jeudepaume

So comprehensive and well-organized that the thread has died in light of the needlessness of any additional comments 
Well done cautiously! 

So comprehensive and well-organized that the thread has died in light of the needlessness of any additional comments 
Well done cautiously! 

I don't understand why you guys are calling it paradoxes. All of those are good schools with lots of very qualified applicants. Somewhere you're picked, somewhere you're not; it seems to be an absolutely normal part of the process.
 
Implying that it's impossible to be rejected from Northwestern (why, because it is a lower ranked school?) after being accepted to MIT doesn't seem right to me.

Yeah, I watched google pictures of the hawaiian paradise that is the Manoa campus, and declined with sadness in my heart. 

/off-topic. I was considering applying to UH-Manoa, just to live in Hawaii. Ended up not applying, but it's definitely on my must-see list!

Yes it is.  I have imagined myself at each program I have applied to, and I wouldn't have applied if I didn't truly want to go there.  It's been harder for me to decline the program I have (or to consider declining programs I am leaning against, but have not entirely ruled out) than I would have ever thought.  
 
When you prepare an application, you identify the unique strengths of a program, you identify who you would work with there, and (at least in my case) you think about what courses you'd take in the first years and what life in that city would be like.  It is hard to give up on any of those "potential futures." 

PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad Institution: Non-US, likely not very recognized.
Major(s)/Minor(s): International Relations
Undergrad GPA: 3.4
Type of Grad I: Top international affairs school (US), area studies MA
Grad GPA: 3.6
Type of Grad II: Unranked political science PhD (US)
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: 163V / 170Q / 5.0AW
Any Special Courses: 1 micro, 1 qualitative methods, 3 statistics courses. Also a couple of other PhD level substantive courses unrelated to my research interests
Letters of Recommendation: All political scientists, but none of them are in my field. Also no big names. They know me quite well though, so I think they at least had some stuff to write about.
Research Experience: Multiple semesters of RA experience, few conference presentations. 
Teaching Experience: TA for two grad methods courses.  
Subfield/Research Interests: IR, formal/quant conflict. 

RESULTS:
Acceptances($$ or no $$): UIUC, Iowa, Pitt, Michigan State, Indiana, Notre Dame (all $$)
Waitlists: N/A
Rejections: Princeton, Stanford, Michigan, Chicago, UCSD, Wisconsin, Rochester, Ohio State, Vanderbilt
Pending: N/A
Going to: ???
 
LESSONS LEARNED: 
 
Unlike many of the good people of this forum, my case is not really a brilliant success story. However, I think I did fine and feel like I can comment on a thing or two. So here is my two cents. Usual caveats concerning grains of salt, of course, apply.
 
- Don't lose sight of the other important things in life. It is not the end of the world if you don't get in. You may try again and do better, or end up deciding not to go for it again. It is really not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things, but it can be very difficult to remember during this process. 
 
- Improve every part of your application to the extent that you can. This may sound cliché, but it isn't. Pay attention to every single component of your application. Study for the GRE and get good scores. If you can't hack it the first time, take it again (if you have the money/time). Re-read your SOP many times, ask for feedback, read it again. Prepare a polished writing sample, get feedback, read, write, rinse, repeat. If you can think of a way to improve your application, do it. If you stick with it and put in the effort. you will feel a lot better at the end, regardless of the outcome.
 
- Yes, fit matters. If you clearly do not fit well, you will likely not get in, and if you fit very well, that can make up for some of the weaknesses in your application. Therefore it is always a good idea to do your homework and assess your fit (substantive, methodological, regional, whatever) with the department. It will also help you better customize your SOP. However it is very important to emphasize that your understanding of fit can be often dramatically different from the adcom members' understanding of fit when they review your file. Not much you can do about it. Try to remember that.
 
- I didn't contact any professors and I don't think that hurt me. I am not saying you shouldn't do it, but I don't think it is necessary. I am also skeptical if doing so is useful at all unless you have something truly interesting to say or have some other specific purpose in mind. 
 
