Richelieu

I got admitted to MSU without an interview last year. I am not sure if they changed the procedure this year but not hearing about an interview might still be a good sign for MSU.

I mean it's true in maybe 85%+ cases but it's not universally true. Stop telling people generalizations that can cause them a TON of anxiety. 

I can add 2021 next weekend if y'all think it'd be helpful!

For those of you waiting for the results, last year, I used this website to have an idea on when to expect results from some of the more popular schools. https://martindevaux.com/2020/11/political-science-phd-admission-decisions/  (I don't think they have added 2021 results yet, though.)
Also, generally, it's almost always Ohio State that announces the results first among top 20 (3rd week of Jan), then Rice, Wisconsin and WUSTL follow. Most of the schools do not release decisions until the second half of February so you might want to find/visit hobbies during this time. 
Good luck to you all!

I lurk here occasionally, and am weighing in on this because I think this is a perfect example of how prospective and current grad students often have no clue what actually happens in faculty meetings and with ad comms. I've served on admissions committees at two different R1s. In each case, we didn't give one shit about the GRE. The GRE is not predictive of your success in graduate school (much as the SAT is a poor evaluator of college success). What we care about is your past research experience, letters, and whether you fit with our program/whoever is taking students that year. Just as the SAT is a better predictor of socioeconomic class than it is of college success, the only people that care about the GRE are administrators at the Graduate College. In cases where we want to admit someone with a low GRE, we have to fill out paperwork (the extent of paperwork varies) justifying why we are taking a person with a low score. The GRE is one of those administrative hoops that we all have to deal with, but that people who are actually involved with teaching graduate students think is burdensome and useless. The GRE is not predictive of grad school success, and is a better indicator of socioeconomic status and undergraduate institution (which are also correlated) than anything else. Don't get yourselves worked up over GRE scores or if/how they matter. From the inside: we honestly don't care.
 

Hi all! First-year PhD student who used the board last year popping in to wish you all good luck. The application process really sucks but I promise you you all will make it through. Make sure you recognize both the benefits and drawbacks of this board - it is great to connect with others going through the same thing as you but make sure you find things to do outside of checking this board, especially once you get to late January/early February. I'm not sure I have much to offer at this point in the process but feel free to shoot me a message if you think I can be of any help. Again, best of luck!

