skullkid

Just passing by to say thank you guys for the community that came together on this forum for this cycle. If you look at other programs in gradcafe, I would definitely say that we are one of the most active communities and a very positive and healthy one. Fortunately, I will be attending a program next year, and I am very happy. The cycle was brutal; it is obvious that many people were not accepted even though they could surely be great scholars. I think that with so few slots to fill, budget restrictions, and more applications, those who, by effort or privilege (or a combination of both) were in a better position, are the ones that got prioritized. This is not especial to the pandemic or to the discipline. Since programs make a huge investment in students, the natural behavior is to look not only for promising candidates but also for people who are less "noisy" about their information and qualifications. In other words, I think that committees are not only trying to look for high potential candidates but also for less risky candidates. That means that people with well-known recommenders or graduates of well-known programs (Bachelors or Masters) tend to fare better. As I said, this is only normal, but I think it was a more pervasive factor in the context of this cycle. So, for people that didn't have that but were outstanding students or had good "local" recommendations (I am thinking especially about people outside the US or Europe) and a good research experience track, the battle was more uphill. In my opinion, if you are passionate about politics and research but you did not get accepted, it makes sense to try again. Doing more RAships, working on research, trying to land small publications, maybe improving other parts of your application should be the way to go.

Also, I fail to see the benefit of saying yes to two places. After all, you still are going to go to only one place. Worst of all, what he/she is going to say to "the other university" when the 15th comes? Ehmmm I am actually not going to go to your program, which I had said I would... doing that is far worse than just postponing the decision to the last minute (I think it is only "decent" to give your choice on the 14th -maximum- since there are other people on the line, but even wating that much with no strong reasons is not that good I guess, but it is possible and I am sure it happens). I mean, the profession is small, so people know people, and it is a bad idea to start with "that reputation," not that you cant shake it off or cant correct the mistake. Actually, him/her can and should correct the mistake as soon as possible. Any day that goes by in which you have misled the program administrators is wrong. If she/he cant decide, well, just flip a coin and be done with it!

Hi! Is anyone planning to attend a Master's program in PS? I received an offer from an outstanding PS Department for admission to the Master's program with a partial tuition scholarship, but I don't think I can cover on my own the total cost of attending. The program starts relatively soon, and Fullbright scholarships are aimed at the entering class of fall 2022 (so no option there). Right now my country does not have any international scholarships. Is anyone in a similar situation? Does anyone have any suggestions on how to finance this? Any ideas would be most valued.

Did NYU took our rejections letters hostage? what-is-the-deal with them. We are beyond the point of "millenials cant take a little wating time".

I have the same question.

My guess is that some founding related to STEM acts as a cross subsidy to less market profitable fields such as humanities or social sciences. If that is not the case, then I guess if endowments make less returns or other sources of funding diminish because of the pandemic, like government scholarships, then Universities will reallocate budgets towards STEM since labs require to run non-stop because of long projects. I feel that reducing research output in STEM is far more incidental than in the social sciences for Univerisites founding in general (like big STEM grants) and long run academic output productivity in general (sciences have much more academic output). For instance, if a lab has a 8 year microbe study, then you just cant stop it.

One could think that 2021 there would be an automated system for sending rejections. Say an application costs $100 on average. Is that an insufficient amount to have a system that manages rejections in an efficient way? When you have 500 applicants, wouldn't be in the best interest of the graduate school to put in place such system? I cannot imagine the amount of inefficient time wasted on sending rejections, if time is really the reason for the delay. I feel I am on a little rant here. Maybe is my millennialism... I guess I just want the process to be more transparent. At this point I don't think departments are really revealing what happens on the admissions process. It feels such a black box. But does it really needs to be this way? Are departments scared people will try to 'game' the process? I feel that there are huge asimetries of information that ultimate give an advantage to graduates of elite schools that can gain access to this 'hidden knowledge' just by talking with their professors.

I agree. I responded because I am on a similar situation (accepted in a uni with low funding and high cost of living). Shouldn't the right calculation be : 20k / 12 ? Since summer RAships are not guaranteed? If that's the case the monthly income pre tax is 1,650 approx monthly. I don't know how much costs a private room in the College Park area.

Can you live yearly with 20k ? I think is very on the limit. Specially, if you eventually have to pay for additional things like medical visits or medication. How much rent costs a decent (not good) housing option (say a shared flat with you own bedroom) in DC? Edit: also, you will pay taxes from the 20k. If you are a non resident international student it can be between 11% and 15% of the stipend depending on the state income tax.

Yup, I've got my Michigan rejesh too! CP field.

Thanks! (For anyone wondering, the actual question was: do we have to pay the FICA tax?)

Hi! Do know if we only receive a stipend as a RA/TA, do we have to the pay the FICA tax?

I am going to assume MIT results are false. Because reasons.

Hi fellow tributes! Here is the "gradcafe" for stipends: http://www.phdstipends.com/. It may be useful to check it out. It is brutal to check how programs would give stipends below the minimum living wage.

Someone should do a reboot of the Hunger Games. Only this time is about prospective grad students, doing terrible and incredible things to get accepted. Getting funding is the equivalent to pick a weapon of the cournucopia.