2018 Ph.D. Business Administration Sweat Thread

[ThePhDAspirant]

 

I haven't heard anything from any of my schools yet :/

 

Same boat .. fingers crossed.

[thewallstands]

Folks,

 

I just collected the data related to the Marketing PhD decisions from Gradcafe. (Attached the file in txt format, as xlsx format is not supported by the forum).

 

I did this to learn the scraping. Maybe someone will find it of some use.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]7171[/ATTACH]

[cactusecon]

Folks,

 

I just collected the data related to the Marketing PhD decisions from Gradcafe. (Attached the file in txt format, as xlsx format is not supported by the forum).

 

I did this to learn the scraping. Maybe someone will find it of some use.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]7171[/ATTACH]

This is so helpful. Which language did you use to make this graph? Any sharing about how you learned to do this?

[thewallstands]

This is so helpful. Which language did you use to make this graph? Any sharing about how you learned to do this?

 

I used Selenium Webdriver in Python to scrape the data from Gradcafe.com and used R to create the graph. The functionality can be achieved by using only 1 language/package - Python or R.

[Granps]

I used Selenium Webdriver in Python to scrape the data from Gradcafe.com and used R to create the graph. The functionality can be achieved by using only 1 language/package - Python or R.

 

I did a similar thing in my thesis - scraped with Python (but with beautiful soup) and visualization with ggplot.:encouragement:

[cilantrophy]

Folks,

 

I just collected the data related to the Marketing PhD decisions from Gradcafe. (Attached the file in txt format, as xlsx format is not supported by the forum).

 

I did this to learn the scraping. Maybe someone will find it of some use.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]7171[/ATTACH]

 

This is awesome, thank you! So now we know to keep our cool until at least the end of this month... :encouragement:

[muzeebshaik]

Folks,

 

I just collected the data related to the Marketing PhD decisions from Gradcafe. (Attached the file in txt format, as xlsx format is not supported by the forum).

 

I did this to learn the scraping. Maybe someone will find it of some use.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]7171[/ATTACH]

 

 

Thanks for sharing

[OC7182]

I used Selenium Webdriver in Python to scrape the data from Gradcafe.com and used R to create the graph. The functionality can be achieved by using only 1 language/package - Python or R.

 

Would you mind sharing the code? Do you have a public GitHub?

[Woods]

Hi guys, I am new to the thread here. May I know roughly how many safety schools do you all apply to? Can University of Minnesota or University of Pittsburgh be considered as safety schools?

[Granps]

Hi guys, I am new to the thread here. May I know roughly how many safety schools do you all apply to? Can University of Minnesota or University of Pittsburgh be considered as safety schools?

 

Hi Woods, what is a safety school for one, is a reach school for another. This is very subjective. I have seen people to whom Duke would be a safety school (well, not in marketing, but still). There are different approaches, and as I am still unadmitted, mine might turn and bite me in the...back. But you should only apply to schools which you will be excited to go to, if admitted. What is the point in getting admitted but feeling unenthusiastic? That being said, if there is a program to which you want to go, and it happens to be lower-ranked and you have a great chance of being accepted? All the power to you.

[XanthusARES]

Hi guys, I am new to the thread here. May I know roughly how many safety schools do you all apply to? Can University of Minnesota or University of Pittsburgh be considered as safety schools?

 

 

What Granps said is true. Only apply to schools that you are interested in going to. That being said school rankings (which "safety" schools should be decided upon), are department subjective. Maybe for some departments and areas Minnesota and Pittsburgh could be safety schools, but for Marketing both of these are T15 programs, so definitely not anyone's safety.

[vdogan]

Dear members of the forum,

 

I wonder that whether there are anyone who heard back from the Ph.D. committee of the Uni of Arkansas.

 

Sincerely,

[XanthusARES]

I wonder that whether there are anyone who heard back from the Ph.D. committee of the Uni of Arkansas.

 

I know that this time of year is extremely stressful and there is nothing that I, or anyone, can say that will make it any less stressful. But it's still extremely early. The only Arkansas news so far, as far as I can tell, has been from an accounting student. There is still plenty of time, I would think that invites would start going out within the next 6 weeks or so, which sounds like a long time, but somewhere between now and March you will see the majority of interview invites.

[Xixixixixixi]

Dear members of the forum,

 

I wonder that whether there are anyone who heard back from the Ph.D. committee of the Uni of Arkansas.

 

Sincerely,

 

Hi. I heard back from the Accounting program in the middle of December.

[TaxGal]

What should I think about a really good accounting program releasing last year (2017) placements and both graduates got “visiting” positions? I’m worried cause up until last year they placed at good schools like UIUC and Baruch TT. Having both graduates not get TT positions seems like a bad sign. Should I be worried?

 

To give a general idea Dallas rankings put it T15 BYU has it T25

[XanthusARES]

What should I think about a really good accounting program releasing last year (2017) placements and both graduates got “visiting” positions? I’m worried cause up until last year they placed at good schools like UIUC and Baruch TT. Having both graduates not get TT positions seems like a bad sign. Should I be worried?

 

To give a general idea Dallas rankings put it T15 BYU has it T25

 

I cannot speak for accounting, but if the school has placed well in the past but had a significantly down year, then it's likely that is exactly what it was, a down year. There are a lot of reasons that people may chose to not take a TT position, and you can't know if the students didn't get any offers or if they turned down offers. I wouldn't put any stock into whatsoever. If the placement history has been strong, you'll be fine.

