Internship at a medium sized environmental non-profit doing community outreach

Research and teaching assistant jobs while in undergrad

GIS Technician at an big consulting firm currently (and I fucking hate it)

GRE Scores: 154 Quant, 160 Verbal, 4.5 Writing

Applied to:

University of Georgia, MS

Penn State, PhD

University of South Carolina, MS

University of North Carolina - Wilmington, MS Geoscience

 

I'll basically take anything I can get that is reasonably well funded.  Top 2 choices are UGA and UNCW due to very positive conversations with my choice PI's and their locations.  Though UNCW seems to objectively be the weakest program of the 4, the one PI that I have spoken with basically embodies everything I hope to do in 5-6 years down the road, so if it seems like (s)he could actually be a good adviser/mentor then I think I'd go for UNCW.  If I get accepted by UGA and UNCW with comparable funding I don't know how I'll choose.  UGA also has 3-4 professors who collectively cover all of my conceivable research interests, plus since its a larger geography program I imagine there are more academic and career connection opportunities.  

Posted

Major(s): BS Geography & Environmental Sciences
GPA in Major: 3.55
Overall GPA: 3.36
Type of Student: PAK Male

Research: Human-Environment interactions, Sustainability and Urban Planning

Professional experience: 

Internship in the Wildlife conservation department at Non-Profit Organisation, WWF-Pakistan

Semester exchange at Universiti Malaya, Malaysia

Currently doing research on Landsliding

GRE Scores: 160 quant, 154 Verbal, 3.5 Writing (not good)

TOEFL Scores: 110 overall, 28 reading, 28 writing, 27 listening, and 27 speaking

Applied to:

  1. Penn State University
  2. University of Washington
  3. Boston Unviersity
  4. University of Arizona
  5. Arizona State University
  6. University of Texas - Austin
  7. Texas A&M University
  8. University of South Carolina - Chapel Hills
  9. University North Carolina
  10. Michigan State University
  11. Oregon State University
  12. Simon Fraser University
  13. Queen's University

My GPA is pretty average but I have studied a bunch of courses from Geography, GIS and environmental sciences. My personal statement and Letter of recommendations are supposedly good. I have travelled extensively within and outside my country and have also published a few ebooks although that doesn't count as academic. I have also contacted potential supervisors and have received positive response from some of them. I am currently working on my final year research but does not have any published paper as yet. Do you think that would make a difference? I am hoping to get into any of the above listed universities if offered funding. 

Thank you and all the best to everyone :)

Posted

 

 

On 1/23/2018 at 5:11 AM, Nouman Afzal said:

Major(s): BS Geography & Environmental Sciences
GPA in Major: 3.55
Overall GPA: 3.36
Type of Student: PAK Male

Research: Human-Environment interactions, Sustainability and Urban Planning

Professional experience: 

Internship in the Wildlife conservation department at Non-Profit Organisation, WWF-Pakistan

Semester exchange at Universiti Malaya, Malaysia

Currently doing research on Landsliding

GRE Scores: 160 quant, 154 Verbal, 3.5 Writing (not good)

TOEFL Scores: 110 overall, 28 reading, 28 writing, 27 listening, and 27 speaking

Applied to:

  1. Penn State University
  2. University of Washington
  3. Boston Unviersity
  4. University of Arizona
  5. Arizona State University
  6. University of Texas - Austin
  7. Texas A&M University
  8. University of South Carolina - Chapel Hills
  9. University North Carolina
  10. Michigan State University
  11. Oregon State University
  12. Simon Fraser University
  13. Queen's University

My GPA is pretty average but I have studied a bunch of courses from Geography, GIS and environmental sciences. My personal statement and Letter of recommendations are supposedly good. I have travelled extensively within and outside my country and have also published a few ebooks although that doesn't count as academic. I have also contacted potential supervisors and have received positive response from some of them. I am currently working on my final year research but does not have any published paper as yet. Do you think that would make a difference? I am hoping to get into any of the above listed universities if offered funding. 

Thank you and all the best to everyone :)

University of South Carolina seems to send out decisions relatively early from what I hear of last year's cycle at least.  I visited Penn State in the fall and everyone there confirmed that Penn State sends their decisions out ridiculously late usually, like to the point where you may have already made a decision otherwise.  Good luck!

