dagnabbit

PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad Institution: Mid-tier private liberal arts university
Major(s)/Minor(s): International relations and cultural anthropology; certificate in international studies
Undergrad GPA: 4.0, Magna cum laude, honors in both departments
Type of Grad: N/A but did take two graduate-level courses during UG
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: 162V | 155Q | 5.5AW
Any Special Courses: qualitative methods; research methods in political science; self-designed independent reading course
Letters of Recommendation: mixture of UG tenure-track professors (always 2 IR [1 tenured] and 1 anthro)
Research Experience: undergraduate thesis (for anthropology), all qualitative
Teaching Experience: N/A
Subfield/Research Interests: IR but interests intersect subfields | critical security; discourse; terrorism
Other: The writing sample I submitted was the introduction to my senior thesis for anthropology
RESULTS:
Acceptances($$ or no $$): Ohio State University (TBD), University of Maryland ($$)
Waitlists: Syracuse
Rejections: Washington University, Yale, Johns Hopkins
Pending: Georgetown (likely rejection)
Going to: Still pending, but fairly sure I know where I'll be going [and will update here once I've made the official decision]
LESSONS LEARNED: I only had three months to research and select schools, as well as put together and submit my applications by the time I decided that I was going to apply to graduate school. I had to submit everything two months before the deadlines because of an opportunity that arose that I could not turn down, which would put me outside the country and without reliable internet access (and at times, access to the application websites even when internet was available). In the end, however, I think this likely helped me from over-thinking my applications. I had to be on point and confident in what I submitted. (I am not immune to the freak-out, however; once results started rolling in, I joined the pack of panicked applicants.)
Overall, I cannot emphasize enough what previous cycles have demonstrated: fit matters. I emphasized my interdisciplinarity and my background in anthropology and political science, which likely helped and hindered me at different schools. I excelled in both of my departments in undergraduate, but I approached political science from an anthropological lens (and focused my anthropology studies on political anthropology); I sought to demonstrate the benefits of this interdisciplinary background. I also focused on my training and interest in critical theory, even while knowing the spaces and opportunities to study and practice such in the U.S. are few and far between. I know that my less common background and my research interests helped me stand out at my top choice school to which I was admitted and will be attending. Overall, I think my strong letters of recommendation are what helped me compensate for “lower” GRE scores and my undergraduate background from a small LAC lacking in reputation. That being said, I think I could have applied to some different programs that may have been better fits than the D.C.-area schools, but hindsight is 20/20.
My general advice, in no particular order:
Start studying for the GRE early and don’t neglect verbal because you think you’re strong there or vice versa for quantitative. Invest in prep books (and maybe find friends that are also studying and split the cost); they do help, at least as refreshers.  Don’t panic over your GRE scores (or GPA for that matter). Yes, you need numbers not to set off a red flag and to make it past initial cuts, but in the end, schools are more interested in you — your research interests, your ability to think critically, what others think of your ability to think critically and succeed in graduate school. The numbers are just there as an initial check. Be strategic about your letter writers. I came from a small LAC, so no “big” names in the sense of research and Academia (with a capital ‘A’), but I did have letter writers that were more than willing to go to bat for me, one of whom was an alumna of one of the schools to which I applied. Give yourself and them (!) plenty of time to tailor letters to each school if they so desire, and don’t stress if the deadline is approaching and they haven’t yet submitted. Gently nudge, but don’t freak out. They do get done. For your SOP, write long versions and short versions. I started with a long version directed at my top choice school, and then tailored that to my other applications followed by creating a shorter version for when needed. Applications are expensive. Options are good, but I do not think you should feel the need to apply to 10+ schools, especially if some are not especially great fits. I know that there are one or two schools to which I probably should not have bothered applying, but I did anyways and spent the money to do so. Be mindful of cost to apply when selecting your schools. Rejections are not personal. Remember that you are competing with hundreds of other applicants, all of whom have similar backgrounds and aspirations. There is some luck and timing involved in getting acceptances. Don’t be afraid to have contingency plans. Be optimistic about your chances of admission, but also be practical and be ready to move on and have other things to do and places to go. There’s always next cycle. SOP: PM — if you’re actually interested. I actually emphasized my interest in theory and how it influences my approach to international relations.
Additional Comments: I also recommend that you take a look at the previous cycle of this same type of results threads (see the OP), as well as this great post by @VMcJ about what was done differently this cycle opposed to last cycle. Keep in mind, however, that these exist just to give you an idea of what a small number of good profiles look like. Not everybody excepted looks like a 4.0 GPA and 170/170/6.0 GRE with an ivy background and publications.