- I think an obligatory signal that an applicant has to send is that s/he understands what political science is about. I suspect failing to do so is why an important chunk of good, smart, talented folks, including some of our friends here, fail to get acceptances. My suggestion would be to actually sit down and read some of the contemporary political science research that appear in leading journals in your area of interest (APSR, AJPS, JOP, IO, WP, JCR, CPS, APR, whatever). I underline the word contemporary again - things change.
 
- Speaking of signals, here is my rudimentary list of major signals that an applicant should send and the relevant components of the application that convey those signals: (i) I am hardworking (GPA, less so - SOP / Letters) (ii) I am smart and capable (GRE, GPA, SOP, less so - Writing Sample / Letters) (iii) I understand what political science is about and can ask interesting questions (SOP, less so - Writing Sample) (iv) My research interests fit with those of your faculty (SOP). You can add more, merge some of them, change the matched components etc. but -I think- a hard to dispute theme is that SOP is the component to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.
 
- There are established regularities in this process, however remember that those regularities are also regularly violated. Yes, if you have very low GRE scores, chances are you won't get into Harvard. I mean, don't bet on it, but maybe you can, if you think you have other considerable strengths that can make up for your weaknesses. Yes, ceteris paribus, someone who got into Princeton is more likely to get into UIUC, but maybe she won't. Similarly, someone who is rejected by UC-Davis, on average, has probably a lower chance of getting into Stanford - but you never know. Prepare yourself according to the regularities, but do not lose hope until the last minute because the regularities are regularly violated. 
 
- Think long and hard about getting a PhD. It is a tough road to follow. Think about it: Approximately one third to a half of today's winners - those who got into great schools - will end up not finishing their PhDs. They will drop out and move on to pursue other adventures. An important portion of those who do finish will do something that is unrelated or somewhat related to their research outside of the academia. Among those who remain within the discipline, many will struggle to find tenure track jobs. In many cases these people will spend years adjuncting, on post-docs, and on visiting positions before settling down on a tenure track job. Furthermore there is the pedigree bias, gender/race imbalances, getting rejections repeatedly from everywhere etc. Bottom line - academia is great, we all love research, but spend some time to think through your goals. Ask around. Do not barge in. 
 
 
SOP: 
 
I decided to not post my SOP publicly here, but would be more than happy to share and/or discuss it in detail through PM. A few words on my SOP:
 
- I spent one short paragraph tying my background to my research interests and one paragraph connecting my existing methods training to the training I want to receive at the X institution. Other than that, it is all about past, current, and future research. Past and current research is mentioned to the extent that it adds to the discussion on future research. 
 
- I did not have a story, a childhood memory, or other such stuff. I am not saying it can't or doesn't help, I decided to play it safer. 
 
- I did not have a fit paragraph at the end, I mentioned POIs and their research while talking about my interests throughout the SOP. I tried to mention some of the works produced by my POIs in every version of my SOP. Tried to say something other than "it is a great article/book" that would indicate that I read their work(s). Oh and I actually did read or skim them. Again, my aim in this was to primarily connect their research with my research interests, hence to demonstrate fit, not just to list the titles of their own articles back to them.  
 
- Did not address my weaknesses in the SOP. I didn't want to draw attention to them there.
 
- It was about 2 pages, single spaced. I did not pay attention to any word limit.

Well, folks, 
Since the rejection from Yale was the last one of my most awaited rejections (Chicago, I've given up on you! I reject your rejection!), my cycle is now officially over. I am very happy with the options I have (and most grateful I do have options this year). I said it before and I'll say it again to everyone who anticipates having to apply for the second time: I've been there and it's surprisingly more doable than I would have believed. Even better: would I have acquired a place last year it certainly wouldn't be as good, as I am much more prepared this year, both in terms of my application and in terms of knowing where I want to go and what I want to do.
 
So good luck to everyone who's still waiting on more results to come, and best of luck to those who are preparing for the next cycle.
 
I'll stick around to see how you guys end up doing.  

Well, folks, 
Since the rejection from Yale was the last one of my most awaited rejections (Chicago, I've given up on you! I reject your rejection!), my cycle is now officially over. I am very happy with the options I have (and most grateful I do have options this year). I said it before and I'll say it again to everyone who anticipates having to apply for the second time: I've been there and it's surprisingly more doable than I would have believed. Even better: would I have acquired a place last year it certainly wouldn't be as good, as I am much more prepared this year, both in terms of my application and in terms of knowing where I want to go and what I want to do.
 
