Yeah, it is not bad.
-
Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!
Is there an MBA. graduate, doctorate crowd here on GAF?
- Thread starter Dr. Feel Good
- Start date
- Status
Yeah, it is not bad.
RumblingRosco
Member
I'm in the post-doc-seeking process now. Applying to some fellowships I've found from various institutions at the moment. I'll complete my Ph.D. in May, so I feel like now is a great time for me to start my applications/sending out CVs.
I'm also looking at government post-docs. National labs (Argonne, Idaho, etc.) and also USDA/DoD/etc. Seems like a decent amount of opportunities exist within my realm of interests.
I'm also looking at government post-docs. National labs (Argonne, Idaho, etc.) and also USDA/DoD/etc. Seems like a decent amount of opportunities exist within my realm of interests.
Dedication Through Light
Member
I found one I wanted to work with at USDA but he was like find a grant, I was all
that so hard for usda.RumblingRosco
Member
I found one I wanted to work with at USDA but he was like find a grant, I was all
Yeah, not easy. USAJobs.gov sometimes has things listed for USDA scientist openings. I think "find a grant" is a common reply from PIs regardless of the field though.
RumblingRosco
Member
Usually a lot more independent research; you'll read a lot of papers/written works. That's my experience and the experience of others I know personally. Never met anyone studying divinity though, so who knows in that field. An M.Div is often a requirement for becoming a pastor/priest/etc., right? I suspect whatever program you're enrolled in will be unique, truthfully, so I wouldn't put a lot of weight in what people like me tell you.
Dedication Through Light
Member
My dad did that, much of the difference was way more writing and reading.
Big Chief Crazy Cone
Member
To anyone who applied to Round 1 MBA programs and is getting decisions back this week, best of luck!
It's been an extremely nerve-wracking week, but I was very fortunate to get into my top choice school! It's so great to finally be done with the 9 month application process.
It's been an extremely nerve-wracking week, but I was very fortunate to get into my top choice school! It's so great to finally be done with the 9 month application process.
SamuelSupreme
Banned
Hey guys im thinking of going for my MBA. Any tips? Im currently preparing to take my GMAT. And im trying to go for Ryerson, McMaster, York and HEC Montreal.
Chaplain
Member
I am studying to become a Chaplin.
Ty for your advice. ^_^
I thought this might be the case. I was reading about 200 pages per week prior to finishing my B.S. these past couple of months. I hope its not much more. lol
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
It's an absurd moment when the people cheering you on to go to business school don't have the time to actually listen to your advice and suggestions on how they can improve.
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
I'm absolutely shitty at math and pretty much tanked the quant section. That said, taking Kaplan courses and doing tests over and over helps.
A real life CSI Cyber!
Congrats!
I'm doing my MBA on the west coast, but yo: remember to have fun. Some people take this so seriously they're gonna burn out and fall apart.
But do take it seriously. Great opportunity.
Oh, network like crazy. It's my weakest skill and I'm working on it. Sometimes doing an MBA feels like a glorified networking event.
If you bone up the GMAT the first time, don't be discouraged. I only scraped by on my third try. Shit, my third try was still below the cutoff acceptance, but I nailed the interview.
Oh yes, if you get an interview, I think that is way more critical than the GMAT score. I was nervous about my score and the fact that I may have less experience in comparison to my peers, but I was honest about it. Passion goes a long way! Passion, planning, persistence.
Oh, do have a good LinkedIn profile. Mine is shit. I'm working on it.
EverythingShiny
Member
I just finished up the first semester of the MSc in Bioinformatics program I'm in. It's going quite well so far. I have a data science/analysis background so the programming part comes easily to me, but I hadn't taken a biology class since my first semester of undergrad 10+ years ago. I took my last molecular bio exam 2 hours ago. Feels good.
I am doing something slightly crazy in that I'm taking 5 classes next semester. Has anyone else taken an intense course-load like this? How did you survive it? I'm planning on powering through the rest of my core classes so I can start working in the field this spring.
