hailmary

I'm not sure if you can do much about the current package. But what I would definitely ask / try to negotiate is whether or not your stipend will increase over the course of the program. Usually, schools raise stipends every year or every couple of years for the incoming class (cost of living, to be competitive, etc.) . But they don't always raise all stipends for all years. At my husband's program, for the first couple of years - incoming students were making over $5k more than older students. Once they realized this, the students banded together and asked for equal stipends across all years. As long as the PI was willing to pay it, they were able to get it. Even if it's just a few thousand dollars difference, every little bit helps!

Maybe someday we will! :)

I totally agree with you. This comment lacked context. When I had last emailed with the POI she had said she would get back to me and that she was going to talk to the committee - my GRE score was below the cut off. I took this to mean that there is a possibility (not sure how much of one) that she is going to fight on my behalf or at least put in a good word. If that's the case, I was hoping this new access would help that argument. Of course, I could be misinterpreting that comment. (Also, if I reapply next year I will most likely only apply to that program and the professor is aware of that). You bring up an interesting point here. I've actually published and presented both academically and professionally. But my SOP focused almost exclusively on what I've done academically. If at all, I just mentioned publishing and presenting/sitting on panels professionally in passing as an additional strength. Now that I think about it, one thing my own company has done is create a database of companies in our space since it is a young sector. It's the biggest database that I know of in the U.S. and we've actually mapped hubs and created infographics off of it. I get asked all the time by academics if they can have the data / it in an excel format. I've never really thought of that as an asset in the application process. I should probably think about that for next year! This is true. But over the course of a year and a half I'm confident I could have something "in press" or "under review". At the very least, submitted. Of course publishing a white paper on my own and doing my own press push would definitely be faster. And my friend and her company do get a lot of good press (she's been a TED fellow and they've been featured in all of the major publications including The Economist). So, it could still get widely distributed that way. Lots to think about for sure! Thanks for the thoughtful responses!

(I replied to everyone, but for some reason 2 of the 3 responses need to be approved by a moderator first)

My recommendation writers - while I have a great relationship with them and they are very supportive - are in disciplines that are a little outside of the area I'm trying to move in. So, I'm not sure they would be the most helpful in that area. But I could ask if they have any insight or suggestions. I was counting on the fact that hopefully access to free data (and a lot of it) that is fairly rare will be attractive to professors. Hopefully that proves to be true! Thanks for the vote of confidence! It's true, it could still work out this year. My quant GRE score is really the one big weakness in my application, so hopefully they can overlook that. But if not, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it should be an easy fix as the rest of my application should (at least in my eyes) be pretty competitive.

Great idea with the research proposal! I will put something together. I think I could go in a number of different directions with the data. So, I'll start by finding professors that have work I find interesting and write a few different proposals. I was hoping the access to data (and consequently the ability to publish relatively quickly) would be attractive to programs and professors. So we shall see! Thanks for the well wishes!

This was my thinking as well. I agree that working with a professor would definitely be helpful in that area.

I'm still not 100% sure whether or not I will be starting a program this year or reapplying next year. But either way, a friend of mine is giving me access to her company's data, which basically has to do with entrepreneurship at the bottom of the pyramid in developing countries. There are a lot of ways I can analyze the data and, assuming I find something interesting, I should be able to publish on it. My question is, how should I go about doing this if I am not in a formal program? I have already reached out to the POI at the school that is still outstanding to share my ideas/thoughts and ask for guidance, but if and when that does not pan out, I will need a plan B. Should I reach out to other professors? Or should I just work with my friend and her data scientists and publish/present under their company name? I have a pretty good idea of how I want to analyze the data, at least for the first step. But could use some guidance to make sure I am using the methodologies that make the most sense. I could also use some guidance when it comes to presenting/publishing, which is why working with a professor might be best. But I'm not sure how I would go about finding one outside of the POI that I already have a relationship with. What would you do?

My husband just graduated from a PhD program at USC (biology). The first year we moved out here, we lived right near campus. It was an overpriced 420 sq ft. apartment right on the other side of shrine auditorium. It wasn't the greatest area, but it was within the limits where the USC police make their rounds. Most people do not live anywhere near campus. Each year we moved further northwest. The commute can be bad - but if you live in the right areas and go in and leave at the right times you can shave off a lot of time. Shoot me a message if you want to know more about the best places to live in Los Angeles, things to do, etc.

