The Converse

It seems like it depends on the situation. As the other posters noted, many people argue not to contact the faculty. I had a graduate program representative tell me outright not to email anyone from that department. However, for one of the schools I was accepted at, a faculty member posted on a professional list serve and indicated that any interested students should feel free to contact him. My interests with aligned with his and we spoke for well over an hour. My SOPs were horrid and I really believe that having the opportunity to outline my research interests and history in our call is what got me into the program.

Congrats!

Lol okay

There is something to be said about putting in a little effort on the rejections. MIT, Michigan, and Stony Brook (waitlist) at least had some class. They sent the rejections from the department head. Yale and Berkeley were a joke. Even though they don't owe us anything, Yale could at least come up with more than three sentences to every graduate applicant from the grad school head for a $120 fee. That's just pure BS in my book.

Claiming MIT rejection. The cycle of the hell is complete. Haha, but it has been a learning experience.

It has been rough. Haha, but no need to be a lurker. People are very supportive here. Congrats on the Yale admission! You must be excited about that.

Were you emailed about this? I am sorry to hear about the lack of acceptances. Do you have anything pending?

I got into two programs and I plan on declining both. I have not applied before, but based on my business experience, I think it is dependent on the situation. In my personal circumstance, I have spoken with a few professors, but my plan is to email the department heads and a faculty member that I really connected with. I am not sure what your aspirations are, but if you are concerned with 'burning a bridge' it never hurts to send an email. I would keep the emails relatively succinct and somewhat tailored to whom you spoke to. Having gotten several rejections, I am most burned by the boilerplate, zero effort emails. If you go that route, you are doing more harm than good. However, if you are willing to make a few passing references to your conversation with them, they will probably appreciate the sentiments.

As my pursuit of a PhD comes to an end, I still feel like I owe my recommenders a bit of gratitude. Did anyone on the forum provide gifts to their recommenders and, if so, what did you send? It is a little bit more difficult with most faculty and coworkers operating from home. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Congratulations! It is a great program. Best of luck in the future.

Congratulations! You must be excited. What is your subfield?

It's always possible that these are legit, but these are somewhat suspect at the present time. People on this forum are fairly forthcoming with acceptances and everyone has been quick to congratulate them.

Yes, it is some demented form of entertainment. Some of the early admits for some programs were legit. Others have seemed suspicious. Don't forget someone was admitted to the 'University of Cumtown,' so there are clearly trolls.

Is anyone claiming the MIT acceptances?

Congratulations! That is great news!

Has anyone heard anything about MIT? They have been radio silent the entire cycle.

Thank you. I appreciate the encouragement. I realize I should be grateful for the two admissions and I am. However, I have presented a lot over the past few years on my research and to be passed over by top programs makes it seem like it is less about fit and more about research viability. I have been humbled and pleasantly surprised by everyone on this forum. I already have a graduate degree and it is really time for me to read the writing on the wall. There are so many great people on here and I wouldn't want to take someone's spot. It has been great going through this process with each of you.

Claiming a Yale rejection as well. I was admitted to two programs this cycle, but I have had enough rejections to conclude my research interests are not worth pursuing. Best of luck to those starting programs in the fall!

Late Nov/Early Dec

A conversation I had with someone in the department. They implied that they weren't sure how many applicants would be admitted, but it was implied the program was weighing the impact of the pandemic on funding. This obviously may have changed.

There has been nothing on MIT that I have seen. I have been wondering when they may make announcements. It seemed like there was some question as to how many, if any, admissions they were going to make this year. It is entirely possible it will be a very small cohort.

Ohio State has a higher ranking and somewhat lower cost of living, but you have to seriously consider Maryland. Pretty underrated in IR overall, post-grad placement, and opportunities. There are so many opportunities in DC that you won't get anywhere else, including potential funding sources. It is expensive to live there, but unless you have a family, you can make it work.

It seems like may programs are releasing their top choices for admissions and rejections for those that clearly wouldn't be considered. Rather than explicitly saying someone is on the waitlist, there appears to be a 'wait and see' approach for those in neither category from what I have gathered.

Claiming a Michigan reject as well. Once again, the... hell... with... them.

That's classy. I am sorry that happened.