sylark

I personally would never post my GRE scores, GPA, list of schools I have applied, or my current state of residency. That would just be stupid.

Bot Fly

Hmm. That is unfortunate. This could discourage applicants from applying next year, and thus, weaken their applicant pool and prestige. Not to mention the talent they potentially lost this application year.

I was reading a thread on fake admission result after the several fake A&M results were posted. One of which continues to stay up there since it seems like it could be valid. Odd that it was sandwiched between two fake results within an hour span. Anyway, admins acknowledged the issue of fake results; however, they want to keep anonymity the higher of the two priorities.

Thanks! I guess we could recieve a decision anytime within a week from now. *Stops frantically searching Boulder's website and the MyBoulder account to confirm when decisions will be sent*

Stool Softener

Let's hope all three of us get in! (I have a feeling I am going to be waitlisted for no rational reason.) Also, did you hear that Boulder would send decisions from looking at admissions of previous year or did you or someone you know contact them? Thanks in advance.

Getting Hard

Though it's not an exact science, the admissions results from last year are the best bet. Though, I am tempted to have someone of the opposite sex call for me and ask about the application decisions. I wouldn't want there to be any question that I was the annoying anxious guy pestering the faculty/staff members. Definitely don't use your email or name.

Getting Off

Peep Show

This is great! Congrats and good luck!

I think if that were the case, the deadlines would be set fairly late in the game in order to avoid pressure and time constraints, though they would likely finish much earlier than that date. Essentially, there would be no change if programs were simply required to create and publicize deadlines. Further, if other parties established earlier deadlines for the programs, many of these programs would be stretched thin of resources and would likely just push their application deadlines back further, possibly to early Fall Semester. Likewise if there is a requirement that schools must make decisions within a set amount of time after recieving applications, their decision-making would suffer, and thus more students would be admitted to programs that they are not a fit, and fewer students would be admitted to programs that they are a suitable fit. The application anxiety sucks, but it is necessary to an extent.

Don't worry; most of us (probably 95+%) have not recieved word yet from the adcoms of the programs we have applied. You're not alone! Still, knowing this doesn't stop me from refreshing the results pages and checking my email incessantly. (You are not alone in this respect either.)

Sex Toys

How busy is your work/academic schedule and workload? Especially for graduate students, (especially, especially, for those that work as well) how do you fit exercise into your schedule? (If at all) I am currently finishing up my undergraduate degree and working; in the past, I have had issues with finding time or the left over energy to drag myself to a gym and workout. So, I have been alternating Insanity (40 minutes) and Freeweights (20-30 minutes) each day. Also, Insanity is free online thanks to Thailand and the weight bench and 200lbs of weights cost me $150 Walmart last year. So, it works for me as far as saving time and money. Though, I know many people that NEED a gym to workout. Ideally, once I move, I hope I can do more outdoor things year-round with warmer weather! (Being able to enjoy walking to school would also be a nice change.)

Well, I am bad with laundry, yet I don't like reusing a towel, even once. So I usually air dry unless I washed clean towels. I have to brush, mouthwash, and floss my teech, do something with hair, get clothes ready, get my work/school stuff in order, ect before I leave, so I keep myself preoccupied. It usually take about ten minutes if I am moving around to dry off and start getting clothed and out the door in another 5 minutes or so. Some people think that's weird, but it saves me from reusing towels and more frequent laundry trips. As for the toothbrush, sometimes I leave it in the shower with a cap over the brush so I can brush my teeth in the shower. Meh, it's not a big deal so long as the bathroom/shower is routinely cleaned. Basically, I do everything possible to reduce the amount of preparation time and effort in the morning so I can get out the door in under 25-30 minutes upon waking up without looking like a slob.

I have to say, the application instructions are often vague/ambiguous depending on the program. Most of the issues I had involved the divergence between programs and their schools; some programs require I fill out two applications (one for the program and one for the university).To me it seems odd I would have to fill out two forms with different sets of instruction and requirements. As always, the general grad school application for the university often instructed that the student refer to the department's instructions, and at times, contradicted them. Likewise, some of the instructions on the department's website referred the student to the university's general graduate admissions for instructions. It would be nice if more programs communicated better with their university inorder to reduce equivocation and streamline the process. With all that said, I can see how programs often run into issues with qualified students that are missing materials. I'm sure if the adcom is interested in your application they will accept the late materials. (They probably have to do so from time-to-time.)

Thanks for the encouragement. I just need to stop feeding into second guessing everything in my application. There's nothing else I can (or should) do. Good Luck as well!

