Habermas

I got into UT Austin off their waitlist! Heard from them this morning (IR). I am DELIGHTED! And I will be accepting the offer  
I have also contacted Rice to ask them to take my name off their waitlist, so hopefully it might help someone there  

Claiming UConn acceptance!!!!!!!!!
I can't describe how happy I am.

Claiming an acceptance from Chicago MAPSS. Funding details to come later!

Welp...never give up! Having to redo my profile.
PROFILE
Type of Undergrad Institution:  Midwest SLAC
Major(s)/Minor(s): Conflict Studies
Undergrad GPA:  3.99 CGPA / 4.00 Major GPA
Type of Grad:  Chinese C9 - Chinese Ivy
Grad GPA:  4.00
GRE:   N/A
Any Special Courses: Graduate-level Econ, Intro Stats Class, SWE classes in Java and MySQL, Honors Thesis, Graduate-level Political Econ
Letters of Recommendation: 1 Professor, 1 Associate, 1 Emerita
Teaching Experience: Taught as a lab assistant in Languages dept.
Other: Lots of conference presentation experience, two undergrad pubs 
RESULTS (PHD)
Acceptances: Concordia
Rejections: Princeton, Chicago, Michigan, Berkeley, Rice, Cornell, Yale
GOING TO: Concordia
 
LESSONS LEARNED
1. Unless you're in theory, quantitative skills matter more and more every year: The field is leaning towards quant methods as time goes on, so get some coding/technical (R) and stats experience under your belt as soon as you can.
2. Competition for spots is getting much more intense: A lot of schools reduced cohorts of 15-20 people down to 8 this year.
3. Connect with professors early: Don't wait until October or November to email a POI. The sooner you can get in touch with them, the better.
4. Fit is just as important as departmental knowledge: You might have two professors you are interested in working in, but they are leaving the department that year. Fit and information are two of your best assets. This ties into point 3 as well.
5. Don't beat yourself up: Most applications to graduate school are not successful. Rejections are not a reflection on your academic abilities or your personal worth. Make sure you have a good support system and healthy coping mechanisms before going into application season because your stress levels and patience will be tested.
6. Don't count yourself out until the end: I really thought I would be rejected from all my PhD programs, but at the end I managed to receive one fully-funded offer! I am really grateful.

My cycle is mostly over, so I'll join as well. I might update later once I get my final decisions.
PROFILE
Type of Undergrad Institution:  Midwest SLAC
Major(s)/Minor(s): Conflict Studies
Undergrad GPA:  3.99 CGPA / 4.00 Major GPA
Type of Grad:  Chinese C9 - Chinese Ivy
Grad GPA:  4.00
GRE:   N/A
Any Special Courses: Graduate-level Econ, Intro Stats Class, SWE classes in Java and MySQL, Honors Thesis, Graduate-level Political Econ
Letters of Recommendation: 1 Professor, 1 Associate, 1 Emerita
Teaching Experience: Taught as a lab assistant in Languages dept.
Other: Lots of conference presentation experience, two undergrad pubs 
RESULTS (PHD)
Acceptances: N/A (so far)
Rejections: Princeton, Chicago, Michigan, Berkeley, Rice, Cornell
Pending: Yale, Concordia
 
LESSONS LEARNED
1. Unless you're in theory, quantitative skills matter more and more every year: The field is leaning towards quant methods as time goes on, so get some coding/technical (R) and stats experience under your belt as soon as you can.
2. Competition for spots is getting much more intense: A lot of schools reduced cohorts of 15-20 people down to 8 this year.
3. Connect with professors early: Don't wait until October or November to email a POI. The sooner you can get in touch with them, the better.
4. Fit is just as important as departmental knowledge: You might have two professors you are interested in working in, but they are leaving the department that year. Fit and information are two of your best assets. This ties into point 3 as well.
5. Don't beat yourself up: Most applications to graduate school are not successful. Rejections are not a reflection on your academic abilities or your personal worth. Make sure you have a good support system and healthy coping mechanisms before going into application season because your stress levels and patience will be tested.
 
I will update once I hear back from my MA programs.

