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2018 Applications Thread


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2 hours ago, E-P said:

@AnxiousKitty, can I ask what your stats were? What program were you specifically applying for, too?   I'm waiting on UT Austin (RTF). 

I’m in a prestigious communication research master program (internationally ranked top 12th), decent GPA and GRE (155V/155Q/4.0), no pubs, 1 solo-authored ICA paper. My work is in com tech (cmc/interpersonal). Super strong LORs (one of which is my advisor who is an influential com scholar) and imo, a good SOP. I realized after I had a bad fit with UT-Austin- my work was poorly aligned with the POI I wanted to work with in the interpersonal track. You are not the only one who hasn’t heard back from RTF! I believe @Hongtao said there were no news from them yet either!

@sriracha18 thank you! I did receive a very nice email from the grad director from SUNY UB last night for an interview conversation next week. It’s my alma matar and safe school so I am super stoked! Said I will “definitely” be considered for funding! 

 

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I forgot to post an update.  I had my Michigan State interview on Wednesday.  One POI seemed interested, the other did not.  So we'll see.  Still waiting on UT, but I would think since I did my undergrad there, I'd have a leg up.  I mean, they're considering me a Texas resident, so...we shall see.  Still no word from Madison, but at this point, I'm betting on a rejection.


Which is fine, because I got an acceptance letter from Purdue!  And I found out that my funding would be via a prestigious fellowship.  I'm super excited to go to their Welcome Weekend next month.  I'm kind of hoping I see some of y'all there!

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@E-P Communication Arts (Com Science) for UW and Communication for MSU. I have not heard back from UW and am expecting a rejection. They seem to have gone quiet though. Good luck with UT! 

Congratulations on Purdue! I am super pleased for you! 

 

Edited by AnxiousKitty
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@GreenEyedTrombonist I'm freaking out less now that I've heard from one school.  Before, I was thinking, "Okay, I'm unemployed, there's nothing academically I can do to better be qualified.  What do I do if everyone rejects me?"

Top choices:

  1. Try again?  Maybe?
  2. Keep trying to get a corporate job?
  3. Join the military (some branches will take you if you're 34!)
  4. Take out a large life insurance policy that will ensure that Spouse has enough money to grow old on and have a devastating car accident. #MostlyKidding

 

I'm glad the military and suicide options are off the table.

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@E-P Yeah, I'm also in that unemployed camp, though I'm trying to get a job right now so I can pay off my student loans and afford the move. It would be nice to not go into higher debt so I can start school. x]

I'm still nervous about February though. I just want all the decisions in so I can accept a program and start planning the next few years of my life, haha.

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@GreenEyedTrombonist I know those feels.  I've been alleviating stress by creating degree plans for each individual school, based on their graduate handbooks.  My next step is to track down syllabi and start putting together book lists.

 

I'm also adjuncting an undergrad class, doing transcription work, writing a book review for a journal, and drinking more than I usually do.  Because, evidently, I hate having free time.  :P

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lol @E-P I've been working on getting my health under control (33 lbs down so far), am creating a game, have been doing some readings from one of the programs fall classes, have looked at the schedule I would have for Fall at UConn, am doing job interview things several times a week, moderate a Twitch channel, am in 3 DnD type games (GM one, am a player in the other two), trying to stream on Twitch more often, and should be working on some writings (NCA conference paper submission, some geeky articles, and a couple things for publications).

In short, I know that feel, haha.

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1 hour ago, E-P said:

I forgot to post an update.  I had my Michigan State interview on Wednesday.  One POI seemed interested, the other did not.  So we'll see.  Still waiting on UT, but I would think since I did my undergrad there, I'd have a leg up.  I mean, they're considering me a Texas resident, so...we shall see.  Still no word from Madison, but at this point, I'm betting on a rejection.


Which is fine, because I got an acceptance letter from Purdue!  And I found out that my funding would be via a prestigious fellowship.  I'm super excited to go to their Welcome Weekend next month.  I'm kind of hoping I see some of y'all there!

