slacktivist

Just spoke with the graduate administrators at Iowa and Brown. They expect decisions to be released mid-March.

I'm still waiting to hear from Maryland. No news is good news, but I wish they'd be done with it.

I'm very sorry to hear that. I'm pretty sure that the two of us were directly competing for the same spot—I study political behavior/REP.

Oh, no. Did they tell you to check the "Apra" website?

Decision time, mate: FSU or MSU?

I would presume that your department would be strong in methods and political behavior. If so, they probably have a more extensive list of course offerings within their department than other universities where those fields are not emphasized. Assuming that is the case, they may want you to make a compelling claim that these classes outside of the department offer something they cannot teach you. It's the same thinking they have for students applying for summer funding to attend ICPSR workshops. That said, taking classes outside of the department is generally beneficial to one's research, and it is ideal if your department encourages interdisciplinary coursework.

Assuming you know what your general research interests are, take this next year to write a conference paper if you do not yet have a writing sample. I decided at this time last year to pursue a PhD and I benefited greatly from the experience of writing a conference paper. I believe it helped several elements of my application: 1) It helped me better understand which programs were a strong research fit. 2) It allowed me to signal to universities that I understood what graduate study meant. 3) It served as the center of my narrative in my SOP. The middle of my SOP makes the transition of describing my research agenda, then writing about a specific project, then back out to how this project indicated my interest in broader areas of research interest, which transitioned into writing about how University X was a strong fit for my broader interests. 4) My letter writers were able to point to my project as indicative of my ability to engage in graduate-level research. 5) I was able to list conference presentations on my CV. I am certain I have one of the weakest combinations of grades and school pedigree out of all of the posters in the political science forum. However, my conference paper and GREs have landed me a place in a top-30ish program this fall. For the top tier of schools, I think there is little differentiation in the stats of applicants (with the exception of those 4.0/800/800/6 outliers). Your stats are, assuredly, good enough to be considered anywhere. Once that threshold is cleared, research fit is what makes one stand out. The SOP is the place where you make the substantive argument that you know what graduate school is about, the program is a fit for your interests, and that you can hack it as a researcher. The writing sample, LORs, and CV provide support for your case. Writing a conference paper does much to focus your argument.

I haven't received anything from Maryland. Was there any specific information on admit numbers or anything like that?

I just got greedy and assumed that every school would be like Rice, who sent me an acceptance one week after the deadline.

No word yet from Iowa.

I'd have to think that South Carolina actually has the best reputation of the three. Other things being equal, an American PhD is typically more valuable both in the United States and in most countries.

Larger programs may offer the opportunity for students to be affiliated with research institutes in their area of interest. This can provide the benefits of a smaller school (a clear path to building a professional network, resources available to a small pool of students, and increased contact with faculty of interest). I would have to think a situation like this would provide the best of both worlds to students.

Maicon (hell of a soccer player, that guy), I'm wearing jeans, sneakers and this t-shirt.

I'm sorry to hear that. (EDIT: Sorry to hear about the family obligations, not sorry that you're married!) Depending on what you study in American, I'd throw in Yale, Penn, Stony Brook, and Connecticut. What makes your application situation difficult is that your list is pretty polarized in terms of program rank. You have top-15 schools (Princeton, Columbia, NYU and Rochester) and schools that are around 50th or below (Brown, Rutgers, CUNY). Within your geographic range, Penn and Stony Brook are the only programs I can think of that are somewhere in between. Since the application process is such a crapshoot, your "true" level of placement may be at a school between 20th and 50th, but you would end up effectively shut out from the top programs and then "underplaced" at a lower-ranked school with your current list of schools. Also, there are horror stories about the funding packages and amount of TA work put on students at CUNY. I looked into applying because of a couple of scholars there, but professors in my network warned me off the place.

It's not worth borrowing money for these MAs. You're looking at borrowing anywhere between $40,000-$80,000, more if you're also borrowing to cover cost of living. If I can ask, is there a reason you're bound to the Northeast? If you're not place-bound and apply widely in terms of rank, you should be able to get a funded offer in a program that fits your interests.

I did not apply to the absolute top tier, but I will vault up the league table considerably, even if I do not get any more offers. I consider myself highly fortunate.

My simple concern is that a year in this program would add very little value to your application. As I see it, the MA is good for getting new letter writers and improving your grades. If you're looking for new letter writers and trying to transfer, you have about 10 weeks to sufficiently impress your new professors. Your grades won't post until after most application deadlines have passed, so that's right out. You can edit your SOP and develop conference papers without the program.

A few days ago, you said you were going to apply for graduate school next year. What gives, mate?

It looks like they may do a first round this week, then a second round in a month. I'm only guessing based on results from the past few years.

Dying to hear back from Maryland. If it stretches into next week, just . . . ugh.

Comfort yourself in thinking the UCLA reject is probably a troll because I'd like to believe that is too douchey to be real.

Same email as you, mate. Emailed Dr. Waterman to see when we'll hear about funding. I'm almost certain their other admits are in the same boat, so don't worry too much about it.

There's no use worrying about stochastic processes! At least, that's what I try to tell myself.

Me, too. It's a real strength of the department.

Hoping for Maryland, too. They're my best research fit, though I am happy with the offers I've received.