Alright. Well, I'd rather not risk sending the email. You all made great points. My SOP is fairly strong and in-depth about my research interests and experience. Sending an email this late could very well scream desperation and hurt my chances if I am a candidate for the short-list or bordering an acceptance decision. I will have to leave it up to the adcom members to decide if my qualifications and interests are well-suited to their own. Though I never mentioned names, I did mention specific areas within the faculty members of the American Politics and Politcal Theory subfields that matched my research interests/experience. Let's hope that's enough. Thanks.

Certainly. The GRE Scores and GPA's are blatantly not up to par with the program's standards. Seems fairly obvious that it's a troll who posted those results.

Snaggle Tooth

Thanks for the quick reply. I will list a few POI's in my Feb 1st applications. Great Explanation! Another question I have is about the applications I have sent to schools a month to one week ago. Could I simply email a couple POI's directly? For instance, "Dear Dr. ______ My name is ________, and I have applied to the Fall 2014 Politcal Science phD Program at ____________ . I am inquiring your interest in my academic background and research interests. My senior thesis examined _______, and I would like to continue researching _________ at graduate school. I also have an extensive background in the following coursework________. (somehow work in UGPA as well). Your research on _______ is fascinating... Further, your expertise/research in ____, ______, and _______ suit my academic interests. If given the opportunity, I would be honored to recieve your guidance and assist your future research endeavors. Thank you for your consideration. Best Regards, _____________________________ (Ignore any spelling errors. The school computers don't have spell-check on their browsers) Any suggestions about the tone of the email...given that emailing after sending an application is even advisable. The idea is to keep it short and to the point, to not sound like a nuisance, and not waste the professor's valuable time. Thanks in advance everyone.

Well, I am applying to a few schools for the Feb 1st. Deadline and I am reconsidering the contents of my SOP. I have been given conflicting infomation regarding POI's these past few months. Some will say that listing several professors is essential whereas others have told me that there is a risk of selecting professors that are not part of the adcom, retiring, are in conflict with other adcom members, ect. and listing POI's can limit the department's overall interest. I have submitted my SOP's to include my specific research areas and then went on to speak for the subfields of American Politics and Politcal Theory in a general sense in order to demonstrate fit. For instance, one school I have applied to specializes in immigration, race, diversity, urban politcs, politcal psychology, ect. I made the case that I was concerned with studying the divergence of political attitudes by race in the United States and the effects it has on public policy, namely political polarization. Further, I conveyed an interest in examining policy that affects politcal attitudes of ethnicities/races differently. Then, I went on to explain my senior thesis that demonstrates this interest in-part; my thesis is more generally considered with cultural diversity and the consequences of isolation and divergence among different races, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, ect. in voting behavior and hyperpartisanship. Lastly, I listed the subfield faculty's strengths and expertise aformentioned, including the specific courses available. However, I didn't list any professors specifically. Should I include POI's for upcoming applications or is my strategy proficient?

Assuming the A&M results are not fake...(which I think they are) Usually stipends are given to students that recieve full-tuition funding/waiver. Stipends are used for living expenses; therefore, $10,000, broken-up into 8 one-month payments of around $1250 per month should more than cover basic living expenses if one is financially responsible, in most cases (if we are talking NYC then this would be a great start, but probably not quite enough). Further, most students don't receive stipends whatsoever. Though it may not seem like much, a tuition waiver + stipend (and perhaps health insurance) that size can enable a grad student to attain a phD without accumulating any debt. Students have the choice to spend money on car payments, more costly housing, expensive new clothes, ect. Stipends generally wouldn't cover those costs; they are mostly enough to pay for housing and food. A grad student I went to undergrad with recieved a $12,000 stipend, or $1,500 a month. She spent $700 on hounsing+utilities, $200 food ($50 per week), and left the rest as a cushion for unexpected expenses for conferences, dates (though she is not one to pay the bill), gym membership ($20), ect. From what she told me, she was able to save about $300-$500 per month, or ($400X8=$3,200). During the summers, she was able to work a little part-time (about 25hrs.) and do her researchship while using the saved money from her stipend to get through the summers without working long hours (which would detract from her studies) or applying for a costly loan. Yeah, that was a long second-hand anecdote about stipends and frugal graduate student living, but I think it is possible to live off a modest stipend and get through school loan-free if you are willing to make some sacrifices. Though, you won't likely be able to do this and indulge in buying a car, designer clothing, lots and lots of alcohol ect. Many things I know some of my fellow undergraduates feel entitle to despite not having a job. Them loans are gonna bite them in the you know what after they finish school. So, don't worry too much about it, many grad programs invest in their students, especially if they are a TA or RA. (Most programs seek students that have the potential to assist them, and will pay-up to recruit them.) P.S. I would kill to recieve full funding and stipend offer! And good luck to everyone!