 

One obvious caveat to this. Did the school lose some faculty recently? If they lost a few big names to retirement or school switching and never replaced them, this could be the starting signal that things are going downhill for the program. However if the faculty has remained relatively stable over the past 5-8 years, then the fact that last year two students didn't get TT positions is a blip, not a trend, and should be viewed as such.

[YaSvoboden]

I cannot speak for accounting, but if the school has placed well in the past but had a significantly down year, then it's likely that is exactly what it was, a down year. There are a lot of reasons that people may chose to not take a TT position, and you can't know if the students didn't get any offers or if they turned down offers. I wouldn't put any stock into whatsoever. If the placement history has been strong, you'll be fine.

 

One obvious caveat to this. Did the school lose some faculty recently? If they lost a few big names to retirement or school switching and never replaced them, this could be the starting signal that things are going downhill for the program. However if the faculty has remained relatively stable over the past 5-8 years, then the fact that last year two students didn't get TT positions is a blip, not a trend, and should be viewed as such.

Well said, Xanthus.

 

I can't think of what school this is, but you can pm me if you want. Placements are the best summary statistic for a PhD program, but they are also quite noisy. Faculty reputations are pretty sticky, so if they placed well in the past they can place well again. This actually a fine question to (carefully) ask if you get an interview.

[StrategicMGMT]

I applied widely and got offers (and rejections) from schools I wasn't expecting.

 

In the end I chose a school that was not originally in my top 3. But after talking to the professors and realizing what they were doing and what I wanted to do really aligned, it made since.

 

I am really happy with my decision now.

 

As far as research goes: I think most people have an idea of what they want to research (or I should rephrase: what they think they want to research), but once you are in the program, and you are reading 20 articles a week and talking to professors, your ideas may change. So I think it's better to see who you get along with best, who do you feel will be able to guide you and help you succeed, and choose in that way. Yes, generally speaking it is good if they are interested in the same or complementary areas as you, but that is the just the bare minimum. I'd rather work with someone who has my best interests in mind and can mentor me even if they aren't a complete expert on my topic than an expert who is too busy to care about my work.

[Xixixixixixi]

Hey guys. Does anyone know the percentage of accounting programs which have campus interviews before they admit students? My situation is really unique because of my visa status. Would it necessarily hurt me if I ask for an alternative interview when a school offers a campus interview?

[Eve]

Hey guys. Does anyone know the percentage of accounting programs which have campus interviews before they admit students? My situation is really unique because of my visa status. Would it necessarily hurt me if I ask for an alternative interview when a school offers a campus interview?

Hi! Not sure what the percentage is, but I know a couple of people who travel to the U.S. on visitor visa for campus visits, so I guess visa status shouldn't be a problem even if you currently reside outside of the U.S.?

[YaSvoboden]

Hey guys. Does anyone know the percentage of accounting programs which have campus interviews before they admit students? My situation is really unique because of my visa status. Would it necessarily hurt me if I ask for an alternative interview when a school offers a campus interview?

 

Most do campus interviews, but they usually substitute Skype interviews for internationals. It is a missed opportunity for you, but shouldn't have a strong effect on admissions

[ids1]

I was waitlisted at a top 10 school last year and reapplying again this year.. Was wondering if anyone has any insight as to whether last year’s waitlist spot is a strong signal for getting into one of the final rounds this year.

 

Also, I wonder if it makes sense to try and reach out o PoI or the person who interviewed me last year and express my strong interest within the context of almost getting in last year.. would that be constructive or counterproductive?

[YaSvoboden]

I was waitlisted at a top 10 school last year and reapplying again this year.. Was wondering if anyone has any insight as to whether last year’s waitlist spot is a strong signal for getting into one of the final rounds this year.

 

Also, I wonder if it makes sense to try and reach out o PoI or the person who interviewed me last year and express my strong interest within the context of almost getting in last year.. would that be constructive or counterproductive?

 

Being waitlisted last year is a good sign. Did you have any offers that you turned down last year?

 

I think it makes sense to reach out to the professor given you have a bit of a relationship.

[ids1]

Being waitlisted last year is a good sign. Did you have any offers that you turned down last year?

 

I think it makes sense to reach out to the professor given you have a bit of a relationship.

 

Didn’t have any offers.. aimed high and i assume that being an older applicant was quite a hurdle in the end.. widened my range a bit this year.. i am a bit apprehensive though.. I think being an older applicant would represent a challenge in the job market if and when i am done with the PhD.. so don’t really want to compound it by going into a lower tiered program.. I think I have a pretty solid profile which would have played out well had I applied years ago..

 

The program in question, I have someone on the faculty who is trying to emphasize my profile internally but he is not involved in admissions unfortunately..

 

Would love to pick your brain some more via DM as I have followed your posts last year and have a lot of respect for your insights..

[YaSvoboden]

Didn’t have any offers.. aimed high and i assume that being an older applicant was quite a hurdle in the end.. widened my range a bit this year.. i am a bit apprehensive though.. I think being an older applicant would represent a challenge in the job market if and when i am done with the PhD.. so don’t really want to compound it by going into a lower tiered program.. I think I have a pretty solid profile which would have played out well had I applied years ago..

 

The program in question, I have someone on the faculty who is trying to emphasize my profile internally but he is not involved in admissions unfortunately..

 

Would love to pick your brain some more via DM as I have followed your posts last year and have a lot of respect for your insights..

 

Feel free to send a message.

 

Having a professor on the inside definitely helps.