e2e4
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Posts posted by e2e4
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On 5/4/2020 at 8:01 PM, Tariqks said:
Hi everyone!
My decision process has kind of been turned on its head, so I wanted some outside perspective. Just last week, I committed to Johns Hopkins SAIS (MA), where I received a really generous scholarship offer of $80k for the 2 years. However, today Columbia SIPA (MIA) matched the offer and slightly more, so now I am seriously considering it.
Within the IR framework, I’ll be concentrating in security/conflict resolution with a further focus on the Middle East. I want to use grad school as a way to open myself up to career opportunities, but want to focus on the diplomatic track, think tanks/UN, or even the possibility of journalism which has always been a passion. SIPA always had a bit of an edge for me personally due to several faculty members with research interests/backgrounds more directly relevant to mine, more interesting course options/curriculum, the ability to take courses at other departments (like journalism or law), plus perhaps more name recognition here and abroad. However, SAIS had the benefit of being in DC, with more direct access to security/Middle East-focused think tanks and gov agencies. Something that really turned me off from SAIS, though, was the heavy emphasis on economics, and I feel that the econ courses required at SIPA may be more relevant for my career interests.
At the end of the day, I'm kind of just shocked at this turn around and would love to hear any and all thoughts!
when you say you committed, to what extent? i know nothing about either, but you may want to look into what kind of contract you may have entered into, or what it might mean for the waitlist and effects on other applicants.. (though my hunch is both would be desperate for enrollment right now, so may not matter too much)..
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6 hours ago, weast said:
Hello everyone,
I was hoping I could get some advice on weighing the two options I got this cycle. I was admitted to the University of Minnesota's PhD program, and also accepted to the University of Chicago's Committee on International Relations masters program. My interests are in political theory, comparative politics, and international relations (particularly human rights), but my research interests often cross other fields and methodologies, including area studies (South and East Asia), philosophy, cultural and media studies, and cultural anthropology. My ultimate intent with graduate education is to pursue an academic career, though I am of course cognizant of the precarity of the job market.
I am at a loss at how to make a decision between the two. Minnesota is a wonderful program, that fits with my research interests rather well, but I think that UChicago's CIR program would give me the training I need to design my eventual research more thoroughly. I am pretty young, so I became pretty cognizant this cycle about how little research experience I have, despite having done undergraduate research and writing a senior thesis. I have some knowledge about the structure and culture of Minnesota's program, but I have very little comparative information about UChicago's CIR program.
Funding is also a factor- Minnesota's offer is fully funded, but UChicago's offer is only half-funded.
In the end, I am interested in hearing your thoughts on what program would set me up to most effectively pursue the interdisciplinary research interests that I have. I'd be happy to provide more information about my specific research interests along with what I'm looking for in an academic program, if that would help. Thank you!
Yo UofC alum here Go to Minnesota
don't take on debt. half-tuition plus fees + living expenses is going to run you approx 50k. not worth it imo, but up to you ultimately. plus you have no guarantee of getting into a school better than minnesota; cir phd placements after degree are inflated
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5 minutes ago, Shayshay1331 said:
Thanks so much for clarifying!! Will give it a day (it's super late here) and then go back for some more info.
Give it a day, or even a few. Celebrate your acceptance. It is also not too late to send out some applications to CUNY's Marxe School, which is an excellent program, definitely on the up, and more affordable as I understand it. I believe that you can take classes across Columbia the consortium (Princeton, Baruch, etc.) as well. Deadline is March 1. There are other options with rolling deadlines up until late April if the aid is inadequate, though the quicker you jump on these apps, the more favorable your funding offer will be.
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2 hours ago, PoliSci4FlyGuys said:
Anyone claiming the Harvard admit?
lol it is not me
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2 minutes ago, Shayshay1331 said:
hey guys, reposting this here, hope that's okay.
I'm an international student and just got admitted to Columbia but there was no mention of financial aid. I was just wondering if this is normal as funding is released later, or whether this means I won't be receiving any funding?I'm on the MA in Human Rights Studies
With PhDs, funding offers can take up to six weeks. MAs vary program to program. Some have aid figured out when they send offers, others suggest you fill out FAFSA or other docs for them to review eligibility for federal loans, some give it a few weeks before they determine where the grants will flow. Fire off a message to the program and ask if funding details will follow or if they have a breakdown of tuition, fees, and costs that you can refer to. You are admitted, so feel free to get as much information as you can to help you make up your mind.
- Shayshay1331 and raduan
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1 hour ago, Gik said:
Should I give up on UBC by now? I've applied to their PhD, but haven't heard anything yet. Do they send out acceptances in a single batch?