I think some of those disorders come with perfectionism, and academia tends to be an area where you find driven, successful, perfectionist people. But I think there's similar rates of those disorders in most high stress jobs that tend to hire people that performed exceedingly well in school (finance, medicine, etc.). Also, there were definitely times when my husband was down/semi depressed throughout his PhD program. But it was never clinical and always fleeting. It happens more because - at least in life sciences - most of the time you have nothing to show for your work. It all comes together at the very end when you finally publish as a first-author and graduate. So it's easy to feel worthless/not productive. But it all works out in the end. Actually, maybe I shouldn't say that until after he finds a job!

I had reached out to a POI a couple of weeks ago under the assumption things wouldn't work out this year and asked for advice regarding types of research positions/jobs to accept this upcoming year. They responded last weekend saying my GRE scores were below the cut off, but they would talk to the committee. Any thoughts on what that means? Do you think there's a possibility I could still be accepted this year? I thanked them, and reiterated my commitment to the program. But I haven't heard anything back yet. If it doesn't work out, I'm going to reapply next year and only apply to this school as we are planning on moving to the area regardless and I think it's the best research fit. I made that known in my initial email. I'm just antsy for a decision one way or the other because it would be preferable to move sooner rather than later. My husband is having difficulty applying to jobs across country. I have some remote work / freelance opportunities that would allow us to move now - but most would prefer a more long-term commitment and I can't really commit until I have a better idea of whether or not I'll be starting school in the fall. So, I'm feeling the pressure, but don't want to bother the POI by emailing them again. Living in limbo is difficult! I'm learning that I'm not a very patient person!

My friend is finishing up her PhD at Stern, but her husband is an investment banker in NYC so they don't really have to worry about how much she's bringing in. I'm pretty sure their 1 br apartment is over $2500/month (granted they have a 24/hr doorman, etc.). But I have had friends live in NYC on their own and rent studios for about $1200-1400/month or something similar to that. I think you could easily find a room or a studio in that price range, you just need to keep your eyes out and be ready to spring on opportunities. You could even look into living in Brooklyn or Hoboken.

I'm from Boston, and I think you'll find that it doesn't have the same "city" feel as other cities have. It's extremely walkable - Cambridge and Boston are the top 2 walkable cities in America. And if you want some more space, you can always move outside of the city proper. The T (and commuter boats!) makes it pretty easy to commute. I love Cambridge, especially Harvard Square. I'm sure you'll love it!

We went through this 5.5 years ago when we moved across country for my husband to start his PhD. The previous year he had started at another CA school and decided to transfer. For that move, he flew out and bought everything there (including a car) and I'm not sure how he found his apartment. When we moved out together a year later, we rented an overly priced 420 sq ft. apartment near the university (in a not so hot area) sight unseen. Needless to say, that only lasted a year. But it was fine for the first year. The year prior he had put all of his stuff in storage, so we just flew to that location, got a uhaul, and drove it to your new location. This time around, we're hoping to move back to the east coast. For that, we'll probably drive across country with just our car and use one of those moving pods for the rest of our stuff. Whether or not someone gets to see an apartment beforehand will depend on whether or not someone interviews first. But if not, we have family in both areas we're considering moving so that should make things easier.

I only applied to 2 public policy programs, and got the rejection from Duke today (expected since they conducted interviews a long time ago and already sent out acceptances). Just waiting on UNC (which is my top choice), but historically they admit people end of January. Unfortunately, it's a small program and there's only ever one or two entries on grad cafe every year. So, it's difficult to know for sure. But, not looking good! Oh well, better luck next year!

Does anyone know anything about the Stanford Research Fellows program at Stanford GSB or has anyone considered it? It looks like a mini 2 year pre-PhD program (that should knock off a lot of your coursework should you continue to a full PhD program). There are two deadlines - one was in January but one is April 20th. My guess is it is designed for people who 1) didn't get into any PhD programs, or at least not the ones they were hoping to or 2) aren't quite prepared to apply to full PhD programs. There seems to be fewer faculty available to work with. But it could be a solid back up plan, and I'm toying with the idea of applying (even though I was originally hoping to move back to the east coast). Any one know anything about it / if it is a good program / if it's useful, etc.?

Thank you for your insight! I only applied to 5 programs this year, and I'm pretty sure I'll be in the same boat. But I think I have a good idea of what I need to do for next year, and will reach out to a professor for advice as well. Hopefully, I'll have the same experience next year as you are!

Great idea with the econ forum - I'll definitely look into that! And stats probably couldn't hurt. Thanks for the recommendations!