Yesterday I pulled the trigger on UGA, so I'm officially done and dusted.  Received an email from one of my POIs that was very persuasive, so that sort of kicked me off the fence.  I needed to get this wrapped up anyway so I can get on with finishing my M.A. on time.
I sent Indiana a note to take me off the waiting list, so hopefully someone else can have the spot if one opens up.

Seeing as I started the thread, I suppose it's only fitting that I go first.
PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad Institution: Large, low-rank R1
Major(s)/Minor(s): Political Science / Geography

Undergrad GPA: 3.65

Type of Grad: -

Grad GPA: -

GRE: V167 Q158 AW 4.5

Any Special Courses: Grad seminars in IPE and politics of identity, audited a grad level research design course.

Letters of Recommendation: All tenured or TT political science profs in my department, one from the prof I worked for as an RA.

Research Experience: One semester RA, standard senior thesis.

Teaching Experience: None that I mentioned in my application.

Subfield/Research Interests: IR (international organization/foreign policy/IPE)

Other: I was in the honors college at my undergrad institution, and received a scholarship that covered all of my tuition and fees for four years. I could have gone somewhere more prestigious, but the prospect of a free B.A. was too good to pass up and I don’t regret my decision.


 
RESULTS:

Acceptances ($$ or no $$): UT Austin ($$), UC Davis ($$)

Waitlists: -

Rejections: 8 other programs, all T15

Pending: -

Going to: Not sure yet

 

LESSONS LEARNED:


 
While I did have a successful cycle in the sense that I received two funded offers, I also failed to gain admission to my top choices. The process of putting together my file and scrutinizing it for months has definitely made me realize which aspects could have been stronger; therefore, I’ll talk about a couple things that I think made my application stronger and a couple things that I would have advised my 20-year-old self to do if I could go back and talk to him.

- I think my SOP was fairly strong, and I’ve been told as much by a number of professors (including one at a program that did not admit me). I followed the advice of a GC user who recommended that one take the time to go through the last 4-6 issues of every top journal (both general/subfield), reading abstracts and occasionally entire articles if they are germane to your research interests. I did this and it really helped me understand the current state of the scholarship in my area of interest, which in term helped me to articulate my proposed research question.

- I frequently sought advice from my letter writers throughout the entire process, from figuring out where to apply to deciding between offers. I asked them for feedback on my SOP and writing sample, and their suggestions for edits certainly strengthened both documents. I see a lot of people on here post about not wanting to bother their busy letter writers, but I don’t see any problem with politely requesting their guidance when you need it. After all, they were once in your shoes - all of my advisors assured me that they remembered well the anxiety-inducing nature of this process.

- One thing that definitely kept me out of top programs was my weak quant background; as of last semester, I had only taken one stats course and no calculus or econometrics. I regret this deeply, but the reason I didn’t take these courses was that I didn’t realize that I wanted to do quantitative research until the second semester of my junior year when I took the grad IPE seminar. Unfortunately, by that time it was too late to take most of the quant courses I would have liked to.

- While my GRE Q wasn’t horrible (70th percentile), I know it could have been better if I’d had a bit more time to study. It was only in August that I decided that I wanted to apply this cycle, so I had around two months to study while taking a full course load and working part-time. Ideally, I would have started preparing my application materials much earlier. If you are reading this in March/April and planning to apply in the upcoming cycle, START NOW!