So good luck to everyone who's still waiting on more results to come, and best of luck to those who are preparing for the next cycle.
 
I'll stick around to see how you guys end up doing.  

Well, folks, 
Since the rejection from Yale was the last one of my most awaited rejections (Chicago, I've given up on you! I reject your rejection!), my cycle is now officially over. I am very happy with the options I have (and most grateful I do have options this year). I said it before and I'll say it again to everyone who anticipates having to apply for the second time: I've been there and it's surprisingly more doable than I would have believed. Even better: would I have acquired a place last year it certainly wouldn't be as good, as I am much more prepared this year, both in terms of my application and in terms of knowing where I want to go and what I want to do.
 
So good luck to everyone who's still waiting on more results to come, and best of luck to those who are preparing for the next cycle.
 
I'll stick around to see how you guys end up doing.  

Lies.
 
Whiskey. Rye. I might even share with you.

So here it is… the Yale bloodshed… I'm so sorry for those who got bad news. I think now is the perfect time to make fun of Yale… I hope this makes you feel better:
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqsTatw-RTI
 
and 
 
http://www.safetyschool.org/

I really hope it will be useful for someone here:
I have just declined a CU-Boulder offer, Theory subfield. They asked me to inform them of my decision as soon as I know for sure, so hopefully they will be making this offer to someone on the waitlist very soon.
 
I sincerely hope it means exciting news for someone.
I discovered, it is pretty heartbreaking to have to decline a program you are really excited about. 

First acceptance with money! I'm feeling approximately a thousand percent better right about now. 

It is in no way funny when people get rejected from programs, but I love this Brown rejection's sense of humor:

"Didn't even want to get in. I applied for the irony. These tears are from laughter."

 

I really hope it will be useful for someone here:
I have just declined a CU-Boulder offer, Theory subfield. They asked me to inform them of my decision as soon as I know for sure, so hopefully they will be making this offer to someone on the waitlist very soon.
 
I sincerely hope it means exciting news for someone.
I discovered, it is pretty heartbreaking to have to decline a program you are really excited about. 

I really hope it will be useful for someone here:
I have just declined a CU-Boulder offer, Theory subfield. They asked me to inform them of my decision as soon as I know for sure, so hopefully they will be making this offer to someone on the waitlist very soon.
 
I sincerely hope it means exciting news for someone.
I discovered, it is pretty heartbreaking to have to decline a program you are really excited about. 

I really hope it will be useful for someone here:
I have just declined a CU-Boulder offer, Theory subfield. They asked me to inform them of my decision as soon as I know for sure, so hopefully they will be making this offer to someone on the waitlist very soon.
 
I sincerely hope it means exciting news for someone.
I discovered, it is pretty heartbreaking to have to decline a program you are really excited about. 

I really hope it will be useful for someone here:
I have just declined a CU-Boulder offer, Theory subfield. They asked me to inform them of my decision as soon as I know for sure, so hopefully they will be making this offer to someone on the waitlist very soon.
 
I sincerely hope it means exciting news for someone.
I discovered, it is pretty heartbreaking to have to decline a program you are really excited about. 

I really hope it will be useful for someone here:
I have just declined a CU-Boulder offer, Theory subfield. They asked me to inform them of my decision as soon as I know for sure, so hopefully they will be making this offer to someone on the waitlist very soon.
 
I sincerely hope it means exciting news for someone.
I discovered, it is pretty heartbreaking to have to decline a program you are really excited about. 

I really hope it will be useful for someone here:
I have just declined a CU-Boulder offer, Theory subfield. They asked me to inform them of my decision as soon as I know for sure, so hopefully they will be making this offer to someone on the waitlist very soon.
 
I sincerely hope it means exciting news for someone.
I discovered, it is pretty heartbreaking to have to decline a program you are really excited about. 

Made me laugh. http://www.chaosmatrix.org/library/humor/reject.html

Made me laugh. http://www.chaosmatrix.org/library/humor/reject.html

Made me laugh. http://www.chaosmatrix.org/library/humor/reject.html

Made me laugh. http://www.chaosmatrix.org/library/humor/reject.html