politicsinwonderland

PROFILE (American Politics)Type of Undergrad Institution: West Coast R1Major(s)/Minor(s): Double Major in Politics and Feminist StudiesUndergrad GPA: 3.93 (3.98 major GPA)Type of Grad: NoneGrad GPA: NAGRE: 164v/155q/5.0Any Special Courses: several upper division courses on teaching/tutoring undergradsLetters of Recommendation: 2 profs (thesis/research advisors for each of my majors, one a Distinguished Prof, one an Associate Prof), former employer (political candidate/legislator and retired sociologist)Teaching Experience: 2.5 years as a writing tutor for undergraduate students at my university, upper division teaching coursesResearch Experience: Year-long politics senior thesis project that won a division-wide award for undergraduate research after completion, slightly smaller Feminist Studies thesis project on Feminist Science Studies, independently wrote and published two articles on the APSA blog last year Other: I still wasn't sure if I wanted to go into academia right after receiving my BA, so I have 2.5 years of industry experience in government and politics (work on a Congressional campaign and in the district office for a long-time member of Congress), which I referenced heavily throughout my application as I felt it provided me with a unique perspective on American Politics (especially considering my interests in voting behavior and Congressional elections). RESULTS Acceptances: Boston University, UC Davis, USC, U of Arizona Waitlists: CU Boulder Rejections: UC San Diego, Yale, UChicago, Northwestern, Michigan, UMass Amherst, UT Austin Pending: Harvard (presumed rejection), UCLA, UConn Going to: Still deciding! LESSONS LEARNED - This was a tough cycle. Be gentle with yourself and don't make comparisons to those who came before. I have some good friends who got into some extremely prestigious schools in earlier years and I spent too much time comparing myself and my results with theirs. It's important to keep in mind that the landscape of grad admissions and academia has changed dramatically due to the pandemic, meaning there is no good comparison between the 2018/2019 cycles and the 2021 cycle. - I'm glad I had some diversity in my LORs. Having recommenders from three different fields who all worked with me in various capacities felt like a risky decision last fall, but I'm happy I took the chance because I'm satisfied with how everything turned out. Because all three recommenders knew me very well in very different ways, I felt that they were able to each able to add something new to the table. For example, while my former employer didn't know me in a strictly academic context, she was able to speak to my tenacity and perseverance studying for the GRE and publishing articles while working 60-80 hour weeks on a campaign. I was also able to structure my SOP around the letters by speaking to the three core experiences (one with each recommender) that shaped my desire to become a political scientist. - Submitting my GRE scores for schools where they weren't required didn't necessarily make me a more competitive candidate. Like others, I took the GRE before COVID hit, assuming it would be mandatory for most of my applications. While only a few of my programs required I submit my scores, I decided to submit them across the board anyway, assuming it would help me stand out. I honestly don't really think doing this made a difference, especially because my scores weren't stellar. If I could go back, I would have saved the money. - It never hurts to ask for what you need. My job ended in early November, meaning I had to shoulder application costs largely on my own, despite being unemployed (I didn't qualify for a lot of fee waivers because I couldn't get on unemployment with under a month between my job ending and the bulk of my application deadlines). I sent the grad coordinator for every single program I applied to a personalized email explaining my situation, and ended up getting multiple fee waivers. I also had a situation earlier this month where I was concerned I would have to turn down an offer because of an administrative snafu, but I was able to get it all straightened out by talking to the grad coordinator and DGS. Ask for what you need -- it's usually worth it and the worst you'll get is a no.