Hey Gik,
I have no idea. I was contacted by my PI then received a personalized form letter from the department giving funding terms. Some of it seems to depend on who has agreed to take you on as a student, so perhaps reach out to the professor(s) you indicated interest with in your application? May even vary by subfield and this determines which chunks go out? I would not give up hope yet if I were you as my UBC info is just now coming in.
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6 hours ago, Moss13 said:
I've applied to McGill, UBC, and Carleton MA in Political Science.... still no news from them.. I don't know if I should contact them or not
I only just heard from UBC PhD. I'm Canadian & not going for an MA so I don't know if that makes a difference....
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7 minutes ago, are-you-f'ing-serious said:
Who would have thought she actually applied to ALL of these schools? SMH...
Ah your'e back and salty as always. Cannot be good for your skin.
System tends to be stochastic. Hard to know a priori where one will land. Rule of thumb is to apply widely, and if a person has the resources in terms of money and time to fire off all these apps, then so be it. Schools should be better about fee waivers and leveling the field so that this is viable for all applicants, but I have a pretty strong hunch that was not the intent of your post. I thought you no longer needed us, anyway....
- geoconvert, captmarvel and sloth_girl
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12 minutes ago, Theory007 said:
Yeah, but if you do what you need to do in phd courses you will get A- or A. Anything below - even a B+ - would raise serious red flags to the department anyway so it does not matter. And this is also true for departments that require a 3.0 average.
This is not true across all departments, especially in certain math, EECS, or science courses. If student wants to do nuclear stuff or advanced math, they would be taking courses alongside PhD candidates in whatever field and may not have same foundation in proofs or physics. Makes it riskier for a qual leaning student who may want to take real analysis or something and they may forego that opportunity to expand methodological repertoire. Same for methods purists trying to break into history. Some do not have holistic backgrounds coming in, and while the PhD should cultivate that, this GPA thing may end up reifying silos.
- captmarvel and Marika8
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2 hours ago, GabriellaG said:
So I know that some people have been writing to their schools they want to go to (at least so it seems here and on the results section) and asking about waitlisting, timelines, etc. And I was just wondering what the group's opinions are on trying to make your case to either a waitlist school (by ex: saying you would accept immediately if they offered it), or to a school you haven't been accepted to yet.
I've been going back and forth on it myself. It seems like it could be both harmful and beneficial depending on how you framed it. But I was just curious if any of you have done that and if you've gotten a generally positive or negative response from it? I'm dying here haha - I need to do something otherwise I'll go mad.
Doesn't hurt to let the school know you'd 100% go if you were moved off the waitlist. That kind of info only helps them. Jumping the gun with schools that haven't sent out admits likely won't hurt, but I doubt it would help much unless they thought you were just treating them like a safety.... who knows... squeaky wheels tend to do well
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17 hours ago, kaze_ng said:
Hey guys,
So I'm just curious about what you guys think about FSU's poli sci department? I tried to look for information about the department on PSR, but that place is not, uh, very nice. So if you can let me know what are your thoughts about the program, that would be great!
it's fine.... depends on what you're into. i'd just be sure the prof(s) you want to work with is/are planning to stick around before you commit
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3 hours ago, taraeh said:
So you didn't get an official acceptance? Just a letter asking you to come to visit day? When is visit day?
Scratch that.. there was a formal acceptance too. Mid march.
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7 hours ago, taraeh said:
Please explain more????
cuny also made contact with me today -- details re visit day. no letter though..
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3 minutes ago, Ethanf said:
Really interesting. I have a B.A. from an Ivy and will be self-funded. Does that line up with what you've seen?
Are the classes not quite rigorous? How do they dull people complete the program?
Depends on Ivy, tbh, but if you got honors on your B.A. thesis and got a 3.7+ GPA you're well in the running. I don't know what it is with brits but the more fancy stickers you have in terms of awards and honours you have on file, the better. I do not know much about your interests, so there may be other international schools that you might consider, especially LSE as @Theory007 suggests, but really depends what you want out of it & the type of training you're after.
Lots of heterogeneity among centres; some are stellar, others, eh.. make contact with profs and prog. well in advance. Programmes are what you make of them & really varies.
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19 minutes ago, Ethanf said:
Does anyone have any experience with M.Phils in PoliSci/IR at Oxford and/or Cambridge? I'm an American wondering how competitive I will be for admission. I know they don't only accept Rhodes/Gates scholars, but is basically everyone a rockstar student? Thanks for your help in advance.
Just takes money & often a posh pedigree. Westminster dog show of programs. Some of the dullest minds I've met in person, but spotless on paper.
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5 minutes ago, billk said:
Thanks! It's mid/low 30s. I'll look back for an answer.
