USC Comm PhD - Anyone heard anything?

[Polarizing]

Allo! Longtime lurker, first time poster - wondering if anyone else on here had applied to USC's PhD program in Communication, and if so, if they'd heard anything yet? My nails are nubs!

[deanne]

Hi...

I called on Monday... One guy said that he overheard that it would take about 2-3 weeks. Another girl said "by the end of March everyone should know." I'm crossing my fingers too. Good luck to you!

[bare_foot]

also not.

perhaps overreacting, but I'm really starting to question what the rest of the PhD experience will be like if this is how the admissions process feels. ugh.

[socialcomm]

From the website, it appears they're still accepting applications to the program. Hopefully we hear something, anything, soon!

[allisont]

I applied to the MA in Strategic Public Relations, and the waiting is KILLING me! They're still accepting late applications to my program too, so who knows when we'll hear anything back.

[Polarizing]

Ak! Looks like we have the first notification posted to the results - and it's an acceptance via email! I guess that means the rest of us should find out very soon - fingers crossed for us all!

[bare_foot]

accepted via email last night too. good luck to everyone! my head is spinning

[Polarizing]

wow, congrats bare_foot! would you mind sharing your stats and interests so I can get an idea of the type of awesome individual who made it through the sea of applicants?

accepted via email last night too. good luck to everyone! my head is spinning

[bare_foot]

eh all kinda overwhelming, don't know quite what it was

i don't think i'm that typical of the programme, but for what it's worth:

international student, undergrad+masters not actually in communications (and outside the US system). i've worked for 4 years, most recently in a university research job. my GRE scores were ok, bit lower than the average for the programme but not bad. i felt my writing sample (research paper that, after a whole year of painstaking revising, is finally about to be published!) was pretty good. my personal statement wasn't good at all, but it was... sincere, I guess? i waited a couple of years to start a PhD and I think I'm much clearer now about my reasons for wanting to.

crazy excited. good luck with the rest of yours!

[deanne]

Hello Folks,

I called them today. If you haven't heard anything from USC it basically means that the committee is not done reviewing. The admissions guy said that how it worked was that the committees aren't pressed to complete the review until basically April 1st. So you could hear anything from now until then. Good Luck everyone and congrats to the ones that got accepted! I'm betting they'll let us know soon

[sykora25]

Hello Folks,

I called them today. If you haven't heard anything from USC it basically means that the committee is not done reviewing. The admissions guy said that how it worked was that the committees aren't pressed to complete the review until basically April 1st. So you could hear anything from now until then. Good Luck everyone and congrats to the ones that got accepted! I'm betting they'll let us know soon

April 1st?? That's ridiculous.

[deanne]

It is ridiculous. I think the hidden meaning is : We're going to accept and reject along the way and wait listed people will hear at the very end. Maybe after April 1st. At this point... I think I would like to get a PhD so I can decipher codes like this! The waiting is painful!

[Polarizing]

Thanks for the sleuthing, everyone! Still on pins and needles over here, wondering if they just decided to let the international applicants know (since our two acceptances were international) or if there was a whole first round of accepts...so intense and stomach churning! Hoping for good news for everyone this week!

[Polarizing]

I can't believe we still haven't heard! From the results page, it seems like every other year they let people know late Feb! :-D

[Polarizing]

Sorry to keep this thread alive if no one else is interested, but have any non-international students heard anything yet from USC?

[socialcomm]

Not a word...

[Polarizing]

Craziness! Shenanigans! I called and they said that all decisions would be sent out BY THE END OF MARCH. OMG! At this point I wish they'd just let me know to put me out of my misery as I'm certain I'm not good enough to have gotten in, but oh how I still hang on to that glimmer of hope....

[socialcomm]

Craziness! Shenanigans! I called and they said that all decisions would be sent out BY THE END OF MARCH. OMG! At this point I wish they'd just let me know to put me out of my misery as I'm certain I'm not good enough to have gotten in, but oh how I still hang on to that glimmer of hope....

I've given up, but USC was a total long shot so I wasn't expecting much. That said, I would like it officially over and done with. I wonder what it was about this year... Applicants just weren't as strong?

[CommPhD]

I e-mailed the admissions office asking when I can expect a decision... they replied that I can expect to hear after April 15th.

Anyone else in the same situation? Or did anyone hear between the last post and now?

[socialcomm]

I e-mailed the admissions office asking when I can expect a decision... they replied that I can expect to hear after April 15th.

Anyone else in the same situation? Or did anyone hear between the last post and now?

I finally got my rejection last week. It sounds like you made the wait list -- good luck!!

[CommPhD]

I finally got my rejection last week. It sounds like you made the wait list -- good luck!!

What's weird though is that I e-mailed them back and asked about a wait list, and they said 'the committee is continually reviewing applications' and they expect to notify me after April 15th.' I know there is at least one other person who they also told this to, because they posted on the results page and said the same thing.

Edited April 3, 2010 by juju

[sykora25]

I e-mailed the admissions office asking when I can expect a decision... they replied that I can expect to hear after April 15th.

Anyone else in the same situation? Or did anyone hear between the last post and now?

haha yeah that was I. I guess the waiting list theory makes sense: I personally thought they were being facetious and/or passive aggressive about my emailing them. I'm also on the waiting list at Columbia and San Diego but I don't think I'm waiting for any of them. Good luck to you though.

[CommPhD]

haha yeah that was I. I guess the waiting list theory makes sense: I personally thought they were being facetious and/or passive aggressive about my emailing them. I'm also on the waiting list at Columbia and San Diego but I don't think I'm waiting for any of them. Good luck to you though.

May I ask, out of personal curiosity, where you have been accepted and where you plan to attend if you do not think you will wait for Columbia, UCSD, or USC? I am also waitlisted at UCSD and would love to go there more than anything =)

[sykora25]

May I ask, out of personal curiosity, where you have been accepted and where you plan to attend if you do not think you will wait for Columbia, UCSD, or USC? I am also waitlisted at UCSD and would love to go there more than anything =)

Hey juju, just sent you a message.