Not_A_Crook

Michigan rejection. 0a/5r/6p

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

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

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

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 
 

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.

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

Such a particular kind of anger to get a "5 Reasons To Consider Ohio State" email two days after getting rejected from them.

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

Actually, I am beginning to think there is no point in me posting here further. Respond with a yes or upvote if I should leave the forum and I will.

Please don't!
I have not commented on any of the previous posts and have really held my tongue not to engage so far, and honestly - it would be fantastic if the GRE didn't matter at all since being out of school for over 20 years wasn't all too beneficial for my quant score - but how sad would it be if we were to discourage opposite opinions and try to silence those who state them just because we want the world to be a certain way. We shouldn't and won't be able to shape everything the way we want by ignoring those who challenge our beliefs, we should see the discourse as an opportunity to re-evaluate what we believe to be true and come to informed decisions after weighing all the evidence. 
You have contributed so much to this forum, have given advice again and again, and invested your time and energy to help us, who come after you, navigate our way through the application process and more, please don't leave. 

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. 

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.
 
 
 
 

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 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?

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.

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 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. 

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).