- Try to keep in mind that there are so many idiosyncratic aspects to this process that it is really difficult to accurately predict one’s chances of admission at any program. For example, I had an interview with my POI at Wisconsin that I thought went really well – he expressed interest in my research proposal and asked me if I had any questions about the program. However, I was rejected anyway. While the rejection could have been due to me unknowingly botching the interview, it also could have been factors beyond my knowledge and control (funding constraints, subfield size limits, etc). Don’t beat yourself up about rejections, seriously.



  SOP: I would rather not share my entire SOP for myriad reasons. I will share the general layout though, which might actually end up being more useful anyway:

1st ¶: Stated my name, intended program and subfield, and my desire to eventually work as a professor at a research university.

2nd ¶: Discussed what I believe to be an underexplored research puzzle in my subfield, and why I believe it is important to investigate.

3rd ¶: Discussed a theory that I believe could be applied to said research puzzle, and why it would be useful.

4th ¶: Summarized how my academic history led me to develop my current interests, and how I attempted to apply them in my senior thesis.

5th ¶: Talked about my experience as an RA, what the project was like and what my contribution was.

6th ¶: Briefly (3-5 sentences, depending on the program) highlighted faculty and program fit. Each version of my SOP ended up being almost exactly 1000 words.

Seeing as I started the thread, I suppose it's only fitting that I go first.
PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad Institution: Large, low-rank R1
Major(s)/Minor(s): Political Science / Geography

Undergrad GPA: 3.65

Type of Grad: -

Grad GPA: -

GRE: V167 Q158 AW 4.5

Any Special Courses: Grad seminars in IPE and politics of identity, audited a grad level research design course.

Letters of Recommendation: All tenured or TT political science profs in my department, one from the prof I worked for as an RA.

Research Experience: One semester RA, standard senior thesis.

Teaching Experience: None that I mentioned in my application.

Subfield/Research Interests: IR (international organization/foreign policy/IPE)

Other: I was in the honors college at my undergrad institution, and received a scholarship that covered all of my tuition and fees for four years. I could have gone somewhere more prestigious, but the prospect of a free B.A. was too good to pass up and I don’t regret my decision.


 
RESULTS:

Acceptances ($$ or no $$): UT Austin ($$), UC Davis ($$)

Waitlists: -

Rejections: 8 other programs, all T15

Pending: -

Going to: Not sure yet

 

LESSONS LEARNED:


 
While I did have a successful cycle in the sense that I received two funded offers, I also failed to gain admission to my top choices. The process of putting together my file and scrutinizing it for months has definitely made me realize which aspects could have been stronger; therefore, I’ll talk about a couple things that I think made my application stronger and a couple things that I would have advised my 20-year-old self to do if I could go back and talk to him.

- I think my SOP was fairly strong, and I’ve been told as much by a number of professors (including one at a program that did not admit me). I followed the advice of a GC user who recommended that one take the time to go through the last 4-6 issues of every top journal (both general/subfield), reading abstracts and occasionally entire articles if they are germane to your research interests. I did this and it really helped me understand the current state of the scholarship in my area of interest, which in term helped me to articulate my proposed research question.

- I frequently sought advice from my letter writers throughout the entire process, from figuring out where to apply to deciding between offers. I asked them for feedback on my SOP and writing sample, and their suggestions for edits certainly strengthened both documents. I see a lot of people on here post about not wanting to bother their busy letter writers, but I don’t see any problem with politely requesting their guidance when you need it. After all, they were once in your shoes - all of my advisors assured me that they remembered well the anxiety-inducing nature of this process.

- One thing that definitely kept me out of top programs was my weak quant background; as of last semester, I had only taken one stats course and no calculus or econometrics. I regret this deeply, but the reason I didn’t take these courses was that I didn’t realize that I wanted to do quantitative research until the second semester of my junior year when I took the grad IPE seminar. Unfortunately, by that time it was too late to take most of the quant courses I would have liked to.

- While my GRE Q wasn’t horrible (70th percentile), I know it could have been better if I’d had a bit more time to study. It was only in August that I decided that I wanted to apply this cycle, so I had around two months to study while taking a full course load and working part-time. Ideally, I would have started preparing my application materials much earlier. If you are reading this in March/April and planning to apply in the upcoming cycle, START NOW!

