certaincertainties

PROFILE: Type of Undergrad Institution: Top private university Major(s)/Minor(s): Political Theory Undergrad GPA: 3.57 Type of Grad: MA in the social sciences Grad GPA: 3.82 GRE: Q710/V670/5.5 Any Special Courses: mostly advanced theory courses with some qualitative methods coursework Letters of Recommendation: three tenured profs (although I really don't think the rank of the profs matters as much as the degree to which they can speak to your interests and skills). Research Experience: aside from working as an RA for a prof in an unrelated field, none Teaching Experience: none Subfield/Research Interests: theory (contemporary) Other: RESULTS: Acceptances($$ or no $$): Michigan, Penn, Toronto, UChicago (all funded) Waitlists: none Rejections: Northwestern, Cornell, Yale, Brown, JHU Going to: UChicago Lessons learned: In my case, fit definitely mattered. In looking at the schools to which I was admitted, all of them make sense based on my interests. In other words, none of my rejections were much of a surprise. Granted, my intended focus is a bit unique, so this might not be the case for applicants who have more "traditional" (or typical) research interests. This doesn't mean you shouldn't apply to schools that aren't the perfect fit. A lot of times, it may not be evident from websites or word-of-mouth what resources are available or what professors are focusing on at a given time. In these cases, it's best to talk to your advisors or recommenders, who may be able to provide you with more information about a program, who might be moving or retiring, and what particular profs are like to work with. This dovetails with the above, but go over your list of schools with your advisor/recommenders (if possible). They may be able to suggest options that you might not have thought of (or nix options you shouldn't be thinking of). While the personal statement/statement of purpose is important, try not to overthink it. You need to sell your research to an admissions committee that may or may not include members from your subdiscipline, so make sure it's intelligible (and interesting) to individuals who aren't necessarily familiar with your area of research. Finally, keep it simple. Most of the profs i talked to said to avoid personal narratives ("I've wanted to be a political scientist since I was 2," etc.) and stick to your research interests and relevant qualifications. While I don't think emailing profs can hurt you, I don't think it necessarily helps, either. And if you do send an email, I wouldn't read too much into whether or not you get a response (ie, getting a reply doesn't mean you'll get in, and not getting a reply doesn't mean you'll be rejected). In other words, don't stress about it. This isn't necessarily a suggestion about the application, but I found creating an excel checklist of all the programs I was applying to (including their deadlines, GRE codes, transcript requirements etc.) to be really helpful for keeping track of everything. I also recommend interfolio for sending recommendations. Yes, it costs money, but it was so much easier to deal with, and once your recommenders upload their letters, you're in control of when and where they get sent)

Just turned down offers from Michigan and Toronto, both in theory (I applied as a Canadian to Toronto). Hope that helps someone! Both are great schools, just not the right fit for me!

I'll likely be visiting from the 31st-2nd, but I'm not certain yet (there's a chance I might simply accept the Chicago offer since I'm leaning heavily in that direction).

Darn, there goes my naive hope that all of the regular posters on PSJR suddenly had an epiphany and decided to become decent, reasonably well-adjusted human beings that don't view moments of vulnerability (read: unemployment) as an excuse for blatant racism, misogyny, and outright cruelty. ah well, the dream was fun while it lasted

Congrats! I also got an offer, and am surprised at the quick turnaround required (reply by March 25th) given that they haven't offered definitive funding information and don't seem to have a visit weekend (given that I know so little about the university, I'd like to at least visit). Does anyone have any other information? I'm going to contact Prof. Bernstein, but their email was pretty lacking in detail...

Former MAPSS student speaking here-- While I loved MAPSS, and it did a lot for me, I would caution you against picking it with the hopes of being admitted to a top-20 program when you already have some really great offers from places that sound like good fits (which is arguably more important than ranking). My situation was a little different in that I didn't get in anywhere my first time around, I had a less-than-ideal undergrad GPA, and I was coming from a different discipline. In that sense, it provided a year to both figure out what grad school was like, sharpen my research interests, get to know some people in the field, and improve my GPA. However, different people have wildly differing experiences in MAPSS--in many ways, I lucked out and found a faculty member willing to work with me and a strong community outside of mapss, but many of my friends really struggled. It's a big program (around 130-150 students) and is sort of the black sheep within the university, so I spent a significant amount of time proving myself. Also, it is NOT low-pressure. taking a full course load and writing an MA thesis in a year sounds doable, and it is, but it is also exhausting (and I went to a very high pressure college). That's not to say I didn't love MAPSS, but rather that I wouldn't have done it if I didn't need to strengthen my record or gain more background in the field. Hope that helps!

Aww, thank you! Best of luck--it sounds like a great program that offers a lot of individualized attention, so I'll cross my fingers for you as well!

I just formally declined my funded offer (theory) at Penn, for those of you who were accepted without funding! Best of luck to everyone!

Thank you. I definitely agree, and in looking at my acceptances, all of them make sense given my interests (which admittedly are a little different for political theory). Similarly, only one of the rejections I received was a surprise, given fit.

does anyone know who we should email at U of T about applications? I just want to clarify my citizenship status (while I have citizenship through my parents, I just filed for proof of citizenship)

yep. I'm very much looking forward to this whole process being over with! Best of luck!

Definitely agree, and I didn't even apply to OSU! Even though I've done pretty well this cycle, it's really reassuring to hear tales of what goes on behind the scenes. I know for me it takes a lot of the anxious guesswork out of why I didn't get in at a certain school or what I could have done differently, etc. Getting 6 rejections in a row is demoralizing no matter how you slice it, so it's great to hear viewpoints from the other side!

First of all, congrats on getting into such great programs! While I agree with--and share--some of your frustrations with the vagaries of the application process, your anger at UChicago seems a bit misplaced. As BFB's posts have shown, the application process is difficult and complicated for both applicants and admissions committees, and there's a lot that happens that we aren't aware of. Do I think that schools could be more transparent about the process? Absolutely. However, I do not agree that schools owe their applicants a particular response because they have invested time and money in applying (as BFB has much more eloquently shown). That both misrecognizes what you are doing when you apply to a school and how the admissions process works (a process that is even more complicated at UChicago because of the addition of MAPSS/CIR). Typically, the job of fielding phone calls and responding to emails falls to the department secretary, whose time is already stretched pretty thin. This isn't to excuse not replying to applicant queries, but rather to put it in perspective (they also receive over 500 applications, which is a huge number for a department with a relatively limited staff). I highly doubt that UChicago is deliberately not responding to you because of something you said here or on PSJR. And, at the risk of exposing my own identity, I would take the comment about profs laughing at applicants with a grain of salt--at this point, it's third hand information. I have never heard professors here laugh or otherwise make fun of perspective students. At the end of the day, there are any number of frustrating, nonsensical, and completely arbitrary reasons that you do or don't get into a program. Trying to find a reason behind the madness is just going to make you more frustrated (not to mention that you got into some fabulous programs). Best of Luck!

Has anyone still not heard from Minnesota? I saw a few late rejects go up today, but applyyourself still says "Awaiting Program Decision." I've emailed them as well, but have yet to hear back. Also, thank you to whoever made the call to Toronto, crossing my fingers for that one.

Mine still says "Awaiting Program Decision." I sent them an email a few days ago trying to nudge them, but have not heard back. Also still waiting on NU. ready for this to be over.