Exactly. This is what I'm basically trying to do - but I think given that I switched directions quite a bit mid fall in order to be more generalized/cut across more departments and research interests, I probably missed some professors. I'll take the extra time to really comb through programs and professors and build out my list/get creative. This was my hunch as well and what I'm really going to focus on if one of those last 2 schools I'm holding out for doesn't work out. Improving my GRE score to bring it up to those standards will definitely be the focus. But I wasn't sure if re-applying with almost the same application with just an improved GRE score would be enough. That's why I was thinking maybe rounding that out with extra courses could help? Not sure. I agree with you that I'm probably overlooking some good options. But there are some complications. For my husband's future job (just graduated with a phd in molecular bio) we'll need to be in areas with a decent biotech cluster: Boston, NC, San Francisco, Mid-Atlantic, Chicago, or San Diego. Also, the professors I've spoken to that are in this space seem to speak very poorly about and look down on the research that is currently being done in this area at lower tiered schools; it's not 'good' research. I'm not saying that's right or wrong, but it's a concern. I would have loved to go to Duke but I spoke to at least 5 professors there (all super nice, they looped a number of professors into the conversation to get their opinions) and all said it would be too traditional of a program. Also talked to a student there who wanted to do CSR work and left because it wasn't a good fit. And as far as CASE is concerned, Paul Bloom is retiring and Greg Dees passed away in December. So, sadly, as much as I would love to be back in NC, I don't think it will be at Duke! Thanks for the well wishes and empathy! If it doesn't work out this cycle, I'm going to brush myself off, work my butt off to bring up my GRE score, and just keep on trying to find the best fit. Congratulations by the way! Excited to see the work that you do in the future!

Thank you both for your responses! I really appreciate it. I agree with you that finding the right professors and departments and "research fit" is paramount. I spoke with professors, students, and program coordinators during the application process (all were POI or students/program coordinators directly related to the programs I applied to -- my LOR professors are too far removed from business to really offer much insight there). Here's basically what I learned: 1. In general, people were interested in my research ideas and thought they were strong from a concept standpoint 2. The top programs are the only programs that are really progressive enough to have professors seriously working in this space. Multiple professors and students came back with the same list give or take a couple. The further down you move, the more traditional the programs tend to get (at least from what I've seen and heard - but then again most of the people I talked to were at the top schools so there might be a slight bias there) 3. I need a curriculum and program that is interdisciplinary and offers a lot of freedom and independence when it comes to research 4. Research fit was stressed - but more with the department itself vs. any specific professor's work. I have a number of ideas, so I changed my SOP concept a couple of times before applying and landed on a topic that is rooted in traditional concepts (cluster development, entrepreneurship, etc.) As far as building relationships goes, I had more success at some schools than others. Some of the professors basically said 'sounds really cool, if you get in, we'll talk about it/explore' or basically that I would figure out who to work with only after I get in. And that is what prompted me to think more seriously about improving my application in general. I guess the better question to ask would be, what classes would you recommend taking that would help with the lack of a strong quant background? I think that's probably the area of my application that could use the most improvement. Other than that, I'm not sure what else I could really do to improve it. I was hoping to see if others agree that that is the area that could use the most improvement / how to address it.

I'm not worried about getting a job post graduation. It's an area that's becoming more popular and business schools are hiring professors more frequently that are doing social entrepreneurship / social impact / csr / international development research. I'm pretty confident this trend is going to continue and in 5-6 years there will be even more jobs available. But the problem is phd programs don't currently have the capacity to train PhD students because it's somewhat of a young field and there aren't many full-time professors working in this area yet (other than schools like Harvard and Northwestern that actually do have quite a few). So, students have been going to other programs like political science instead to get a PhD. When they graduate, business schools are the ones that are interested in hiring them - but then they have a problem with the fact that they didn't get their PhD at a business school. Then students have difficulty getting a job in polisci or a related discipline because they don't fit into one of the standard polisci concentrations. That's why I chose public policy as an alternative versus polisci because I at least have somewhat of a background in it and could teach public policy courses. It's definitely not easy trying to be in such a young area / area in transition. It's a bit of a catch 22 at the moment, and I understand that. But that doesn't change what I ultimately want to do. The best thing I can do is try and make my application as good as it can be and just hope it ultimately works out. Insights and advice on how to be more competitive in general in areas like strategy (I'm really interested in cluster formation and entrepreneurship), management, business and public policy are what I'm looking for.

