raabs
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Posts posted by raabs
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1 minute ago, BrownSugar said:
It’s not so much a matter of what comes first or not, it’s a matter of waiting until you have all your decisions (or your top preferences) to make a reasoned choice and then go ahead and perhaps ‘negotiate’ a better package. No point in settling for the first one right away when you can wait to see what the rest are like, nor should you reject the first one if you don’t know for sure if others will be ‘better’.
Sorry, I maybe should have been clearer. I meant when I eventually choose which offer to accept, should I attempt to negotiate a better funding package?
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I was once told you should "never agree to the first PhD funding offer you receive", do we agree?
Edit: I should have been clearer.. I'm saying once I receive all of my offers and I select my top-choice, should I always attempt to negotiate for a better funding package?
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"This position (TA) comes with an academic year salary of approximately $XX,XXX. Compensation for your appointment includes a maximum of 9-18 hours of tuition coverage for each semester"
Do we interpret this as meaning that my tuition will also be covered by the department in addition to the salary? I just want to make sure I am understanding it correctly. (I X'd out the amount for this post)
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Just now, nivy25 said:
I see what you mean. There's definitely no guarantee that you will get a job, and the job market (especially rn) is incredibly competitive. Almost the same odds of getting into a PhD program if I may. We can still "try" I guess and see how it goes.
A lot of schools in Canada and Europe are a lot cheaper for Masters so that's a possible avenue to explore. Additionally, I feel like one could also independently try to learn some research skills or topics that might help them by taking online courses with top universities. (Definitely not the most attractive thing on your profile if you're trying again for next year, but definitely looks better than doing nothing).
1 minute ago, StarkDark1 said:Agreed that good fit is more important than anything else. I got accepted to UC Irvine because of strong fit but got put on the wait list for UMass, which is lower ranked.
I think a lot of applicants see a professor has published on peacekeeping (random example) and they assume they are a strong fit because the applicant is also interested in peacekeeping. While that may normally be a good fit, these unprecedented times mean that an even stronger fit is required. In terms of whether a professor is taking a sabbatical or not is definitely luck, but I'd still say that schools are being more strategic than ever this year.
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2 hours ago, nivy25 said:
I don't want to sound like a horrible person, but seeing other people receive rejections makes me feel like this is so normal. In the beginning, I would almost take it personally and almost think that other people are better, or more qualified (which they are many times). But now, after seeing really really talented and qualified people being rejected makes me feel like this process is honestly so random and based on chance, and the reason I'm getting rejected is not because I'm necessarily underqualified but simply because it's a tough year with tough choices.
I've received a few rejection emails so far, and I truly believe graduate departments when they sympathize and say that they were unable to admit a lot of highly qualified applicants because this is probably true!
So if you're in the same boat as I am, and you're getting rejections, just try not to blame it on yourself and just look at it as an opportunity to keep doing what you do and improve until your time comes
I really don't think the process is random or based on chance at all, it is all about fit. Given how competitive it is this year, even a "loose fit" will probably not suffice. I think that's the mistake a lot of people made, they applied to schools simply because of ranking and name.
- BrownSugar and StarkDark1
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Based on my offers so far, I can't help but think that fit (shown in your SoP) has been even more important than any other factor this year. I think grades and scores are becoming less important for committees and they are looking at whether your research interests directly align with one or more of their professors'. I think applicants next year should take this into consideration before blanket-applying
- StarkDark1 and BrownSugar
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2020-2021 Application Thread
in Political Science Forum
Posted
Yes, they are interviewing all candidates to ensure a very good fit (seeing as it's so competitive this year).