Postgrad in the US

Does anyone have any information or experiences to share? I have recently been thinking about applying to a PhD program in the US as a backup plan, as my current contract ends in March and I haven't anything else lined up yet. I have always wanted to study over there and I decided to seriously start considering it in case I did have a chance of getting in. I would really like to do a PhD in Linguistics or something related to languages and I'd really like to (don't laugh) go to an Ivy League college like Harvard or Columbia. I have found interesting programs in several colleges.

So the first challenge is getting in. How much of a chance would I have? I got a high 2:1 in my undergrad degree (a first in my dissertation) and I obtained very-hard-to-get funding in the UK to do my MA in a top ten university, for which I was awarded a distinction. I'm not a big extra curricular activities person, but I was an active member of several societies in both my universities. Unfortunately, I did not hold any positions of responsibility in these societies. Am also absolutely useless at team sports. I see you need to take the GRE test to be considered for admission and this looks hard. I'm especially worried about the maths part, as I haven't done any maths since I was 15 and I only got a C in my GCSE. Has anyone taken the tests? Was the practice software you can buy of any use?

The other issue is financial aid - I would need either full funding or a fellowship where I would teach undergrad classes. I've had a look at the financial info and it says there certainly is funding available but what's the actual chance of me getting it as an international student? It looks like you just ask for it and you get it but obviously that can't be the case. I'm currently looking at the Fulbright website to see if I'd be eligible for one of their scholarships.

I would appreciate any advice!

Kinski

Was looking into this myself. Re: funding, places at top schools like Harvard and Columbia are fully-funded, i.e. if you get in your fees are paid and you recieve a living stipend (they make no distinction between domestic and international students), but competition for places is intense. Don't take this as gospel, though, this is just what I seem to remember when I looked into it a while back.

Kinski

Kinski wrote: »

Was looking into this myself. Re: funding, places at top schools like Harvard and Columbia are fully-funded, i.e. if you get in your fees are paid and you recieve a living stipend (they make no distinction between domestic and international students), but competition for places is intense. Don't take this as gospel, though, this is just what I seem to remember when I looked into it a while back.

This is what I thought. I wonder what the acceptance rate for PhD's is like. Gonna start looking into the GRE tests, just in case I do decide to go for it!

avalon68

I believe interviews for the next intake of students (ie sept 2011) have already been scheduled in the uni where I work. To say competition for a spot in an ivy is intense is an understatement. I have never seen such smart, well educated, motivated individuals. Where i work all grad students TA in labs for a few months of their second year - but they dont lecture to undergrad classes - people dont pay ivy league fees to be lectured to by grad students

lonestargirl

I agree with avalon68, applications for Sept 2011 entry will have closed for most universities already. I did the GRE with only 2 weeks of study and I did pretty, but I do have a physics/maths background. My graduate school doesn't allow unfunded students, they fund you for the 1st 1-2 years and then the advisor who you are working with funds you. We get $26k + healthcare + tuition paid. In my program they only fund 1 international student a year (there are 18 in total in my class). Fulbright scholarship for next year has closed too, I was shortlisted for the science and technology award last year but I didn't get it.

Lockstep

SouthsideRosie knows a fair bit about this sort of thing. She'd be a good person to ask.

avalon68

Well, it's still just an idea at the moment so if I were to seriously apply, I'd be intending to start in 2012. I have medical things and stuff I need to sort out here over the next year, it's more just that I'd like to have some sort of plan for the short term future for something I'd really like to do.

avalon68 wrote: »

I believe interviews for the next intake of students (ie sept 2011) have already been scheduled in the uni where I work. To say competition for a spot in an ivy is intense is an understatement. I have never seen such smart, well educated, motivated individuals. Where i work all grad students TA in labs for a few months of their second year - but they dont lecture to undergrad classes - people dont pay ivy league fees to be lectured to by grad students

Well, all my friends who went to Ivy League colleges were partly taught by grad students. It even states on the websites that you're expected to teach. I don't mean big lectures, I mean small tutorial groups and things like that (no labs in my subject). Would that not be the norm?

avalon68

Darrell Dry Bungalow wrote: »

Well, all my friends who went to Ivy League colleges were partly taught by grad students. It even states on the websites that you're expected to teach. I don't mean big lectures, I mean small tutorial groups and things like that (no labs in my subject). Would that not be the norm?

The grad students in my department TA for 3-4 months of their second year - its a requirement of the stipend - they supervise labs basically - no lecturing. Id imagine in other subjects this would be tutorial groups.......I would stay clear of needing to do this on a permanent basis to obtain funding as the students in our lab had approx 30h week work for TAing......not much time to work on anything else, including preparing for quals. Its a HUGE timesink. The other thing you will notice on arrival is the huge gap in standards between Irish 3rd level and American 3rd level degrees......they are light years ahead imo.

HavingCrack

One thing you might want to consider is the subject you want to do. There a plenty of fantastic colleges in the United States that have just as good reputations in certain fields as any of the Ivy Leagues. Places like the University of Chicago, Michigan, Chapel Hill, Georgetown, Northwestern, MIT, Univesity of California are all just as good if not better than places like Brown or Colombia depending on subject etc

Another thing is make sure you look at living costs, living in New York or Boston can be very expensive compared to a less well known city.

avalon68

HavingCrack wrote: »

Another thing is make sure you look at living costs, living in New York or Boston can be very expensive compared to a less well known city.

Having lived near two Ivy league schools I can tell you its very expensive - they attract money, and money drives accommodation costs sky high. Im sure if I pulled out a dictionary from the town I live in now - the word recession wouldnt be in it....:o