My background and research interests deviate pretty far from the norm, which makes it difficult to figure out the best programs and schools to apply to. This year I applied to 5 programs – 3 business / 2 public policy – all of which are top 10, if not top 5, programs because, unfortunately, only the top programs are interested in the type of research I am (see limitations below). So far, 2 rejections, 1 implicit rejection, and 2 are outstanding. It’s getting late, so I’m not entirely optimistic that it will work out this year. I knew going into it that it would be a crap shoot no matter what because of the schools I’m limited to. But I’m hoping to be able to improve my application this upcoming year enough to get into a top program next year. Besides the obvious things like GRE scores, I was hoping to get some advice on what I can do to improve my profile. Background: - B.A. from Top 25 national/private university – my university didn’t have an internationally focused major, so I created a make shift international development major with a major and two minors (3.45/4.00 GPA, Cum Laude) - Age: 27 Research Experience - Recipient of a scholarship to conduct independent research abroad, which I used to spend the summer in between my junior and senior year studying microfinance and women empowerment in a South Asian country. Research resulted in a presentation at a national conference my senior year. (qualitative) - Post-graduation, worked as an RA at a top 25 national/private university researching leadership among homeless youth. Research resulted in a publication (third author). (qualitative) - For a year, managed a research consortium in a social psych department that was policy related at a top 25 national/public university. As the first hire, organized 2 conferences, a speaker series, designed and implemented a scholars program, managed undergraduate and graduate labs. Unfortunately, didn’t have time to conduct my own research. (quantitative lab) - For the past year plus I’ve been working at a market research firm running mostly quantitative studies but also qualitative studies for Fortune 500 companies Professional Experience - Co-founder of a social enterprise. Received a lot of positive press – both personally and professionally – in popular well-known online news outlets (Forbes, Huffington Post, etc.). As co-founder, I’ve also written and self-published an eBook, written articles for a number of small news outlets, and I’ve sat on a handful of panels at tech and social media conferences and spoken at a couple of business schools. - Manage the social impact strategy for another brand Relevant Courses - Calculus w. Analytic Geom (tested out when went to college) - Elementary Probability & Stats - Intro to Economics - Intermediate Microeconomics I - Approaches to the Study of Religion - Field Program in Cultural Anthropology - Free Trade Fair Trade - Economic Data Analysis - Selected Areas in Economics: World Bank - Intro to Int’l Development - Economic Growth & Development - + a variety of international / policy / human rights related courses I didn’t have to take econometrics, but I did gain some experience with it in my economic development courses. Strengths: - Fair amount of research experience – both in academia and the private sector - LOR should be very strong – though none are in business, but most are at least loosely related to public policy - My background is hopefully intriguing and demonstrates independence and drive? All of my experiences are at least somewhat related to research and/or social impact Weaknesses: - Quant background: Though I took econ courses because one of my minors was an econ subset, I didn’t have to take econometrics or any math courses for my major or minors outside of the standard requirements (stats and calc). (All of the programs I applied to / am applying to use a mix of quant and qual methods and are not heavily quant focused) - GRE Math score was way too low. It was probably a mixture of naiveté and arrogance that I kept the scores without retaking; I was really trying to avoid it. But I will retake them this year and hopefully that will be a relatively easy fix. Limitations: - The research I want to do is at the intersection of international development and business. Unfortunately, only the top programs are remotely interested in doing this type of research. Multiple professors have told me that I really need to go to one of the following schools: Harvard, MIT, Wharton, UMich, Northwestern, Stanford, Berkeley - At the schools that do support this type of research, usually there are only 1-2 professors studying something remotely similar. Most of the research I want to do is research that hasn’t been done before – at least not in the context I’m interested in studying it. This makes it difficult to find the right “research fit”. - My husband recently graduated with his PhD, and though he doesn’t want to go into academia, we still need to live near a biotech cluster. We’re also hoping to move back to the east coast. Advice Needed: I am planning on retaking the GRE this upcoming year as well as taking a couple of quant or math related courses. What courses would you suggest taking? Also, I’m hoping to work at least part-time as an RA at a top university near wherever we end up moving (which will hopefully be in the next few months). Is there anything else I can or should do to increase my chances of getting into a top program? Any insight, guidance, or ideas would be much appreciated!

Anyone hear any news yet?

It really probably depends on what you want to ultimately do. Both are good degrees for academic research and private industry jobs. But there are a lot more business schools than public policy schools - so for academic positions it might be easier to get a position at a business school than public policy school. Then again, you can probably get a job at either school with either degree. So it's really a toss up. I would just apply to a mix of both and go with the place that has the best research fit.

Whoa this thread is a lot more active now! Background University: cum laude from top 25 school - religious studies (south asian) and international development policy Grad: none Publications/Presentations: 1 academic publication (not first author), 1 academic presentation at national conference, other professional publications and presentations Work: 1 year academic research, 1 year managing academic research consortium, 1 year market research, co-founder of social enterprise My biggest weakness is my GRE scores - mostly quant - was hoping to avoid retaking it but hopefully that will be an easy fix if nothing works out this year My interests lie at the intersection of international development and business, and unfortunately there's not a whole lot of research being done in this area. So it was challenging finding places to apply to and of course it's only the top programs that are remotely interested in this type of research.