someone else

It should be obvious, but I will go ahead and state it. "Was posted by someone else" is not referring to myself but that it was posted by another person.

I do not think that it sounded rude, just a standard mass produced rejection letter. The post in the results section mimicking my above comment but adding the caveat that the letter sounded rude was posted by someone else.

To add insult to injury, I received a second letter today. I guess telling someone that they have been rejected once is not enough.

My online status says that I was denied and I received a letter on Saturday. Since I live rather close to TAMU, I would think that others should receive their letters either today or tomorrow.

Does anyone know whether Cornell sent out the first round of acceptances in one batch or was it subfield divided?

Since I have yet to hear from Indiana, I guess the rejection email is on its way.

I think that she was telling the truth in the first email but was informed that the second might be better in the department's interest.

Would anyone like to claim the Cornell acceptances?

Since Cornell has already started to send their acceptances out and I have yet to receive an email, I seriously doubt that I will be accepted to my first choice.

I always question the logic of those who "apply to only the top ten" or "to all of the top ten schools" etc... The fact of the matter is that as long as you do a good job in grad school, publish some work, and become known in your field, then finding a good job will not be difficult (assuming that the job market will be a lot better when we get our PhDs). The most important qualification is whether the school is a perfect fit for you. Do you like the program, the professors, the aide package, the location, your fellow graduate students, etc… Based upon those principles, I applied to two top 20s, a top 30, and a top 40. Would I have been accepted by at least one top 10 school, I am pretty certain that I would. But, those schools were not the best fit for me. In closing, it should be noted that the most cutting edge research in my opinion, is not conducted at the top 10 schools.

In my opinion, the best secondary field for a theorist would be IR. Both Comparative and American are too positivist and would be a difficult mix. IR has some positivism in it, but it is still theory heavy.

I share your dislike of standardized test, though after talking with some DGSs I was relieved to hear that many also question its usefulness. I cross my fingers and pray that they look at my GPA (3.9ish), lors from some of the top researchers in the field, my past graduate work, and my fit with the programs that I applied. To answer the question at hand, my research area is IR/Methods.

Thank you for informing me of FSUs problems, I had not heard of their actions. Saying that, the University of Florida has also fired their share of tenured professors. After doing some more research, it seems that all, if not most, Florida state schools are firing tenured faculty.

Forgive my moment of stupidity.

You assume that they did not already know who you were after you posted your acceptance.

I am also hoping to focus in IR and methods, specifically poly psych and decision-making. What are your interests in the fields?

When you check your status online, do any of you have anything different than "Political Science will contact you if any additional departmentally-required materials are missing from your application for admission."

Believe what you want to, we all have the agency to discern for ourselves what we what to and what we do not want to believe. According to my sources, which I discern as credible, there will be a mass exit of professors from California state schools as soon as the positions become available. Some key names have already left and many will come. If you have a source that says something different, I would be interested in the information. As it stands now, just because some departments are hiring new professors, does not mean that professors will not be leaving. My whole reasoning behind the post was to state that people need to be careful before they head to a program in a state like California that is having trouble doing simple things like paying their GTAs' stipend and the travel funds of the faculty. Talk with the department about these issues and make sure that you are comfortable with the program and are committed to spending the next 6 years of your life there. Despite saying that, if the bubble does burst and a lot of more senior professors do retire, then this could be a moot point for we will see a lot of movement in the field as a whole.

As was posted above, some have left and many more will leave in the future unless something drastic occurs. Eastern and the more financially stable Midwestern programs are strategically targeting top researchers in California. It is widely believed that during the spring semester and over the summer we will see some interesting moves. In light of this possibility, before someone commits to any California program, I would have a serious talk with the professors that you wish to study under. I love UC-Davis's program, but this fear kept me from even applying there.

I have heard this rumor from many sources. FSU is not as bad as Florida, a school that is firing tenured faculty, but all state schools in Florida are in bad shape with professors leaving if given the opportunity. It is not as bad as the mass exodus from California schools, but it is something to consider when making a decision. As far as schools limiting their incoming class, I have been told that some programs like Ohio State are not admitting any new students unless they receive graduate school funding. I was told this in October, so that policy might have changed by now.

A friend of mine received their MSU rejection notification the other day, so I am not sure if we can assume anything about MSU at this point.

I received an email from the department (in response to my inquiry) stating that the earliest notifications will hopefully go out in three weeks. So now I wait.

Has anyone heard anything from Indiana?

I have applied for IR and methods and have yet to hear a word. I have emailed the grad. secretary but have yet to receive a reply. (It has only been a day)