I am doing something slightly crazy in that I'm taking 5 classes next semester. Has anyone else taken an intense course-load like this? How did you survive it? I'm planning on powering through the rest of my core classes so I can start working in the field this spring.
Did you eventually do well on it?
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
540 lol. Up from 500. They have 550 minimum and 600 recommended.
My math was abysmal hahaha
The math on the GMAT is NOT difficult. It's more about the ability to problem solve quickly and under time pressure along with decent numeral literacy, its not about what a math whiz you are.
Big Chief Crazy Cone
Member
Definitely agree with this. My GMAT score was also below par, but I prepped for interviews, went in and clearly articulated why I was excited to go to that particular school. This should come across in your essays as well; that is a key piece to getting in the room if you're worried about your numbers.
SolVanderlyn
Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
I was going to have my Master's presented to me today, but the stupid head of the department said that my thesis needed more time to be the best that it could be. I'm handing in my thesis this coming Monday, so I'll have all of my coursework done but no Master's until spring.
Immensely frustrating.
Immensely frustrating.
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
That's gotta be super frustrating, but its better to delay now than have you flunk a defence or anything. Two years from now this'll just be a roadbump in the mirror. You'll be a Master soon enough!
You only need one job mate. The quality of you CV / research papers IMO is what will elevate you over the competition. At least this is true in my own experience. I've landed every job I've applied for and after the interview, the people who interviewed me said my CV was outstanding.
RumblingRosco
Member
I'd add that your ability to interview well and your general outlook/approach to conducting research is also a major factor in this. For example, any new position you go to you'll be required to learn new ideas/techniques/tools, so if your interview shows that you're highly-motivated and capable of rapidly learning in a new environment (which is also evidence by your CV), you'll go pretty far, generally speaking.
Okay, I need to get something off my chest. I am graduating next semester and I am fucking terrified I've wasted my college experience.
I am already overdue for graduation. I have spent a total of 7 years in college between all my transfers as an undergrad. 4 years in a community college because I didn't know wtf I was doing, and now 3 years in a university with the vague goal of becoming a neuroscientist that I didn't work hard enough on.
I went into psychology with the intention of becoming a nueroscientist. It seemed like the happiest compromise of wanting to do things related to understanding how people worked and a fairly solid job. I would also take creative writing classes (and will graduate with that as my second major) as that is my real passion, books, but I liked psychology well enough as well.
However, what this field really required was research. And I slacked off in that department before I realized how important it was. It's not that I didn't try. I applied again and again, especially for the memory lab I wanted to get into, but I only managed to get 1 interview, and that was a no go because I lacked lab experience (which infuriated me, as it was such a catch 22 problem). I did manage to get into a lab, and I've one 3 credits of work. I was meant to propose a project, but I experienced a massive depression episode that kind of fucked over my social life and gave me a pretty weak semester in general. I didn't propose any project to do, I just inputted data, which I don't think will ever count for anything. I haven't cozied up to any professor either, so I'm unlikely to get any letter of recommendation, except from my creative writing teacher if anyone.
My transcript grades are not as good as I'd like them to be either. Not horrible. I have a 3.3 GPA (Pretty much in general and in Psych fields as well), but hardly top of the class material. Mostly because I have a bad tendency to just scrape by if I can, even if I want to do better. I think I can do well on the GRE once I start studying, but...
And now it just dawns on me that I'm leaving. And I am going to be saddled with this huge debt, and I don't know where to take my life from here. I don't even know if I have any options left. The best I can think of is that instead of becoming a Neuroscientist, I instead go to graduate school to be a therapist. But....right now, I am just faced with finishing off my last semester, and I have no idea where to go from here. I feel like a failure. I'm posting this hoping that someone here can tell me that there are ways into graduate school for neuroscience that have lower requirements, like someone can throw me a life vessel of hope here, but...I might be truly fucked here. In debt thousands of dollars and nothing to show for it. Plenty of knowledge in my head, but nothing on paper that shows I've made the best use of my education I could.
