overworkedta

That's tough. :/ I'm not going to do much different if I don't get it. I will just not have this chapter/chapters in my diss and move forward, I guess.

That's the case here. Even with a reasonable cost of living, getting a stipend, and a fellowship, I take out a few "oh sh*t" loans here and there. I'm post-comps now so I don't have fees like everyone else. I'm trying to save so I don't need loans anymore. I had about $4000.00 in medical debt because of an emergency surgery my first year and that's when my problems began. That was WITH insurance. Our insurance is now pretty much nill and I'm kind of paranoid. We also don't get paid in the summers. Even well-funded students use loans to make it through summers. Some people making less take summer classes just to get by. Almost everyone I know has taken out grad debt, which for me isn't really that worrying as I came out with almost no debt from u-grad (about 13k) compared to most here. However, I wish it was possible to have no debt!

To the OP, our program doesn't look down its nose at other degrees. I have committee members who have PhDs in poli sci that did u-grad degrees in econ, history, and math. The biggest challenge (which has been highlighted here) is making sure you can suss out the math required for your "job". Ask lots of questions. All programs differ in how they "prepare" you for stats. If you are doing political theory, you will likely have fewer requirements but, honestly, the number of places with a theory concentration are dwindling and the number of jobs out there for theory are even fewer. We don't have one anymore. I don't think, however, that any ONE major is valued above all others as long as you can explain why this program is a good fit for you. Our program doesn't seem to care more for a certain major when admitting new cohorts. FYI, Some programs require stats and/or econ and methods courses for their u-grads. I teach undergrads who have had all of these classes and have taught the u-grad methods labs for these students. They also have the option of taking a second-level introductory grad stats seminar (the one we all take) as seniors if they take methods as a sophomore or junior. So, some programs are doing a good job. Other programs rate these things less important for undergraduates. I came from one of them. It was a top-30 institution (Indiana) and I am now a quant-head. I have colleagues that have done Econ as undergrads, have masters in it, etc and while they are definitely better prepared for math and formal theory (which I don't do), they sometimes struggle with other aspects of the job - the high amounts of reading, different theoretical views, etc. We each bring something to the table and everyone seems to level out by their 2nd year or they quit. That's just been my experience and the experience of a couple of friends in other programs. I favor requiring more methods and ACTUAL political science for undergrads but I don't think that methods alone are going to make the programs "better" or make people more prepared for grad school. I think regardless of what you do, grad school is a big jump just like college is for most highschoolers. It's meant to be this way. Otherwise, everyone would excel and get a PhD.

Ask. You can't know if you don't do so and they are basically counting on it. Our dept. had a guy in from Michigan this week who gave us all a bunch of advice about the market (most of us are ABD) and his repeated advice was "if you don't ask, you can't get". That applies the same with grad offers. I think LeoBixby gave you some excellent advice. The way it works in our program, offers are given to most PhD students first. The best, most competitive are put up for fellowships that are competitive university-wide. The rest goes to MA students. If you don't ask, they won't extend the offer until like August when they have leftovers and ask you if you want it. However, people I know that asked, got a funding offer almost immediately - or at least by April. It may not be FULL funding, but they get a full remission of tuition and half of their health insurance paid for as well as half what "full" funded students get. Most, if they do well, will get bumped up to that funding level after a semester or a year - but even then they have to ask for it.

No kidding! It's going to be really hard moving forward with an alternate status if I make it through to round two but don't get accepted. I won't be able to sign a lease, figure things out, etc. It's going to be really frustrating but it doesn't seem like being accepted from alternate is a death sentence at all - which in some ways makes it worse. If I didn't have an SO (who has kids and visitation to worry about), a lease, and a dissertation to worry about, it'd be no issue at all. Blargh. I wish it was an all or nothing yes or no for my own personal circumstances. Maybe I will get lucky and they will just put me out of my misery on Tuesday? I don't really mean that, of course, but making it through seems like a long, long process!

Okay, I'm off to make some poutine with the BF. We had a gift card to use. Purchased a deep fryer with it because you can't get poutine in this place! Will be making some and praying I hear good news Tuesday, I guess. Either way it's a win-win, right? But before I go, question. How many "extras" make it to the second round as alternates. If we make it past this big hurdle, are there going to be like 20 alternates for a given country? Or is it like 5-6 alternates?

I had at least 10 different drafts of my PS and probably about 5 or 6 for my SGP. I am used to writing research proposals but I hadn't written a PS in 4 years. It was hard. I also was lucky to have a prof that had gotten a Fulbright, good university interview feedback (a doctoral committee member was also on my interview committee member), a GREAT FPA, and a strong set of comments from my advisor. Also, my BF who seriously should be a copywriter and has a degree in English looked over my final draft prior to submission. I got really good at looking at these, though. I just helped a friend with her Boren Fellowship essays and knew what to look for. If nothing else, I have learned how to write for such an application. Writing about me was the hardest part. I tend to think that I am my research more often than not since I chose to study what I chose based on my desire to help people. I study women and minorities in public admin because I want to help improve outcomes for those groups.

My FPA says after 5 ET Tuesday too. Seems legit as he's been on point with not knowing until now.

I hope it is Tuesday and I hope I find out post-office hours rather than mid-office hours.

