APGradApplicant

No insider info on my part, not even one of my schools (with my numbers, the logical choice was to spend $70 on a steak dinner with a special someone rather than on an application to Harvard. Nothing against it though, as my mom went to their business school) Anyways, for some reason this posted before I could finish typing (pressed enter too many times maybe?). What I was going to type is: That said, it does seem that many schools, particularly the Ivy Leagues, have been hewing closely to their patterns from 2009 almost to the day. Last year, Harvard sent out acceptances on Wednesday and Thursday during the last week of February. Perhaps that provides some clues as to what we should expect this year?

Congrats! I told you you'd get in to places (as I remember you were worried back in Jan that you would be shut out everywhere...)! Best of luck at wherever you end up!

Someone from Rochester e-mailed one of my LOR-writers asking the same question. Ditto for Florida. I think schools that make decisions later on might try to avoid sending out acceptances to people who have already been accepted to their top choice and have accepted/are on the brink of accepting that offer. That's what my professor said.

Glad to see I'm not the only one who just got salt thrown in his wound!

Agree with Keller on this. Of course, all you have to do is look at my signature to see that this is a completely moot point in my case

Just talked to Judith at UMN. I told her I was just calling to confirm that we should be hearing early next week...she said that now there's a "good chance" it could be at the end of this week but "if not then, then definitely early next week". So, perhaps some of us will get some good (or bad ) news earlier than we thought...

Right, and for all you Rochester admits who don't think you want to live in upstate NY...let them know! Haha, kidding. I know that whatever happens happens. It's out of my hands now and into God's.

Re Harvard and all the other acceptances that go up that we don't know about. I think we should officially establish that at least for us poli sci applicants, it's a matter of common courtesy to claim an acceptance on the discussion page when you post one on the results page, especially if it's a school with which there has not been any news of late. Perhaps one day doing what I outlined in the previous sentence will rise to the level of saying please and thank you and offering the nice lady with fewer items go ahead of you in the grocery line .

Yeah, I'm on wait list, as I said before, and they've already said that should I be admitted I would be offered $20k/yr plus tuition waiver for five years. Mearshimer, wouldn't the offers "you've been hearing of" be the same for everyone, barring a special fellowship/assistanship of some sort? Anyways, just curious.

Strong program but not one where too many of the folks here seemed to have applied. I would call if I were you...

Unless I'm imagining things, I remember several Cornell applicants inquiring to the grad secretary about when the department might send out decisions, and it sounds like the first or second week of March is the expectation (which is a departure from last year). Ditto for Minnesota. Last year they did acceptances (and even some rejections I believe) during the final week of Feb, whereas this year they're sending decisions, in the words of Judith M (who all of us applicants have gotten e-mails from) "during the first few days of March". So yeah, my impression is that neither Cornell nor UMN should be expected this week...

We shall see! You certainly look like you're well-positioned to get in.

Yes, if this forum is going to be an accurate temperature of the poli sci PhD-seeking population, I would say that it goes from most to least popular: IR Comparative American Theory And that's about what I've heard from people familiar with applications these days. That said, is probably true that American seems to have the most job openings of late. Don't know why that is.

Thanks, bsquar! Great info and very glad to hear that there's a place for non-poli psych people in American. If anything, that's what I was hoping might help my application a bit. By that I mean that I'm hoping that maybe my application will stand out among the Americanists if only because I am not one of those who is competing to get in on all the political psych research that's being done there and instead have research interests that are more concerned with institutions and public opinion. In fact, I listed Pearson and Treier (along with Jacobs) as faculty members with whom I would like to work. To be sure, I know that it's going to be a tough one to get into, and if I had a gun to my head, I would probably predict a rejection. That said, I am really hoping that I can perhaps get a nice surprise (similar to the way I managed to get placed on the wait list at Rochester, where I thought I had just about a zero chance of getting anything but a rejection). Anyhow, best of luck to you on your application as well. As I said in the results forum, it has been a lot harder for me to get worked up about my rejections and any that might come in the future now that I realize how many friendly, bright and capable scholars there are who will end up going to these places with or without me in the cohort.