I am already overdue for graduation. I have spent a total of 7 years in college between all my transfers as an undergrad. 4 years in a community college because I didn't know wtf I was doing, and now 3 years in a university with the vague goal of becoming a neuroscientist that I didn't work hard enough on.
I went into psychology with the intention of becoming a nueroscientist. It seemed like the happiest compromise of wanting to do things related to understanding how people worked and a fairly solid job. I would also take creative writing classes (and will graduate with that as my second major) as that is my real passion, books, but I liked psychology well enough as well.
However, what this field really required was research. And I slacked off in that department before I realized how important it was. It's not that I didn't try. I applied again and again, especially for the memory lab I wanted to get into, but I only managed to get 1 interview, and that was a no go because I lacked lab experience (which infuriated me, as it was such a catch 22 problem). I did manage to get into a lab, and I've one 3 credits of work. I was meant to propose a project, but I experienced a massive depression episode that kind of fucked over my social life and gave me a pretty weak semester in general. I didn't propose any project to do, I just inputted data, which I don't think will ever count for anything. I haven't cozied up to any professor either, so I'm unlikely to get any letter of recommendation, except from my creative writing teacher if anyone.
My transcript grades are not as good as I'd like them to be either. Not horrible. I have a 3.3 GPA (Pretty much in general and in Psych fields as well), but hardly top of the class material. Mostly because I have a bad tendency to just scrape by if I can, even if I want to do better. I think I can do well on the GRE once I start studying, but...
And now it just dawns on me that I'm leaving. And I am going to be saddled with this huge debt, and I don't know where to take my life from here. I don't even know if I have any options left. The best I can think of is that instead of becoming a Neuroscientist, I instead go to graduate school to be a therapist. But....right now, I am just faced with finishing off my last semester, and I have no idea where to go from here. I feel like a failure. I'm posting this hoping that someone here can tell me that there are ways into graduate school for neuroscience that have lower requirements, like someone can throw me a life vessel of hope here, but...I might be truly fucked here. In debt thousands of dollars and nothing to show for it. Plenty of knowledge in my head, but nothing on paper that shows I've made the best use of my education I could.
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
This is OK, lots of people take extra time. The most important things for graduate school are your most recent few years.
The depression story is not really important. Mostly people are not looking for why you don't have research experience, they're looking for research experience. Your goal is to get some. Step one is talking to your department about research opportunities. You've already missed grad school application deadlines for this coming fall. What you need is a plan to accumulate the kind of portfolio you need by the next set of application deadlines (this December / next January). Talk to your department. Try to get a summer project. Be honest and make it clear that you know you're not #1 in your class, but you hadn't considered grad school earlier, you are considering it now, and you want to get work experience to help with that. Most departments also have internship programs; you might consider if these are available to you.
A 3.3 is good enough to get into some grad schools, but not most of the top ones. An exceptional GRE score might help compensate for that, but you've already identified that some other parts of your application are weak. I know in our admissions process (a social sciences department), we typically look for candidates who have masters degrees already, and when we admit people straight out of undergrad it's because they're the across the board package: good GRE, good letters, good grades, good experience, good fit. Fit is one thing that's very important, so the other thing you'll want to do is identify schools you want to go to and labs you want to work with. You say you wanted to get a job at a memory lab: which schools have research emphases on memory? This is a question you should be asking.
Well, step one is that you aren't going to grad school this fall. So you already need a solution in terms of how you're going to service your debt or pay your rent for the next year if you're graduating this quarter. You need to be looking at job opportunities. Some of those jobs could actually help your grad school admissions portfolio.