- Try to keep in mind that there are so many idiosyncratic aspects to this process that it is really difficult to accurately predict one’s chances of admission at any program. For example, I had an interview with my POI at Wisconsin that I thought went really well – he expressed interest in my research proposal and asked me if I had any questions about the program. However, I was rejected anyway. While the rejection could have been due to me unknowingly botching the interview, it also could have been factors beyond my knowledge and control (funding constraints, subfield size limits, etc). Don’t beat yourself up about rejections, seriously.



  SOP: I would rather not share my entire SOP for myriad reasons. I will share the general layout though, which might actually end up being more useful anyway:

1st ¶: Stated my name, intended program and subfield, and my desire to eventually work as a professor at a research university.

2nd ¶: Discussed what I believe to be an underexplored research puzzle in my subfield, and why I believe it is important to investigate.

3rd ¶: Discussed a theory that I believe could be applied to said research puzzle, and why it would be useful.

4th ¶: Summarized how my academic history led me to develop my current interests, and how I attempted to apply them in my senior thesis.

5th ¶: Talked about my experience as an RA, what the project was like and what my contribution was.

6th ¶: Briefly (3-5 sentences, depending on the program) highlighted faculty and program fit. Each version of my SOP ended up being almost exactly 1000 words.

Seeing as I started the thread, I suppose it's only fitting that I go first.
PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad Institution: Large, low-rank R1
Major(s)/Minor(s): Political Science / Geography

Undergrad GPA: 3.65

Type of Grad: -

Grad GPA: -

GRE: V167 Q158 AW 4.5

Any Special Courses: Grad seminars in IPE and politics of identity, audited a grad level research design course.

Letters of Recommendation: All tenured or TT political science profs in my department, one from the prof I worked for as an RA.

Research Experience: One semester RA, standard senior thesis.

Teaching Experience: None that I mentioned in my application.

Subfield/Research Interests: IR (international organization/foreign policy/IPE)

Other: I was in the honors college at my undergrad institution, and received a scholarship that covered all of my tuition and fees for four years. I could have gone somewhere more prestigious, but the prospect of a free B.A. was too good to pass up and I don’t regret my decision.


 
RESULTS:

Acceptances ($$ or no $$): UT Austin ($$), UC Davis ($$)

Waitlists: -

Rejections: 8 other programs, all T15

Pending: -

Going to: Not sure yet

 

LESSONS LEARNED:


 
While I did have a successful cycle in the sense that I received two funded offers, I also failed to gain admission to my top choices. The process of putting together my file and scrutinizing it for months has definitely made me realize which aspects could have been stronger; therefore, I’ll talk about a couple things that I think made my application stronger and a couple things that I would have advised my 20-year-old self to do if I could go back and talk to him.

- I think my SOP was fairly strong, and I’ve been told as much by a number of professors (including one at a program that did not admit me). I followed the advice of a GC user who recommended that one take the time to go through the last 4-6 issues of every top journal (both general/subfield), reading abstracts and occasionally entire articles if they are germane to your research interests. I did this and it really helped me understand the current state of the scholarship in my area of interest, which in term helped me to articulate my proposed research question.

- I frequently sought advice from my letter writers throughout the entire process, from figuring out where to apply to deciding between offers. I asked them for feedback on my SOP and writing sample, and their suggestions for edits certainly strengthened both documents. I see a lot of people on here post about not wanting to bother their busy letter writers, but I don’t see any problem with politely requesting their guidance when you need it. After all, they were once in your shoes - all of my advisors assured me that they remembered well the anxiety-inducing nature of this process.

- One thing that definitely kept me out of top programs was my weak quant background; as of last semester, I had only taken one stats course and no calculus or econometrics. I regret this deeply, but the reason I didn’t take these courses was that I didn’t realize that I wanted to do quantitative research until the second semester of my junior year when I took the grad IPE seminar. Unfortunately, by that time it was too late to take most of the quant courses I would have liked to.

