raptureonfire

Show the government your admission offer...

Two admits to Georgetown? Okay, my heart beating about a million beats per minute now.

Wemayet, I'm sorry to hear that. It really stinks to bust across the board, but don't fret; many of us here have gone through the same thing. If anything, it will only serve to make you a much more determined, stronger candidate next year. There seem to be competing views about POIs, but my suggestion is that it is a good thing to contact them (provided you don't annoy them or spam them with crazy emails). If you can meet with them or talk on the phone, all the better. My experience has been pretty good with that, at least. In fact, I was told by a POI that it was my outreach to him that really helped put me in the top pool of candidates. I'm not sure what would have happened if I hadn't reached out. For others, this seems less important. You and I have (at least at face value) exactly identical GPA and GRE. For those of us who don't have perfect scores or grades, it is important to separate yourself from the rest of the candidates in the stack. There's a good chance that you were perfectly qualified for several of the programs you applied for. Don't let it be a commentary on you. The word stochastic gets thrown around these boards for a reason. My recommendation to you is that you start your next round of applications now. Particularly if you are coming in from a different field of study, it is vital that you be well-read, and can explain your research interest in the language and context of political science. If you want help with any of the logistical tools that might help you in your search, feel free to PM me

yahoo!

I wouldn't doubt that the system just isn't updated. This has happened with me at multiple schools; I called and was told not to worry - they had the GREs.

Not to turn this into a self-congratulatory feedback loop, but ... I agree absolutely with Bright on Time, and share his(her?) sentiments about advice. It's absolutely important to hear the advice of other academics, but it's also important to decide for yourself. Yes, ranking is very important. But FIT is also very important, and if you're applying to programs where you're a poor fit, you're probably just wasting your time. And BoT is right - the SOP is never quite finished. It can always be better tailored. The point of an SOP is to demonstrate why you are the best possible fit for the department. You have to be able to show that you are intellectually mature enough to research at a doctoral level. Your topic of interest should fit well within the department, and you should couch your statement in the language of political science.

Congrats!!!

Well, I think it's really important to remember that, when applying to doctoral programs, the odds are against you. Even if you're an extremely strong candidate, you're competing against other extremely strong candidates. Remember, most programs receive hundreds of applications for just a few spots. It's not just the top-10 schools; it's basically every school. Even if we assume that only a quarter of the applicants are qualified, we're still talking about anywhere from 50 to 150 students trying to fill 10-15 spots. That means that in any given cycle, per school, 35 to 135 qualified individuals are being turned away. (Someone should check my math here ... ) There are plenty of things that you can do to boost your status as a candidate. Make sure that your GRE scores are as absolutely high as you can make them. It's no shame to take them multiple times - they only send the highest score to the school. For myself? I work in a 'related field', and the extra year really helped me focus my own research. I went and spoke to about 15 - 20 professors, asking them directly what I should do to improve my candidacy. I tailored my SOP to be tighter and more focused, and I submitted another article for publication (still waiting from the committee ... ). You should be absolutely certain that this is what you want to do; if you're not, then you shouldn't do it. Because the last thing you want to do is spend 6-7 years of your life studying when you could be building a career. It may be a good idea to spend a few years pursuing a job in a similar field. Try working for an NGO, a development firm, etc. You'd get hands-on experience, possibly some travel, and a good idea of whether you'd rather work in policy or academia. Just a thought!

I'm not really sure I understand the question. I don't see that the opportunity costs for applying a second time are any higher than the first time. Indeed, they're likely lower, as the basic framework for one's applications has already been set, and simply needs to be tweaked. Why apply a second time? Without trying to sound glib ... because when you want something, you persist and work for it. Many people don't get accepted their first time around; it's not necessarily due to lacking qualifications. Sometimes another year of experience, an additional publication, or perhaps a slight tweak in one's scope of work is all that's needed to hit the mark with the committee. Academia is full of rejection. Heck, all high level professions are. As an academic, if you're not willing to get rejected, then you're not going to make it very far in terms of publications, grant proposals, job interviews, etc. So, to answer you question ... why did I apply a second time around? Because I am dedicated to pursuing a career in academia. I want to spend my life researching, teaching, and publishing.