So seems like we're entering the penultimate week of "high season" for the admissions cycle. Perhaps some rejection, waitlist notices, and (at a few schools) acceptances will be sent out second week of March, but it seems like the last week of Feb will be the next-to-last BIG week. It seems that based on forecasting from the info we've collected and/or last year's patterns, we should hear this week from: MIT (acceptances only?) Notre Dame (unless they're really finished, which I doubt) Harvard (best of luck to those who applied!) More from Columbia? UCLA (can't imagine this weekend covered all admits...) Anyhow, it shouldn't be a week that fails to stress us out, lol (sorry about the double negative ) Definitely am rooting for everyone here, including the people competing against me. If this board has helped reassure me of anything, it's that if I don't get a spot at my remaining schools (and thinking, too, about the ones that have already rejected me...), I at least have the peace of mind that (with only a few exceptions) there will be some friendly and no doubt very bright students who will be attending these various institutions. Again, best of luck to all!

Thanks! Best of luck to you as well!

First, congrats to everyone and anyone who heard good news today. It's good to see that even weekends can be exciting on GradCafe! I'm so ready for the decision process to be over. I'm definitely doing some hand wrining over U of Minnesota. I'm pretty sure that I'm a no-go at MIT, as it was one of my big reaches, and with Notre Dame and SUNY-Albany, I expect I'll be admitted (more so at the latter) but they're both moot points as I wouldn't attend anyhow. It's Minnesota that I'd really prefer to have out of the way. Of course we aren't supposed to hear anything until the first week of March. If people want to take a look at the post I put up about my profile, I'd be interested to hear what people think. I really am unsure as to whether I will get in, although all along that's been on the reachier (if that's a word!) side. However, it's not like MIT where I feel I'd be a sure-fire reject. Anyways, like I said, can't wait for this whole thing to come to a conclusion!

So I thought I'd start this post because Minnesota is one of only two remaining schools that I'm really anxious to hear from (or hear an initial decision from at least, see Rochester below) and really the only one of the remaining two at which I think I have a shot. I was just curious who else on this board has applied to their Political Science PhD program. If you have, I'd just be interested to know your sub-field as well as approximately where you'd place it among your choices. Also, if people want to assess my chances, I'd more than welcome honest feedback I'm thinking that I'm kind of border-line there. I'm in the American subfield and am interested in studying Congress, congressional elections and elite behavior within American political institutions. I have a strong fit with a few faculty members there. My GRE scores are slightly above their averages from the last few years, except for the AWA, which is about average (680V, 720Q, 5.0AWA). Their stats on that can be found here...http://www.grad.umn.edu/data/stats/ad/1071200.html#gre I did my undergrad at Vanderbilt University and had a 3.25 overall GPA, but improved it somewhat with a 3.51 in my final 60 hours (120 total) and a 3.49 average in my political science major. I know that the LORs I got from professors in the department were very strong, at least that's what professors from programs at which I have been admitted seem to have gone out of their way to say. I think I submitted a well-done writing sample as well, although I don't know how big an influence that last piece of the puzzle has on the application overall. In addition, I think my SOP is definitely well-done, as it is pretty specific about what areas of American politics I would like to research as a graduate student and has some discussion about the academic work I performed as an undergraduate and the influence that it had on my decision to apply for doctoral studies. Anyways, so yeah, if anyone fellow U of Minn apps want to comment or if people just want to honestly assess my chances, I'd definitely appreciate it.

Congrats! Not only are you a PhD admissions rock star, but you give all of us waitlisters some hope that if there are enough people in your situation that things might work out for us, too

I think that his cynical joke (I like that kind of humor!) was referring to a biology professor at the University of Alabama who the other week was denied tenure and then proceeded to go on a shooting rampage and kill three of her colleagues. Mearshimer, like all of us, is hoping that there isn't anybody at Rochester who would do such a thing.

Congrats to the Columbia admits! What a great way to end the week! I just need the two big M's to give me an answer (either way, but just an answer)- that would be Minnesota and MIT. Maybe we'll see some movement on the latter next week. Sounds like with the former, we'll be waiting until the first week of March.

Very glad to hear this! I knew you'd pull through but I imagine it's not very fun to have to wait as long as you did. It was definitely a stroke of pure luck that I got into Georgia as early as I did (January 15), and for that I am definitely grateful. I'd be shocked if anyone on this board doesn't get into anywhere they applied. Just be patient (although MUCH easier said than done).

Definitely glad I know for sure that I'm rejected. No point in false hope. I just want my options in front of me as soon as possible.

Fantastic! I know how much of a relief that is!

Good question. No idea what they're waiting on. I didn't get an indication about when she was going to send them out. Sorry. By the way, for what it's worth (and someone else may have already done this) I called MIT and spoke with the graduate secretary there. She said that they were "a hair away" from being finished with decisions, that they would "start going out next week" and that "the absolute latest anybody will receive news will be at the end of the first week of March". So yeah, sounds like they're doing the same sketchy system as last year.