- While my GRE Q wasn’t horrible (70th percentile), I know it could have been better if I’d had a bit more time to study. It was only in August that I decided that I wanted to apply this cycle, so I had around two months to study while taking a full course load and working part-time. Ideally, I would have started preparing my application materials much earlier. If you are reading this in March/April and planning to apply in the upcoming cycle, START NOW!

- Try to keep in mind that there are so many idiosyncratic aspects to this process that it is really difficult to accurately predict one’s chances of admission at any program. For example, I had an interview with my POI at Wisconsin that I thought went really well – he expressed interest in my research proposal and asked me if I had any questions about the program. However, I was rejected anyway. While the rejection could have been due to me unknowingly botching the interview, it also could have been factors beyond my knowledge and control (funding constraints, subfield size limits, etc). Don’t beat yourself up about rejections, seriously.



  SOP: I would rather not share my entire SOP for myriad reasons. I will share the general layout though, which might actually end up being more useful anyway:

1st ¶: Stated my name, intended program and subfield, and my desire to eventually work as a professor at a research university.

2nd ¶: Discussed what I believe to be an underexplored research puzzle in my subfield, and why I believe it is important to investigate.

3rd ¶: Discussed a theory that I believe could be applied to said research puzzle, and why it would be useful.

4th ¶: Summarized how my academic history led me to develop my current interests, and how I attempted to apply them in my senior thesis.

5th ¶: Talked about my experience as an RA, what the project was like and what my contribution was.

6th ¶: Briefly (3-5 sentences, depending on the program) highlighted faculty and program fit. Each version of my SOP ended up being almost exactly 1000 words.

As social scientists, we are invariably infuriated by the graduate school admissions process; it is lacking in methodological transparency, we feel certain that admissions committees suffer from several biases, and much of the available data is anecdotal (my friend got into Harvard with a 310 GRE, etc). This thread is our contribution to future prospective grads, and our tribute to those who have gone before us. Also, it's just really interesting.
Previous threads:
2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, and 2010
Format:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad Institution:
Major(s)/Minor(s):
Undergrad GPA:
Type of Grad:
Grad GPA:
GRE:
Any Special Courses:
Letters of Recommendation:
Research Experience:
Teaching Experience:
Subfield/Research Interests:
Other:

RESULTS:
Acceptances($$ or no $$):
Waitlists:
Rejections:
Pending:
Going to:
 
LESSONS LEARNED:
 
 
SOP:
 
 
 
 
 
Note: If you are uncomfortable revealing certain aspects of your file in order to maintain privacy, please do not let that stop you from posting the other parts! Anything is useful, and each cycle we have so many applicants who post in the main thread but leave before posting here - let's change that!

Seeing as I started the thread, I suppose it's only fitting that I go first.
PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad Institution: Large, low-rank R1
Major(s)/Minor(s): Political Science / Geography

Undergrad GPA: 3.65

Type of Grad: -

Grad GPA: -

GRE: V167 Q158 AW 4.5

Any Special Courses: Grad seminars in IPE and politics of identity, audited a grad level research design course.

Letters of Recommendation: All tenured or TT political science profs in my department, one from the prof I worked for as an RA.

Research Experience: One semester RA, standard senior thesis.

Teaching Experience: None that I mentioned in my application.

Subfield/Research Interests: IR (international organization/foreign policy/IPE)

Other: I was in the honors college at my undergrad institution, and received a scholarship that covered all of my tuition and fees for four years. I could have gone somewhere more prestigious, but the prospect of a free B.A. was too good to pass up and I don’t regret my decision.


 
RESULTS:

Acceptances ($$ or no $$): UT Austin ($$), UC Davis ($$)

Waitlists: -

Rejections: 8 other programs, all T15

Pending: -

Going to: Not sure yet

 

LESSONS LEARNED:


 
While I did have a successful cycle in the sense that I received two funded offers, I also failed to gain admission to my top choices. The process of putting together my file and scrutinizing it for months has definitely made me realize which aspects could have been stronger; therefore, I’ll talk about a couple things that I think made my application stronger and a couple things that I would have advised my 20-year-old self to do if I could go back and talk to him.

