dworkable

Upthread, someone posted that 20 Duke acceptances and 19 waitlists were sent out. Whether or not that is the case, I do know that some Duke acceptances were received. Not sure about the poster....thems some bitter apples.

Re: Duke, some people receiving applications were not international. But I definitely think it is still a good sign if your decision is not ready! Looks like they tend to do it over a period of a few days. Good luck everyone!

Duke acceptance is legit.

Congrats on the acceptance! I'm having all my email sent to my phone...not sure if that strategy is genius or even more frightening.

Congratulations to everyone who has been accepted so far! And good luck to the rest of us, sitting through the weekend without emails. Upon reading this, take a deep breath.

From what I've heard, it is better to submit a smaller number of very strong letters than a larger number where a letter may be mediocre. I also think that the three recommenders requirement is a bit of a test in self-editing: these schools want to see a composed version of how you present yourself, rather than a "well-rounded" or flimsy version. (After all, most people could probably come up with more than three letters if they wanted to.) Barring truly exceptional circumstances, it is best to follow the instructions for application. (Of course, if a school requires 3 letters but accepts more, then go for it.)

It cracked me up when I had to create passwords/usernames that didn't include any personal information whatsoever...I usually use my initials/name and some numbers, but some apps wouldn't let you do that and I ended up with these very odd jungle-animal themed logins that I no doubt will forget immediately. Also any application where you are required to type something into a field and the field is FAR TOO SMALL to convey whatever you are typing. I studied abroad at the "LONGforeignWORD Institute of Language, Art and Culture"....that fit into no application box whatsoever, and I wasn't sure how to abbreviate it. (WORD-IoLAC?) Also how some schools want a scan of your transcript in black-and-white, some want it in color but it has to be smaller than 1MB, some suggest so many DPI, some allow you to upload a huge PDF---I have like seven versions of the same scan in my files. Man, fun times.

Yes, Michigan. I reached them and everything is fine - though I guess I'm not the only one who had problems! Glad to know we're in the same computer-glitchy boat.

Thanks -- good to hear that they review even with a missing letter. Needed to hear that instead of becoming crazy-panic-obsessed-January-creature.

One of my top-choice schools has a different status check portal than application portal. On my application portal, my status reads as complete, and I have an email stating the confirmation of my completed application. BUT I just created the status-check-portal and there it shows that my application is incomplete, with a missing letter of recommendation. I know that this letter of recommendation was submitted on Dec 5th, and I have a confirmation email from the school stating so. I just emailed the graduate office but I am still panicking: it would be heartbreaking if my application was not reviewed because of some clerical or internet error. I haz the sads.

This is not music--Alvin Lucier's "I Am Sitting In A Room," but is sooooo soothing.

At the first conference I went to, I was expected to cut and smoke my own cigar. (??) But I think that behavior varies widely by person & discipline, and that conferences are usually helpful. Everyone at a conference has the same goal: to advance intellectually, to network, and to have fun (possibly get drunk, but...eh!).

If your identity has driven you to do specific study in related matters, then there is no harm in mentioning that. Remember though: these programs are looking at you as a STUDENT, not just as a person (however interesting your story might be.) Best of luck, really.

I'm not sure if this is a bad sign or good: but I hardly think about my applications at all. It is like my brain straight-up shuts down whenever the words "grad school" pop into a conversation. Aghh I wish I were having prophetic dreams. Waiting is always hell: Satre said that hell is other people but I think that our situation is a close second.

Probably you have already read Leo Strauss-but he reacts to WWI and has a large impact on the intellectual history of political science. In the same vein, I would recommend Eric Voegelin and Hannah Arendt, depending on what you are looking for. They are largely primary contributors.

It may be a blessing in disguise that you are asking so many people...those without the time may have written non-stellar recs. And I think some professors actually bristle at being provided with a template? A large part of their job is to write recommendations. (I realize your business people may appreciate the template more.) I think that perhaps if so many people are blowing you off that you might not have had such a close relationship with them in the first place. Also: remember that it was the holidays and people might just be getting back to thinking about serious work things starting now. Most of my LORs turned their letters in on the day of the deadline...remember that your concept of time is not necessarily universal and trust the people that you asked to want you to succeed.

