balderdash

Last year, the DGS told me that they had accepted about 35 and they expected about 25 to matriculate. They went to the waitlist and took one person, in IR. HYPS all overlap. They all want to compete for the best students.

I watched all 6 episodes of Sherlock in the first 7 days of February. Fantastic show.

True, true.

Yeah, and I think the fact that they're not the typical specialization (with a strong focus on heterodox institutionalism, state formation, Africanist work, etc.) is reflected in their placement record. I mean, you may be the best at training qual-minded Africanist hobos like myself, but there are still only a limited number of schools that will want to hire me.

Well, for starters, hasn't Cornell sent out all admits? I didn't get an offer, so I assume I'm out. Either way, no, because Princeton is better for the work I want to do. Which brings me to... I'm CP, I work with state formation in the Great Lakes (Rwanda/Uganda/the DRC primarily). I take a historical-sociological approach like Bayart, Lemarchand, Sklar, Whitaker, Young, and the like. That's why Madison is really the best program for me (Straus, Schatzberg, Tripp), but Princeton is a very close second (Widner, Lieberman, Wantchekon). If the money is different by $10k (which it would be), I'd probably go to the latter.

I thought they narrowed it down - sort of an 'elite opinion' thing? Again, I've spent about 3 minutes of my life looking at these things. Just curious.

Hey, it's time for a Qual to pretend like he knows what he's talking about: How come the rankings aren't based on just straight opinions, like the corruption perceptions index from Transparency International? It is of course faulty, and highly subjective, but hey - isn't hiring, accepting manuscripts, etc. etc.? If enough scholars were surveyed, wouldn't their opinions represent what the academy perceives to be the rankings? And doesn't this matter the most for prospective students? Just a query for yous guys to shoot down.

Yup. I don't think it matters that I haven't been rejected; me going there is conditional on a crappy financial offer from Wisconsin (probable), a rejection from Princeton (probable), an offer from Northwestern (improbable), and a good funding package (improbable).

I checked mine; nothing's changed. Fairly sure it's a rejection, but still.

Congrats! You're cleaning up this year...

No harm, no foul, amigo. Now let's return to collectively pulling our hair out.

That's what I was thinking. I've contributed over $250 to their endowment now. Maybe I'll get a bench named after me.

It's an argument that has been rehashed countless, countless times. It is unequivocally not the case that an 800 GRE-Q will raise eyebrows on adcoms, especially when the applicant is trying to do quant/formal work. If you've ignored those discussions or didn't care to read them, fine. But there is no need to go into it here, again. That's why it was a "strikingly unqualified" no. And that's why it wasn't rude (nor was it intended to be) to write just a "no."

Also, Stanford rejection just came in.

I think at least one was claimed... but I haven't heard anything either. Relax. We're all stressed, but there's no need to attack.

No. (And I don't think there's anyone on the board with as much respect for RWBG as me, having gone through the process with him twice now.)

Love that that's what you singled out about RWBG to make a "strong candidate."

I would hardly call that confident. But no, I don't know anyone there. I just think that in the past, they've gone with a really automated system, which would imply that it can be sent at any hour.

Stanford still has 3 hours in the business day, so who knows. Also, I wouldn't put it past Princeton to do a 12:00 email.

Nothing?

Aaaaand there it is.

To make you and I sh*t our respective pants, that's why. Edit: and what a way to spend my 500th post!

Tough going to the most recent Stanford rejection. Perfect GPA and GRE obviously isn't enough for an offer, but still...

UGH.

I was abroad last year, so I think I woke up the next morning and posted it. But it certainly looks staggered, so I'm expecting a rejection.