- I think my SOP was fairly strong, and I’ve been told as much by a number of professors (including one at a program that did not admit me). I followed the advice of a GC user who recommended that one take the time to go through the last 4-6 issues of every top journal (both general/subfield), reading abstracts and occasionally entire articles if they are germane to your research interests. I did this and it really helped me understand the current state of the scholarship in my area of interest, which in term helped me to articulate my proposed research question.

- I frequently sought advice from my letter writers throughout the entire process, from figuring out where to apply to deciding between offers. I asked them for feedback on my SOP and writing sample, and their suggestions for edits certainly strengthened both documents. I see a lot of people on here post about not wanting to bother their busy letter writers, but I don’t see any problem with politely requesting their guidance when you need it. After all, they were once in your shoes - all of my advisors assured me that they remembered well the anxiety-inducing nature of this process.

- One thing that definitely kept me out of top programs was my weak quant background; as of last semester, I had only taken one stats course and no calculus or econometrics. I regret this deeply, but the reason I didn’t take these courses was that I didn’t realize that I wanted to do quantitative research until the second semester of my junior year when I took the grad IPE seminar. Unfortunately, by that time it was too late to take most of the quant courses I would have liked to.

- While my GRE Q wasn’t horrible (70th percentile), I know it could have been better if I’d had a bit more time to study. It was only in August that I decided that I wanted to apply this cycle, so I had around two months to study while taking a full course load and working part-time. Ideally, I would have started preparing my application materials much earlier. If you are reading this in March/April and planning to apply in the upcoming cycle, START NOW!

- Try to keep in mind that there are so many idiosyncratic aspects to this process that it is really difficult to accurately predict one’s chances of admission at any program. For example, I had an interview with my POI at Wisconsin that I thought went really well – he expressed interest in my research proposal and asked me if I had any questions about the program. However, I was rejected anyway. While the rejection could have been due to me unknowingly botching the interview, it also could have been factors beyond my knowledge and control (funding constraints, subfield size limits, etc). Don’t beat yourself up about rejections, seriously.



  SOP: I would rather not share my entire SOP for myriad reasons. I will share the general layout though, which might actually end up being more useful anyway:

1st ¶: Stated my name, intended program and subfield, and my desire to eventually work as a professor at a research university.

2nd ¶: Discussed what I believe to be an underexplored research puzzle in my subfield, and why I believe it is important to investigate.

3rd ¶: Discussed a theory that I believe could be applied to said research puzzle, and why it would be useful.

4th ¶: Summarized how my academic history led me to develop my current interests, and how I attempted to apply them in my senior thesis.

5th ¶: Talked about my experience as an RA, what the project was like and what my contribution was.

6th ¶: Briefly (3-5 sentences, depending on the program) highlighted faculty and program fit. Each version of my SOP ended up being almost exactly 1000 words.

Claiming a UPenn admission!

Received my Michigan and Stanford rejections today, which means that I have officially heard back from every program to which I applied! I'm done! I never thought it would feel good to receive back-to-back rejections, but now that I have received all my official decisions I can finally focus on making my own decision. While I didn't get into my top choices, I met (and exceeded) my own goal for this cycle: to receive a fully funded offer from one of the programs to which I had applied. Thanks to all of you wonderful posters for the congratulations/commiseration throughout this tumultuous process - none of my friends or acquaintances are applying to grad school this cycle, and thus gradcafe has been a welcome outlet for admissions anxiety/elation.
I will definitely be sticking around while everybody else receives their final decisions, and anybody with questions about living in Ann Arbor/Philadelphia/D.C. should feel free to DM me. I think I'll also take the liberty of starting the wrap-up thread, and (again) I encourage everybody to post as much of your profile and results as you're comfortable sharing.
 

Thanks for posting this, @BigTenPoliSci, and best of luck to you on the market.
I think I'm just confused about how applicants could foster these kinds of misconceptions for so long. All of my advisors warned me about job prospects, as did my academic parents, and each day brings a new PSR thread about how dismal the market looks. I think that one big problem is that academics view anything besides TT placement as failure, and a common thing that I've heard is that getting a TT position is the only way to make up for the opportunity costs of getting a PhD. To me, that's such a strange way of thinking about it; if one's only desire is to make money then why would they even consider this career? You could probably make as much as an assistant professor straight out of undergrad in certain sectors. I would much rather take my chances on a rough academic job market than sit in an office throughout my 20s, making good money but always regretting my decision not to try. Worst-case scenario, I start climbing the corporate ladder significantly later than my peers and never become a millionaire (oh, the horror).

