silver_lining

I just came across Lucky Ducky (the cartoon) while procrastinating on things I should have been doing. I still don't know how I ended up here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Ducky_(cartoon)

home office

I am still waiting for my 3rd letter writer to submit. He has only submitted those that were due before December 5th.... He is making me so anxious! I don't think uploading the rest of the letters will take more than an hour. I wish he would just get to it already!

plastic surgery

If I ingest smoothies for breakfast, lunch, and dinner I would be the most difficult person to be around.

I was too lazy to read all 8 pages of this. I cannot believe 8 pages on this exists... I feel like a loser because all I think about is grad admissions, things I want to research, job prospects, research, research, research, etc. If a relationship happens it happens, I am not going to go hunting for a partner. I personally think you are more likely to find a husband if you chill out and relax. Stressing out/being anxious about this is not going to help you one bit (yet I don't follow my own advice when it comes to grad admissions...). Of course, I am perfectly content with becoming a crazy professor/dog lady, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. There is nothing wrong about wanting a husband, but I think you would do yourself and your future partner a favor by relaxing. You are not going to attract anyone by being desperate. By stressing about the future, you are missing out on the present. That is a terrible thing to do. Worse comes to worse, try online dating.

no sweat

Drop Shoes. See not ruined. And drop shoes do exist. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altra_Zero_Drop_Footwear

slow start

I prefer "brosis" just to keep it gender neutral. I tried using the selfcontrol app for gradcafe, but I am still here via proxy.

Damn. I think you are right. My 8th app. It is beginning to get to me.

When I wake up : Feeling pretty confident. "I have a kick-ass SoP with research questions that will make the adcoms think. It will help me stick out from the pack. They will realize that I love research and can work independently. I will get in somewhere." After reading gradcafe and realizing what awesome applicants there are: "I'll be lucky if I get ANY acceptances. I don't have a BA/MA in Math, Statistics, or Economics. I just re-read the SOP I submitted - What was I thinking when I wrote that?!?"

bad fashion

Thanks for all of the responses. I think I just panicked when I saw I had more work to do that I just blanked out on this one.

I guess this is a little late since the Columbia deadline has already passed, but Dr. Humphreys offers good advice (from his perspective, of course). He doesn't seem to care too much about the "fit" paragraph since that should have been demonstrated throughout the SoP from your research questions. However, this may vary across schools and even within adcoms. http://www.columbia.edu/~mh2245/advice.html

Thanks for your reply! Although all of the advice you have given recently has been post-OSU submission, your advice will hopefully be useful for the other schools I am applying to. I did not mention Schweller in my SoP and I am definitely not applying to Chicago (though it is a lovely program). I would like to apologize in advance for my use of 11 point font, single-spaced via LaTex... I also apologize for mentioning more than 2 potential advisors and not explaining why I want to work with them. I just assumed that my research "proposal" would have demonstrated that. Also, I ran out of space and, therefore, would have gone over the two page limit.

I've already completed my SoP, but the department has a supplemental application. Here is the question that I am stumped on: "Objectives: What do you expect to do with a Ph.D. in political science? Describe the course of graduate study that would best enable you to achieve your goal? Please limit your response to one page." My answer to the fist question: Do research and obtain a tenure-track position (I've already mentioned this in my SoP). My answer to the second question: what??? I don't even know why they ended that in a "?" that is not a question, but a statement/request.

Another faculty member listing/"FIT" question: If your writing sample and SoP clearly places you around the Neo-liberal/Constructivism camp, is it ok to list a Realist as a person of interest? Or is that committing some deadly sin? There are other faculty members that I am listing, but I do think I could benefit from his expertise as well.

Thanks!

Applying to 9 schools is definitely not going overboard. Every time I asked about a school, my LORs response was typically "just add it to the list, we can have a discussion about schools after you are admitted." I know this question must have been asked elsewhere, but for the SoP, should you put a header on the top labeled "Statement of Purpose"? I've only been doing this for schools that specifically stated a particular format.

Agreed. Thinking about the writing sample that I turned in for my first two apps that I have now edited an additional 100 times since then makes me want to cry (figuratively). One of my letter writers is having a baby, so I had to submit some apps ridiculously early.

bad eyes

You should probably email someone from Georgetown and ask them. I have no idea where you read that on gradcafe. I personally never heard of it. My advice to you is that you should focus on presenting a strong application and stop worrying about gap years. I have never heard of an admissions committee caring about gap years.

No, a gap year is not needed to be competitive. All that is needed for admission is a good GRE score, good letters of rec., a good SoP, a writing sample, and a bit of luck. *A good GPA as well.

lovely day