Hey everyone! I've found this forum to be invaluable this past year as I navigated the PhD admissions process and am blessed to be heading into a great and funded program in a few weeks! As I've been organizing and filing away all of the resources I've collected over the past two years or so, I've realized I have a massive list of documents and links that may prove helpful for future applicants to have all in one place. Below is a vaguely organized-by-topic list of blogs, documents, gradcafe posts and other resources that would be great reads for all of you planning to apply this coming cycle, especially this summer as many of you are starting the process. I have to say that I don't necessarily agree with all of the advice given on these pages and some are more relevant to adjacent fields, but they at least informed my decision making and preparations for what was to come. This is by no means comprehensive and you should consult as many sources and people as possible, but I hope you find some of these links useful! Best of luck this season, and remember that admissions results are not indicative of your worthiness or potential. 
Perspectives on deciding to pursue a PhD 
http://www.nunomonteiro.org/advice/grad-admissions 
https://shouldigetaphd.com/shouldigetaphd.pdf
https://duckofminerva.com/2012/08/applying-for-phd-in-political-science.html
https://www.apsanet.org/Portals/54/files/Brochures/APSA_EarningaPhD.pdf
https://foreignpolicy.com/2012/03/18/so-you-want-to-get-into-a-political-science-ph-d-program-episode-i/ 
https://thepoliticalmethodologist.com/2014/01/18/student-advice-should-i-go-to-graduate-school-if-so-where-should-i-go/ 
https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2017/06/16/provost-unconventional-background-describes-her-graduate-school-experience-essay 
https://chrisblattman.com/2007/12/12/how-to-get-a-phd-and-save-the-world/
https://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/27981-advice-from-an-actual-phd-redux-2/
https://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/12490-policy-phd-vs-political-science-phd/
https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2011/08/professional-education-in-foreign-affairs
https://www.outsidethebeltway.com/international-relations-graduate-school-pros-and-cons/
https://theihs.org/blog/choosing-phd-program-in-political-science/
Guidance on going directly from undergrad to PhD
https://www.reddit.com/r/GradSchool/comments/2p8wwh/phd_students_that_did_not_take_time_off_between/
https://www.princetonreview.com/grad-school-advice/should-you-go-to-grad-school-right-after-undergrad
https://www.findaphd.com/advice/blog/3670/skipping-a-masters-on-the-way-to-a-phd-the-road-less-travelled 
https://people.fas.harvard.edu/~jkertzer/prospective.html 
Admissions
https://chrisblattman.com/about/contact/gradschool/ 
http://home.uchicago.edu/~mstaisch/Memo%20on%20PhD%20Applications.pdf
https://forum.thegradcafe.com/blogs/entry/547-starting-your-statement-of-purpose/
https://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/45432-free-gre-resources-master-post/
https://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/48905-some-advice-on-writing-an-sop/
https://thepoliticalmethodologist.com/2013/10/13/what-courses-do-i-need-to-prepare-for-a-phd-in-political-science/
https://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2014/03/some-advice-to-prospective-graduate-students-visiting-departments.html
https://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/122272-results-profile-lessons-2020/#comments
https://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/122468-adcomm-insider/
https://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/122443-what-would-you-have-done-differently-in-the-process/
https://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/122124-good-sop-examples/
http://www.ericachenoweth.com/teaching/grad-school 
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57d2eeebbe65947fb325749e/t/57db3d47f7e0abec4167cf9e/1473985869102/5+Rules+for+Statement+of+Purpose.pdf
https://ls.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/statement_of_purpose.pdf
https://brightlinkprep.com/gre-scoring-algorthm-deciphered/
https://www.btaa.org/docs/default-source/diversity/gradschoolguide.pdf
http://www.nunomonteiro.org/advice/recommendation-letters
https://contemplativemammoth.com/2013/04/08/so-you-want-to-go-to-grad-school-nail-the-inquiry-email/
https://cyrussamii.com/?page_id=2121
Admissions Statistics
https://imgur.com/a/EuNTB 
https://tableau.dsc.umich.edu/t/UM-Public/views/RackhamDoctoralProgramStatistics/ProgramStatistics?:embed=y&:showAppBanner=false&:showShareOptions=true&:display_count=no&:showVizHome=no&FOSDParameter=All+Rackham  (many if not all schools will have a page like this with data sorted by program)
https://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/122652-grad-cafe-political-science-data-stuff/
https://fretpwner.shinyapps.io/GradCafeStatistics/
Funding Info
http://www.phdstipends.com/ 
https://academicpositions.com/career-advice/phd-professor-and-postdoc-salaries-in-the-united-states
https://www.profellow.com/fellowships/17-predoctoral-fellowships-for-new-phd-candidates/
https://apps.grad.illinois.edu/fellowship-finder/?action=main.search&grp1=12&grp2=20&grp3=22&q=
PhD Resources
Important notes for women scholars:
https://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2018/10/when-you-re-only-woman-challenges-female-phd-students-male-dominated-cohorts  
https://foreignpolicy.com/2012/03/11/should-women-get-ph-d-s-in-international-relations/ 
https://irevolutions.org/2012/05/09/advice-to-future-phds/ 
https://www.apsanet.org/RESOURCES/For-Students/Institutions-Granting-PhDs-in-Political-Science
https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/gradhacker?page=14
http://gradresources.org/
https://www.apsanet.org/Portals/54/APSA%20Files/Data%20Reports/Employment%20Data/Graduate%20Placement%20Report%202016-2017.pdf?ver=2018-02-02-103603-070 
https://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/123896-tips-for-choosing-between-schools/
https://sites.google.com/site/honestgraduatenumbers/ 
https://chrisblattman.com/2012/09/09/phd-students-writing-an-nsf-application/
https://contemplativemammoth.com/2011/11/22/how-to-get-a-faculty-job-in-20-not-so-easy-steps/
https://theprofessorisin.com/
https://law.vanderbilt.edu/phd/How_to_Survive_1st_Year.pdf
https://economics.cornell.edu/grad-student-advice
https://benjaminnoble.org/blog/
https://predoc.org/opportunities
https://chrisblattman.com/teaching/
https://medium.com/the-renaissance-economist/the-economics-pre-doctoral-fellowship-what-is-it-and-should-you-apply-for-one-27965bcf7c3
Placement
https://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/118154-the-story-of-one-cohort/ 
https://alexandreafonso.me/2019/02/11/academic-hierarchies-in-us-political-science/

