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I was wondering if it would be a good Idea for me to wait until after my MS program is completed and my thesis is published before applying to a PhD program. There is no chance of me publishing my thesis before the December/January deadline of the fall 2013-14 admissions cycle as I am only 2 semesters into my program and the project I am doing doesn't necessarily move as fast as other projects.

Its important to note that I have NO publications at this point, but I do have two presentations at international conferences. Also, my ugrad Gpa was slightly higher than a 3.0... and my Masters GPA is a 3.7. I'm also in the Geosciences, if that matters

So with all that in mind, would it be a good Idea to wait until that publication comes in before applying to PhD ?

RMA
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    Remember that your letter writers will say what they think of your Master's thesis regardless of whether it has been published or not. – Noah Snyder Jun 02 '13 at 22:38

1 Answers1

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No.

Why rob yourself of potential opportunities? Your chances of admission might be less than if you had a publication, but they're certainly bigger than if you don't apply at all. If you aren't admitted anywhere, you can always apply again next year, after your thesis is done.

JeffE
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  • So the publication of a thesis is reason enough to reapply to schools that would have rejected me otherwise? That seems to suggest that the publication would be fairly significant in my application. – RMA Jun 02 '13 at 21:39
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    It might be. It might not be. It certainly can't hurt you. The only way to find out is to reapply. – JeffE Jun 03 '13 at 01:11
  • thanks for taking the time to respond Jeff, its a service to all of us nervous/neurotic students. – RMA Jun 03 '13 at 02:11