Going to Columbia. I am quite certain that I haven't misclicked anything.

Received my Michigan and Stanford rejections today, which means that I have officially heard back from every program to which I applied! I'm done! I never thought it would feel good to receive back-to-back rejections, but now that I have received all my official decisions I can finally focus on making my own decision. While I didn't get into my top choices, I met (and exceeded) my own goal for this cycle: to receive a fully funded offer from one of the programs to which I had applied. Thanks to all of you wonderful posters for the congratulations/commiseration throughout this tumultuous process - none of my friends or acquaintances are applying to grad school this cycle, and thus gradcafe has been a welcome outlet for admissions anxiety/elation.
I will definitely be sticking around while everybody else receives their final decisions, and anybody with questions about living in Ann Arbor/Philadelphia/D.C. should feel free to DM me. I think I'll also take the liberty of starting the wrap-up thread, and (again) I encourage everybody to post as much of your profile and results as you're comfortable sharing.
 

As social scientists, we are invariably infuriated by the graduate school admissions process; it is lacking in methodological transparency, we feel certain that admissions committees suffer from several biases, and much of the available data is anecdotal (my friend got into Harvard with a 310 GRE, etc). This thread is our contribution to future prospective grads, and our tribute to those who have gone before us. Also, it's just really interesting.
Previous threads:
2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, and 2010
Format:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad Institution:
Major(s)/Minor(s):
Undergrad GPA:
Type of Grad:
Grad GPA:
GRE:
Any Special Courses:
Letters of Recommendation:
Research Experience:
Teaching Experience:
Subfield/Research Interests:
Other:

RESULTS:
Acceptances($$ or no $$):
Waitlists:
Rejections:
Pending:
Going to:
 
LESSONS LEARNED:
 
 
SOP:
 
 
 
 
 
Note: If you are uncomfortable revealing certain aspects of your file in order to maintain privacy, please do not let that stop you from posting the other parts! Anything is useful, and each cycle we have so many applicants who post in the main thread but leave before posting here - let's change that!

As social scientists, we are invariably infuriated by the graduate school admissions process; it is lacking in methodological transparency, we feel certain that admissions committees suffer from several biases, and much of the available data is anecdotal (my friend got into Harvard with a 310 GRE, etc). This thread is our contribution to future prospective grads, and our tribute to those who have gone before us. Also, it's just really interesting.
Previous threads:
2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, and 2010
Format:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad Institution:
Major(s)/Minor(s):
Undergrad GPA:
Type of Grad:
Grad GPA:
GRE:
Any Special Courses:
Letters of Recommendation:
Research Experience:
Teaching Experience:
Subfield/Research Interests:
Other:

RESULTS:
Acceptances($$ or no $$):
Waitlists:
Rejections:
Pending:
Going to:
 
LESSONS LEARNED:
 
 
SOP:
 
 
 
 
 
Note: If you are uncomfortable revealing certain aspects of your file in order to maintain privacy, please do not let that stop you from posting the other parts! Anything is useful, and each cycle we have so many applicants who post in the main thread but leave before posting here - let's change that!

As social scientists, we are invariably infuriated by the graduate school admissions process; it is lacking in methodological transparency, we feel certain that admissions committees suffer from several biases, and much of the available data is anecdotal (my friend got into Harvard with a 310 GRE, etc). This thread is our contribution to future prospective grads, and our tribute to those who have gone before us. Also, it's just really interesting.
Previous threads:
2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, and 2010
Format:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad Institution:
Major(s)/Minor(s):
Undergrad GPA:
Type of Grad:
Grad GPA:
GRE:
Any Special Courses:
Letters of Recommendation:
Research Experience:
Teaching Experience:
Subfield/Research Interests:
Other:

RESULTS:
Acceptances($$ or no $$):
Waitlists:
Rejections:
Pending:
Going to:
 
LESSONS LEARNED:
 
 
SOP:
 
 
 
 
 
Note: If you are uncomfortable revealing certain aspects of your file in order to maintain privacy, please do not let that stop you from posting the other parts! Anything is useful, and each cycle we have so many applicants who post in the main thread but leave before posting here - let's change that!

