RevTheory1126

This may have been said and I missed it... but based on how the OP was worded, just to say it explicitly: I would not mention your institutions reputation under any circumstances. It is either evident to adcomms, or irrelevant. The real estate you have to pitch yourself is limited. Spend your time talking about your research puzzle, career goals, etc... the things unique to you and your hopefully-new institution. Again, as an echo, solid training comes through in writing, not in mentioning rankings/reputation.

Hello group! It's been a while since I've posted, so good to see everyone hard at work here Just wanted to offer words of encouragement: I was submitting all my applications this time last year, I definitely remember the anxiety and impatience. This forum is crazy helpful to let off the nervous energy, but it can suck you in. Use it wisely! Also, wanted to just offer that if any is apply for theory and would like my very, very limited insights, I'm happy to share via PM, or if, more specifically people want to know about University of Virginia, also happy to correspond also. I'll be checking in the forum more with the semester coming to a close. But again, glad to be helpful if anyone would like another set of eyes or perceptive. Best wishes!

I'm sorry I am just seeing this now. Hopefully you applied and are (un)patiently waiting to hear from your schools. This is somewhat similar to the situation I was in last year (M.Div from Vanderbilt, undergrad in PS), and I applied to some of the same schools you did. Short version: I got into a program (University of Virginia) and waitlisted at ND, and a lot of rejections. That seems pretty much par for the course (more or less) in this area, regardless of background of applicants. Just a few thoughts: In terms of admittance, it can be tricky with a limit quant background, as you having to convince non-theorists that you can hang in the political science world. For most of the schools on your list, that won't be a huge problem because theory seems well-established and respected among the faculty. The same can be said for low quant GRE scores: won't matter to theorists, but will to others. However, adcomms will also defer to their colleagues if you seem like an otherwise strong candidate (and with two masters degrees, that seems reasonable :)). Best of luck! If I can be helpful in any other way, feel free to message me!

Visit day went really well, checked out a lot of apartments, most were designed with college life in mind (nothing wrong with that, but coming out of "adult life" made me much pickier about amenities I could live with or without). We are applying to live at Eagles Landing. I see it has mixed reviews online, but most are older.... Any thoughts?

As someone who currently lives in Nashville, and commutes to Vanderbilt from the west side of town, but know many people in the Murfreesboro and Hendersonville areas, I would say the only thing to consider is how much you are frustrated by bumper to bumper traffic. From both of those locations, the traffic coming into Nashville is dense and the commute starts early and ends late. Those areas of town are very nice for families and convenient for creature comforts (grocery stores, big box shopping, pediatric clinics, etc). And if you want to come into Nashville (not during traditional commute hours) the drivers are simple and very much what Google predicts. So, the only question I would give you @mdivgirl is about your tolerance for traffic. Also, with that handle... Are you going to Vandy Div? I am an alum from that program, too, and would be happy to answer any questions, if you would like best of luck!

First of all, congrats! Second, I went to a small school in Springfield for undergrad (Drury University), graduated in 2010. I still have several friends in the area, and have visited a few times since. I lived on campus during my time there, so I can't say too much about what the rental market is like. However, I really enjoyed the city. It is a rural Midwestern town, but has a lot of eclectic and fun things to do, (and most are very affordable!) and feels much bigger than it is. Having several colleges in the city limits and a decent public school system seems to be attracting younger folks to town, and the food/music/culture scene is better for it. If you have more specific questions about living there, or general things about Missouri State, feel free to PM me!

I have one more official decision to receive, then I will be filling this out. Looking forward to it Oh on side note, rejected from UChicago PhD, accepted to MAPPS with 1/3 tuition offer... lol, so basically just rejected.

@Comparativist, I still haven't heard anything yet from UChicago, either. Frustrating.

Waitlisted at Notre Dame! Per email from DGS, ND sent out 15 offers of admission (200~ applications received), and the waitlist contains about 15 people (based on previous cycles, they believe 5 or so will be admitted from waitlist)... and as a point of reference, I was not interviewed at all. Exciting, but confusing... more waiting I suppose. (Sorry if this info has already been shared earlier in thread)

I'll echo the caution about debt and nonprofessional masters. Reputation alone would be too big of a risk for me to get a degree that may or may not help me get to my larger goal. If you are on the level with GMU folks, and explain your long term goals, I'm sure they would understand and help you with using the MA to move where you can be successful. No hard feelings, just trying to be realistic and professional.

Fwiw, I think there are some people that frown on this or look down on it, but overall it's not the biggest issue. I think the biggest concern would be having a smaller academic network and being somewhat insular, in that regard, but if it's a big school with diverse faculty that are involved in many different academic fields, it won't tip the apple cart...

