▲ 8 r/gradadmissions
I really want to pursue this, my advisors say I'm strong, but I feel so far behind others...
My friend's already getting papers pre-published as an undergrad. i didn't come from a research intense undergrad major, but I did present at a major conference for the field I'm going into (the AAG), and I have various research internships within and outside my dept. My advisor always suggested that breadth reads better than intense focus, and that this was a good thing because it shows that i can handle various responsibilities, from statistics to archival work. I guess, I thought at the time.
Now I realize that this just puts me insanely far behind. It seems all that really matters in the social sciences is how hard your technical skills are, and whether you can adopt AI into what you're doing. My friend is well suited for this switch, having studied CS and knowing far more about coding than I could ever, to the point where I just feel like giving up. I have a honors thesis, they have a honors thesis that's been edited into a manuscript to submit to journals + advisors at target unis who've already read it
When I presented, I was approached by profs who insisted I consider applying to their depts/schools (UWisconsin was a big one for some reason), but later when drinking w/ said profs I vented my frustrations about how I feel about this whole process. They understood, but told me that things like funding uncertainty and the bad economy make this a lot more stressful than it really is at the departmental level. "If they like you, they'll want you" and such. I think they just come from an era that's far removed from ours, and a time where you could have genuine interest in a subject without having to consider what STEM-related aspect you can tie it towards.
Jealousy sucks. I know my friend isn't trying to brag but it honestly comes off like that when I'm at the point where I see no point in applying against everything profs themselves have told me. Maybe I'm spiraling too much about this, or maybe I'm dead right about the state of the field and admissions in general. Who knows.
I'm in geography, looking at PhD programs. I feel like I have no shot if I haven't published prior to entering (even entering preceding MA programs)
u/Extra_Tie_3344 — 1 day ago
