AKA34i9023

FYI, I didn't apply to Rochester but I have a friend who received admission from there.

Hello guys, hope you have received admissions from ideal schools. I am writing to ask about deferment. I just received admission from WUSTL but wish to defer for a year. I had an initial contact with the administrative assistant and was told that they are unable to defer and encourage re-application....I know it varies from school to school, but am seeking your insights on 1. Shall I continue to negotiate with DGS or seeking help with other professors (one wrote me a welcome email), and if yes, what is the best approach to do so? 2. If I failed to get a deferment and decides to re-apply, what is the chance of getting admitted again in the next application cycle? Can I assume that selection standards do not vary much within two years? 3. What preparation should I do for re-application to strengthen my profile in re-application?

Claim a WUSTL acceptance!! Received an email this morning asking to check the website. 23k stipend for 6 years. Very excited as it is a very good fit for me. One question for those who know the defer process: due to personal issues, I have to defer enrollment for a year. I wonder if it is possible to defer for a year and how it may affect fundings? It would be great to have a WUSTL-specific answer but experience from other universities are also welcome!

Thank you for your advice, really appreciated!

Thanks for pointing out the inappropriate wording. For sure I will not use them in my application; I was listing them for others to have a better judgment of my profile.

Greetings everybody! I am a second-year graduate student and I intend to apply for PhD programs in the 2017-18 cycle. I am specifically interested in the area of IPE. I would appreciate if anyone could evaluate my profile and give me some insights in application. Below are some of my experiences Undergrad: a Chinese university that is famous for IR research Major: English Language and Literature Undergraduate GPA: 3.60 Graduate School: a famous US university with top ten ranking in IR (according to Foreign Policy survey) Graduate program: MA International Trade and Investment Policy (Concentration: International Economic Policy Analysis) Graduate GPA: 3.80 (still in progress, hope to maintain and improve it) Quant prep: Statistical reasoning, a variety of economic courses, econometrics (plan to take it during the summer) Publication: One book review on a renowned peer-review Chinese journal; one article in an English academic journal managed by graduate students; one column article on a famous Chinese media outlet Presentation: Presented part of my research project in a graduate student club event at renowned international relations university in the US Research experience: BA thesis and a variety of papers for classes; plan to start a personal research project focused on IPE topics after finishing my studies Letters of Recommendation: Now I have four candidates: 1. My professor for international trade class. I am also doing program assistantship with her, so hopefully she will write me a good reference; 2. My professor for the class Corruption, Governance and Development who is a renowned scholar in the area of trade; 3. My professor for international finance who is among the top economists in the US (but I am not sure if it is useful for political science application); 4. My professor for international political economy. GRE: 151V, 165Q, 3.5W (plan to retake it and improve the scores) Scholarship: The Chinese government scholarship for graduate studies abroad; several scholarship of outstanding students in undergraduate studies SOP: Will start to work on it after graduation Writing Sample: Will be the personal research project focusing on IPE Field: IR, IPE, globalization, trade theories, China's role in the international economic system, identity politics and globalization Please give me some suggestions on how to improve my profile and what would be fatal disadvantages? Thanks for reading and evaluating my profile!!