2015 PhD Business Administration Admissions/Waiting/Sweating thread

[tm_associate]

sounds like a lot of you are well ahead of the curve! Keep it up and best of luck!

[XanthusARES]

Yeah keep up the pressure, but try to take some time to breath as well. Giving yourself a day off can really help to refocus your applications and allow you to write better applications.

[TaxCPA]

Future applicants gain a lot of knowledge and stress relief from being able to quickly compare their profiles with successful applicants from previous years. Basically this is a call out to the hundreds of visitors we get on this site to please consider participating in this thread. I know when I was applying the more information I could get the better.

 

I'll heed the call on this one because I know previous years' threads were definitely an encouragement to me and I've primarily been a lurker.

 

Program Applying to: PhD in Accounting

Age: late 20s

GMAT Scores: 740 Q47 (ugh) V45

Undegrad degree / GPA: small college, accounting degree; 3.91 GPA

Grad degree / GPA: top ten accounting program; 3.50 GPA

Work Experience: several years of public accounting

Teaching Experience: nothing substantial

Research Experience: nothing substantial

letter of recommendation: good quality and can attest to my skills and motivation (one "top" researcher and two more probably more focused on my motivation and character)

Research Interests: primarily tax, some financial accounting

Schools Considering to Apply to: 10-15 total; wide range, but pretty much all of the BYU accounting rankings top tax research schools. Tried to focus on research interests rather than school name, but it seems most of the "good" tax schools are fairly highly ranked overall.

 

My math background is a little bit weak and quant score on the GMAT did me no favors, but hopefully my industry experience will work in my favor a bit. Best of luck to everyone!

Edited November 24, 2014 by TaxCPA
Typos

[capitalgains]

I'll heed the call on this one because I know previous years' threads were definitely an encouragement to me and I've primarily been a lurker.

 

Whoa, looks like our profiles will be quite similar!

 

Program Applying to: PhD in Accounting

Age: 28

GMAT Score: 730 (96%) Q49 V40 IR7 AWA6.0

Undergrad degree / GPA: Accounting from Big Ten school, 3.58 overall but 4.00 business/accounting GPA

Grad degree / GPA: not applicable

Work Experience: four years public accounting (tax)

Teaching Experience: TA for computer science during undergrad

Research Experience: pretty much nil

Letters of Recommendation: two active accounting professors, one from previous employer (not ideal, but that's what I had to work with). All should be very positive.

Research Interests: tax within the context of financial accounting/reporting, more specifically in corporate tax avoidance and tax impacts on organizational form, location, and compensation structure

Schools Considering Apply to: pretty much all the major "tax" schools for accounting PhD programs. Current number is at 11, though I may add one or two more as a safety net.

 

Definitely feeling a little nervous, but almost everyone I've talked to is confident that I'll be able to get into at least one of the schools that I am interested in. Managed to take some additional mathematics courses (linear algebra & multivariate calculus) to help on the quant side.

[jzureich21]

Program Applying to: PhD in Accounting

Age: 22

GMAT Score: 730 (96%) Q48 V41 IR8 AWA5.5

Undergrad degree / GPA: Accounting from a relatively unknown progarm, 3.94 overall

Grad degree / GPA: in progress

Quantitative Background: Calc 1-3, Linear Algebra (self-studied), taking econometrics and a calculus-based intermediate microeconomic theory course next semester

Work Experience: two public accounting internships

Teaching Experience: None

Research Experience: have been involved in two projects mainly entering data

Letters of Recommendation: two professors (one very well respected) and one associate professor (all research active)

Research Interests: issues of incentives and information asymmetry in managerial decision-making and contracting, voluntary and mandatory disclosure, and behavioral economics (I am being completely open about this lack of focus in a specific area)

Schools Considering Apply to: 4 top 10, 6 top 20, 3 top 40

 

Feeling very iffy about my lack of research focus and less than ideal quantitative GMAT score (given a lot of managerial work is analytical). I am hoping strong recommendation letters will dominate these deficiencies (assuming lack of research focus, despite familiarity with accounting research, is considered a deficiency).

[XanthusARES]

Feeling very iffy about my lack of research focus and less than ideal quantitative GMAT score (given a lot of managerial work is analytical). I am hoping strong recommendation letters will dominate these deficiencies (assuming lack of research focus, despite familiarity with accounting research, is considered a deficiency).

