2018 Applications Thread

[pato]

Hey @mintless! I'm not sure about the schedule for each track, but I do know media gave out their initial round of decisions later than rhetoric last year. I really love Minnesota and was heartbroken when I came to the realization that it just wasn't a viable long term possibility for me anymore. The faculty are incredible. The chair is one of the most hard working, supportive, empathetic people I've met and really bends over backwards for students. I enjoyed all of the media faculty that I got to spend time with-- took a class with one of them and his feedback was encouraging and supportive and he really *got* what I was trying to do and knew how to direct me. I did professional/pedagogical development with another and (you can probably guess who as she must be everyone's academic crush) she was BRILLIANT. I could listen to her talk ALL DAY. One of their new rhetoric hires bleeds into media and I was excited to work with him. The campus is lovely, the Twin Cities are AWESOME, and the actual space for grad students is dope-- big offices, lots of space, an entire study/hang out lounge just for grad students and if we mobilize and say we want something, the department does its best to deliver. Also, in terms of interdisciplinary offerings on campus, there's a lot of great classes to choose from. I'm overflowing with good things to say about the department, so I hope it goes well for you. If you want to talk about details, please feel free to shoot me a private message.

[Cago UChi]

2 hours ago, surprise_quiche said:

@Dan_Xu  Still waiting, I have an informal interview at Northwestern tomorrow with my POI. Hopefully it goes well; I'm optimistic. I am waiting for a TA decision from Milwaukee, and still debating if I should apply to the Fellowship programs, since their deadline for submissions outside of department is in a week... but I really want to get an assistantship.... so we will see. Waiting on IRB decision and DePauw Conference decision.

@Alina_D Hello! I've only had one interview like this, and they were not for graduate school. But I'd say if you know who is on the panel, look at what research their doing, and come up with a set of questions you want to ask them, like about the department, student life, assistantships/fellowships, other funding, student outcomes, etc.

The wait is just torturous... Hope your interview goes well.  

[phdthoughts]

Hey everyone. Was just thinking that If I started this thread I should pop in every once in a while.  Anyone here have one of the Purdue acceptances? I was curious if anyone knew about how many people they typically accept each year?

[swazibound]

@twin35 I was told the same as you during my interview (rhetoric track).

Edit: But also, what you and @surprise_quiche are saying doesn't seem to be mutually exclusive. They could also have a cap by department.

Edited January 23, 2018 by swazibound

[surprise_quiche]

@phdthoughts  Here's one that was posted today

Purdue University

Communication, PhD (F18)

Accepted via E-mail on 23 Jan 2018

A

23 Jan 2018

[surprise_quiche]

@swazibound  and @twin35   yeah, so they had over three hundred applicants this year and they admitted a high number last year, but yeah, the cap usually per phd program for comm sciences specifically is 4 as I understood it. There are four divisions in Comm Arts.

[phdthoughts]

19 minutes ago, surprise_quiche said:

@phdthoughts  Here's one that was posted today

Purdue University

Communication, PhD (F18)

Accepted via E-mail on 23 Jan 2018

A

23 Jan 2018

Thanks! Yes that was what prompted my question. Looks like from the results board Purdue has sent out at least 3. 

[surprise_quiche]

@phdthoughts oh man, what comms program were you looking into?

[phdthoughts]

6 minutes ago, surprise_quiche said:

@phdthoughts oh man, what comms program were you looking into?

Well Purdue for one  Amherst is the other I’m keeping an eye on in the results board. 

[surprise_quiche]

@phdthoughts Health/Interp/Org/media/ or pr Comm at Purdue?

[twin35]

@swazibound Who did you have your interview with (if you don't mind me asking....)? 

@surprise_quiche Were you told it was just Comm Science that was taking 4? 

[surprise_quiche]

@twin35Yeah for the Phd, program. Typically the Comm Arts admits 3-5 for the masters total https://tools.grad.wisc.edu/webextras/education/academicprograms/profiles/201MA.pdf

and 10- 15 total for the Phd for Comm Arts.https://tools.grad.wisc.edu/webextras/education/academicprograms/profiles/201PHD.pdf. So how many from each department varies.

[Shay825]

Still not a peep from Maryland...I'm dying!

Anyone else here apply for a spot in risk or health communications, there? 

[twin35]

@surprise_quiche How does that data apply to people who are applying for the MA/PhD track? I applied without a masters degree. 

[phdthoughts]

50 minutes ago, surprise_quiche said:

@phdthoughts Health/Interp/Org/media/ or pr Comm at Purdue?

Interpersonal and Health primarily. 

[surprise_quiche]

@twin35 so did I, I think it counts for the PhD, but I'm not 100%. It doesn't specify.

[surprise_quiche]

2 minutes ago, phdthoughts said:

Interpersonal and Health primarily. 

Very cool, those are such promising fields and great programs from what I've heard. Good luck!

[phdthoughts]

Thanks! Fingers crossed for sure. I was on their waiting list last year so would love some good news. 

[GreenEyedTrombonist]

@twin35 I did too. During my interview, the interviewer kept mentioning the MA/PhD rather than just the PhD so I guess they would make an internal deliberation about which is best based on your app?

[Ishouldbewriting]

9 hours ago, phdthoughts said:

Hey everyone. Was just thinking that If I started this thread I should pop in every once in a while.  Anyone here have one of the Purdue acceptances? I was curious if anyone knew about how many people they typically accept each year?

I am one of the Purdue acceptances! I'm unsure of an exact number of yearly admits, but I know someone in the program currently who came in with a cohort of 11. Best of luck with your applications!

[phdthoughts]

3 minutes ago, Ishouldbewriting said:

I am one of the Purdue acceptances! I'm unsure of an exact number of yearly admits, but I know someone in the program currently who came in with a cohort of 11. Best of luck with your applications!

Congrats on your acceptance! One of the schools I was also waitlisted at last year only accepted 4, so 11 is not too bad. May I ask what concentration you are interested in?

[Ishouldbewriting]

6 minutes ago, phdthoughts said:

Congrats on your acceptance! One of the schools I was also waitlisted at last year only accepted 4, so 11 is not too bad. May I ask what concentration you are interested in?

Thank you! My concentration is in health comm. Specifically, I'm interested in how to create, assess, and organize campaigns. 

Are you waiting on any other schools?

[whitmanifesto]

7 hours ago, twin35 said:

@surprise_quiche How does that data apply to people who are applying for the MA/PhD track? I applied without a masters degree. 

If you apply without an MA you are admitted to the MA/PhD track at any institution that offers both. The only except is if the program doesn't give an MA and only PHD (uncommon). 

If you have an MA, they may decide that they will not accept your MA credits in their program and put you in the joint track (MA credits are a requirement of the total credits needed for a PhD in the US). This is most common when you're MA program is not in the same field as the PhD or your MA program is much lower in ranking than the PhD program.

As long as they don't say "we're putting you in the MA/PhD track to APPLY to pass into thr PhD program you are ok. Some programs (UofChicago) is notorious for "admitting" people into the MA with no intention of letting them get a PhD.

[twin35]

@GreenEyedTrombonist It seems like there is a difference between how interviews went for the different sub-disciplines at Madison. Did your interview feel informal and not as "stuffy" as most grad interviews (appear) to be?

[GreenEyedTrombonist]

Considering this was my first grad interview @twin35 ? I think it was pretty conversational, but the interviewer definitely had questions she wanted to ask (we talked about why I'm making the switch to comm, why I felt the rhetoric track was the best match, some of the theorists I pay attention to, etc).