I think that you made some assumptions about the prompt that were not actually inherent in the prompt. (Specifically that "studying major cities" means studying some major historical cities in a textbook. That is not at all implied. Your point about communication in particular makes little sense.) Your writing style is not bad, and you know how to organize an essay, but the ETS graders will be looking at content as well. See here: http://www.west.net/~stewart/gre/essay-score-criteria.htm You seem fine in grammar/mechanics/word choice, but sound a bit forced, like you are trying to add words to your argument, but then as MisterMister pointed out, it undermines your content. Just relax! Try to be clear and use words and styles that you are comfortable with. I think that you have the makings to be able to do well in this section, just don't let the task intimidate you. I think given the criteria you are around a 4/4.5...but then I am not an ETS grader so really I have no idea. Best of luck!

I also think that Usmivka gives good advice...ultimately it is up to you to do what will make you feel best about your chances. If there is another part of your application that could use the money/time then by all means, focus on that! In your initial post you said you were at the low end of what top programs look for: that could be interpreted as being near the unofficial cutoff or near the average. If you're in the realm of the average, then you are probably fine. If you're close to the cut-off, then it's scarier...GRE is not the biggest piece of the puzzle but it is impossible to know what any one professor on the adcomm will value. (I just know that I would hate to be rejected and feel that I could have done better. But...possibly projecting my own feelings onto you oops)

If you feel that you scores do not accurately reflect your ability, then I think you should retake. With admissions as competitive as they are, it is important both for your sanity and your chances that you have faith in every part of your application. In political science, both math and verbal scores are important. (AW, your higher score, seems to often be less so.) It is interesting that you have taken the GRE so many times but feel that your scores did not reflect your ability: it might be useful to invest in studying a lot and taking many practice tests! (I know the act of sitting in a room for four hours made me crazy...but grad school applications are just hoop after hoop to jump through.) In the end, do what will make you proud of your application but also allow you to apply on time.

One of my recommendations was late to Harvard and I believe it was no big deal. I contacted the graduate secretary who said that the letter interfaces remain open after the deadline, though it is prudent to be timely as the adcomm could be reviewing your application at any time. It sounds, in that case, like you have a few days leeway time, esp. for technical problems, etc;

It may be difficult to tell which programs have a "hard" requirement of a 3.0 and which programs are more flexible, so you should contact the graduate coordinator for the department. For non-traditional applicants different portions of the application may carry more weight, so you should ask a human and make sure to apply to programs that won't throw your application out on sight. Open communication with these programs is often a lot easier than guessing! Also, many programs ask for both your cumulative and major GPAs. If they do not, there is no harm in writing your major GPA at the top of your resume, or mentioning it quickly in your SOP.

I honestly can't figure it out-- I just ended up contacting 3 profs who one of my LORs is friendly with, but I really don't know what general practice is because there is so much conflicting advice out there. I think you can't go wrong as long as you don't annoy any POIs, but it might not be necessary.

I just sent some emails to POIs and they responded positively, even though the deadlines are coming up soon. So that was good! @crobinson good advice. I am trying SO HARD to make sense of my SOP, but I think frankly my numbers are better ;P

I'm not too concerned about actually getting a response...if I had pressing questions about a program I have already had them answered. But I am concerned that it will look bad to some schools if I haven't contacted anyone (though at most schools I have had a LOR contact someone on my behalf). Ugh I don't know...maybe I'll send some emails this afternoon. I'm applying to some "top-tier" schools like Harvard and Chicago but also a few like UT Austin and Notre Dame. I'm want to study political theory, especially ancient political philosophy and gender. Congrats on completing your apps! I've always been 'deadline-motivated' (okay, fine, a procrastinator), so I'm just finishing them now.

@rid of me I got a similar reaction to my SOP. (I'm applying to Ph.D. programs in Political Science.) A fellow applicant told me that he thought it was "excruciatingly boring," but then my favorite professor told me it was very interesting and that he liked it. Another friend said it read like I was trying really hard to be professional...which...of course I was. I've been modifying mine now and I found something that helps is amplifying language. Like, it sounds sort of boring to read "I became interested in pursuing a Ph.D. when I read TEXT as an undergraduate." and I would prefer to read: "TEXT sparked my curiosity and led me to question the philosophical underpinnings of social science." Similarly, I was using words like "interest" and "pursue" about a billion times, so I tried to cut out the repetition by half. One of the things that makes you sound boring, even if you are not, is repeating the same words over and over. So maybe fixes such as the above are not making it more personal by talking explicitly about personal experiences, but they can add a feeling of personality to a discussion of your research interests. Ugh, we'll see, I'm exhausted just thinking about my SOP. Good luck!