PROFILE: (American Politics)
Type of Undergrad Institution: Large state public university in the South
Major(s)/Minor(s): Political Science/History
Undergrad GPA: 3.72
Type of Grad: Large state public university in the South
Grad GPA: 3.93
GRE: 155V/154Q/5.0AW (only submitted to 4 schools that required it)
Any Special Courses: Math up through calculus in undergrad. Full stats sequence in MA program. Lots of coursework relevant to my field of interest. 
Letters of Recommendation: In total I have five letter writers that I alternated between schools. Four associate profs, one full. All were considered strong.
Teaching Experience: None. 
Other: RA'd quite consistently since Junior year. Awarded a research fellowship for my MA program that included working in a "post-doc" type of research position. APSA Conference presentation. Pi Sigma Alpha Conference presentation. Two papers in publication (both under review). Lots of generic leadership roles in undergrad, as well as many graduate school bootcamps attended (like many). Also, I am an URM. 
RESULTS
Acceptances: UCLA, USC, UCSD, Vanderbilt, Illinois, Wisconsin, Northwestern, OSU, Princeton, MSU
Waitlists: None
Rejections: Michigan, Stanford
Pending: Harvard (presumed rejection)
Going to: Princeton
 
LESSONS LEARNED
1.) This cycle was unprecedented. I feel as though many got into schools they least expected. Others none at all. Some of us few got in to many. The cycle was exceptionally unpredictable and to be honest, I am not sure if there is one "golden ticket" package that gets you into graduate school anymore.
2.) GRE is not as important (at least this cycle). To all but four schools I did not submitted my GRE. They didn't require it so I didn't submit it. To be honest, not submitting didn't seem to affect my cycle much at all - plus I got into half of the schools that required it. This area was my biggest weak point and was a real concern of mine going into this. Overall though, it just didn't seem to matter all that much.
3.) Reach out to faculty. I did at all but one school, and I was rejected from that school. Every school I was admitted to I had extensive conversations with faculty and students who I thought matched my interests. Not only did it provide a personal connection, but it also allowed me to really tailor my personal statements to their specific research interests. 
4.) Personal statements are of upmost importance. Write them. Have someone review (preferably a faculty member you trust). And then rewrite. I cannot stress enough how important my personal statements were in this process. Tailor them to each school you are applying to. Write for the purpose of selling yourself and the department as a link that mutually benefit each other. 
5.) Everyone is different. I learned this through my own experience this cycle. We can spend all day comparing ourselves to previous people across forums, but in reality, each of us are unique and that plays a role in admissions. Just be yourself! Don't try to imitate other people's successes - be the best version of yourself. I admitted my flaws, displayed them brightly, and was still a successful applicant. I think in hindsight, being flawed actually shows that you are willing to be taught, which is one of the single most important aspects of graduate school. 
 
I hope this helps. After three years of being a lurker and an active participant on this forum, I believe today is the day I finally say goodbye (at least for now). I have been so thankful for everyone's guidance and support. Congratulations to everyone and I look forward to seeing many of you at conferences and in the profession! 

Same here!
Has anyone heard from Harvard? Still no news by email or portal. Seems they've sent out most of their acceptances already, but wondering if anyone has actually received a rejection yet.

PROFILE
Type of Undergrad Institution: Private University on East Coast, Top 50
Major(s)/Minor(s): Political Science and Area Studies, with Minor in Language
Undergrad GPA: 3.7
Type of Grad: M.A. in Area Studies
Grad GPA: 4.00
GRE: Q 162/ V 170/ AW 6.0
Any Special Courses: Two graduate level stats courses
Letters of Recommendation: 1 Full Prof from Undergrad; 1 Associate Prof from Grad; 1 Assistant Prof from Grad
Teaching Experience: N/A
Other:  1+ year of graduate RA work; 2 years of Professional Research work; 1 conference presentation; Fluency/Proficiency in two languages relevant to research
 
RESULTS (PHD, Comparative)
Accepted: Wisconsin, Johns Hopkins
Rejected: Princeton, Yale, Stanford, UT Austin, Cornell, Northwestern, Michigan, Chicago
Waitlisted: N/A
Pending: Harvard
Going to: Still pending
 
