gazelle

Well hot damn, I got accepted. Although I don't have any funding information and was provisionally accepted pending preparatory coursework, not sure what this could be (micro/macro econ?).

Still waiting. I guess it doesn't matter though, as I've pretty much decided it will be Columbia or nothing; I don't know that I want to go $70k into debt for a UC; I'd rather go $140k into debt for an Ivy that is very well known and very highly regarded in Japan. Nonetheless, I'd like my results so I can move on. Getting fairly irritated at this point, especially if they sent out packets to admitted students 9 days ago.

I'm still waiting on IR/PS, which is truthfully getting annoying as well, since I had everything in in November (they've confirmed they've received everything and are not done reviewing yet). Unfortunately it's almost surely a rejection; they told me the above on March 18th which seemed fine, but someone else who emailed them said that they sent out welcome packets to all admitted candidates on March 16th (and no, I didn't get one). So it sounds like they've determined all their admissions and sent off the big wave of welcome letters and admissions materials (all of these people were also notified prior that they'd been accepted via email). So, just give me my rejection and get it over with, UCSD. Sick of waiting, you've had my crap for four months.

It may prove useful to state which program he is waiting for, no?

Well, guess that means I must be rejected. Ah well, if the Columbia waitlist doesn't work out I guess I'll just have to go home and get a $70k engineering job, knock out my measely $20k in undergrad loans and start my life and build that 1968 Dodge Charger I've always wanted...

I emailed them last week to check on my application status and they said they still weren't done reviewing files, so anyone else who still hasn't heard--sit tight! Should hear soon!

Still waiting to hear back...

Or, not to be a dick, perhaps you wrote a less-than-stellar SoP thinking you were already a shoo-in (which is the impression I get), or had bad LORs. Or perhaps you just didn't fit the program as well as you thought, or as well as they wanted. Again, not to be a dick, but there's more to it than just numbers. Two years work experience is also going to be below the average, and if you graduated college in 4 years and have only 2 years of work experience, that also would make you younger than the average applicant, and could possibly cause them to worry that you haven't matured enough. The rejection sucks and I'm sorry to hear it, but with your strong stats I'm sure you'll get in somewhere else good. Me on the other hand, I'm getting pretty impatient waiting for IR/PS, which has been sending standard deadline notifications since at least Feb. 25th.

With SIPA as my first choice as well, I also wonder how to get from $134k down to $75k, which would also make me sleep a lot better than the full $134k. I'm curious to know where I can come up with $59k as well...

I also have heard nothing as of yet... Come on UCSD, give me some good news soon

Last I checked, short listed meant accepted...

Thanks, I saw that...I've been scouring for some information about how many people they typically place on the wait list, but no such luck. EDIT: what were your stats if you don't mind sharing?

Wait listed at Columbia SIPA, still waiting on UCSD IR/PS

Another question about the wait list...I was reading the SIPA FAQ and last year's post about the wait list process, and it mentioned that they would occasionally meet to review/reevaluate candidates to be upgraded from the waitlist, and then post decisions on the website. Based on this I gathered that they would redirect you to the site just to see if you were either: A) still on the wait list, or accepted off the wait list. However, just out of curiosity, do they start to whittle down the wait list by reevaluating some people and then flat out reject them on the site once they know they don't need as many people on the wait list? Or is it such that once you are on the wait list, you will either get upgraded or just stay there until the end of time?

