StarkDark1

Anyone claiming admission from Northwestern?

I mean, I don't like the GRE and I think it should go-- but a 148 verbal score for a top 20 poli sci program seems like a huge red flag. That's like the 30th percentile. Maybe you're right, but it just seems unlikely a score that low would fly with ad coms. I'd think that anyone with a basic grasp of English (even a poor test taker) could at the very least reach the 50th percentile. This one seems like a troll IMO. Maybe not the others though.

I mean they submitted the 148/153 on the results list, no one actually claimed it on a post here on the forum. Sorry if I was unclear

One person claimed an acceptance with like a 148 verbal and 153 quant score. Is it even possible to get into Northwestern with those scores?

Well... I submitted a paper that compares Israel and South African apartheid. I argue that Israel is an apartheid state (with some qualifications). There are a couple of profs in the program who support/sympathize with Palestine. The program seems more left-wing than most. But I still think maybe it was a bad move to submit this paper... Too controversial. I'm probably doomed.

I submitted a writing sample on Israel-Palestine and I took a strong stance. I used that article because it's my strongest piece, and it connects with what I want to study in grad school. Was submitting it a bad move? I can't help but wonder how objective ad coms are, especially about incendiary subjects.

Is Northwestern done with sending acceptance letters? I see 6 admits already. But most of them seem to be International applicants. I wonder if they'll send another wave of acceptances to domestic applicants. Maybe I'm just engaging in wishful thinking.... :/

Most of the acceptances so far seem to be International applicants. Maybe Northwestern sends those out first, then US citizens. Also I was looking at previous years, and it looks like they usually send acceptances within a week-long period. My guess is that they'll send another wave of acceptances tomorrow, Friday, or early next week! If I don't hear word by next Wednesday, I'm just going to assume I didn't get in....

I see that 4 or 5 people have already got acceptances.... some of them on Friday of last week. Seems a bit early compared to previous years. Starting to feel nervous. :/ Congrats to those who were accepted though.

Comparative politics

Undergrad university: between #50 and #100 in most national rankings GPA: 3.98, honors program GRE: 165 verbal, 155, quant, 5.0 AW LORs: Good, but it's been a couple years since I graduated so they probably won't be super personal or special (This looks like the most important part of the app going by Northwestern's website, so kind of worried). SOP: Very strong, I spent a lot of time crafting it. Asked 3 profs to read it and I edited it several times. Mentioned that I contacted a prof I want to work with, and she said she's down to work with me if I'm accepted. Outlined her research and my interest in it in the SOP, as well an independent study I did in my undergrad. Writing sample: Good, but super contentious. I won't get into the details, but I wrote about and took a controversial position. Hope the AdCom is fair-minded or not too far on the opposite side of the debate. Diversity statement: I'm a POC and I think the statement is fairly strong. MA: Just started 1 year MA that ends right before the Ph.D. program would start if I'm accepted.

How does anyone afford 60,000 for tuition + 30,000 for living expenses when most of the scholarships are 10,000 to 30,000? It's jaw-dropping.

I've seen a lot of posts on Gradcafe where people say MAPH is a cash cow, that professors give MAPHers less attention, that the program isn't even super competitive (that they let a good number in because they are willing to pay). I wanted to ask, is UChicago's MAPH the real deal? I'm feeling really proud to get into such a great institution, but I'm hearing all this talk about how it's a makeshift degree at a first-rate university... I got a 10,500 dollar scholarship, but that's a small dent in overall expenses if I decide to go. I studied poli sci in undergrad, and thought MAPH would be a great way to transition to English lit as a PHD. If I decide to go to MAPH I don't want to feel like an impostor, and I wanted to know if getting in is comparable to people who got into specific discipline MAs in Chicago (MA in Philosophy, English, etc.).

I also got into the MAPH with a 10.5K scholarship. How many people/what percentage get into this program? Seeing so many acceptances. I feel like MAPH would be a good stepping stone to a top-notch PHD, but 50K tuition is ridiculous. What does everyone everyone know about MAPH and placements? I'm half way considering taking out more loans because UChicago is such a great college. But also feeling like I'm being swindled.