The first time I applied for programs, I was rejected from every school, save for a single wait-list. It happens. But you know, the second time around, I came at it more prepared, more knowledgeable, and honestly, more selective about my choices. I have a much better understanding of what to expect from a program than I did before. So chin up - if not this year, next year! And you'll be better prepared.

Better than a rejection, no?

We are in complete agreement - it's immature and rather childish to down-talk a school. It also seems - to me, at least - rather transparent that the individual who did so was feeling embarrassed that he/she did not gain acceptance into his safety school. He/she mentions that he applied to all top-10 schools. I obviously have no idea who it is, but I'd be willing to wager a drink that he/she hasn't gotten the acceptances hoped for, and is feeling pretty nervous at this point, and felt the need to trash talk a school. Of course, I could be completely wrong. As for those who expect admission to every/most school ... they'll learn. Most people just don't get that lucky. A few do, but most don't.

It's a racket.

With the rejections, I tend to give people some slack. Many people, especially the younger ones just out of undergrad, aren't familiar with the competitive nature of the doctoral application process, and don't know how to process a rejection. The first instinct is to demean or belittle the school as a defense mechanism. After all, if they profess to have a low opinion of the school, they don't feel like they lose face for being rejected. For example, in response to being rejected from UC Santa Barbara: What people need to learn is that we're all in the same boat here; nobody loses face for being rejected from a school. We all expect to be rejected from a few schools. That's part of the process. Edit: I should probably note that, while I do give people slack when it comes to these knee-jerk responses, I'm not terribly impressed by them. They're certainly obnoxious, but I tend to think of them as evidence of immaturity instead of character flaw.

Congrats!!!

Comparative, here.

I thought I would add my voice to the conversation on general admissions/contacting professors/etc. Firstly, to those who seem really disappointed that they aren't getting any positive responses - remember, MANY of us (myself included) are in their second go-around. Doctoral programs are way more competitive than undergraduate or masters programs. Just because you don't get accepted this year doesn't mean the dream is over - ESPECIALLY if you're just out of undergrad or your masters. There are lots of factors that go into the admissions decision, and a rejection doesn't necessarily mean you are unqualified for the program; remember, for some programs they take only 10 people out of 600 applications. The good chance is that probably 100 of those applications are perfectly qualified for the position. So don't let that discourage you. You have to expect that you will apply to 10 schools and get in to maybe 2 or 3 if you are lucky. The advice that I received from multiple doctoral students and professors was to contact the professors with whom I would like to work. And I did. I contacted multiple professors at every single school. Most responded well, some didn't respond at all. For those schools to which I could visit, I did. I probably met about 15-20 professors between August and October 2012, and just asked for 15 minutes of their time to discuss who I am, what I want to study, and why I thought my research might interest them. It's important to research the professors first - know what they have published, what they are currently researching, and what their general interests are. In my email, I would start off by saying who I was, what I wanted to study, and why I thought it overlapped with their interests. As for the statement of purpose - the advice that I got from almost every professor was the same. Short, sweet, and to the point. They don't want to know your life story (except in programs that specifically ask it). Tell them what you want to study, why you would be a good fit for the school, and who you would like to work with. Try to couch your statement in the language of whatever subfield you are going into, and make sure it seems relevant to the field and political science in general. Finally - recommendations. Make sure that your recommenders are academics, and ask them to focus on your abilities as a future academic. Anyway, that's what I took away from this process.

It's depressingly immature and nasty. The vitriol makes it almost unusable as a source for reliable information, but also really turns me off to the profession as a whole. I hope to god that it's just an echo chamber for seriously insecure academics and trolls; otherwise, it's a sad commentary on the immaturity of PS academics.

Comparative. What about yourself?

Wow ... Congrats!!!!

Yep - I got a letter with offer with funding info.

Thank you!

Thank you! First acceptance. I'm in shock still.

Claiming the University of Maryland admission. I opened my email and BAM - there it was. I didn't trust it until I re-read it.

Congratulations!!!