Most of the programs in the US accepts the submission of the degrees until the end of the 1st year of your PhD. That was told to me by the admission officer at the PhD program I was accepted to.

Most of the programs in the US accepts the submission of the degrees until the end of the 1st year of your PhD. That was told to me by the admission officer at the PhD program I was accepted to.

PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad Institution: International - Top School in Turkey
Major(s)/Minor(s): Totally irrelevant major (TEFL) 
Undergrad GPA: 3.4
Type of Grad: UK - Political Science
Grad GPA: Distinction
GRE: Not taken
Any Special Courses: Basic stats courses and 1 year of relevant language. 
Letters of Recommendation: 3 tenured faculty. Two in my subject area, other one is from my undergrad major.
Teaching Experience: Teaching languages in 4 different countries. 
Other:  Field research that led to a publication. Published an article at an International Law journal, other one is also accepted to be published in the next few months. 
 
RESULTS
Acceptances: Ohio State ($), Michigan State ($), Indiana ($), Florida ($), UC Santa Barbara ($).
Rejections: Princeton, Yale, UMichigan, UCSD, Cornell, UCLA, Northwestern, Rice, Georgetown, Notre Dame.
Going to: Ohio State.
I won't be adding to all those great suggestions that other candidates mentioned above. One note is that if you're coming from an irrelevant major into political science, you need to be able to show you can do research in political science. In my case, it was the field research and publications. 
 

Thanks everyone for another season on this forum!
I'm proud to be associated with you all (even if we're anonymous) and grateful that we are such a good community! The main application thread had, as you can see, well above 500k views since November, which is really quite mind-blowing to me.
To those of you who will be reapply next year, I'll be back then and look forward to reconnect. I'll sign in from time to time and please feel free to reach out if there is anything I can do, help with, or give you advise on. I certainly do not know everything but I do know some things and would be happy to help.
Best wishes to you all!

PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad Institution: International - Top School in Turkey
Major(s)/Minor(s): Totally irrelevant major (TEFL) 
Undergrad GPA: 3.4
Type of Grad: UK - Political Science
Grad GPA: Distinction
GRE: Not taken
Any Special Courses: Basic stats courses and 1 year of relevant language. 
Letters of Recommendation: 3 tenured faculty. Two in my subject area, other one is from my undergrad major.
Teaching Experience: Teaching languages in 4 different countries. 
Other:  Field research that led to a publication. Published an article at an International Law journal, other one is also accepted to be published in the next few months. 
 
RESULTS
Acceptances: Ohio State ($), Michigan State ($), Indiana ($), Florida ($), UC Santa Barbara ($).
Rejections: Princeton, Yale, UMichigan, UCSD, Cornell, UCLA, Northwestern, Rice, Georgetown, Notre Dame.
Going to: Ohio State.
I won't be adding to all those great suggestions that other candidates mentioned above. One note is that if you're coming from an irrelevant major into political science, you need to be able to show you can do research in political science. In my case, it was the field research and publications. 
 

PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad Institution: International - Top School in Turkey
Major(s)/Minor(s): Totally irrelevant major (TEFL) 
Undergrad GPA: 3.4
Type of Grad: UK - Political Science
Grad GPA: Distinction
GRE: Not taken
Any Special Courses: Basic stats courses and 1 year of relevant language. 
Letters of Recommendation: 3 tenured faculty. Two in my subject area, other one is from my undergrad major.
Teaching Experience: Teaching languages in 4 different countries. 
Other:  Field research that led to a publication. Published an article at an International Law journal, other one is also accepted to be published in the next few months. 
 