I know you want a faculty answer, but you should know that these will be very conflicting, so I am going to chime in out of turn. I have posed this question to a variety of faculty. Some have told me not to go outside the top 8. Others have suggested I think creatively about what I could do at programs that are well outside that range (even lower than a mid 30). I am more amenable to the latter. Go where you feel you fit, not somewhere where you may be molded into a particular type of boilerplate scholar and will be your advisor's 7th favorite student. When you go to market, your advisor will be writing your recs for postdoc/assistant jobs (and even tenure letter), trading you and his students informally on the professor bazaar. Going to a top program can also curse you in that way, whereas a program where you develop lasting collaborative relationships can make your career. Burn out is real. Go where you will feel supported in your projects. And go where you feel like you can pursue your intellectual goals. Don't let this entrenched gatekeeping dissuade you
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23 minutes ago, Clintarius said:
Hi! First post but I've been following this thread for a while and I really appreciate the support and the positivity!
I received an email from the DGS at NYU Politics yesterday to let me know I'm waitlisted.
Anyone in the same boat? I'm trying to gauge the size of the waitlist. I'm an international student and I've been admitted to UCSD as well so far (rejections from Princeton/Stanford).
Additionally, I was wondering if you guys know roughly when most programs start. I've seen a few dates but I'm struggling to get a good idea of it, and need to notify my boss about when I'll be leaving my current organization.Varies school by school, especially depending if school is on semesters, trimesters, quarters. You can check academic calendars for schools you are considering. Some offer optional training before orientation such as 'methods bootcamp' or 'math camp'; details on those can often be found on program websites or deep in these forums.
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41 minutes ago, PhD2020Applicant said:
Thank you so much! I'll google that as well. Once rejections come in, I'll take a couple days to recuperate, do some fun stuff and then start working to get better for next year. Thanks a lot for your encouragement!
It's still early for you, but in the worst case, take a couple weeks. Put it out of your mind and start anew. I would also not be afraid to reach out to adcomms and inquire about areas you could improve on. Many will leave you on read, but some may take the time to give you concrete advice. I did not do this, and instead perfected my lasagne recipes. Happy to post them here at the end of the cycle.
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46 minutes ago, Romcomulus said:
As it stands now im at 0a/3r/0w/7p. Tomorrow morning, my last application deadline will have passed. I'm making a call for all good vibes you guys can muster to be sent my way. I need all the help I can get. This has been a long journey for me. I dropped out of high school my sophomore year, found myself homeless till I was 18, and had to fight tooth and nail to get my GED, claw my way through community college, transfer to university, get my degree from said university, and finally, finish my masters and begin working as an adjunct. Becoming a researcher and educator has been my dream for some time, and I'm hoping I can take a step in the right direction during the cycle. Best of luck to all those waiting on a decision. Remember, you're here for a reason, you are not an imposter.
really wishing you the best -- I hope the rest of your programs appreciate your dedication and talents
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11 minutes ago, PhD2020Applicant said:
I wasn't rejected yet, but I have a feeling it's coming and that I won't be going anywhere next year. Any tips on how to deal with this rejection? My heart hurts
Anyway, congratulations to all those accepted! I wish you all the very best of luck. You worked hard and you deserve every bit of your success! Enjoy your moment ❤️
I taught myself how to knit and kept busy with little projects. Then I tried the cycle again with positive energy (and scarves) and got some offers.
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2 minutes ago, niceward said:
My struggle with processing these rejections/waiting is that the process is so obscure to the average person. I come from a working class background, so my family doesn't get it. My mother, for example, has no idea what to say to me. My adviser has recently been promoted to Chair, and she's become distant as a result. My friends and boyfriend aren't really interested in graduate school, so their response is sympathetic but unsatisfying. I feel so alone in this.
Hey Nice, I hope you find some sense of community and support here and elsewhere. Please slide in DMs whenever.
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2 minutes ago, are-you-f'ing-serious said:
Well I am already accepted to the program of my dreams, I don't need this forum full of people with self confidence issues.
You Americans...
Ok, so no one is holding a hatchet to your head forcing you to stay & toss insults, though it seems like there may be some kind of projection here re self confidence....
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27 minutes ago, niceward said:
Just got my JHU rejection. I'm going to stay in today. Happy Valentine's Day.
26 minutes ago, Romcomulus said:Same. I was really excited about my chances too.
really sorry to hear @niceward & @Romcomulus. hope you have more success in the coming days.
- NotMyHML, sloth_girl and GabriellaG
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U Chicago MAPSS, App Deadline
in Political Science Forum
Posted
Mapss alum here. Just send the app in. Letters of rec have a little slack, but best to have materials in on time, as committees view shortly after submission. In your interest as well to get it in sooner, as they're figuring out aid for fourth years and other applicants. Really think about what you want out of MAPSS and if it would be worth it for you professionally. Market is shit and UofC tends to be a bit dishonest in their placement, as most schools, so just take it all w a grain of salt.