casechaser5

I have not heard back from some phd programs that had a January 15th deadline. If I see on sites such as Grad Cafe about applicants receiving interview invites, can I email the program the status of my application?

Thanks for your advice everyone! Just as a follow up, if I am speaking to Professor A and I want to mention his/her research, do I first begin with a summary of his/her findings, the methodology used in a study....OR can I just go right ahead and mention a one-liner about the article (so the Professor knows which article im referring to) and then proceed to ask a question about the article and also some future extensions/thoughts i had about it?

Hello! I was kindly wondering how I should prepare for a Skype interview. I have generally been preparing by talking about my research interests/past projects and then try to relate my interests to the professors' interests or past publications. Would this be a good strategy or would you recommend that I do something else along with? Thanks!

Hello community, I've been applying to phd programs and just realized that some schools provide an opportunity to upload a writing sample (optional) on their online application but other schools don't even ask for it nor do they offer an opportunity to upload one. I've been uploading my writing sample only if there is a place to attach it. However, I just realized it would help if I could upload it to school online apps that don't offer a place to attach it as a file.... Wouldn't it help to give a writing sample to the committee (if its good) regardless? Would I be at a disadvantage if I don't upload it to a school that doesn't ask for one? For those schools that don't provide a place to upload it, what should I do? Should I attach my writing sample to the end of my SOP and upload the entire file in the SOP uploading section? Or email the phd program or grad admissions if I can have them attach my writing sample manually? Advice would be much appreciated!!!

Hello everyone, I was wondering what is expected out of a 1st year phd student. Obviously I've received some program-specific information while talking to current doc students, but I wanted your inputs as well. To my understanding, 1st years will being taking a full load of courses, have TA or RA duties, and then work on a research project/topic. It is the latter that I have questions about: What is the main deliverable for the research project/topic in the 1st year? Some faculty members solely encourage students to independently come up with novel research ideas whereas other faculty members invite the student to work on his/her ongoing research. I honestly feel the latter would be better as a 1st year in order to quickly learn and grab onto the reins before doing own research. Which method is best and what sort of conversations should I have with a professor if I want to initially collaborate on an existing project while the professor may encourage the student to come up with an entirely new topic from day 1? I'd appreciate your feedback and advice!

Hello everyone, I hope everything is going well during this application season. As I have been waitlisted at a certain school, I was wondering if you had any advice on what I should/can do going forward. Additionally, is there any sort of insights/anecdotes on how probable applicants on the waitlist actually receive offers in the end? Thanks!

Thanks for the replies, folks. As a follow-up, if one had a very high GPA and got all A/A-'s this fall semester, that would have no effect? As opposed to the uncertainty of knowing what the student got during fall semester, wouldn't the certainty of knowing be better for the committee? Or would they just extrapolate? Plus, if one did send an updated one, would the application file be sent to the back of the order again?

Hello, I would like some thoughts on whether or not I need to send my updated transcript that includes grades from this past Fall Semester to programs that had deadlines of 12/15. Fyi, my gpa is more or less the same. Thanks!

Per the question in the title, I was wondering if most, if not all, programs conduct interviews as opposed to receiving an acceptance? In addition, similar to corporate, do programs have 1st round Skype interviews and then final on-campus interviews? Thanks!

Test Scores (GRE): Verbal - 161 / Quant - 162 Undergrad GPA: 3.81 Econ and Psych (Top 15 school in terms of undergrad rankings from US News) Graduate GPA: 4.0 (currently doing a Masters in Marketing) Research Experience: independent studies, researching and working under a professor Work Experience: Several internships and also a full-time employment experience all at Fortune 500 firms Concentration Applying to: Consumer Behavior Number of programs planned to apply to: TBD Dream Schools: TBD If one would look at my profile and background, one would assume that I positioned myself to have a fruitful career in industry. However, I've realized that my heart lies in academia; thus, this is the career I strongly desire to pursue. One area that I have a question is how I allocated my time outside of class during undergrad. Does the fact that I've interned at a corporate firm every summer during undergrad as opposed to doing research help or hurt my candidacy? I assume that those who were accepted into top 5-10 programs have extensive research experience along with publications. Can I tailor my work experiences as a strength and as a potential differentiator? If I may receive opinions on where I generally stand among other potential applicants in CB, I would appreciate it! Would I qualify for top 10-25 programs? Can I aim higher? Of course, my profile here doesn't paint the entire picture but your feedback would be valued. Thank you.