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Harvard prof wants to chat - does it mean anything?
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Date: September 24th, 2009 4:25 PM Author: sick library place of business Subject: harvard prof wants to chat - does it mean anything? I'm currently applying to PoliSci PhD programs hoping to study comparative politics with an emphasis on regime development in post-communist states. I sent out a few emails to Harvard profs conducting research similar to that and got emails back from them encouraging me to apply. I also got an email from their most prominent Russia scholar (my background is primarily in Russian studies and polisci) saying he'd like to talk to me on the phone.
Does this mean anything? |
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Date: September 24th, 2009 9:26 PM Author: know-it-all carmine electric furnace boistinker yes, but it's not in any way a sure-fire indicator that you've got an excellent shot. your e-mail caught his attention, and he wants to know more, probably to gauge your level of fit with the department and see if you're worth going to bad for with the adcom. it is quite likely that, after your chat, he will either be unimpressed or decide that you may not be quite the right fit, given the needs of the department. even if you appear to be, you still need the support of the committee, and your stats/credentials need to match up with the promise you show in your conversation.
i got to this stage and further with some departments when i was applying (even flew out to one place to sit down with a prof and was told by another that they were putting together a potential doctoral committee for me), only to be dinged.
so treat this as your time to show what you've got, but don't read so terribly much into it that you are devastated if it turns out to be nothing. |
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Date: November 22nd, 2009 11:47 PM Author: Irradiated olive boltzmann puppy Nope. He just wanted to say hello and check to see how your day was going.
Just kidding. I couldn't resist. |
Date: September 24th, 2009 9:52 PM Author: sick library place of business wow, that's rough. i hope that doesn't happen to me. do you have any clue as to why you were eventually rejected? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1094864&forum_id=3#12829740) |
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Date: September 24th, 2009 10:18 PM Author: know-it-all carmine electric furnace boistinker well, in one case (the second one), the economy tanked and they were forced to cut their incoming class by half since half of their funding lines for that year had been pulled (i was also trying to transfer from my current department, so it was a slightly different situation). in the other--the one where i flew out to meet faculty--my conversation with the prof was shitty, and while i had some support on the committee, it probably wasn't enough to warrant spending a funding line on me. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1094864&forum_id=3#12830051) |
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Date: September 24th, 2009 11:27 PM Author: sick library place of business wow that sucks. i hope you're happy wherever you ended up. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1094864&forum_id=3#12830822) |
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Date: September 25th, 2009 12:54 AM Author: know-it-all carmine electric furnace boistinker it's ok. not my first, second, third, or fourth choice, but it serves the purpose.
best of luck with your apps and your meeting. |
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Date: September 25th, 2009 2:53 PM Author: sick library place of business thanks. all i need is one acceptance (preferably from a school in the top half of my list, choice-wise) (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1094864&forum_id=3#12835461) |
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Date: September 27th, 2009 10:35 AM Author: Transparent bat shit crazy pistol noob question: do most people apply to phd programs after their masters or can they go straight from UG? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1094864&forum_id=3#12847737) |
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Date: September 27th, 2009 12:05 PM Author: know-it-all carmine electric furnace boistinker depends on the discipline and also on what kind of research experience you have coming out of ugrad. most disciplines will take you straight out of UG, but a few require a masters. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1094864&forum_id=3#12847995) |
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Date: September 27th, 2009 8:51 PM Author: Transparent bat shit crazy pistol What makes you competitive for a phd in english? I know, the advice on the board is basically to never go into a phd program for the humanities... (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1094864&forum_id=3#12851897) |
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Date: September 27th, 2009 11:38 PM Author: know-it-all carmine electric furnace boistinker honestly, i don't know a whole lot about english as a discipline, so i can't really say what would make you competitive for an english phd program.
generally speaking, you should have done some sort of journal-quality academic writing (an undergraduate thesis supervised closely by a senior faculty member or something of that nature), and you should have basic literacy in some portion of the discipline's basic canon. you should also be able to competently discuss your research interests, even if you believe that they will change the minute you enter grad school. beyond that, i can't be more specific, and i don't think that there are any english grad students on this board. |
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Date: September 27th, 2009 11:32 PM Author: sick library place of business suggestion: start a new thread if you have a question unrelated to the topic of the existing thread. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1094864&forum_id=3#12853409) |
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Date: September 28th, 2009 3:14 PM Author: Transparent bat shit crazy pistol sorry, didn't mean to hijack your thread. carry on (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1094864&forum_id=3#12857839) |