curiousgeorge84

What I meant by socioeconomic was not exactly parental salary. I was coming closer to life story. In the U.S. there are no national standards for education and schools are paid for by property taxes. If you come from a poor community, most likely you'll have a sub-par education. If given the circumstances, you excel and make yourself stand out despite the obstacles, then that should be taken into consideration. I believe in a nationalized school system like they have in Europe. That way, no affirmative action would be needed because everyone gets the same educational opportunities and the SATs could also be eliminated.

Rutgers is very focused on qualitative. That's why I chose their program.

Have you decided where you are attending?

Did you check your web status? I saw on the results page that many people didn't receive an email. They just checked their status for the answer. If there is still no decision, you might want to call and ask. I know they didn't send out all acceptances at once.

If you are looking to stop at an M.A. and use your degree for government or a private company, I think Georgetown is the way to go. You will also have the opportunity and connections to intern or work for the federal government. However, if you are considering going on to a Ph.D., NYU's joint Ph.D. in History and Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies is one of the most respected in the U.S. I believe you can transfer from the M.A. to the Ph.D. program. If you think you might want to go into academia, NYU is the place to go. NYU is also part of a consortium that allows you to take classes at Columbia.

I work in university admin and we don't get off for spring break. Our school gives us one day off. Only professors get the vacations off.

Welcome!

Well I know Brown is big on IR. Do you have a regional focus?

What area of political science did you get into at Brown?

I get my stipend biweekly and get my first in mid-september. 2 months seems a bit long to wait.

Yes. That was me. If you have any other options you shouldn't choose CUNY. When I talked to them on Monday they told me they couldn't give me any statistics on placement or attrition rates because they don't keep them. They said they usually only place in small schools in the New York area, and in the acceptance letter it says that for students who get funding, "New students must usually be prepared to meet their expenses for at least the first two months of their initial enrollment."

I received my acceptance letter in the mail from CUNY last night, but they don't put any funding information in the letter. They only offer you funding after you accept their offer.

To all those wondering about Columbia, I actually got a response to my email today. They confirmed my rejection and said that all replies will go out in the next two days. Sorry but from what I understood from the email, if you're not in by now, you're not in.

On that note. A quick question for all. Where are people finding the money to pay for 10 or 20 applications?

Wow. I guess I missed the memo. I only applied to 6 and I thought that was a lot

I'm sorry if this comes off wrong, but your rejection gave me the biggest laugh I've had today. These schools have been around for a while. What is wrong with their admissions offices? After all these years they still don't know what they're doing or at least how to write.

I just sent a long email to Associate Director of Admissions at Columbia letting her know how 'disappointed' I was with their admissions process and their lack of consideration for applicants.

I've already decided on Rutgers but I just found my conversation with Joe Rollins ridiculous. Who wants to start a 5+ year program without knowing in advance what chance you have of getting a job afterward. I spoke to another member of the faculty (I will leave the name unknown) who said I should only apply to CUNY as my safety school because they have a terrible placement rate. It just seems like a place where their own professors think the department stinks. That doesn't seem like a place anyone would want to be.

For those waiting for CUNY, I really don't think their decisions are done. They aren't having their visiting day until the first week in April. Just watch out for funding. They don't tell you about funding until after you accept. They also claim to not have any official statistics on placement or attrition rates and mostly place in the NYC area. They don't even have a list of institutions where students were recently placed. A little scary huh?

Great suggestion pea-jay! I love Astoria and you can get really cheap 1 bedrooms and studios there ( by NYC standards). They have fantastic Greek and Middle Eastern restaurants, fun cafe's and it's right over the water from Manhattan. It's also a safe neighborhood, and unlike Brooklyn, you don't have to go through sketchy neighborhoods on the train to get there. Astoria is definitely a good choice.

That's because we have the same great advisor (I assume)

I'm attending Rutgers-New Brunswick. I got full tuition remission, health care, a great 5 year funding package (I don't have to TA until 3rd year) + summer research money. The best part is I love the program's academic approach and I have a great advisor!

I was born and raised on the upper east side so I can guarantee you that you do not want to live past 108 or 110th street on the east side.

I don't think it means what you think it means. If you don't mind working in a nightclub it's not bad at all. It's the high paid hostesses who work in the VIP lounge and get tables to buy very expensive bottles of alcohol. That's why the tips are so high.

However, one of my students is a bottle girl on the weekends and makes $300-$600 in tips per night