RESULTS
Acceptances: Ohio State ($), Michigan State ($), Indiana ($), Florida ($), UC Santa Barbara ($).
Rejections: Princeton, Yale, UMichigan, UCSD, Cornell, UCLA, Northwestern, Rice, Georgetown, Notre Dame.
Going to: Ohio State.
I won't be adding to all those great suggestions that other candidates mentioned above. One note is that if you're coming from an irrelevant major into political science, you need to be able to show you can do research in political science. In my case, it was the field research and publications. 
 

Also some important notes before putting too much attention into rankings...
Taken from the "Read our Methodology" section of the rankings:
"THE RANKINGS OF doctoral programs in the social sciences and humanities are based solely on the results of peer assessment surveys sent to academics in each discipline. U.S. News conducted the survey of doctoral programs in economics, English, history, political science, sociology, and criminology and criminal justice in fall 2020 and early 2021. 
The questionnaires asked respondents to rate the academic quality of the programs at other institutions on a 5-point scale: outstanding (5), strong (4), good (3), adequate (2) or marginal (1). Individuals who were unfamiliar with a particular school's programs were asked to select "don't know."
Here is the number of schools surveyed in each discipline: 42 in criminology and criminal justice; 125 in economics; 157 in English; 146 in history; 120 in political science; and 117 in sociology. Response rates were: criminology and criminal justice, 96%; economics, 41%; English, 34%; history, 32%; political science, 46%; and sociology, 46%."
So with less than 50% response rate, I don't really know how seriously one should take these rankings. Just my two cents.

Also some important notes before putting too much attention into rankings...
Taken from the "Read our Methodology" section of the rankings:
"THE RANKINGS OF doctoral programs in the social sciences and humanities are based solely on the results of peer assessment surveys sent to academics in each discipline. U.S. News conducted the survey of doctoral programs in economics, English, history, political science, sociology, and criminology and criminal justice in fall 2020 and early 2021. 
The questionnaires asked respondents to rate the academic quality of the programs at other institutions on a 5-point scale: outstanding (5), strong (4), good (3), adequate (2) or marginal (1). Individuals who were unfamiliar with a particular school's programs were asked to select "don't know."
Here is the number of schools surveyed in each discipline: 42 in criminology and criminal justice; 125 in economics; 157 in English; 146 in history; 120 in political science; and 117 in sociology. Response rates were: criminology and criminal justice, 96%; economics, 41%; English, 34%; history, 32%; political science, 46%; and sociology, 46%."
So with less than 50% response rate, I don't really know how seriously one should take these rankings. Just my two cents.

Hey All, 
Not sure if this has already been talked about, but US-News has recently updated their Political Science rankings for the first time since 2016. While the importance of ranking in actual outcome can be debated until the sun goes down, it is still noteworthy when they update the ranking list. 
Take a look (link)

Accepted off the waitlist at UIUC! I am so relieved and thrilled and all of the emotions!

I wonder if this is a correct use of the downvote on the original post? I mean one can disapprove of the rejection but still support the person rejected.

Lurker here ! Got my first official rejection from MIT in PE this morning. Tough pill to swallow as my fit for the MIT was very, very strong. On the other hand, had real issues with some administrative documents (their dep. was not particularly helpful, in fact they never answered to anything), so there is a STRONG chance my application was not even considered. This is in fact very frustrating but, in terms of ego and belief in my capacities, more of a status-quo kind of thing than a damning one. I will try for sure next year. Other than that, I only applied at Georgetown in IR and fully expect a rejection. Fit was strong, but competition seemed unreal.
Truth be told, really not a bright idea to apply to only two programs, but truth is I was obsessed with a MsC program at Oxford which, coupled with the insecurity regarding political climate in the States (during Fall), took my attention away from an American PhD possibility. I found out in mid November that some schools did not require GRE scores, got in contact with a Pr. at MIT through a research partner in McGill a week later and brushed up a SOP with the help of said Pr. Thought I had a good shot, but made mistakes along the way which probably really cost me.
This whole thing is a learning process and I am glad I went through it, even though I am unsuccessful. I think I have a  strong profile but, at the end of the day, still am originating from a small francophone Canadian university.  I embrace the challenge, I am only 24 years old (which I understand is fairly older than many of my compatriots on this forum, but still young in the general scheme of things),  will come back next year with way more options and hopefully with better sample and a good GRE scores. 
Do not let this cycle, which has been affected by COVID in more ways that I think we can comprehend, dictate how you see yourself as an academic. Life has that weird tendency, a frustrating one to say the least, to  create paths for yourself that will seem non-linear, filled with obstacles ; a zigzagging journey that will test everything you have. You do have to believe in this process and understand that Life has a plan for you and that you need to trust it. This cycle is one small event in a career that will, one day,  bring you cherished friendships, discoveries and experiences. Do not give up.
See you next year ! Peace.

