zudei

Just wanted to say, I got financial aid! LSU gave it me in July, so I'm making visa right now and coming to the U.S.! Meet a new future PhD in Politics) Big thanks for everybody who replied me and especially the guy named IR IR IR PhD! He came up with an idea to rewrite and resend my SoP. I did it and this worked. I owe you a drink, dude)

Just thought I'd check in again. After my initial application cycle came to a close in late March, I was contacted by UW if I was interested in going as a late admit to their Jackson School MAIS program. I jumped on the chance, and I am officially now admitted and moving to Seattle this coming August. Thank you everyone, for the support you've given me. And if anyone has any suggestions as to relocation tips, etc, I am all ears...

I would have killed for a 3.6.

1) Its unfortunate that you've already graduated college, which means you probably don't have access to online academic journal database/archives (usually your college purchases a subscription and makes it available to current students & faculty). You need to read actual [published] political science research - its a million miles away from any paper you wrote in undergrad classes.
 
2) It could be a good option if you find a Masters that has a heavy research component. The majority of masters degrees tend to be oriented for working professionals, with MPAs & MPPs being the prime culprits. There are some MPPs that do have a research component so they are not all bad. Your main goal when choosing a masters is to check to see if classes are taught by full-time faculty and whether a master's thesis is required. Neither of these two conditions will guarantee that you've found a good program, but they are necessary conditions of any good program.
 
3) Yes, math can fix this! (inside joke) - Going to a community college and enrolling in calculus is an excellent idea. In fact, you probably should do this before you even apply to Masters programs. Taking the full calc sequence (if you can stomach it) and a first course in Linear Algebra will definitely be useful.
 
4) See #1 above. Once you start reading actual Poli Sci research it becomes easier to identify POIs and determine "fit".

When you put it that way, most of the other reasons to leave seem pretty feeble, too ;-).  I wouldn't have transferred to placate an SO.  Then again, I am equally unattractive everywhere.

That Rosicky goal 

Placement
 
When looking at graduate programs, I strongly suggest applying for the PhD, even if you have no desire to move past the MA.  It will increase your chances of funding and the investment that your program will put into you.  You can always change your mind and get the PhD, which you are already set for.  Going into an MA program only, will almost always come without funding and will alter the value you bring to the department.  
 
I strongly suggest leaving for a better program following your MA if you were not directly admitted to your PhD program.  The worst thing a better program can do is say "No" and you can continue as normal.
 
My research on placement can be found in the following articles:
1)  http://gppreview.com/2012/12/03/superpowers-the-american-academic-elite/
2)  http://gppreview.com/2013/08/21/pushing-up-ivies-institutional-prestige-and-the-academic-caste-system/
3)  http://gppreview.com/2013/09/15/placement-efficiency-an-alternative-ranking-metric-for-graduate-schools/
 
Comprehensive paper)  http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2303567
 
Power Point Presentation)  https://www.academia.edu/4266759/Honor_Prestige_and_the_Academy_A_Portrait_of_Political_Science_Tenured_and_Tenure-track_Faculty_in_Ph.D.-granting_Institutions_2012-2013_
 
The first three are quick reads, the fourth is a comprehensive paper.  The final link is a power-point presentation that I gave at APSA.  The most important point, however, is that this method shows the competitiveness of these programs.  Yes, it only looks at placement in R1 programs, but that's by design.  I strongly caution you to pay attention to anecdotes and numbers (statistics without citations) from Profs or programs.  If they don't have hard data, it's for a reason - the data doesn't reflect positively on them.
 
Many people will tell you a "truth" they want you to believe.  I think that you should look at the numbers, read up on it, and decide for yourself.  The absolute worst way to enter graduate school is unable to think critically.
 
Good luck to you all.

And, while you do want to think about your end results (very much!), it is dangerous to put too much faith in these things.  You're not just picking a school; you're picking a you-school dyad.  To take an extreme example:  we have had people come to Rochester because it is generally known for placing well.  You know who gets placed well from Rochester?  People that did well at Rochester, which in turn ends up being people that have an aptitude for learning the tools necessary for our kind of work (and, more importantly, like our kind of work).  This sort of fit thing is generally well-addressed at the application level and at the acceptance level, but it's not perfectly addressed.  
 
So yes, think about placement, but also think about how good and marketable the <insert school here> version of you will look.
 
Also, BFB:  thank you for the helpful email about that one thing a few months back.  It came through.

Just got a phone call from the DGS at Pittsburgh (top choice!). Admitted off the waitlist! One of the best days of my life! 

Last rejection from Maryland came this morning. No surprises, but that closes out my cycle. Can't say I'll totally disappear, since I'm already planning for next cycle, but I'll be taking a couple of weeks to rest off the emotions from this one. Huge, huge congratulations to everyone with good news this time around, and best of luck in the fall! And thank you to all of you, for being such a great support group during this process.