I just left one meeting as the students who WILL take comps were coming in for their pre-comps meeting. Lots of stressed out faces. Makes me even more stressed since they are my friends! So glad at least that is over. But good luck to all of you struggling with that. It's really not bad if you take it seriously. I thought for sure they would fail me but no one on my committee was ever intending to and I did just fine.

Try memegenerator.com. I did one awhile back but that one above is teh awesome.

BurstingAtTheSeams, glad you found us. This board was really helpful with my grad school freak outs, too. I mostly lurked under a different username but it was still helpful! I can't even remember who I was now, come to think of it...

If nothing happens this week, next week is going to be MISERABLE (if it is Friday). I will be in a computer lab working on an extra-cirricular STATA thing. I will have internet and be surrounded by 30 of my peers and one faculty member. How I could avoid checking email at that time is beyond me!

D'aww thanks but my students will disagree with you tomorrow when I make them talk about the readings at 9 AM haha. I really hope it works out and you get into a great program!

Horb, I hope both work out for you! Your results often aren't in the sequence or predictable fashion you expect. I got really puzzling results - some really good schools took me (even higher ranked than the one I was in now) and some schools that were not even as well ranked or anywhere near the caliber of my u-grad school rejected me or didn't grant me funding. In the end, I took the most workable offer (a stellar one for a grad student at a state school in the midwest) and went with the department that had the person I most wanted to work with. It all worked out! I do remember crying in the office of a trusted faculty member back at Indiana when trying to use STATA after two rejections the previous day because I couldn't get it to run a command for my thesis. He was incredibly nice about it and asked me how my application season was going and I told him I would be living in a box on the side of the road by May. He assured me that wasn't the case. The next day, I got an offer from one of my best choices and the place I eventually accepted. The day after, I got an offer from two other schools. So, even if you get a rejection, keep thinking positive. Something will work out. But for your situation, I hope you get both the Fulbright and the ability to defer to your first choice! I hope at least someone gets good news tomorrow. I have two meetings, a lecture, and a class to teach tomorrow. I'm going to be glad just to get through the day.

Mine said that he was told it would probably be last Friday and that he assumes it will be this week but unlike other years, they haven't gotten any word or heads up. He said it may just be different this year. Regardless, he said, firm deadline WILL be the 31st although he's never seen it take that long. He said he's nervous for the 30 of us with irons in the pot, too. I don't envy him. That's a lot of people calling his office just for this one fellowship!

Called my FPA. He said he's not heard anything and is as astonished as we are. He said they expected last Friday but have heard nothing. I have no clue what's going on but with meetings all day tomorrow I won't know until late. Grrrr. At least he said I didn't sound crazy and not to worry for bothering him.

Should we start taking bets on which day? I broke down and dropped by to see if the FPA was in on my way back across campus with a horde of books from the library. I climbed a bunch of stairs to find out he was in a meeting. Blargh. Not that it would have mattered.

I didn't stay at Indiana because my discipline frowns on "academic incest", so they wouldn't have had me. I miss B-town a lot these days. I love my current university and my department. I chose that all right. However, the town is too conservative, too isolated and feels much smaller despite being about the same size as Bloomington. I took a summer abroad after year 2 because I knew I would burn out if I stayed here another summer. It's been a constant battle for me. I deal with it but it's less than ideal. I just don't deal well long-term outside of a metro area or without things to do. As boring as I think Indy is, it's still better than anything within an hour of here (ie nothing but farm land!). I get wanderlust easily, though! Clearly!

Yes. Profs did nothing. My Dad sent me a link to a student paper article. I've experienced erratic (unmedicated, self medicated) student reactions in an exam before. The police were called. I was pushed down and the prof almost was. When the student initially started to attack us, I was sure we were all about to die. I just reacted by trying to restrain the student as quickly as possible. The prof ended up having to take the student on because I got pushed down. He restrained them until the police made it and then the rest of us calmed down the class. Today, I'm an instructor (but still just as much of a target). Indiana didn't have any official policies about lockdowns (like what you should do other than stay there) which is crazy. Purdue apparently had the same issue. My current uni is much, much better about instructions but they could still do a ton more. It's eerie for me and I've only been on that campus a couple of times.

Today was a good distraction thus far. I taught early. I baked cookies for class last night to distract myself. It was successful. Class went well except for the fact that my kids were all so nervous about the shootings at Purdue. My Dad was freaking out because they're back home in Indiana and it's hitting them hard. They worry about me. The BF was worried about me teaching. I'm okay. It reminds me of the Tech shootings when I was a freshmen. But it's hard seeing my students so worked up. One even asked me if teaching made me nervous right now. We'll be discussing gun politics and carry on campus in a few weeks. I hope the discussion proves fruitful and thoughtful. It makes me realize that even though this stuff sucks, I've got bigger fish to fry. But seriously, I wish they would let us find out!

I'm sorry to hear about this. I'm a former Hoosier (alumni now). That's really scary. I will keep your alma mater in my thoughts.

Congrats! Looks like any day now!

Fingers crossed, I felt the same way back when I was applying and honestly this feels the same. 4 years down the road, it's just like waiting for those acceptances again! It will all work out one way or another but the limbo is awful!

I'm teaching my own course this semester and have meetings all day tomorrow so things are going to be super complicated for the next week while I wait. I'm throwing myself into teaching in the meantime.