Posted
On 1/23/2018 at 2:11 AM, Nouman Afzal said:

Major(s): BS Geography & Environmental Sciences
GPA in Major: 3.55
Overall GPA: 3.36
Type of Student: PAK Male

Research: Human-Environment interactions, Sustainability and Urban Planning

Professional experience: 

Internship in the Wildlife conservation department at Non-Profit Organisation, WWF-Pakistan

Semester exchange at Universiti Malaya, Malaysia

Currently doing research on Landsliding

GRE Scores: 160 quant, 154 Verbal, 3.5 Writing (not good)

TOEFL Scores: 110 overall, 28 reading, 28 writing, 27 listening, and 27 speaking

Applied to:

  1. Penn State University
  2. University of Washington
  3. Boston Unviersity
  4. University of Arizona
  5. Arizona State University
  6. University of Texas - Austin
  7. Texas A&M University
  8. University of South Carolina - Chapel Hills
  9. University North Carolina
  10. Michigan State University
  11. Oregon State University
  12. Simon Fraser University
  13. Queen's University

My GPA is pretty average but I have studied a bunch of courses from Geography, GIS and environmental sciences. My personal statement and Letter of recommendations are supposedly good. I have travelled extensively within and outside my country and have also published a few ebooks although that doesn't count as academic. I have also contacted potential supervisors and have received positive response from some of them. I am currently working on my final year research but does not have any published paper as yet. Do you think that would make a difference? I am hoping to get into any of the above listed universities if offered funding. 

Thank you and all the best to everyone :)

Bro...How the heck did you manage so many? 

Posted (edited)
On 12/18/2017 at 5:16 AM, 94AVL said:

Where did all my fellow geographers apply? 

Majors: BA History, BS Ethnic Studies

Minor: Gender Studies

GPA: 3.43

Type of Student: US white female

Research: Identity Formation in Educational Spaces and the Effects of Neoliberalism

GRE: Quant average, Verbal strong, Writing very strong

Applied to: 

Penn State: Joint Women's Studies and Geography PhD

Ohio State: Geography MA, Comparative Studies PhD

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee: Geography MA

University of Washington - Geography MA

University of Tennessee, Knoxville: Geography PhD

University of Oregon: Geography MA

University of Arizona: Geography MA

UC Davis: Cultural Studies PhD

University of Minnesota: Geography PhD

My undergraduate university, Boise State, doesn't even offer a geography minor, let alone major. I've got my fingers crossed!!

Edited by kpietromica
Posted
On 6/20/2017 at 1:53 PM, kpietromica said:

For those applying for Fall 2018 admittance in geography programs. 

Has anyone been notified of acceptances or declinations?

Posted (edited)
3 hours ago, kpietromica said:

Has anyone been notified of acceptances or declinations?

I was accepted to Tennessee with a TAship but so far that is the only school I have heard back from. I've really enjoyed my conversations with the faculty there and think it would be a great place to attend. 

Edited by 94AVL
Posted
3 hours ago, 94AVL said:

I was accepted to Tennessee with a TAship but so far that is the only school I have heard back from. I've really enjoyed my conversations with the faculty there and think it would be a great place to attend. 

Congratulations!!

I’m waiting on a student conduct review at UTK because of some 20-year old stupidity, but they said the decision had been made and they’re waiting on the grad school to make their decision. I’m hoping that’s good news since I’m pretty sure they could send a rejection without getting permission from the graduate school first.

(that’s what I keep telling myself while I’m waiting)

Who are you hoping to work with?!

Posted
8 hours ago, kpietromica said:

Congratulations!!

I’m waiting on a student conduct review at UTK because of some 20-year old stupidity, but they said the decision had been made and they’re waiting on the grad school to make their decision. I’m hoping that’s good news since I’m pretty sure they could send a rejection without getting permission from the graduate school first.

(that’s what I keep telling myself while I’m waiting)

Who are you hoping to work with?!

There’s a few people that do Climate and extreme weather work so I’m keeping my options open! 

I see an acception for UNC on the results page. I haven’t heard anything either way. Going to assume that means not good news though.

Posted
11 minutes ago, Shnoztastic said:

Still nothing yet, here.

Rejected by University of Minnesota this morning ?

Posted
20 hours ago, kpietromica said:

Has anyone been notified of acceptances or declinations?

Radio silence for me. I only heard from University of Hawaii Manoa that they received everything. This waiting game is tough :unsure:

Posted
45 minutes ago, kpietromica said:

Rejected by University of Minnesota this morning ?

@kpietromica My condolences. It looks like you still have a good list left!

23 minutes ago, Arca9ine said:

Radio silence for me. I only heard from University of Hawaii Manoa that they received everything. This waiting game is tough :unsure:

@Arca9ine Agreed! I didn't think the waiting would be this rough. It'd be easier to just be rejected and move on with things lol.

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