 

It looks like you are applying pretty widely. I wouldn't be too worried if I were you. Either way there's nothing you can do about the GMAT score. Research focus might be an issue, but as long as you are broadly narrow in your SOP, you'll probably be ok.

[mindrew]

Feeling very iffy about my lack of research focus and less than ideal quantitative GMAT score (given a lot of managerial work is analytical). I am hoping strong recommendation letters will dominate these deficiencies (assuming lack of research focus, despite familiarity with accounting research, is considered a deficiency).

 

I think the fact that you're taking econometrics next semester helps, as long as you do well.

 

I think it's important for you to not only identify your research topics of interest (seems like mostly managerial topics), but your overall preference in methodology as well. If you read enough of the papers that some of the faculty are publishing, you might get a natural sense of what is exciting or boring to you. Some schools do great work in managerial topics, but are very focused in terms of method. Stanford does a lot of analytical and archival studies, but no experimental studies. So if you are interested in doing experiments, then don't apply to Stanford. Emory on the other hand is also highly ranked in managerial topics, but does alot of experimental and some archival studies in managerial topics. So if you're interested in doing analytical work, then don't apply to Emory for managerial topics, or else finding an advisor may be difficult.

 

Remember, you're not only applying to the school/program, you're applying to the faculty who have their own individual interests. Convince them that it's worth it to work with you.

[Sheetrockero]

For those of you that have been there, done that, and gotten in: How important is contacting professors you are interested in working with? It seems like some schools' websites discourage it while others welcome it. I've had good conversations with people at a couple of schools, but I haven't contacted anyone at most of the schools I'm applying to.

[AppInfo]

For those of you that have been there, done that, and gotten in: How important is contacting professors you are interested in working with? It seems like some schools' websites discourage it while others welcome it. I've had good conversations with people at a couple of schools, but I haven't contacted anyone at most of the schools I'm applying to.

 

I think this is a tough question to answer since there could be considerable variability between schools and even between individual professors. I think that it could be helpful if you make a good impression and show interest / knowledge, however, I don't think that it is necessary to contact professors. In fact, I doubt that professors at most school would have time to correspond with every interested candidate. Personally, I didn't contact any professors in advance of submitting applications, so I'll leave it to others who did to provide more detailed advice regarding the pros/cons.

 

The only think I would suggest if you are going to do this (and this goes for SoPs as well) is don't just look for the well-known full professors. There are lots of research active junior faculty doing really awesome research and working with PhD students, I think that candidates who overlook these faculty are putting themselves at a disadvantage.

[XanthusARES]

For those of you that have been there, done that, and gotten in: How important is contacting professors you are interested in working with? It seems like some schools' websites discourage it while others welcome it. I've had good conversations with people at a couple of schools, but I haven't contacted anyone at most of the schools I'm applying to.

 

That is an extremely hotly debated on this forum (as hot as we get that is). Here's my opinion. When I first started thinking about getting a PhD I sent out a few emails to professors. I genuinely wanted to get a better idea of what the program would entail, what life after the fact would be like. I sent out a bunch of emails (way too many). I heard back from a few professors and ended up talking to 4 or 5 on the phone. It was really helpful for me, especially since I wasn't coming from a business background. They helped me decide what my next steps should be to get myself into a great program (which I currently am).

 

Fast-forward to last fall when I was applying. I only stayed in contact with one of the professors whom I had emailed. So I talked with her again, mostly just reminding her that I was applying and asking her to look for my application. I didn't send out any more emails, although I did drop by the local university to meet with the professors there.

 

The moral of my ramblings is this. I don't think that it is overly helpful to email professors unless you have very specific questions that cannot be answered anywhere else. If you are interested in talking about their research, I frankly believe that is something that should be either done in person at a conference or, if you are a local, in their office. I strongly believe that these research conversations should be independent of your application (i.e. don't talk about research and then say, "Hey I'm applying to your program, let me in."). I also strongly believe that these conversations should happen well before you are applying. The point of these conversations is to get a better understanding of the potential research you could be doing, and are the best gauge of whether you should apply to that school or not.

 

I don't agree with others that emailing professors during the application season will necessarily hurt your application. Are these emails annoying for professors? Sure. Are they annoying enough for the professor to ignore your application? Probably not. Will these emails get your application further consideration? It depends. Let me explain. For top programs emailing a POI will get you nothing. It will have either a marginal gain or a marginal loss. They get so many similar emails that it really doesn't make a difference.

