Comments on: applying to graduate school

By: dmarvs

dmarvs — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 09:44:05 +0000

I was wondering if you hurt your chances of getting in to a grad program if you apply two consecutive years, rather than getting more experience/contacts and applying just once the second year.

Basically, do grad programs/panels not like seeing a rejected candidate�s application the following year?

By: Shahan

Shahan — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 21:32:24 +0000

Thanks for the good post, from the grad students I have spoken with, I really do believe that these tips are accurate. I will be applying to grad school within the next month as well. Some of my own tips:
- it’s important to read the current peer-reviewed journal articles related to your interest area. Not only will it help you become familiar with the type of research that you will throw into the mix, but it will also help you understand topics/language/theory that your supervisor will be considering, will help you convey your own ideas formally, and it will show that your interest is true.
- be ready to put in lots of hours and a few late nights, it’s not a regular 9 to 5 job and some deadlines aren’t anticipated. if you have the passion, the rewards are immense.
- always keep a straight frame of mind. your work is not the most important, almost everyone is looking to succeed and helping others should not be the exception, you may end up needing some help at some point. don’t turn down advice, but don’t be afraid of doing what you think is right either, it’s your own inspiration you are trying to encourage.

By: watson

watson — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 03:14:42 +0000

wow danah, timely advice.

as i am applying to at least 3 different types of programs (at 3 different schools) this bit about interdisciplinary work in particular speaks to me:

“don’t expect a disciplinary place to support you unless you’ve built a relationship with an advisor. I’ve watched many sad graduate students push for interdisciplinary work in a disciplinary program and bloody their heads from the repeated bashing against the immovable wall that is academic bureaucracy.”

particularly useful when combined with the sage advice about building such a relationship before applying officially.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 19:47:54 +0000

Thanks, the post and comments have been really helpful. Any other suggestions for recommended reading for the about-to-graduate undergrad?

By: Amelia

Amelia — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 15:26:12 +0000

Thanks for the advice, from both danah and SEV, I’m not letting money decide which programs I am applying to, but when the time comes to decide which program to go to (assuming a get into more than one), money will be a major factor, I don’t want to come out with a M.A. and 80k in debt.

By: anony

anony — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 10:57:15 +0000

Every would-be grad student should grab a copy of Disciplined Minds by Jeff Schmidt.

http://disciplinedminds.tripod.com/

By: Nancy

Nancy — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 10:17:52 +0000

Good advice. A few comments:

1. You can’t always apply to the professor. In my department, for instance, you apply to the department, so in that case, it is helpful to contact the professor directly. It is not helpful to then be a jerk if you don’t get a reply though.

2. I laugh when I see this whole ‘grad school is hell’ thing. Like the work you do post-grad school is easier? Let’s see, if you become a professor you have all the research expectations of grad school, only now your tenure depends on it so the pressure is higher. You’re now expected to bring in external funding, but if you spend time writing grants that don’t get funded instead of articles that get published, you’re hurting yourself. You have all the teaching expectations of grad school, only now you may be mentoring graduate students which is way more time intensive. And, oh yeah, you’ve got loads of service helping make the department and university and discipline run. Which part is easier than grad school? If you think grad school is hell, you really need to rethink whether being a professor is your career goal. Now, there are a lot of things you can do with an advanced degree other than academia, but don’t kid yourself that grad school is the hard part of a life in academia.

Which brings me to the last point I’d make, which is that if you are going to grad school with the assumption that you’re going to get a nice tenure track job when you’re done, have a good and realistic look at the job market. There are many fields in which there are very few jobs in a given year and upwards of 300 applications for single positions. Many people who get Ph.D.s end up at institutions they don’t want to be at, or as lecturers, adjuncts, or otherwise grossly underemployed given their training. Be realistic about what you hope to realize on the other end.

By: biella

biella — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 18:02:16 +0000

I would make sure to apply to at least 8-12 programs as it can be quite random 1) who accepts you and as important where 2) you get funding. The more places you apply to, the more chance you will get into a good program and get some funding.

Then I usually tell folks that there are big differences between going to a small PhD program where you are 1 of 4 people per year accepted vs the larger type one that may accept up to 20.. Each one had advantages and disadvantages. In the large ones, you may not get the same time of intimacy from the professors but you will have a much easier time finding a cohort of friends and peers by which to circulate work and collaborate, for example… There are big differences between the large and small programs so think about that before you apply and/or pick programs you have been accepted in.

By: SEV

SEV — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 14:01:47 +0000

Beautifully written.. this is the stuff that no-one ever really talks about – the point of grad school is lost on the majority, then they suffer through something they were never cut out for in the first place.
Auditing courses is so very underrated, and something that grad school makes almost necessary. Learning to read and summarize papers – its a matter of practicing it every coupla weeks or so; until grad school hits and you’re expected to understand, summarize, and implement those very papers.
I’ll probably put in a linky to this in a coupla days, too many people I know need to read this.

By: pegasus

pegasus — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 00:55:35 +0000

The most important question is
“should I apply for the university of my choice or go for the program of my choice.”
most people are not lucky enough to get the dream univ and course