Yeah, what's up with ND? I also applied to the Kroc Institute, polisci track... haven't heard anything. At this point, I'm waiting on people formalizing their rejection. Would be nice just to hear something at this point, so I could feel like this is "wrapped up" and move on.

Is it weird that they didn't send out an email that these were emailed? They are using the same application system that Brown, Cornell, Northwestern, etc. are using and they all sent out emails...? Bizarre... Still can't steal my joy.

Received an email to check the website.

So, I'm really not a masochist, but I can't post up my rejections on the results forum... it keeps telling me something about its inability to use 'the socket'? Not sure what that's all about... anyone having issues posting on results posting?

I appreciate that. I feel like things are going well, but it's nice to have another set of eyes see the situation and affirm that feeling. That's a very good idea about describing the "how-to" for the replacement, especially given that I came in with zero guidelines. I have been trying to discuss my work in terms of the role rather than in terms of personalities (e.g. when would you call a chaplain, what do chaplains do, rather than when should you call me), and I feel like that will make this easier for everyone. But clearly hashing out the role on paper will make the next person feel more empowered and I'll have something to assure the good folks here that there will be continuity. Yeah, I've been practicing that speech a bit. It actually was sort of the guiding narrative that gave shape to my SOP.... I think I can get it into an elevator speech, but always worth practicing, honing it down some, clarifying around the edges

Claiming an official Northwestern rejection. The silence has been confirmed.

I'm in a similar boat. Working at a hospital as a chaplain, in a new position that our department has been working on getting for several months. We've been rebuilding our department over the last few years, and it's actually been wildly successful. I've put a lot of energy into the work here, it's a great fit and I really love the work, but I also am really passionate about pursuing this PhD/teaching route. And in a similar way, the care team I work with is really tight knit and fun. I feel bad for not letting most of them in on it yet (the only person who even knows I applied is my manager because I thought he, at least, should know he'll have to go back to HR again), but I also 1.) need the money and 2.) don't want the next few months to be painfully awkward. I'm planning on letting everyone in on it late spring and leaving early summer, and I will need to let them know soon as people are starting to ask about summer and fall initiatives/programs. It is also going to be a challenge because I am shifting focuses (chaplaincy to political science)... they all know it's something I am interested in, as I presented at a couple of conferences last fall, but I think they will be confused. I'm trying not to manage their feelings, focusing on what my wife and I need/want, but I still care a lot about the work we are doing here and the department. As far as timing and such, I think for most jobs 2-4 weeks notice is plenty of advance planning. I'm trying to give team 2 months, so I could be around to help train my replacement, but only if that works with my schedule (or if that's something they want).

15 minute bike ride, would you say that's about 3-4 miles? Neighborhoods that are that close might include Belmont, Hillsboro Village, Edgehill, some of the apartments in Midtown and/or West End... Any farther than that would be tricky to biking, mostly because I wouldn't consider a lot of Nashville to be "bike friendly." Those are fairly expensive areas, but you can find decent deals if you are willing to live in smaller, older places (there's a lot of crazy expensive/nice new developments, if you can afford it!) I found that Apartments.com is a really solid listing of Nashville apartments, especially for folks moving new to town. Craigslist will have some decent things, but I would be very skeptical. Again, if you are willing to live in small, old places that are very basic, you can find that. But for the most part, sticking to the "usual suspects" and more traditional listing will find you good places in Nashville. The rental market is insane, but it does seem to be peaking, in terms of prices. Via PM, I can make a few recommendations on specific apartments either I have lived in or friends have used that I think would be good for Vanderbilt (see above for neighborhoods to check out that are near Peabody campus, as well). As far as bus (MTA), it is a mixed bag. Most of the lines are along major arteries and go down into the downtown area. So if you happen to live on a line, you're in luck (your student ID will give you access to MTA). My major problem with system is that there is just such a limited fleet, it is often 15-30 minutes between scheduled pick up times. If your schedule is pretty standardized, that can work. But if you have variability with work/school schedule, it might be hard to coordinate. Again, you can PM me if you want advice/ideas about using bus, apartments, etc.

Yale... Rejected! Honing the list down, still can't steal my joy

Just to add onto this point: http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~gillum/rankings_paper.pdf It's old, but it's an informative read.

Great! Once we get through visit day, I'll circle back around. Thanks!!

She's not locked in anywhere yet, but she currently is a family nurse practitioner in a rural area. She would like to look for primary care jobs in the areas outside of Charlottesville. We both agree we would like to live as close to downtown/UVA as possible, since we at least know where my commute will be...

Bumping this thread! Would love insights into public transit/biking options in Charlottesville... considering dropping down to one car, spouse will likely use it to commute... any advice?

Same here. It seems like someone said that this was the week Northwestern was looking to "finalize their list," but not sure what that even means (assuming it was true).