Firstly, congratulations to everyone who managed to get admissions during this brutal application cycle. As said before numerous times, not getting an admission is not an indicator of one's abilities since there are so many variables included in this selection process.
As we're approaching to the end of this year's decision timeline, I wanted to ask to those of you who got multiple offers, how do you plan to decline the other offers you managed to get? What kind of email structure do you plan to use? Luckily, I was offered a spot at multiple institutions and I have been in contact with POIs in many of these places, I am not sure how to approach to the POIs with an intention of rejecting their offers. 
Open to all suggestions. 

Firstly, congratulations to everyone who managed to get admissions during this brutal application cycle. As said before numerous times, not getting an admission is not an indicator of one's abilities since there are so many variables included in this selection process.
As we're approaching to the end of this year's decision timeline, I wanted to ask to those of you who got multiple offers, how do you plan to decline the other offers you managed to get? What kind of email structure do you plan to use? Luckily, I was offered a spot at multiple institutions and I have been in contact with POIs in many of these places, I am not sure how to approach to the POIs with an intention of rejecting their offers. 
Open to all suggestions. 

Firstly, congratulations to everyone who managed to get admissions during this brutal application cycle. As said before numerous times, not getting an admission is not an indicator of one's abilities since there are so many variables included in this selection process.
As we're approaching to the end of this year's decision timeline, I wanted to ask to those of you who got multiple offers, how do you plan to decline the other offers you managed to get? What kind of email structure do you plan to use? Luckily, I was offered a spot at multiple institutions and I have been in contact with POIs in many of these places, I am not sure how to approach to the POIs with an intention of rejecting their offers. 
Open to all suggestions. 

Firstly, congratulations to everyone who managed to get admissions during this brutal application cycle. As said before numerous times, not getting an admission is not an indicator of one's abilities since there are so many variables included in this selection process.
As we're approaching to the end of this year's decision timeline, I wanted to ask to those of you who got multiple offers, how do you plan to decline the other offers you managed to get? What kind of email structure do you plan to use? Luckily, I was offered a spot at multiple institutions and I have been in contact with POIs in many of these places, I am not sure how to approach to the POIs with an intention of rejecting their offers. 
Open to all suggestions. 

Firstly, congratulations to everyone who managed to get admissions during this brutal application cycle. As said before numerous times, not getting an admission is not an indicator of one's abilities since there are so many variables included in this selection process.
As we're approaching to the end of this year's decision timeline, I wanted to ask to those of you who got multiple offers, how do you plan to decline the other offers you managed to get? What kind of email structure do you plan to use? Luckily, I was offered a spot at multiple institutions and I have been in contact with POIs in many of these places, I am not sure how to approach to the POIs with an intention of rejecting their offers. 
Open to all suggestions. 

Firstly, congratulations to everyone who managed to get admissions during this brutal application cycle. As said before numerous times, not getting an admission is not an indicator of one's abilities since there are so many variables included in this selection process.
As we're approaching to the end of this year's decision timeline, I wanted to ask to those of you who got multiple offers, how do you plan to decline the other offers you managed to get? What kind of email structure do you plan to use? Luckily, I was offered a spot at multiple institutions and I have been in contact with POIs in many of these places, I am not sure how to approach to the POIs with an intention of rejecting their offers. 
Open to all suggestions.