In terms of ways to get into schools with lower requirements, the way to do that is to go to a worse school. The flip side is that grad school doesn't guarantee employment either, so the idea that admission is your biggest hurdle is not a useful one. There are private schools who will take almost anyone. But they will not fund you, you will go into even more debt, and they won't necessarily be all that great. So this is something you need to consider. What's the worst program you'd be willing to go into? What would you do when you graduate from that program? Will what you plan on doing service your debt?
I'm not in Psychology or Neuroscience so I can't speak to discipline-specific things, but this is just all in general. I think the important part is to reach out to the resources you have available to you. You need to be talking to your department, your professors (yes, the ones who have no idea who you are), your prospective grad schools and graduate mentors, employment resources on campus, etc. No one can help you if they don't know you want help. You have to reach out and work for it. There are no guarantees in life, but the best way you can get help is to ask.
Dedication Through Light
Member
There are many science post bac programs that you could apply for. They are paid, they give you a year of research experience, and time to select graduate schools and build a stronger gpa.
Id suggest looking and applying this month.
For example. https://www.nigms.nih.gov/training/PREP/Pages/default.aspx
Most of this was my general plan, I just need to see whats available.
I was intending to go for a Masters before switching over to get a Ph.D. Would getting into a Masters program be more practical than straight into a Ph. D?
That's the biggest issue. Do you have any suggestions on what kind of job might help me here? Maybe working for the lab itself is my best bet?
Right. Thanks for the help. It's a load off my mind just to know I have options.
This seems like a very good idea, maybe my best option, but that is for underrepresented groups. I'm a first generation immigrant from Poland, but otherwise part of the majority represented group. Are there other kinds of prep programs elsewhere?
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
The norm on this varies from field to field and area to area, as does the funding standard for Masters degrees. Most people do not recommend taking on an unfunded MSc or MA.
Working for a lab is a very good idea. You'll get practical experience (it'll probably also help you be sure that grad school is really for you) and you'll probably get something that can be used as a letter of recommendation. Most programs allow you to use employment letters if the employment is in a related field.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
I think I posted in here ages ago when I started, but I finally defended my thesis today. It's (almost) over.... and it still feels weird.
Chaplain
Member
Just finished my first week of the Master of Divinity program at Fuller Seminary. It took me about five days to finish all of the course work for each of the three classes this first week. So I am going to buffer and start studying today for week two. There is way to much material to study.
NyMartin90
Member
I'm writing my thesis for an MA in history. Its january and I have 2 out of 6 chapters done. How long did you guys take to finish your MA Thesis? Also I teach in secondary school at the same time as writing so it takes more time I guess.
TheOctodad
Member
Yes. At least in my experience.
A year of undergraduate Greek counted as 1 semester of graduate Greek. Our research was expected to be much more detailed and exhaustive. I remember one paper that required 3 unique sources per page and the paper was 40 pages.
Yup. I had approximately 1500 pages of reading a week for my classes.
Enjoy Fuller! Have a lot of friends from there and know a few of the faculty pretty well!
TheOctodad
Member
Also hello Graduate/Doctorate GAF!
I currently hold a Master of Divinity and am considering returning for a Doctorate at some point in the future.
Currently supporting my wife as she pursues her Masters of Nurse Anesthesia. She will probably be getting her Doctorate shortly after as well.
I currently hold a Master of Divinity and am considering returning for a Doctorate at some point in the future.
Currently supporting my wife as she pursues her Masters of Nurse Anesthesia. She will probably be getting her Doctorate shortly after as well.
hey guys,
I am doctoral candidate in weird predicament with my teaching situation.
How would you guys have had handled this situation?
I am a senior TA and teach three labs... I am on the verge of graduating. I was scheduled to be teaching two labs on Monday and then one evening lab on Tuesday. This would allowed me three days to write my dissertation,visit our collaborators in the city, and finish up any research that I have left. Also I am searching for post docs and job as well. I need to complete things up by March or April to walk this May or have things done that I could walk in May and do everything else by August.