Best of luck with Michigan State! I still haven't heard back from them yet so I'm starting to get nervous. In November two of the faculty reached out to me in order to say that they were excited about my application and then I spoke with them again at NCA, which made me optimistic. But who knows how/if things have changed since then. May I ask what your area is? 

Also, I'll see you at Purdue's Welcome Weekend! 

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@Ishouldbewriting At Michigan State, it's Media and Information.  At Purdue, it's MTS.  Basically, I'm interested in how we communicate emotion online and form communities.  I'll probably continue my research into the gig/sharing economy subculture.


How about you?  And how are you getting to the welcome weekend?  Spouse and I live in Chicago, so we'll just be driving. He'll spend the weekend with his friends, I'll spend it with my future friends. :P

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57 minutes ago, E-P said:

@GreenEyedTrombonist ...I'm glad the military and suicide options are off the table.

Congrats and also sympathize. Athletic-induced asthma takes any military time off the table.

I start my five-a-week conditioning training on Monday so hopefully that'll take the edge off while waiting.

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I spent the weekend at a super prestigious school (that doesn't have a comm program) but it still really riled up my imposter syndrome.

My friend who went to said school for a PhD in another discipline said I wouldn't be getting interviews/ waitlisted by top programs if I wasn't super qualified, but a "yes" would be great. Also, I'm applying with my partner who is going for a poli sci PhD & so far our bites have come from different schools & she's already got a spot at 2 of them, but was rejected by the school who has interviewed me. I want to be prepared but jumping to the worst case scenario probably isn't helping. I just can't seem to relax. 

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@sriracha18 I completely understand how you feel. I’ve been in my MA research program in an internationally top ranked university for almost 2 years now, and even when I did everything right (confirming my candidature, going to at least a large scale conference etc.), I still struggle. Everyday. 

Coincidentally, my spouse and I are also trying for the same schools. Like your partner, he is wanting to do a PoliSci PhD and has gotten 3 spots (only 1 with full funding). I got rejected by the one program we both were dying to attend, so that really sucks. I started imaging all the worst case scenarios! However,  the same night I got rejected from our supposed dream school, the Communication department I applied to at the school my spouse received the full funding from offered me an interview to get to know me better and said I am “definitely considered for funding”! My point is, it’s still early into the game, so anything can happen. I wish you all the best and am sending you good and positive vibes! :) 

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1 hour ago, thewaitiskillingme said:

First time poster, long time lurker. I wanted to see if anyone has heard anything from UPenn?? I just want them to let me know if I was rejected or not!

This is my second go-around of applications (I am a current MA student). 

 

I'm in the same boat with UPenn. I heard a rumor somewhere else on the forum that they will be sending out notifications of acceptance/rejection in mid-February. I'm unsure of how credible the rumor is, or not, but it is something!!

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Had an anxiety dream that a school required a writing sample in a specific doc type and, even though I followed their instructions to the letter, they couldn't open it and rejected me. Then there was a long email exchange about it with my past and potentially future professors...

This also included a lot of high school band class for some reason, listening to sports, a hunger games battle for farming communities trying to get water that year, monsters, and delicious food and restaurants that could only be found down back alleys. Oh, and flooding.

Dreams are weird.

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@AnxiousKitty OMG! What a coincidence. I'm an undergrad at a mid tier liberal arts school but I'm in a consortium with an internationally ranked top school as well so I've taken several classes there through cross-enrollment. Even though I've always done well, and frequently better than my peers at the "better" institution, the disparity in our schools' ranks always shakes my confidence a little and makes me feel like I don't deserve to be there/ am not smart enough. The main difference between the students at my home school and the fancy school I attend part-time as well as the one I went to this weekend, however, seems to be class and opportunity. 

As far as the partnered application process, I'm trying to keep in mind that it's in the early stages and that most comm departments I'm applying to haven't sent out decisions yet. The waiting sucks, though. 

Edited by sriracha18
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