Lessons
I'm going to focus mainly on issues beyond preparing everything well in advance and getting lots of advice:
1. One point does bear repeating, this cycle was a complete mess. If you are reading this and 2020-2021 didn't work out as planned, I'm sorry, you probably didn't deserve it. I watched real life friends and gradcafe acquaintances that seemed destined for top programs get devastating results. I got headscratching rejections from schools that seemed like perfect matches. This is the worst cycle to try and draw inferences from. 
2. Emotionally prepare for the results cycle. I was blindsided by how all-consuming January and February would be. Be intentional about how you are going to structure your time to keep yourself on task with other responsibilities, I guarantee it will take more discipline than riding the adrenaline of preparing and submitting your files. Plan in advance that you simply will not be functioning at 100% or even 50% during this time. Kudos to those who can, but realizing this in advance would have been productive for me.
One trick: once you get into a school you could picture yourself attending, assume that you'll land there and start imagining your future accordingly. Once I did this rather than holding out for the remaining lottery tickets, I found more peace. If you did this process right, you should be excited about getting in anywhere.
3. I wish I had contacted more POIs in advance. While many people told me that this was not part of the "culture" of political science applications (as opposed to History and Anthro where it is standard practice), it seems like the vast majority of the people on this forum did this and I assume it didn't hurt. Perhaps more importantly, it may have helped me manage my expectations better about schools I later found out weren't taking anyone in my sub-subfield.
4. Doing a Master's is more helpful than many people may lead you believe. Not because of the M.A. itself, but because of how much more "mature" your ideas will be when you sit down to produce a writing sample and SOP. Area studies M.A.s are typically funded much more generously than policy degrees, and are a particularly good option for comparativists if you can use your electives to build some quant chops.
5. Fit is important but...you likely do not yet have a full grasp on what every scholar in your field is currently doing or where their research is going. You may say, "but I read all the journals in my field and made a spreadsheet a year in advance!" So did I, but that scholar whose work only seems tangentially related to yours? They may actually be just beginning a book project that is spot on for your interests, with no indication of that on their CV. This is where contacting POIs and networking comes in, and where applying broadly rather than looking only for matches made in heaven can work. 
6. Stuck on your SOP? Think out loud. My first few drafts of my SOP were jargony messes. The most productive way of moving past this was calling someone who was familiar with my field on the phone and trying to pitch the ideas verbally. Slowly but surely, this strategy helped me find a way to express my interests to a broad (poli sci) audience in the plainest english possible. By the end, my SOP and the intro of my writing sample read more as punchy journalism than academic writing. This was definitely for the best.

PROFILE
Type of Undergrad Institution: Private University on East Coast, Top 50
Major(s)/Minor(s): Political Science and Area Studies, with Minor in Language
Undergrad GPA: 3.7
Type of Grad: M.A. in Area Studies
Grad GPA: 4.00
GRE: Q 162/ V 170/ AW 6.0
Any Special Courses: Two graduate level stats courses
Letters of Recommendation: 1 Full Prof from Undergrad; 1 Associate Prof from Grad; 1 Assistant Prof from Grad
Teaching Experience: N/A
Other:  1+ year of graduate RA work; 2 years of Professional Research work; 1 conference presentation; Fluency/Proficiency in two languages relevant to research
 
RESULTS (PHD, Comparative)
Accepted: Wisconsin, Johns Hopkins
Rejected: Princeton, Yale, Stanford, UT Austin, Cornell, Northwestern, Michigan, Chicago
Waitlisted: N/A
Pending: Harvard
Going to: Still pending
 
