NCPolPsych

Im at a T10 and your profile compares favorably to many in my cohort. Best of luck! No small part of admissions is just a crapshoot, but you seem to have covered everything you can control superbly. The only thing I will say is to be sure you clearly communicate how your research interests are a good fit with faculty. I have been told multiple times this was the most important factor in my admission.

You have a great shot anywhere, and I mean that honestly. Top tens are definitely within reach. Good luck!

Duke!! So stoked.

165 posts Location:Southern California Application Season:2015 Fall Program:g Report post Posted February 15 My cycle, aside from waitlists, ended today with my tenth and final decision. Seeing as things are beginning to wind down, I thought this would be a good time to post the annual 'profile and lessons learned' thread. I found the previous installment of this thread useful, and others in the past have claimed that it aided them tremendously in the process. So if your cycle is over, please consider posting your profile and results (with as much detail as you feel comfortable) along with advice The template, from previous years, is as follows: PROFILE: Type of Undergrad Institution: Large, Top-Ranked R1 University in the American South Major(s)/Minor(s): Political Science and that's it Undergrad GPA: 3.25 Type of Grad: n/a Grad GPA: n/a GRE: VR-166; QR-154; AW-4 Any Special Courses: 3 graduate seminars taken as an undergrad, three courses in the honors thesis prep series Letters of Recommendation: One extremely well known poli sci prof not in my subfield, one very highly regarded prof who is a star in my subfield, one junior faculty in poli who is considered a "rising star" in my subfield Research Experience: 3 years as a TA; Very involved honors thesis; one paper coauthored with two graduate students and one of the aforementioned profs Teaching Experience: Tutored at our university's "writing center" Subfield/Research Interests: Political Behavior broadly, political psychology specifically Other: RESULTS: Acceptances($$ or no $$): Duke ($$$) Waitlists: Rejections: UNC Pending: Going to: Duke LESSONS LEARNED: To anyone reading this in the future that fears they have no chance at a PhD because of their GPA, please don't let that stop you. I've been very honest above and, as you can see, mine was less than what my school is used to seeing. But I worked extremely hard, got good experience and built genuine relationships with my professors (this is my biggest piece of advice-- don't just cozy up to any ol professor thinking it will help you). Similarly, don't let anyone tell you you have to apply to a certain number of schools-- the chances are slim either way. If your heart is set (like mine was) on one or two schools, just apply there. Worst case you try again next year while broadening your range, like I would have done. Best case you get to go to the school of your dreams (I am very blessed to be in that position). People reading now or in the future, feel free to PM me-- I'm happy to offer any advice I can. SOP: Opened with a personal anecdote about why I became interested in political behavior, followed by how graduate study would provide me a vehicle to answer those burning questions. Then talked about experiences from undergrad, what I'd researched and written, etc. Then talked about the core themes i would center my graduate study around. Finally, Mentioned some profs I'd like to work with and thanked them for their time.

Claiming the Duke admit off waitlist.

Hey guys. This may be a silly question, but are there typically any funding opportunities for the summer before study begins? It just seems like moving to a new city, buying all the essentials plus stuff like a new laptop, etc, may run up quite the bill. How are you all expecting to deal with this, or am I just broke-er than most and super anxious as a result?

Druckman is an absolutely a WONDERFUL, literal genius scholar. This was my bad for not even remembering he was there. Though I would suggest not pinning your hopes to one prof-- people take job offers, etc.

Interesting situation I've found myself in, I was wondering if anyone could help me understand. I am currently on the waitlist for a school. Today, I received the following email: Dear NCPolPsych, I'm reaching out to see if you could come up to visit campus on Tuesday. We're still keeping a close eye on our alternate list, and we want to be in a position to move fast as we get close to 4/15, and also help you move fast on your decision if we are able to admit you. Do you have some time? Thanks, DGS What does this mean for my prospects?? Very confused.

That's a tough one. For you and I, doing political psychology, Northwestern is not as focused on our subfield as the other two. So I would narrow the list that way. Then, on one hand, UCLA has better placements. On the other, Minnesota has traditionally had more of a focus on pure political psychology (rather than just behavior, generally understood). Also at Minny you may be more competitive for more grants and fellowships, as there is a slightly less competitive pool of students.

If you apply to all top 10 programs, which it sounds like is the range you're considering from the schools you mention, you don't really need to worry about funding. You will be fully funded. Job placement will be about the same for most of them. Your primary focus should be determining fit. For your interests, Michigan is almost certainly the best, though you should also give Columbia, Stanford and UNC a look. If you want some "safety" schools that are good in that research area, I'd look into Minnesota and Stonybrook.

Extremely personalized.

Just been informed I am no longer on UNC's waitlist-- rejected. Now just to wait for one more school.

Yes, I did.

To those waiting for Duke-- If you log onto the portal and it has the grey box that says "Decision not yet available," be sure to clear your cache & cookies and reload the page. Mine said that, but I actually had my waitlist (yuck) decision waiting for me. Good luck everyone! And please Duke admits that arent going let them know