Albert01

Thanks. That is relieving. I waa worried since I read that in some programs the rate goes up high as 40 to 50 percent.

Thanks for your advice. You provide a precious standard with respect to considering placement; it seems that we better check placement advisor-basis than school-basis. But my point is to consider average attrition rates of the programs (due to several reasons including Qual, personal matters, etc which must vary by program) that can be estimated through placement that schools post on their website rather than placement per se; and I think this is the only way we can acquire any info about attrition except directly asking faculty or current grads. Combined with students' mentality-type (for instance, with grit and enjoying challenge or risk-averse and performing better with firm, guaranteed supportings) attrition rate can be an important issue for selecting the school. Admittedly, the difference between rates is only meaningful when such difference is based on systematical factors rather than due to personal 'noises'.

Check and compare attrition rates and placement performance. It is one of the most important info with respect to choosing grad school. You may acquire this info by asking current grad or profs during the visiting day or via email (regarding the way you ask, check the latest post that Takeruk wrote) Or you can compare the matriculation and placement. Since both institution accept around 12 students (NYU says it accept average of 12 and Duke says it accept 12-15 - you may set it 13.5), by simply subtracting the placement from the entering cohort, you can calculate attrition (here, the solution may include phds without job - but that is as important as attrition since what you consequentially wanna know through this is how the entering cohort end up after spending tones of opportunity cost).

Is it ok to ask about attrition rate and details?

Type of Undergrad Institution: an international that is not renowned within poli sci academia Major(s)/Minor(s): poli sci Undergrad GPA: 3.62 (3.87 last 2 years, 3.86 major) Type of Grad: n/a Grad GPA: n/a GRE: V167 Q170 W4.0 Any Special Courses: a graduate research method course (quali), two MITOCW math courses (single and mulit variable calculus) Letters of Recommendation: all from the undergrad institution profs - one got his PhD at Chicago, which may affect my addmission to NYU which has a lot of former Chicago Research Experience: an online article with one of the recommenders Teaching Experience: some voluntary teaching (english to highschoolers) Subfield/Research Interests: Rational (game theoretical) analysis of political theory Other: RESULTS: Acceptances($$ or no $$): NYU($$), U of Arizona ($$) Waitlists: Rejections: Princeton, Michigan, Yale, Columbia, Duke, UCSD, Wisconsin, Upenn, Cornell, Washu, Northwestern, Minnesota, Rutgers, UMass Pending: Vanderbilt (no interview - likely rejected), Maryland (still no news after a few acceptances - likely rejected) Going to: NYU LESSONS LEARNED: I applied to 18 schools and rejected from most of them but accepted to one of my top choices. I am not sure this result is a success or what of my strategy. In retrospect, I applied to too many schools that does not fit my very specific interest. Applying to Duke, Northwestern, Minnesota, Rutgers, and UMass was not so great idea in this vein. When my interest was not aligned with what schools want from their new theory students, a GRE score (337) that is way above the average scores of their matriculants was not able to help me. I am not sure it would be still true even if I were a CP or Method or had a more applicable, broad interest; to be fair, there is a possibility that specificity may have played a huge role in my admission to NYU and AU or their criteria are more GRE-oriented than other schools (Check NYU's FAQs. Like Chicago and Stanford, NYU is very specific about the scores). Apologize my jiberish here. It just representes my confusion through this cycle that has been amplified, not defused, after my acceptance; while I was outrightly accpeted NYU which is #12 in USN rankings and shows great standings in any kinds of standard, was outrightly denied by all the other schools without a waitlist. Thus, I cannot stop questioning "Why? Why NYU accepted me who was denied by more than 15 schools? Isn't my acceptance their biggest mistake in years?" up to this very moment. And this is the real question that I want to ask when I go to the visiting day (I have sensibilty, so I won't though). SOP: PM, if you are curious.

Yeah.. I got rejected more than 15 schools. I think there are three factors that may have turned me down. First, since some of them are small programs like UMass, fit must have mattered the most. And my SOPs were hardly individualized for each school. Secondly, my subfield is theory (combined with a game theoretical analysis). So, high quant would have not help me as much as it would when I am a student of IPE or more quant-oriented fields. Lastly, I am from an international school that nobody knows with an enough, but not so great GPA (3.62/4). Because it does not have enough profs in poli sci, I had to ask its english teacher to write my rec letters for some schools.

It seems thats how things work in this area; quantified or 'objectified' 'spec's (you would understand what exactly does it mean - you are a Korean, like me) which have guided us so far hardly tell us anything about what would happen in our future. Actually, it seems to depend on the authorizer's preferences toward us. And our first encounter with the cruel and exclusive, true academic world that is very different from inclusive undergrad conferences or seminars that invite everybody who wanna join, I believe, was a good lesson for us to understand this. In my case, with 337 GRE score which I in retrospect, thought a free ticket to any school I wanted to go, I luckily got into NYU and U of Arizona while rejected from UMass (it was my safety choice based on rankings - absurdly, i didnt check how many they accept each year) and all the other schools.

Oh, I also just found out that the signiture under the letter was from the dean of the gsas, a bio prof.

Claim a Yale rejection. It was my dream school but now my cycle is finished and I can move on to the next stage. Plus, I am just astonished more by the sheer number of the applicants to the school than my expected rejection. For a program which consists of 15 to 20 students, there are more than 11,000 applicants?!

Anything from Yale other than few phone calls?

Would Yale announce this week? I already assume a rejection. I just need any kind of closure so I can finish off this cycle and move on to the next phase of my personal and academic life.

Joining Columbia and Upenn reject club. It seems I don't have any chance in Rochester, and Yale is the only school whose result I am waiting for now; their result will finalize my cycle. I hope they announce this week or at least in Feb.

Nothing from Rochester. When I just checked the portal, it said my application is under review.

Also just checked a rejection from U minn through portal.

Got a rejection from Rutgers. Accepted: Arizona, NYU / Rejected: Wisconsin, Princeton, UCSD, Michigan, Cornell, WashU, Northwestern, Duke and Rutgers / Pending: Upenn, Rochetster, Yale, Columbia, Minnesota, Maryland... Wow now I realize that I applied total 17!