Lessons
I'm going to focus mainly on issues beyond preparing everything well in advance and getting lots of advice:
1. One point does bear repeating, this cycle was a complete mess. If you are reading this and 2020-2021 didn't work out as planned, I'm sorry, you probably didn't deserve it. I watched real life friends and gradcafe acquaintances that seemed destined for top programs get devastating results. I got headscratching rejections from schools that seemed like perfect matches. This is the worst cycle to try and draw inferences from. 
2. Emotionally prepare for the results cycle. I was blindsided by how all-consuming January and February would be. Be intentional about how you are going to structure your time to keep yourself on task with other responsibilities, I guarantee it will take more discipline than riding the adrenaline of preparing and submitting your files. Plan in advance that you simply will not be functioning at 100% or even 50% during this time. Kudos to those who can, but realizing this in advance would have been productive for me.
One trick: once you get into a school you could picture yourself attending, assume that you'll land there and start imagining your future accordingly. Once I did this rather than holding out for the remaining lottery tickets, I found more peace. If you did this process right, you should be excited about getting in anywhere.
3. I wish I had contacted more POIs in advance. While many people told me that this was not part of the "culture" of political science applications (as opposed to History and Anthro where it is standard practice), it seems like the vast majority of the people on this forum did this and I assume it didn't hurt. Perhaps more importantly, it may have helped me manage my expectations better about schools I later found out weren't taking anyone in my sub-subfield.
4. Doing a Master's is more helpful than many people may lead you believe. Not because of the M.A. itself, but because of how much more "mature" your ideas will be when you sit down to produce a writing sample and SOP. Area studies M.A.s are typically funded much more generously than policy degrees, and are a particularly good option for comparativists if you can use your electives to build some quant chops.
5. Fit is important but...you likely do not yet have a full grasp on what every scholar in your field is currently doing or where their research is going. You may say, "but I read all the journals in my field and made a spreadsheet a year in advance!" So did I, but that scholar whose work only seems tangentially related to yours? They may actually be just beginning a book project that is spot on for your interests, with no indication of that on their CV. This is where contacting POIs and networking comes in, and where applying broadly rather than looking only for matches made in heaven can work. 
6. Stuck on your SOP? Think out loud. My first few drafts of my SOP were jargony messes. The most productive way of moving past this was calling someone who was familiar with my field on the phone and trying to pitch the ideas verbally. Slowly but surely, this strategy helped me find a way to express my interests to a broad (poli sci) audience in the plainest english possible. By the end, my SOP and the intro of my writing sample read more as punchy journalism than academic writing. This was definitely for the best.

PROFILE
Type of Undergrad Institution: Private University on East Coast, Top 50
Major(s)/Minor(s): Political Science and Area Studies, with Minor in Language
Undergrad GPA: 3.7
Type of Grad: M.A. in Area Studies
Grad GPA: 4.00
GRE: Q 162/ V 170/ AW 6.0
Any Special Courses: Two graduate level stats courses
Letters of Recommendation: 1 Full Prof from Undergrad; 1 Associate Prof from Grad; 1 Assistant Prof from Grad
Teaching Experience: N/A
Other:  1+ year of graduate RA work; 2 years of Professional Research work; 1 conference presentation; Fluency/Proficiency in two languages relevant to research
 
RESULTS (PHD, Comparative)
Accepted: Wisconsin, Johns Hopkins
Rejected: Princeton, Yale, Stanford, UT Austin, Cornell, Northwestern, Michigan, Chicago
Waitlisted: N/A
Pending: Harvard
Going to: Still pending
 
Lessons
I'm going to focus mainly on issues beyond preparing everything well in advance and getting lots of advice:
1. One point does bear repeating, this cycle was a complete mess. If you are reading this and 2020-2021 didn't work out as planned, I'm sorry, you probably didn't deserve it. I watched real life friends and gradcafe acquaintances that seemed destined for top programs get devastating results. I got headscratching rejections from schools that seemed like perfect matches. This is the worst cycle to try and draw inferences from. 
2. Emotionally prepare for the results cycle. I was blindsided by how all-consuming January and February would be. Be intentional about how you are going to structure your time to keep yourself on task with other responsibilities, I guarantee it will take more discipline than riding the adrenaline of preparing and submitting your files. Plan in advance that you simply will not be functioning at 100% or even 50% during this time. Kudos to those who can, but realizing this in advance would have been productive for me.
One trick: once you get into a school you could picture yourself attending, assume that you'll land there and start imagining your future accordingly. Once I did this rather than holding out for the remaining lottery tickets, I found more peace. If you did this process right, you should be excited about getting in anywhere.
3. I wish I had contacted more POIs in advance. While many people told me that this was not part of the "culture" of political science applications (as opposed to History and Anthro where it is standard practice), it seems like the vast majority of the people on this forum did this and I assume it didn't hurt. Perhaps more importantly, it may have helped me manage my expectations better about schools I later found out weren't taking anyone in my sub-subfield.
4. Doing a Master's is more helpful than many people may lead you believe. Not because of the M.A. itself, but because of how much more "mature" your ideas will be when you sit down to produce a writing sample and SOP. Area studies M.A.s are typically funded much more generously than policy degrees, and are a particularly good option for comparativists if you can use your electives to build some quant chops.
5. Fit is important but...you likely do not yet have a full grasp on what every scholar in your field is currently doing or where their research is going. You may say, "but I read all the journals in my field and made a spreadsheet a year in advance!" So did I, but that scholar whose work only seems tangentially related to yours? They may actually be just beginning a book project that is spot on for your interests, with no indication of that on their CV. This is where contacting POIs and networking comes in, and where applying broadly rather than looking only for matches made in heaven can work. 
6. Stuck on your SOP? Think out loud. My first few drafts of my SOP were jargony messes. The most productive way of moving past this was calling someone who was familiar with my field on the phone and trying to pitch the ideas verbally. Slowly but surely, this strategy helped me find a way to express my interests to a broad (poli sci) audience in the plainest english possible. By the end, my SOP and the intro of my writing sample read more as punchy journalism than academic writing. This was definitely for the best.