Political Science Deadlines:
PhDs, Postdoc, CfP, CfA, Conferences etc https://www.facebook.com/groups/186800281354316/
 
- For those not successful until now - don't give up hope and watch this website for PhD positions. 
 
Political Science Data:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/poliscidata/

In at UPenn. I'm at a loss for words. I'm hoping everyone else who has been shut out so far receives some good news soon (hopefully a few more today who also get into Penn).

Finally received the rejection email from Chicago. But they did offer me admission to CIR with a half tuition waiver.
 

Department placement figures are obviously very very important and useful, but they are still a proxy to get at the job market success of an X person with similar attributes to future you. That is what we all want to learn, right? This is why we often want to learn about the subfield placements as well as the overall placement records. We naturally think that -say- the IR placement record would be more relevant for us if our subfield is IR. 
 
One way to diminish some of this uncertainty is to check the placement records of your POIs or people with whom you think you are likely to work. Such data is seldom available through departments, so you kind of have to ask the person herself about her students. I want to suggest another way:
 
ProQuest has a dissertations and theses database. I don't know if the database includes all dissertations completed in the US, but I think it is fairly close (if not exhaustive) for the past 10-ish years for most of the top-50 or so institutions. The search engine allows you to search dissertations by adviser. Now this kind of data doesn't go too far back, but I would argue that the most important part is the post-2007 period anyway. Moreover, for the past 5 years or so, many records on dissertations also include committee members (so not just chairs), which is extra useful. Using this tool, you can compile a list of all the students who completed their dissertations under the POI(s) that you want to work with. Then, you can simply google these people, check their CVs and see where they initially placed at. It is not terribly hard to get at, if a bit time consuming.
 
A second step can be that if some of these people who were advised by your POIs have dissertations that are sort of in the same research area as your interests, you can just e-mail these people and ask about their experiences and suggestions. They may not reply or provide useful advice, but then again, maybe they will.
 
I found this to be a useful method, hope it helps you too.

Sorry about your cycle Good luck!
 
Also, I'd recommend Verzani's book, "Using R for Introductory Statistics". Quant and R go together like PB&J

I just spoke to Steven Wilkinson who told me that since he wasn't on the admission's committee he has not seen the final list. Since he's the subfield coordinator maybe CP applicants still stand a chance?

Well. 
 
Happy to announce that, as someone on here mentioned earlier, hope dies last.
 
1st acceptance of the cycle. To Yale. Just sent up a prayer for everyone still waiting for good news. 
 
Specifics: IR subfield. Received an email from Susan Hyde. I don't remember mentioning her in my SOP (though I've since changed computers so don't have it easily accessible to check!). My guess is that she's sending notifications out for all in the IR subfield.

Claiming UBC ! Also competitive financial offer! After these rough last couple of weeks, incredibly relieved!

You usually need a compelling reason to defer. Most schools will not permit it just so you can sit home and watch Netflix. Alternatively, you could start at the program this year, and if you still aren't convinced finish up with the terminal masters and transfer (assuming you've gotten admission elsewhere).
 
Of course the question has to be: Why were you applying to programs you wouldn't have been happy to attend?

I did send a few emails myself. I think the system is just weird. Anyway, I'm focusing on the acceptances instead

True, but at least Arsenal beat the reds this weekend =) 

Sorry, I fail to see the usefulness of this thread.  Whereas posts about admissions communicate information about when schools have started announcing, posts about offer declination say nothing more than that people are declining offers, which is a foregone conclusion.  On one side, it's an opportunity to show off (hey, I'm declining all these great schools, I'm so awesome!) and on the other side, it's a desperate and misplaced attempt to mollify people who have been wait-listed.  While I am sure you had good intentions, the implicit point of this thread seems to be to pressure people to hurry up and dump their offers.  I think that everyone who has earned multiple offers should take all the time they need to make an informed choice, as I plan on doing.

This thread is nothing new to the Gradcafe crew, and who cares if the only purpose it serves is to "mollify" those on a wait list? If nothing else, it provides more information than is otherwise available. And though you're certainly right, James, that the wait list is a backup to the regular acceptance:yield ratio, this doesn't meant that others won't find the information useful. 

Alright, team, I'm about to head to Game Theory.

When I was applying to law schools, I started getting emails about new student orientation and 1L sections from a school--that I hadn't yet heard a decision from. So I decided to call the admissions office and found out that apparently they had forgotten to tell me I had been accepted weeks ago. It was a front-desk person who told me and I think she was more excited than I was (and it was a great school so I was excited, albeit a little miffed). She kept saying, "I never get to tell people they get in! This is a lot of fun!" Her and I became buddies after I enrolled.