Dirichlet

School Name: NYU Subfield: Comparative Politics Funded/not funded: Funded Type of funding (fellowship or assistantship or combination): Fellowship --- School Name: Duke Subfield: Political Institutions Funded/not funded: Funded Type of funding (fellowship or assistantship or combination): Combination

I'm attending the ones that I have offers for - the schools are offering to reimburse the cost of flights (to a certain point). I hold certain prior beliefs about the programmes (each has its pros and cons), but want to give every one a fair chance.

Done that many times. No decision available.

Just got my rejection from Harvard. Stings, but less so knowing that I have 3 great offers to choose from. Weirdly enough I still haven't heard from Michigan - that's the only school I'm still waiting to hear back from. 3a / 3r / 1p.

I doubt you'll be able to, to be honest. They are unlikely to change your preference after submitting your app.

Don't worry. A college preference is just that -- a preference, nothing else. If there is a college that is happy to fund you, this will take precedence over your preference anyway. The only downside is that getting into Nuffield / St Antz will be difficult, as so many students will have selected them. (There are also a few pots of money available for students at other colleges who selected this college as their first preference, though I am unaware of any such instance that politics grad students would be eligible for.) The variance in how colleges can affect your social life is huge -- some are very grad-oriented, international, and provide a great community (and housing!), whilst others offer little beyond a common room and the basics of the collegiate structure. In those cases, though, you can still have a great time in Oxford outside of your college. Research- and course-wise, though (again, with the exception of Nuffield and St Antz), none of the colleges is likely to give you a significant advantage as graduate-level teaching and supervision is organised at the departmental level.

Thanks guys! I'm in Comparative & methods. Also just got my official rejection letter from Berkeley - the process is unpredictable, so don't let any other decisions you may have received depress your hopes for your dream school. While I'm still waiting to hear back from Michigan (seemingly alone?) and Harvard, the biggest lesson from this cycle for me was that even the seemingly most adverse situations can be overcome: Last year, I returned almost empty-handed. I've worked hard on my own research and the applications, and it looks like it's paid off. I know the feeling of not receiving any offers in a cycle from personal experience, but I can now offer the consoling prospect that anyone can always (successfully) try again next year!

I just got a phone call from Stanford with news of my admission. I'm in a state of disbelief – shaking and crying with joy.

Congratulations!

Is anyone else still waiting to hear back from Michigan? Congratulations to those who claimed admits!

Nothing from Michigan yet - neither rejection nor offer.

While there's still plenty to go with 20 apps (and I am sure there will be at least one success!), leaving last year's cycle empty-handed (at least in terms of US programmes) has taught me a valuable lesson. You can always apply next year, and you will be a stronger candidate. These decisions are almost stochastic in nature, and any given number of rejections is a poor predictor of one's academic potential in a crowded field like this. Don't let the decisions distract you from your ambitions. I had exactly the same thoughts last year, having put so much effort into it - and yet, after that disappointment, I persevered and it worked out this year instead!

I should perhaps point out that there may have been an admin reason for the delay. Without wanting to go into detail, a part of the application took a little longer to be processed. That's not to say they aren't still sending out more offers, though!

Thanks! I got it roughly 4 hours ago.

Wow. Long-time lurker. Went through last year's app cycle (with no success in the US) and ended up in a (good) non-US programme instead. Went through the cycle again this year. Almost lost hope and got a Duke offer, a Princeton rejection, and an NYU offer all within the space of two hours this evening. I'll need a few days to let this settle. I may actually move country and start a new programme, with rigorous quantitative training! Currently at 2a/0/1r, 4 pending (with Berkeley another presumptive rejection). I'm just incredibly relieved it worked out on the second try.