With silence from Harvard, I think its safe to presume my cycle is over. A big thank you to everyone on this forum that made this community such a great place for support and info over these past few months. Best of luck to those still waiting on results. Congratulations to everyone, we should be proud of our efforts regardless of the outcomes as this was a crazy ride.

With silence from Harvard, I think its safe to presume my cycle is over. A big thank you to everyone on this forum that made this community such a great place for support and info over these past few months. Best of luck to those still waiting on results. Congratulations to everyone, we should be proud of our efforts regardless of the outcomes as this was a crazy ride.

With silence from Harvard, I think its safe to presume my cycle is over. A big thank you to everyone on this forum that made this community such a great place for support and info over these past few months. Best of luck to those still waiting on results. Congratulations to everyone, we should be proud of our efforts regardless of the outcomes as this was a crazy ride.

PROFILE
Type of Undergrad Institution: Private University on East Coast, Top 50
Major(s)/Minor(s): Political Science and Area Studies, with Minor in Language
Undergrad GPA: 3.7
Type of Grad: M.A. in Area Studies
Grad GPA: 4.00
GRE: Q 162/ V 170/ AW 6.0
Any Special Courses: Two graduate level stats courses
Letters of Recommendation: 1 Full Prof from Undergrad; 1 Associate Prof from Grad; 1 Assistant Prof from Grad
Teaching Experience: N/A
Other:  1+ year of graduate RA work; 2 years of Professional Research work; 1 conference presentation; Fluency/Proficiency in two languages relevant to research
 
RESULTS (PHD, Comparative)
Accepted: Wisconsin, Johns Hopkins
Rejected: Princeton, Yale, Stanford, UT Austin, Cornell, Northwestern, Michigan, Chicago
Waitlisted: N/A
Pending: Harvard
Going to: Still pending
 
Lessons
I'm going to focus mainly on issues beyond preparing everything well in advance and getting lots of advice:
1. One point does bear repeating, this cycle was a complete mess. If you are reading this and 2020-2021 didn't work out as planned, I'm sorry, you probably didn't deserve it. I watched real life friends and gradcafe acquaintances that seemed destined for top programs get devastating results. I got headscratching rejections from schools that seemed like perfect matches. This is the worst cycle to try and draw inferences from. 
2. Emotionally prepare for the results cycle. I was blindsided by how all-consuming January and February would be. Be intentional about how you are going to structure your time to keep yourself on task with other responsibilities, I guarantee it will take more discipline than riding the adrenaline of preparing and submitting your files. Plan in advance that you simply will not be functioning at 100% or even 50% during this time. Kudos to those who can, but realizing this in advance would have been productive for me.
One trick: once you get into a school you could picture yourself attending, assume that you'll land there and start imagining your future accordingly. Once I did this rather than holding out for the remaining lottery tickets, I found more peace. If you did this process right, you should be excited about getting in anywhere.
3. I wish I had contacted more POIs in advance. While many people told me that this was not part of the "culture" of political science applications (as opposed to History and Anthro where it is standard practice), it seems like the vast majority of the people on this forum did this and I assume it didn't hurt. Perhaps more importantly, it may have helped me manage my expectations better about schools I later found out weren't taking anyone in my sub-subfield.
4. Doing a Master's is more helpful than many people may lead you believe. Not because of the M.A. itself, but because of how much more "mature" your ideas will be when you sit down to produce a writing sample and SOP. Area studies M.A.s are typically funded much more generously than policy degrees, and are a particularly good option for comparativists if you can use your electives to build some quant chops.
5. Fit is important but...you likely do not yet have a full grasp on what every scholar in your field is currently doing or where their research is going. You may say, "but I read all the journals in my field and made a spreadsheet a year in advance!" So did I, but that scholar whose work only seems tangentially related to yours? They may actually be just beginning a book project that is spot on for your interests, with no indication of that on their CV. This is where contacting POIs and networking comes in, and where applying broadly rather than looking only for matches made in heaven can work. 
6. Stuck on your SOP? Think out loud. My first few drafts of my SOP were jargony messes. The most productive way of moving past this was calling someone who was familiar with my field on the phone and trying to pitch the ideas verbally. Slowly but surely, this strategy helped me find a way to express my interests to a broad (poli sci) audience in the plainest english possible. By the end, my SOP and the intro of my writing sample read more as punchy journalism than academic writing. This was definitely for the best.

