Not_A_Crook

Michigan rejection. 0a/5r/6p

I don't really know but that's what I am assuming. I didn't interview and have not been contacted so I assume I didn't get in

I applied to both Northwestern and Michigan. Hoping for good news after receiving four rejections thus far

I recall reading on their website that they specifically say that not all Admissions notices will be released at once

Yeah I got the same email. I understand it is a chain email but they should consider fucking off.

It's understandable. I somehow don't feel much anxiety over this point in the process, although I guess I did while I was submitting the applications. I suppose the pandemic has forced me to become a more patient person!! Best of luck to you

Nope --- I also applied for IR but haven't heard anything yet. It's still really early

Some say it do, some it don't....They just might but maybe they won't.....Good luck and Merry Christmas to all regardless of how you feel about the GRE

All respect but this is a small example indeed....How is this evidence of cultural bias? Baseball is played in many parts of the world, with huge followings in Latin America and Asia......In any case you don't really need to know what a "run" is or how one is scored, or what happens when the catcher drops the third strike, or really anything about baseball at all to figure out how many runs are scored per game on average, or whatever the question asks you to do statistically. They could ask a question about cricket, would it really matter? Would that really disadvantage American students who have never seen a cricket match in their lives or might they intuit the nature of the statistical problem in spite of this? I do feel somewhat responsible for broaching the GRE question, but mine was really an "is it important" not "should it be important" question....Bottom line is this question will never have a true and final answer....I'm sure there are studies which "prove" and "disprove" the importance and predictive power of the test. Until they can hook up applicants to some sort of brain scan which perfectly analyzes their academic future we'll likely have to rely on such imperfect measures as the GRE.

I would contact the program if you haven't already and let them know what is happening. Sorry this is happening to you, but I'm sure they have seen this before.

This is not an apples to apples comparison, since the above discussion is within the context of political science admissions specifically. Assuming you are applying to a history, English/literature, or anthropology (or similar) program, sure, they may not care much about the GRE because half the test measures abilities which have almost no relevance to the discipline (i.e., the quantitative portion). I think it's a fair assumption that political science is a much more quantitatively based than anything you would find in the humanities, and that an admission candidate's performance on the Quant section is a non-trivial part of the process.

Probably the point of making it optional is to not automatically disqualify students who are coming of age during the pandemic and thus have no access to the exam, no? Not that the test doesn't or shouldn't matter. Certainly I can imagine what a competitive profile looks like without a GRE score. Yet it's hard to believe that given two otherwise identical profiles, where one has a strong GRE score and the other no score, they would be treated the same or as if the score doesn't exist.

I think that because the GRE is still basically optional at most programs (the ones I've researched anyway), this will probably be another reason why the number of applicants will remain at historical highs, since that significantly reduces the cost/effort involved in applying. Thankfully I took the GRE about 4 years ago, and pretty much nailed it (167 V, 161Q, 5.5 Writing). I'm assuming this would give me a considerable advantage over someone who has not taken the test, ceteris paribus. Does anyone have any thoughts or insights on what a strong GRE score means in a pool of applicants where many have not taken the test?

I doubt that will doom you, but who knows. Most professors realize you are human and that minor mistakes are inevitable. In one of my SOPs I said something to the effect that "my goal is to attain a professorship in in political science." I suppose it would be worse if I said I had a degree in pubic policy, rather than in public policy. Spell check doesn't catch every mistake! You will likely find typos in nearly any document if you look hard enough.

Thanks. I do feel good very about my chances and feel that I articulated my qualifications and disciplinary interests as well as I possibly could. Somehow, going through all my transcripts, test scores, previous research/writing experiences, and whatnot has helped me regain confidence and a sense of optimism for my future. Do you know what I mean? I've had a lot of good and rewarding experiences as a student and being forced to look back on and make sense of all of it I think was personally satisfying, which I was not anticipating. Conversely I've had a lot of frustrating experiences professionally, in my fledgling attempts to strike out and begin a new career during a damn pandemic (the results of which have meager). So anyways, here's to the future!

Well good luck to you friend. Aim high! To me that was the hardest part about choosing where to apply. I could see myself being happy and productive at nearly any school I researched (within reason) , but which ones have faculty expertise geared to the particulars of what I want to study? I tried to do as much homework as I could but sometimes websites are misleading

Curious --- what field are you in? (IR for me) Princeton, Michigan, Chicago, Cornell, Duke, North Carolina, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Virginia, Tennessee. I tried to get a good mix of high end schools, other schools ranked pretty high that I might have a better chance at admission to, and one school where I have a previous working relationship with a professor (which I don't have anywhere else).

I too have all my applications submitted --- 11 in all. It took a lot of time and energy, attention to detail, many weeks of reading and proofreading. I went back and read one of the classics in my field (Essence of Decision --- Allison and Zelikow). It feels good to have it all done and now it's on to the waiting game. I'm very excited to see what kind of offers I'll get!!! Just waiting for the rest of my letters to trickle in. Good luck to everyone who applies this year!

Hey sbidyanta, Northwestern uses the CollegeNet application system which does require the recommenders to make an account before they can submit their letters. One of my recommenders had this problem, and I contacted the Help Desk from CollegeNet. They said they requests went out okay, the only issue was my recommender had not made an account. Once he made an account he was able to upload, no problem