I was asked to switch one of my Monday sections for Thursday Afternoon because they were scheduled a new Masters student to teach during graduate seminar (except for the last 30 minutes). Graduate seminar is an hour and 15 minutes long. Graduate seminar is not graded and its pass or fail... All they do is sit and listen to presentations from fellow invited researchers. In the end of it, they just sign in. That is all to it. I gone through it and there is nothing else to it.
I told them, I can't do this as it disrupts my schedule and my plans to graduate on time. But they have told they have asked everyone and no one is willing to do it because they have other commitments. They are looking at my ability to graduate as something that is not important.
When I know for a fact that some of my colleagues are still teaching one whole day (2 sections) and not taking classes neither. But they are accommodating them as all they have to do is defend their Master's thesis because they are looking for job as the reason why that they can't teach on Thursday.
Also they not willing to give me extra money neither as according to them I have finished everything, I should be able to teach any day without no questions asked.
I have reluctantly have agreed... But I shared my disappointment and displeasure in the whole situation.
What do you guys think about this whole situation.
PS: Its my responsibility to prep the labs for the week (hence Monday and Tuesday labs)... :\
I am doctoral candidate in weird predicament with my teaching situation.
How would you guys have had handled this situation?
I am a senior TA and teach three labs... I am on the verge of graduating. I was scheduled to be teaching two labs on Monday and then one evening lab on Tuesday. This would allowed me three days to write my dissertation,visit our collaborators in the city, and finish up any research that I have left. Also I am searching for post docs and job as well. I need to complete things up by March or April to walk this May or have things done that I could walk in May and do everything else by August.
I was asked to switch one of my Monday sections for Thursday Afternoon because they were scheduled a new Masters student to teach during graduate seminar (except for the last 30 minutes). Graduate seminar is an hour and 15 minutes long. Graduate seminar is not graded and its pass or fail... All they do is sit and listen to presentations from fellow invited researchers. In the end of it, they just sign in. That is all to it. I gone through it and there is nothing else to it.
I told them, I can't do this as it disrupts my schedule and my plans to graduate on time. But they have told they have asked everyone and no one is willing to do it because they have other commitments. They are looking at my ability to graduate as something that is not important.
When I know for a fact that some of my colleagues are still teaching one whole day (2 sections) and not taking classes neither. But they are accommodating them as all they have to do is defend their Master's thesis because they are looking for job as the reason why that they can't teach on Thursday.
Also they not willing to give me extra money neither as according to them I have finished everything, I should be able to teach any day without no questions asked.
I have reluctantly have agreed... But I shared my disappointment and displeasure in the whole situation.
What do you guys think about this whole situation.
PS: Its my responsibility to prep the labs for the week (hence Monday and Tuesday labs)... :\
I am likely beginning an MEng program this semester. My company will pay for it and I can do it while I work and it's immediately irrelevant to my job, so that's why I'm doing it. But I work in R&D so a PhD at some point might be appealing. I know it's not traditional, but is it possible to go into a PhD program after finishing a MEng instead of MS? I know it doesn't have a thesis, but I do cutting-edge research at work all the time, and I have undergraduate research experience (I have two pending publications), so maybe that and my background would be enough to one day do a PhD after an MEng?
hey guys,
I am doctoral candidate in weird predicament with my teaching situation.
How would you guys have had handled this situation?
I am a senior TA and teach three labs... I am on the verge of graduating. I was scheduled to be teaching two labs on Monday and then one evening lab on Tuesday. This would allowed me three days to write my dissertation,visit our collaborators in the city, and finish up any research that I have left. Also I am searching for post docs and job as well. I need to complete things up by March or April to walk this May or have things done that I could walk in May and do everything else by August.
I was asked to switch one of my Monday sections for Thursday Afternoon because they were scheduled a new Masters student to teach during graduate seminar (except for the last 30 minutes). Graduate seminar is an hour and 15 minutes long. Graduate seminar is not graded and its pass or fail... All they do is sit and listen to presentations from fellow invited researchers. In the end of it, they just sign in. That is all to it. I gone through it and there is nothing else to it.