Lol okay

crybby^^^

Claiming a Harvard Government waitlist in CP.

PROFILE
Type of Undergrad Institution: Private University on East Coast, Top 50
Major(s)/Minor(s): Political Science and Area Studies, with Minor in Language
Undergrad GPA: 3.7
Type of Grad: M.A. in Area Studies
Grad GPA: 4.00
GRE: Q 162/ V 170/ AW 6.0
Any Special Courses: Two graduate level stats courses
Letters of Recommendation: 1 Full Prof from Undergrad; 1 Associate Prof from Grad; 1 Assistant Prof from Grad
Teaching Experience: N/A
Other:  1+ year of graduate RA work; 2 years of Professional Research work; 1 conference presentation; Fluency/Proficiency in two languages relevant to research
 
RESULTS (PHD, Comparative)
Accepted: Wisconsin, Johns Hopkins
Rejected: Princeton, Yale, Stanford, UT Austin, Cornell, Northwestern, Michigan, Chicago
Waitlisted: N/A
Pending: Harvard
Going to: Still pending
 
Lessons
I'm going to focus mainly on issues beyond preparing everything well in advance and getting lots of advice:
1. One point does bear repeating, this cycle was a complete mess. If you are reading this and 2020-2021 didn't work out as planned, I'm sorry, you probably didn't deserve it. I watched real life friends and gradcafe acquaintances that seemed destined for top programs get devastating results. I got headscratching rejections from schools that seemed like perfect matches. This is the worst cycle to try and draw inferences from. 
2. Emotionally prepare for the results cycle. I was blindsided by how all-consuming January and February would be. Be intentional about how you are going to structure your time to keep yourself on task with other responsibilities, I guarantee it will take more discipline than riding the adrenaline of preparing and submitting your files. Plan in advance that you simply will not be functioning at 100% or even 50% during this time. Kudos to those who can, but realizing this in advance would have been productive for me.
One trick: once you get into a school you could picture yourself attending, assume that you'll land there and start imagining your future accordingly. Once I did this rather than holding out for the remaining lottery tickets, I found more peace. If you did this process right, you should be excited about getting in anywhere.
3. I wish I had contacted more POIs in advance. While many people told me that this was not part of the "culture" of political science applications (as opposed to History and Anthro where it is standard practice), it seems like the vast majority of the people on this forum did this and I assume it didn't hurt. Perhaps more importantly, it may have helped me manage my expectations better about schools I later found out weren't taking anyone in my sub-subfield.
4. Doing a Master's is more helpful than many people may lead you believe. Not because of the M.A. itself, but because of how much more "mature" your ideas will be when you sit down to produce a writing sample and SOP. Area studies M.A.s are typically funded much more generously than policy degrees, and are a particularly good option for comparativists if you can use your electives to build some quant chops.
5. Fit is important but...you likely do not yet have a full grasp on what every scholar in your field is currently doing or where their research is going. You may say, "but I read all the journals in my field and made a spreadsheet a year in advance!" So did I, but that scholar whose work only seems tangentially related to yours? They may actually be just beginning a book project that is spot on for your interests, with no indication of that on their CV. This is where contacting POIs and networking comes in, and where applying broadly rather than looking only for matches made in heaven can work. 
6. Stuck on your SOP? Think out loud. My first few drafts of my SOP were jargony messes. The most productive way of moving past this was calling someone who was familiar with my field on the phone and trying to pitch the ideas verbally. Slowly but surely, this strategy helped me find a way to express my interests to a broad (poli sci) audience in the plainest english possible. By the end, my SOP and the intro of my writing sample read more as punchy journalism than academic writing. This was definitely for the best.

Claiming MIT reject via email just now. Still waiting on UCLA and Georgetown but I think they have already sent out admits so that closes out PhDs for me. Congrats to all those who got in during this brutal cycle!