Since we can't edit our posts, I will just say I heard back from Columbia and was wait-listed. So, let that be a beacon of hope for those weaker applicants with lower GPAs applying to top programs--all hope is not lost! Should be hearing back from UCSD any day... Program Applied To: MPIA, MIA Schools Applied To: UCSD IR/PS, Columbia SIPA Schools Admitted To: Schools Rejected From: School Wait Listed At: Columbia SIPA Still Waiting: UCSD IR/PS Undergraduate institution: University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Campus Undergraduate GPA: 3.12 Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): Unknown Undergraduate Major: Chemical Engineering, Chemistry GRE Quantitative Score: 730 GRE Verbal Score: 520 GRE AW Score: 5.0 Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 2 Years of Work Experience: 2 Describe Relevant Work Experience: Two years teaching in Japan with the JET Program; not "relevant" per se, but relevant in the context of international experience and working towards my goal of a Japan-focused career. Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Had a really strong, defined one for UCSD, and felt that the SoP, along with the supplemental essays, really gave the admissions committee a pretty comprehensive overview of myself. I feel quite strongly about my UCSD SoP, essays, and overall application, despite it being the first school I applied to. When I sat down to write my SoP for Columbia, I struggled; the format was much different (broken into three questions, with a 400 word limit for describing my background, goals, etc., a 400 word limit to discuss my most significant volunteer experience, and 200 words to tell the admissions committee anything else I wanted. The latter two parts came out well I think, albeit with short word limits, but I really struggled to squeeze everything about my goals, how my background has prepared me for graduate study, people I want to work with, etc., into those first 400 words while still managing to sound strong. I also would've liked to expand a little more on that last 200 word section, as that's really only about two paragraphs of information. Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): One should be glowing from an East Asian studies professor of mine who went to Cornell, one should be pretty good from a history PhD who was my supervisor at my campus job in a demographic research office where I worked for three years as an undergraduate, but in retrospect I think the third one, written by a chemical engineering professor of mine, will be very blah, and I wish I would've asked someone else, although I didn't see the letters so I can't say. Other: I spent two years as an undergraduate volunteering in a Japanese garden, and as mentioned spent three years in a demographic office doing research. My undergraduate program is a top-three chemical engineering program at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, notorious for grade deflation (I got a C in calculus 3, with a final grade of about 82%...), though going into IR, I can't imagine the committees would know either of those facts. Also as an undergraduate I held a graduate student teaching assistantship for two semesters being a lab T/A for general chemistry, which was another step towards JET, and another step towards my goal of a Japan-oriented career. I also took as many East Asia studies courses as I could shoulder on top of my engineering coursework, including beginning Japanese. I also have proficiency in German, as indicated by a proficiency test at my college after two years of study. Between being a T/A and my undergraduate research position, and another job prior to being a T/A, I worked 40 hours a week throughout college to support my mom and myself which forced me to make substantial academic sacrifices. Furthermore, my mom died of brain and lung cancer as an undergraduate at the onset of my junior, and coincidentally most difficult year in the chemical engineering program. Needless to say, my last two years saw a bit of a downward trend. I should also say that I am turning 26 this month, as I was in school for six years because I switched from liberal arts to engineering after 1.5 years, so I graduated with 181 credits.

Hmmm...statistically speaking though, a LOT of people turn down Columbia due to the cost, so in theory they upgrade a lot of people; the above is to suggest then that they wait list a terribly large amount of people as well (several hundred?). Either way, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Yield with respect to the number of people upgraded?

waitlisted!!! my heart is beating so so so so fast right now, i cant believe i got waitlisted and im excited and shaking!!

Where on the site are you guys seeing your decisions? Congrats again to everyone so far, so far it seems to only be good news!

Wow, sorry to hear about that but keep in mind even though those nine schools are silent, you still haven't been bona fide rejected, or even heard back yet--you could still get nine acceptances--who's to say they have sent out all of them? The only thing I can think of is perhaps a weak SOP? You've certainly got all the other credentials.

Wow, so the MIA/MPA results are starting to go out...I just checked mine, nothing yet. Congrats! Question for those admitted so far--what letter of the alphabet does your name start with? Trying to find out if they are going in alphabetical order for those who they are in agreement about.

I'm actually a bit worried about getting a letter on the first day...

Getting nervous now, with the newest blog post.

Congrats!!

I'm assuming by that you mean email notifications?