 

For lower ranked programs it may help. A lot of these programs are actively trying to recruit good applicants. If you have an application package that far exceeds the standards of the school, talking with a professor or two could allow them to know that you are actually really interested in coming to their program. CAUTION!!! Only contact these programs if you are 100% serious in going there. If you are just trying to get yourself an admit at a safety school that you have no intentions of going to, you are an a%# and I would like to punch you in your a@% face. This type of activity will keep that school from accepting a student who would actually go and thrive there. (more on this point later)

 

 

Summary: I don't think contacting schools is necessary or even a good idea in most cases. They provide marginal benefits at best, but only marginal losses at worst. I wouldn't do it, but other people on here feel differently.

[myndfood]

I agree with Xanth and others: I don't think you'll benefit by contacting most schools.

 

I also think Xanth has an epic signature!

[ArcticApplicant]

For those of you that have been there, done that, and gotten in: How important is contacting professors you are interested in working with? It seems like some schools' websites discourage it while others welcome it. I've had good conversations with people at a couple of schools, but I haven't contacted anyone at most of the schools I'm applying to.

 

As many above have already suggested, this is a hotly debated issue. I had contact with two professors before applying but it was just by chance, and I certainly don't think it in any way influenced anyone's decisions.

 

Ultimately, it is a personal choice. You need to weigh the pros (your charming personality and your deep knowledge of their research) and cons (they are strapped for time and you are one of potentially hundreds of applicants) for your specific situation; and there are many others on each side of the debate.

 

The thing that I always kept in mind is that their reaction is equally personal. You have absolutely no way of predicting what it will be: excited, neutral, negative. It will depend on so many variables that are outside of your control, like whether they just got an R&R or a rejection at a top journal that day, or how many other applicants have been banging on their doors. Equally worthy of consideration is whether they choose to do anything based on that reaction, and perhaps more fundamentally, if they even have an influence over the decisions made (which are often decided by the Doctoral Committee members).

 

So the question really is, do you want to spend the time and energy on something that has very uncertain payoffs, when instead you could spend your time polishing your SOP or studying for the GMAT so that your application is the best it can be when it comes before the entire Doctoral Committee. And if your answer to that is that it doesn't take a lot of time to contact professors, then I would suggest you're probably not doing a very good job of it (assuming you're trying to sway their opinion) anyway, so better off not doing it.

Edited November 27, 2014 by ArcticApplicant
typos suck!

[Sheetrockero]

Well, it looks like that's one less thing I have to worry about. Thanks AppInfo, XanthusARES, myndfood, and ArcticApplicant

[PhDPlease]

I didn't contact any professors before applying. My sense is it might be reasonable at lower-ranked programs with fewer applicants, but at top-ranked programs there are so many applicants, most of whom will get rejected, that it just doesn't make sense for the faculty to spend time corresponding to people who (just based on probability) are unlikely to get in.

[myndfood]

A few quick thoughts re. contacting professors:

 

1. I do think that many professors (and not just at top tier programs) get a lot of these emails. I'm skeptical that it'll do much for you--unless you have a "hook" (that is, unless there's some deeper reason than, "I'm applying to your school and I think you do cool research and I want to work with you."). If you've done complementary work, and you can make the conversation a meaningful one, about the intersection of your respective areas of study, then it'll likely be memorable.

 

2. If you decide to contact a professor, be very genuine. I heard a recent story about a prospective applicant at my school who implied some sort of relationship with other students or faculty in the program when reaching out to a faculty member (i.e. "Prof. A there mentioned that you and I should talk."). The faculty member checked with Prof A, and Prof A said, "I got a cold-call from that person, and in the course of conversation, mentioned your name as well as a few other names as people who are doing work related to their interests." If it's a cold-call email, then make it clear it's a cold-call email; don't characterize the relationship as something more than it is.

 

3. Mostly, I wouldn't do it. I think there's little to no potential benefit, and at least a moderate amount of risk.

[evergreen]

I'll add my opinion.

 

I've heard from a lot of professors at conferences complaining about emails from prospective students. Minor pet peeves include being asked questions which are clearly on the school's website (ie. do you accept GRE or GMAT? Just check the website; next up on the annoyance scale: You accept both GRE and GMAT, which do you prefer? If both are on the website, then they don't care!!!). The worse is when a student "demands" anything.

For example, more than one professor has gotten really irritated when they are asked repeatedly for a "profile evaluation" similar to what we (try to) do on this website.

