NatSpit

Claiming a UCLA waitlist spot (CP). I took a different approach to a lot of people this cycle and applied to 6 top-20 programs—I was quite picky! Understandably got rejected at 4 of them and waitlisted at 1 other (then subsequently the slots all filled), so this is my last hope for the 2021 cycle. Either way, it frankly just feels good to be considered. Whatever happens happens, but also please notify UCLA if you’re accepted and not planning to attend lol 0a/2w/4r

Any news on UCLA from anyone? Haven’t seen anything confirmed yet, but I may just be looking in the wrong place

@smug-face At what score level would you suggest sending them? My scores are 167V, 161O, which feels right on the borderline for some of the top-tier programs that are test-optional (MIT, Berkeley), so I'm a bit conflicted.

Hey all - I graduated from an interdisciplinary honor's program in undergrad that focused largely on political theory and legal studies. This was a mistake because my interests have always been comparative politics and I'm applying this cycle as a comparative specialist. Undergrad was fun—I really enjoyed it—but I fear it's left me at a disadvantage for doctorate applications. Here are a few sticking points it would be nice to get some insight into: My undergrad thesis straddled comparative and theory, but is too long for some schools' applications to use as a writing sample None of my other potential writing samples both a) fall within comparative; and b) showcase original research or deep quantitative analysis. Should I choose what I feel is my best academic work regardless of subject, stick with a less impressive comparative paper, or simply write something between now and submitting apps that fills the void? For the GRE, my V score is high 160s and my Q score is 161...so I'm not doing much to help myself there in terms of showing quantitative research capacity. Worth submitting at the schools that aren't requiring GRE scores because of the pandemic? Are there any high-ranking programs known for not being super quant-heavy? Don't get me wrong, I actually love statistics, but I don't think a reader will look at my application and think "really high quant potential!" Thanks for the help!