I have to wait for six responses. UNC, Rochester, ND and Maryland have had acceptances on the results page, I don't hope much from them. Vanderbilt must be out today or Monday. The real question for me now is Penn.
I cannot complain. If somebody said to me three months ago that I would have five good offers I would not believe. I'm sorry for those who weren't as lucky, but I can say this (and I've said a couple of times here already): there is always next cycle, and this doesn't have to be the end.

Received my Michigan and Stanford rejections today, which means that I have officially heard back from every program to which I applied! I'm done! I never thought it would feel good to receive back-to-back rejections, but now that I have received all my official decisions I can finally focus on making my own decision. While I didn't get into my top choices, I met (and exceeded) my own goal for this cycle: to receive a fully funded offer from one of the programs to which I had applied. Thanks to all of you wonderful posters for the congratulations/commiseration throughout this tumultuous process - none of my friends or acquaintances are applying to grad school this cycle, and thus gradcafe has been a welcome outlet for admissions anxiety/elation.
I will definitely be sticking around while everybody else receives their final decisions, and anybody with questions about living in Ann Arbor/Philadelphia/D.C. should feel free to DM me. I think I'll also take the liberty of starting the wrap-up thread, and (again) I encourage everybody to post as much of your profile and results as you're comfortable sharing.
 

Just gonna leave this here. Once you've heard back from all of your programs and you've had time to think through your advice/closing thoughts, please post! It's for science!

Received my Michigan and Stanford rejections today, which means that I have officially heard back from every program to which I applied! I'm done! I never thought it would feel good to receive back-to-back rejections, but now that I have received all my official decisions I can finally focus on making my own decision. While I didn't get into my top choices, I met (and exceeded) my own goal for this cycle: to receive a fully funded offer from one of the programs to which I had applied. Thanks to all of you wonderful posters for the congratulations/commiseration throughout this tumultuous process - none of my friends or acquaintances are applying to grad school this cycle, and thus gradcafe has been a welcome outlet for admissions anxiety/elation.
I will definitely be sticking around while everybody else receives their final decisions, and anybody with questions about living in Ann Arbor/Philadelphia/D.C. should feel free to DM me. I think I'll also take the liberty of starting the wrap-up thread, and (again) I encourage everybody to post as much of your profile and results as you're comfortable sharing.
 

Received my Michigan and Stanford rejections today, which means that I have officially heard back from every program to which I applied! I'm done! I never thought it would feel good to receive back-to-back rejections, but now that I have received all my official decisions I can finally focus on making my own decision. While I didn't get into my top choices, I met (and exceeded) my own goal for this cycle: to receive a fully funded offer from one of the programs to which I had applied. Thanks to all of you wonderful posters for the congratulations/commiseration throughout this tumultuous process - none of my friends or acquaintances are applying to grad school this cycle, and thus gradcafe has been a welcome outlet for admissions anxiety/elation.
I will definitely be sticking around while everybody else receives their final decisions, and anybody with questions about living in Ann Arbor/Philadelphia/D.C. should feel free to DM me. I think I'll also take the liberty of starting the wrap-up thread, and (again) I encourage everybody to post as much of your profile and results as you're comfortable sharing.
 

Y'all, after the drama of earlier, I just got a Yale admit. LOL

Claiming a Stanford admit! 
E-mail from POI came about 2 hours ago. I am currently outside the US, so no phone call. 

I just got the Stanford phone call! Having difficulty processing this. 

I think you should go to whichever place has better placement in your subfield. Presuming that both programs offer full funding, it seems to me that 5-7 years of living modestly is worth it for better job prospects.

Claiming the Indiana acceptance yesterday. My first offer and it came with a huge sigh of relief.