At least the professors with whom I've discussed this with, if you want a "profile evaluation", then you should apply to the school. Don't ask for one beforehand. And especially don't demand one. Professors remember your name very clearly then... and not in a way that will benefit your chances of getting an admission.

[YaSvoboden]

First of all, good to see some more accountants on here. You all look like you have really solid profiles and will be choosing between schools when time comes.

 

Regarding contacting professors: I think it is fine to do. I had positive experiences with the few that I contacted beforehand. The important thing to point out here is that I only contacted professors when I actually had a question. I looked around the web site, maybe checked somewhere else that seemed reasonable, and then I would actually email the PhD program coordinator. I got positive responses from doing this. I think I gave a brief introduction of myself, in that I was interested in the program and what kinds of research appeal to me before asking any questions.

[Sheetrockero]

So, I missed one of my school's deadlines because I assumed the cutoff was at midnight, but it was at 5pm... I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I feel totally bummed that I won't be able to apply and foolish for not completing the app earlier. On the other, I feel like I just saved $100 since chances are I would have just gotten a rejection letter. In fact, this experience has led me to drop a couple more highly ranked schools that I probably don't have a shot at especially since I am not SUPER excited about any of the research currently being done. After all, I've still got 14 apps for this season.

[YaSvoboden]

So, I missed one of my school's deadlines because I assumed the cutoff was at midnight, but it was at 5pm... I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I feel totally bummed that I won't be able to apply and foolish for not completing the app earlier. On the other, I feel like I just saved $100 since chances are I would have just gotten a rejection letter. In fact, this experience has led me to drop a couple more highly ranked schools that I probably don't have a shot at especially since I am not SUPER excited about any of the research currently being done. After all, I've still got 14 apps for this season.

I did the exact same thing last year for a highly ranked school. I emailed the grad school and they managed to open the application back up for me and I turned it in. I was rejected in Feb. I am still happy that I applied, because you never know without trying.

 

It seems like you are OK with the idea of just giving up on that school and that it has helped you think more clearly about other schools. But if you still want to check it out, I would email the grad school as soon as possible and see if you can get an exception.

[wittmic]

I feel like there was more "sweating" going on in prior years at this point. You newbie applicants are so calm.. kudos.

[AppInfo]

I feel like there was more "sweating" going on in prior years at this point. You newbie applicants are so calm.. kudos.

 

It probably only seems that way because you aren't the one sweating this time. :-) Plus they are probably all still busy filling out applications.

[YaSvoboden]

Yeah I think I remember December 15 as when sweating really started.

[XanthusARES]

It probably only seems that way because you aren't the one sweating this time. :-) Plus they are probably all still busy filling out applications.

 

 

Between term papers and conference submissions, I'm sweating pretty good over here.

[arcenciel]

Hello Folks,

 

Been reading through the forums, and figured it would at least relieve some of my stress and others as I post my profile.

I'm applying this year for 2015 Fall semester.

 

Program Applying to: Marketing (Behavioral/CB)

Age: 28

GRE Scores: Verbal 164 (93%) / Quant 169 (97%) / 4.0 AWA (56%)... I really didn't prepare well for the writing.. especially at 7:15am

Undegrad degree / GPA: BS in Commerce (Marketing & Finance) at top public US university / 3.7 out of 4.0

Grad degree / GPA: N/A (Would this be a negative?)

Work Experience: 4 years as a market research analyst in a high ticket consumable market

Teaching Experience: 8+ years as mentor and tutor for high school students (non-profit and for profit)

Research Experience: Non-experimental research in a professional setting. No experience in academic setting. (would this also be a deal breaker?)

LOR: All 3 letters from undergrad professors in marketing (2 Tenure, 1 Associate)

Research Interests: Consumer Psychology, Consumer Judgment and Decisions, Subconscious motivations

Schools Considering to Apply to: 12 in the Top 25 (perhaps I should have applied to a "safety" school?)

 

Feels so much better to let this out and hear from anyone some feedback...

My SOP consisted mostly of talking about research I conducted as a professional and actual outcomes in the real market.

 

I have 3 more schools to apply to and I'm done!

 

Hopefully in a few months I can post that I was accepted to at least one of them..

 

Good luck everyone and keep your hopes up!

 

PS I've contacted 4 of the 12 schools (professors I'm interested to work with)- Let's see how that goes too.

[AppInfo]

Finally, forum is back. I had to find new novel ways to procrastinate on research papers for the last couple days.