I told them, I can't do this as it disrupts my schedule and my plans to graduate on time. But they have told they have asked everyone and no one is willing to do it because they have other commitments. They are looking at my ability to graduate as something that is not important.
When I know for a fact that some of my colleagues are still teaching one whole day (2 sections) and not taking classes neither. But they are accommodating them as all they have to do is defend their Master's thesis because they are looking for job as the reason why that they can't teach on Thursday.
Also they not willing to give me extra money neither as according to them I have finished everything, I should be able to teach any day without no questions asked.
I have reluctantly have agreed... But I shared my disappointment and displeasure in the whole situation.
What do you guys think about this whole situation.
PS: Its my responsibility to prep the labs for the week (hence Monday and Tuesday labs)... :\
First off, what does your advisor have to say about it? They should be the voice on your behalf when dealing with the department. If they agree that you should teach this class, then you are in a tough spot.
Something you may want to consider is whether you could afford to take the semester unfunded. That is what I did when writing my dissertation and so did a few of my peers. I find that grad students often don't consider opportunity cost when thinking about this. When you are thinking about tuition and lost wages you should also think about the money you could be making at your new job if you could focus on graduating as early as possible. Besides not needing to spend time teaching, you could also defend and leave as soon as you finish, rather than needing to wait around until the end of the semester. In my case, I calculated that I only needed to move up the start date at my new job by about a month to offset the cost of being unfunded and I had enough savings to cover my living expenses for that time. If this seems like a possibility for you, you might just want to float the idea to your department. It's possible that they may even decide that it's better for them to not have you teach that class than to not teach any classes.
Having said all that....make sure you take the temperature of your advisor and committee before doing that. You don't want to piss anyone off by not teaching the class, because they can delay your graduation far more easily than having to teach another class will.
There is also a bit of an art to negotiating with faculty members. This is something I used to get asked for advise on a lot when I was a student. If I were in your position, I would say something like "Given that I am graduating this semester and the commitments of my dissertation and job search, I believe I won't be able to devote enough time to these courses to give students the education they deserve." Basically you always want to say something that establishes what you want as a given (that you are graduating this semester), then try to appeal to their ego or sense of academic idealism (something that 99% of professors are vulnerable to).
iRAWRasaurus
Banned
I am going to edit my post later, since I am in moblie. I am currently working on my master of physiology and neuroscience. You are not fucked. If anything you have a better undergraduate gpa than I did. I had a 2.8 cgpa, a 3.4 sgpa and never took the GRE. I manage to get into a good master program afterwards. Since I manage to have mostly As in the higher science courses since as organic chemistry, cell biology, immunology, etc.
So what now
I don't really know what the perceived difference between an MEng and an MS is, but just about any professor you want to work with for your PhD will care more about your publications (assuming they are peer-reviewed and not vanity) than your thesis. My advisor told me to basically staple my publications together for my thesis and seemed to think I was wasting my time spending 2 weeks to edit it into a cohesive document.
Do you want to do your PhD at the same school? If so, just ask some of the professors in your department about it. If not, then I think the thing you should be more concerned about is whether your credits will transfer. You don't want to finish a Masters and start a PhD only to have to take a bunch of courses for the first 2 years.
Yes, peer-reviewed in good journals. Yeah if I did the PhD at the same school it would only be like 2 more classes and then my research. Just wasn't sure if there was a traditional formality that prevents MEng from applying, unlike an MS.
My advisor is supporting me on that I should not switch just because they need help. In the past, I have switched my schedule multiple times (at least 6 times in the past 5 years) to help the department around and now they are just trying to take advantage of me. My advisor even contacted the chairman who decided on the schedule. It was no use as and I am placed in a bind in the whole situation. When I went to talk with the chairman, the chairman said it would really help the department and it was an oversight on her part for placing her there and they are already accommodating everyone else.
