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as2472

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  • Location
    USA
  • Application Season
    2019 Fall
  • Program
    Political Science (Theory)

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  1. Congratulations on these acceptances! I would say either Duke or Cornell given a) rank and b) that you seem more excited about them. In terms of the other two, it's worth remembering that a PhD is 5-6 years of your life. In that time you will be doing more than studying (I hope). You will have to exist as a human being wherever you go. If you can do that in Durham and be happy that isn't an issue, but it doesn't sound like you're totally confident in that. The other main point is that both departmental and advisor fit are really important. Are you someone who is okay working with difficult people? On the other hand, are you a self-starter who won't mind having to put in a bit of leg work for more opportunities? Which of those compromises sounds more strenuous to you? Overall, I think the strictly objective academic advice would be to go to Duke, but, holistically, it sounds like you'll have a more positive experience at Cornell (and you sound more excited about it over all). Only you can decide where your priorities between those lie. If you're anything like me in terms of asking this question, you're likely seeking a clear answer and are getting tired of people just pointing out the pros and cons of each. So--and this is to be taken with a grain of salt--I would personally go to Cornell. It is a great program and, having worked with difficult professors before, it is hard to underestimate the stress that can bring. Moreover, there is a lot to be said for living somewhere that you love. Good luck with your decision!
  2. PROFILE: Type of Undergrad Institution: Top 5 global university, top 2 in the UK Major(s)/Minor(s):Politics and International Relations Undergrad GPA: UK grading system, but a very high 2.1, ~3.7 GPA Type of Grad: Masters at a top 10-20 R1 Grad GPA: 3.83 GRE:168 V, 163 Q, 6.0 W Any Special Courses: No, but both BA and MA theses Letters of Recommendation: I submitted 4. One was from a fairly big name in my subfield whose class I did very well in, one was from my thesis advisor whose class I also took. He is a quickly rising star in my subfield so not well known in the rest if the field. One was from the head of my subfield in our program + I took his class. One from a professor of divinity with whom I formed a good relationship and whose class I did extremely well in. Research Experience: BA thesis, MA thesis, international fieldwork, internships Teaching Experience: 7 years private tutoring, 3 summers teaching at a camp for gifted youth, 1 year teaching at a religious school Subfield/Research Interests: Political theory and environmental politics RESULTS: Acceptances($$ or no $$): University of British Columbia $$, CU-Boulder $$, Oregon $$ Waitlists: None. Rejections: Hopkins, UPenn, Brown, Washington, Yale School of Forestry Pending: None. Going to: UBC LESSONS LEARNED: Not a ton to add that hasn't been said honestly. The main thing is that fit matters. I didn't apply to many places in comparison to many other applicants (although I still applied to quite a few) because I only applied to places that had multiple people who I would be excited to work with and whose work matched my broad interests well. While the rejections probably came down to a huge variety of factors, it is worth noting that, with the exception of Hopkins, none of them were as strong of a fit as the places where I was accepted. Admittedly not focusing on rank might not have been the best choice for future job prospects, but getting a PhD is about more than how much attention your CV gets when you're finished. Another main thing is just to be open minded when you go on visits and such. I went in fully convinced I would go to either CU Boulder or, if I had been accepted, Hopkins or Yale. Still, I decided to go on visits everywhere I was admitted and keep options open, and it paid off. I'll be going somewhere that I had applied to mostly on a whim, and it has an amazing fit, very generous funding package as far as public universities go, beautiful location, and good global reputation (I don't necessarily want to work in the US). SOP: I personalized mine a lot for particular schools and focused almost exclusively on past and future research. It included very little "fluff," biographical info, etc. Nothing special, but I was pretty pleased with it.
  3. I'll be declining University of Oregon this week and will be declining one other offer once I make a decision. Hope this helps and best of luck!
  4. Hello! I am trying to decide between two offers and it is not going particularly well (even as this whole situation is an incredible privilege). One (let's call them department A) is a T-50 US program so pretty mid-ranking and on a slight upward trajectory in recent years. The other (department B ) is a T-5 Canadian program (T-40 globally). Both departments have a variety of people I'd be excited to work with and are offering solid funding packages. Both are in beautiful locations with plenty of outdoor activities, but B is in a place that would be more exciting to live in (albeit more expensive) while the A is close to family who I really enjoy seeing. In terms of academic fit, this is where the topic of this thread comes in. Context for the next part to make sense: I do political theory with a primary focus on environmental justice, but I am also interested in other areas of contemporary theory (esp. gender, race, democratic theory, and the ethics of technology like artificial intelligence). Department A has some of the leading people in my field for environmental justice (and is a great program for environmental politics generally), including someone whose work I love and with whom I would be very excited to work. They also have one theorist working on body of work I adore and another theorist joining the department this year who is also working on that topic. Outside of theory, they have a comparative policy specialist whose work I have used extensively in the past and with whom I could continue to work. Department B has 8 theorists and has particular strengths in environmental politics, democratic theory, critical theory (the school in which I primarily work), and identity politics. While not a theorist, they also have one of the leading people working on environmental politics within IR, and they also have published incredible work on environmental justice that I really admire and also works on AI and tech. They also have indigenous faculty members teaching indigenous politics which is something I value. Overall, I would be particularly excited to work with the theorists at Department A and really liked the people I met there (I haven't visited B yet), but will have more people to work with and will be living in a place I prefer with Department B. I plan to go on to (hopefully!) a post-doc and academic career, so that's also something I'm keeping in mind. I'm also not sure how much rankings matter in terms of future prospects, but there is a notable gap between them. Any advice or thoughts would be super appreciated!
  5. I'm in the final decision process now and UBC is in my final two. If you have an offer and think you might be going there or know current PhD students there, I'd love to hear your/their thoughts!
  6. Thanks! It's a long, bizarre story. The short version is that I visited the Detroit branch of the organization with my Hebrew School students last winter and was convinced to apply! I did MAPSS at UChicago. It was half funded (luckily my BA was also largely funded by a combination of scholarships and bursaries so I was able to cover the rest with my college fund).
  7. Sorry, what are UCI and UCR? I finished my MA in political theory this past August and am currently doing a fellowship year with a Jewish social justice non-profit! It's somehow extremely relevant to my work which, given that I do normative political theory, is kind of shocking honestly. The rest of my work history is an assortment of part-time teaching positions + a year as a barista.
  8. Claiming a rejection Not at all surprising as it was not a good fit and I mostly applied because I live in West Philly and already go to the PT workshops there anyway
  9. Have any other UBC admits gotten more info on funding? The initial email mentioned a 5 year fellowship with more info coming in a few days, but that was 8 days ago.
  10. Nothing to add on clothes, but another Boulder (theory) admit here going to the recruitment event!
  11. I live next to UPenn and can confirm snow has stopped and is rapidly melting on roads, so I can see no reason why they would be closed. fingers crossed on results soon, even if it's just for closure!
  12. Never mind, rejected and honestly just happy to have some closure
  13. Saw a couple of U Washington (Seattle) rejections on the results page today (acceptances went out weeks ago) and still haven't heard anything ? Is anybody else still in the no-contact boat?
  14. I would also recommend visiting anyway. Even if you don't go, it can help build professional relationships with professors at school A, who will be your future colleagues in the field even if not the university.
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