BFB

As fun as all of this has been, folks, I should probably make this my last post here. I stepped down as DGS at Ohio State this past summer, and it's better for all of you to have input from different people who have more up-to-date perspectives on the application process. Thanks for the opportunity to offer whatever help I could, and best of luck to all of you in getting to the job of your dreams.

Hi ? 1. Contact the registrar and try to get it off your transcript!! Many schools (I think) will allow that if you can demonstrate that you never attended. Failing that, you should probably address it in your statement, but not to the tune of more than a sentence or two. 2. I'd use a seminar paper rather than a coauthored paper, pretty much no matter what. They want to know how you write and how you think. You have no idea what conclusions people will draw from a coauthored sample. I'd say it's just not worth the gamble. Best of fortune to you!

Just a quick message for everyone on this thread: This is my last year as DGS, so I won't have my finger on the pulse of admissions enough to answer your questions going forward. I'll tell my successor about this board and ask him or her to chime in as I have. Thanks for being such a welcoming community, and best of luck to all of you, wherever you end up. -Bear

Hurt you? I really doubt it, if you've already been accepted. But I'm not sure how much it'd help, to be honest. Econ may already have made their decisions, or be very close, and their faculty don't really have any interest in making the political science department happy. But it's not impossible that it'd make some difference.

I'm sorry to hear that you've been struggling. First, don't assume that you know the reason you were turned down. Write to them and ask. Second, for many programs it may be too late to do much of anything. But if your enquiries turn up actionable info, you might send a quick email to the DGSes at some places with later deadlines and say, "I found out that I didn't make the short list at place X because of reason Y, and I thought I should let you know the reasons for Y." It may not help much, if at all. But I'd be surprised if it hurt. Good luck.

Such interviews are typical, though they might be two-on-one or something else, depending on scheduling. My own sense is that, if the professor is doing stuff that interests you, talking about research interests is a marginally better idea, just because you can always email to ask about program information and fit. If you have an interview with someone who wouldn't be central to your research program, I'd lean more toward department questions. But in the end, asking about the things that you're most curious about (and that that person can answer!) is likely to be best. You're the consumer. Gather the information that's most useful to you.

Absolutely.

Yes, but whether or not to call is up to the faculty member who's asked to review the file. So a call means you're on the medium list, but no news means no news.

Ohio State's admissions decisions will come out in late January this year, with funding decisions probably around the third week in February.

They're not rare, but they're not too common either. We get a handful every year. As to your reasons for applying and application strategy, I'm sorry to hear that your experience has been bad enough to prompt relocation. Having your advisor mention it is wise and is probably the most common strategy. As far as doing more is concerned, it depends on how open you want to be. One position I've seen people take is, "It's my private life, it's unlikely to come up, and I don't particularly want others to know about it." Another position I've seen is, "I don't want to go anywhere where people would have a problem with who I am." Both are reasonable decisions, and it's not really for me to say which is best for you. In any event, good luck.

Simply put, the more people do it, the less possible it becomes.

Speaking only for myself, it's never too soon, though I won't really be able to say much of anything until after most people have completed campus visits and had a chance to consider their options. My sense is that that's usually early April, but all of you know better than I do when your campus visits are.

We bring in a lot of people from CIR, actually. Terrific program.

Jumping in, FWIW: The main purpose for a waitlist is to manage the risk of having a class that's too small, and it takes a fair number of early responses before you can meaningfully assess that risk. So a DGS who does go to the waitlist often does so late in the game and is hoping that the invitee will say "yes." If you truly know that you would come if accepted, therefore, it can be to your advantage to tell the DGS. If you're not sure, letting the DGS know where you stand can't hurt.

Thank you! Happy to do what I can.