Firstly, congratulations to everyone who managed to get admissions during this brutal application cycle. As said before numerous times, not getting an admission is not an indicator of one's abilities since there are so many variables included in this selection process.
As we're approaching to the end of this year's decision timeline, I wanted to ask to those of you who got multiple offers, how do you plan to decline the other offers you managed to get? What kind of email structure do you plan to use? Luckily, I was offered a spot at multiple institutions and I have been in contact with POIs in many of these places, I am not sure how to approach to the POIs with an intention of rejecting their offers. 
Open to all suggestions. 

Anyone care to make the same speculations about Harvard?

Claiming an acceptance at MIT! Comparative politics. Email came about 3.5 hr ago. 

Claiming MIT acceptance in AP. 

PROFILE
Type of Undergrad Institution: Private University on East Coast, Top 50
Major(s)/Minor(s): Political Science and Area Studies, with Minor in Language
Undergrad GPA: 3.7
Type of Grad: M.A. in Area Studies
Grad GPA: 4.00
GRE: Q 162/ V 170/ AW 6.0
Any Special Courses: Two graduate level stats courses
Letters of Recommendation: 1 Full Prof from Undergrad; 1 Associate Prof from Grad; 1 Assistant Prof from Grad
Teaching Experience: N/A
Other:  1+ year of graduate RA work; 2 years of Professional Research work; 1 conference presentation; Fluency/Proficiency in two languages relevant to research
 
RESULTS (PHD, Comparative)
Accepted: Wisconsin, Johns Hopkins
Rejected: Princeton, Yale, Stanford, UT Austin, Cornell, Northwestern, Michigan, Chicago
Waitlisted: N/A
Pending: Harvard
Going to: Still pending
 
Lessons
I'm going to focus mainly on issues beyond preparing everything well in advance and getting lots of advice:
1. One point does bear repeating, this cycle was a complete mess. If you are reading this and 2020-2021 didn't work out as planned, I'm sorry, you probably didn't deserve it. I watched real life friends and gradcafe acquaintances that seemed destined for top programs get devastating results. I got headscratching rejections from schools that seemed like perfect matches. This is the worst cycle to try and draw inferences from. 
2. Emotionally prepare for the results cycle. I was blindsided by how all-consuming January and February would be. Be intentional about how you are going to structure your time to keep yourself on task with other responsibilities, I guarantee it will take more discipline than riding the adrenaline of preparing and submitting your files. Plan in advance that you simply will not be functioning at 100% or even 50% during this time. Kudos to those who can, but realizing this in advance would have been productive for me.
One trick: once you get into a school you could picture yourself attending, assume that you'll land there and start imagining your future accordingly. Once I did this rather than holding out for the remaining lottery tickets, I found more peace. If you did this process right, you should be excited about getting in anywhere.
3. I wish I had contacted more POIs in advance. While many people told me that this was not part of the "culture" of political science applications (as opposed to History and Anthro where it is standard practice), it seems like the vast majority of the people on this forum did this and I assume it didn't hurt. Perhaps more importantly, it may have helped me manage my expectations better about schools I later found out weren't taking anyone in my sub-subfield.
4. Doing a Master's is more helpful than many people may lead you believe. Not because of the M.A. itself, but because of how much more "mature" your ideas will be when you sit down to produce a writing sample and SOP. Area studies M.A.s are typically funded much more generously than policy degrees, and are a particularly good option for comparativists if you can use your electives to build some quant chops.
5. Fit is important but...you likely do not yet have a full grasp on what every scholar in your field is currently doing or where their research is going. You may say, "but I read all the journals in my field and made a spreadsheet a year in advance!" So did I, but that scholar whose work only seems tangentially related to yours? They may actually be just beginning a book project that is spot on for your interests, with no indication of that on their CV. This is where contacting POIs and networking comes in, and where applying broadly rather than looking only for matches made in heaven can work. 
6. Stuck on your SOP? Think out loud. My first few drafts of my SOP were jargony messes. The most productive way of moving past this was calling someone who was familiar with my field on the phone and trying to pitch the ideas verbally. Slowly but surely, this strategy helped me find a way to express my interests to a broad (poli sci) audience in the plainest english possible. By the end, my SOP and the intro of my writing sample read more as punchy journalism than academic writing. This was definitely for the best.

I just received an offer from MIT
 
No idea if the previous ones were legitimate though.