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foxcarnival

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    2022/23 Cycle Profile/Results/Lessons

    in Political Science Forum

    Posted · Edited by foxcarnival

    PROFILE:
    Type of Undergrad Institution:  Liberal arts college (<4000 students) in the Midwest
    Major(s)/Minor(s): Political science/history
    Undergrad GPA:  3.89
    Type of Grad: PhD program at a Big 10 university in the Midwest
    Grad GPA:  3.9
    GRE: 168 V, not telling my math, but it is not good, so don't let bad test scores limit where you apply!
    Any Special Courses: Two years of coursework in a PhD program
    Letters of Recommendation: One full professor (CP), one associate (methods), one assistant (IR/game theory)
    Teaching/Research Experience: Two semesters TAing, one semester as instructor of record, one summer doing research with a faculty member in undergrad

    RESULTS:
    Acceptances: WUSTL, Duke, Rochester
    Rejections: Chicago PE, Emory, OSU, Vanderbilt, NYU (assumed), Princeton, Michigan, Stanford GSB, UCSD, Columbia
    Attending: Rochester 🥳

    LESSONS LEARNED:
    I went straight from undergrad to a PhD program two years ago when I was admitted off the waitlist to my current program. At the time, I knew that I loved studying political science and not a whole lot else. Graduate study gave me the chance to narrow my research agenda, develop my technical skills, and build my confidence. Would I do it all again? Absolutely. Would I recommend it to others? Depends. I knew for sure that I wanted to be in grad school and that I eventually wanted to be a professor, but the details were fuzzy. If you're unsure of either of those things    , taking an RAship or policy job may well be a better use of your time. 

    2022-2023 Application Thread

    in Political Science Forum

    Posted

    54 minutes ago, ctb33 said:

    Did you hear anything more confirming Illinois was sent out? I haven't seen anything about them since then and wasn't sure if acceptances were delayed or went to people not on this forum

    From what I understand, Illinois admits will come individually and through the end of March. You may or may not be notified if you're waitlisted, but Illinois recruits heavily from its waitlist, so there's a good chance of receiving an offer, even if you haven't heard anything yet. Don't lose hope!

    2020/21 Cycle Profile/Results/Lessons

    in Political Science Forum

    Posted

    PROFILE
    Type of Undergrad Institution: Small liberal arts college in the Midwest
    Major(s)/Minor(s): Political science/History
    Undergrad GPA: 3.87
    Type of Grad: n/a (I'm still an undergrad)
    Grad GPA: n/a
    GRE: 168 verbal 156 quant, 4.5 writing
    Any Special Courses: Statistical modeling with R, math up through Calc II (I used to be a math major), accelerated stats sequence, undergrad thesis/capstone
    Letters of Recommendation: My academic advisor, the department chair, for whom I TAed and researched, and my thesis supervisor
    Teaching Experience: TAed a first year seminar this past fall
    Other: Received a grant to sponsor collaborative research with a faculty mentor last summer and work for the department currently

    RESULTS
    Acceptances: UIUC (admitted from the waitlist), Chicago MAPSS (partial funding)
    Rejections: Princeton, Harvard, UCLA, Duke, Wisconsin, Johns Hopkins, Chicago (PhD), UVA, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame (interviewed and then invited to/attended virtual visit)

    1. If possible, the writing sample should reflect your research interests. I submitted my undergrad thesis in political psychology, but applied as a theorist to the majority of schools because of my low quant GRE scores and a sustained interest in philosophy. 

    2. GRE scores don't matter as much as I had thought. I really limited myself by thinking that I could only get admitted in a non-quantitative subfield, but then ended up getting admitted for AP and taking an offer at an institution with a really rigorous intro methods sequence. 

    3. Fit matters. I had a shortlist of 5 schools last November, but when Minnesota and Carolina both announced they weren't admitting students this cycle, I called up my advisor and sent out applications to every school he recommended, regardless of my fit in the department. It wasn't the best move, but I genuinely had no idea what to do once the number of schools to which I was applying was basically halved. The process was rushed and I frankly regret applying to as many schools as I did (11) because those that interviewed or admitted me were the three schools to which I was already going to apply. 

    4. Apply to MA programs if you don't already have one! When it seemed like my cycle was over, I scrambled to submit MA applications but found across the board that I had missed the funding deadlines. Even if you want to go straight to PhD, it's truly better to be safe than sorry. 

    5. Overall, I just feel really fortunate to have received an offer this year. This cycle was absolutely gruesome and I think that grad admissions will be forever changed. Programs that didn't take students will begin admitting again, but it seems as though smaller cohorts are going to be the norm. I fear that theory students are increasingly going to find that there are fewer places and fewer spots available for them. 

    2020-2021 Application Thread

    in Political Science Forum

    Posted

    24 minutes ago, poliscihopeful2021 said:

    Has anyone received official rejections or even waitlist offers from UCLA? I emailed them a couple of weeks ago and they said they were "making their way through the applications slowly", but that they would get back within a week.

    It seems a bit weird to me that a few acceptances went out earlier in the cycle but then there's been no waitlists or rejections.

    I received a rejection on March 6. They sent an email indicating that I should check the portal. I (and perhaps others) haven't been very good about logging official rejections after assuming for so long that would be the case. 

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