Determinedandnervous

Congrats! Upenn or Penn State?

I'm glad to see you have a positive attitude about this bump in the road! I wish you the best of luck.

I contacted a very limited amount of my POI's beforehand, and I have had positive results from it. However, I've also gotten into programs and have been rejected from programs where I said nothing to anyone there. A lot of it likely depends on timing. If you contact them over the summer towards when the fall semester starts, you're likely to have better results when contacting them than when it gets close to winter break. Overall though, the effect, I agree with @ultraultra, is likely marginal at best. However, if you feel it may help you, go for it. I would suggest simply briefly introducing yourself, saying you're interested in applying, you feel you're a good fit because of one short reason, and asking them if they're taking advisees at that time. It gets them to know you a little but without making any presumptions or requests on your POI. The best thing to do in between now and next cycle is to take a bit of time, take a deep breath, regroup, think about whether you want to apply again, and go from there. Retake the GRE if you're not satisfied with your scores (I don't know your scores, so if they're really good no need to retake it) and strengthen every possible weakness in your file. Send as many positive signals as you can in the low-signal high-noise environment that is graduate admissions. That will likely have much more of an effect, and that is much more in your control than how a POI perceives interactions with you.

As awful as it is and how much one wishes to have agency over the remaining outcomes, you'll be shooting yourself in the foot if you talk to POI's while they are making the decisions. It'll just seem like opportunism and may actually cost you in the end.

I appreciate it. Hopefully, they aren't just waiting a long time to reject me.

My application still just says it's under review. Do you have any information as to what that means?

I PM'd you with them.

Got a rejection too. Congrats to those that make it in!

I went on the websites of the programs I got admitted to, and saw which grad students had CV's, and looked at those CV's and saw who had similar interests. I then just cold-emailed them introducing myself as someone who got admitted to the program and was looking to know more about the experience. I was apprehensive at first about cold-emailing them, since that would be their first impression of me and I did not want to make a bad one, but I have gotten nothing but great responses.

Whoever gave the advice to contact grad students at schools you've been admitted to, thank you! They've all been really kind and helpful.

I put my work experience in party politics on my cv, and in my SOP i put them in the context of reinforcing my passion to examine politics from an academic side that was already being cultivated by my undergraduate courses. I think such experience is not necessarily a red flag if you make it clear in your file that you are in the discipline to be a scholar, not an ideologue. It's even better if you can find a way to make your work experience into fieldwork if possible (my experience wasn't).

I can't see them, someone must have taken it down. What are the scores?

I was just about to post something like that - I guess someone beat me to it

My interest is in political realignment/party system change.

While we're in the eye of the storm of results, I'm curious to hear everyone's research interests.

Congrats UCSD admits!

Is that a subtle reference to Cheney's hunting incident?

I'm right there with you, Vinicus. I'm holding out cautious hope, though.

Most likely. If so, congrats!

I mean - anything's possible with the reputable programs, but you might have better luck applying to places that are near you.

Same :/ this one hurt. I thought I had a good fit there.

Majoring in economics isn't the part that would hurt you - that actually helps, because economics majors tend to have more quantitative training. However, PhD admissions are likely out of the question for you with your current file. Try getting into as good of a Master's program as you can get into, and make sure to get stellar grades. This will render your undergraduate GPA much less relevant, and show that you have improved since then.

UCSD may very well still do it today. It's 2:30 PM there.

Congrats to all NYU and Emory admits!

Rejection from there hurts, but I recognize that I wasn't the closest fit and there are so many whose fit is airtight that they could and should admit.