I got nothing from this.
*sigh*What should I ask in return from the department? Will this be fair to ask: 1) Allow me to walk in May and defend by August or earlier? 2) Also a guaranteed spot to teach in summer session 1( ends in June)?
The problem is that I am not funded at all... The only salary that I am able to make during the semester is through this teaching. I have college loans from my undergraduate years that I need pay for and traveling cost to school... Hence, I will really in a huge strange situation with this.
PS: I make close to or below minimum wage and I'm on Obamacare for healtcare... My only savings are for the months that I don't get paid. So its really tight.
ugh the term is almost here ...and it's my first term teaching my own class (lecture based one not a lab)!
A bit nervous
Edit: Just saw the above issue with the teaching scenario...that's fucked up. I can't imagine a department forcing you to do this. It sounds like unfair treatment given others don't have to do go to such lengths. What does the PhD program director have to say?
A bit nervous
Edit: Just saw the above issue with the teaching scenario...that's fucked up. I can't imagine a department forcing you to do this. It sounds like unfair treatment given others don't have to do go to such lengths. What does the PhD program director have to say?
opticalmace
Member
What class? Are you a sessional instructor?
Your department probably has little control over when you graduate, and it's probably not something you want to try bargaining over. Your advisor and committee decide when you are ready to defend and the rules about when someone graduates are usually controlled at the graduate school or university level.
To be honest, it sounds like you have a pretty weak negotiating position, given that your financial position prevents you from turning down the teaching position and you already agreed to do it.
pocketaces
Member
.
Hey GAF, starting to look into applying to grad schools.
The thing that is making me most nervous is letters of recommendation. I was never really close with any of my professors but I have been working in industry for a few years since I completed undergrad. I have several mentors at work who could write me a letter of recommendation. Does it look bad if all my letters of recommendation are from the same employer? If not that and professors, any other ideas of whom a letter could come from?
The thing that is making me most nervous is letters of recommendation. I was never really close with any of my professors but I have been working in industry for a few years since I completed undergrad. I have several mentors at work who could write me a letter of recommendation. Does it look bad if all my letters of recommendation are from the same employer? If not that and professors, any other ideas of whom a letter could come from?
It doesn't look that bad if you have a lot of years in industry.
But let this be a lesson to everyone else viewing this thread: one of the most scrub mistakes you can do in undergrad is not being on good/beneficial terms with any of your professors. They can open up so many doors for education, employment, and money for you. Life is all about who you know.
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
Depends on your field and what you're applying to, an MA in Philosophy is very different than a molecular biology PhD and references from McDonalds are very different from references from Pfizer.
It has been a short time since you graduated college (i.e. no variability isn't strange) and you seem to believe that your mentors know you well, so definitely go with them.
I was a tutor in college and knew my supervisor's recommendation would outweigh (and personally mean more to me than) any other that could have been given by my professors, even though they had more academic prestige. Trust your instincts.
Dedication Through Light
Member
As long as its someone you knew long enough and worked for a significant amount of time in which they could answer about your potential to do well academically and actually have meaningful examples to give then it shouldn't matter.
Rapscallion
Member
I'm currently playing the waiting game. Applied to 6 Ph.D programs and 1 MFA program. Haven't received my masters, but I'm coming from the top ranked school in my department and most of the programs I'm applying to offer a masters in route to Ph.D. It's hard to gauge my expectations, as there's a good chance I could get into 1, multiple, or none. It's anxiety inducing, especially since I had schools I was guaranteed in for undergraduate (community college transfer agreements).
Gah, don't know what to expect. I'm considering applying to some MA programs to increase my odds, but that could be needless funds spent if I get into any of the original 7.
Gah, don't know what to expect. I'm considering applying to some MA programs to increase my odds, but that could be needless funds spent if I get into any of the original 7.
- Status