jndaven

Yes in your case the decision is easy, take the offer. Even if you get into WWS and HKS next year, I can't imagine you would have improved your record enough to receive full funding offers. You can take a few courses at the UChicago business school and international relations program, if you are really worried about those deficiencies. I have the same concerns about Harris' lack of international focus. I'm in a similar situation but I applied to 4 schools (Georgetown MSFS/MA Econ, KSG MPP, WWS MPP, and UChicago MPP). I was rejected or waitlisted from every program except UChicago, which offered me no funding. Since I have a job I am somewhat happy with already, I turned down my offer to Chicago. I dreamed of going to an Ivy League school. I've decided to improve my resume and application in one or two years and try again. If I get rejected from Harvard and Princeton again, I'm going to settle for any school that will take me, preferably with money but I'll be desperate enough not to care at that point. That's my ultimatum for myself. Clearly, your situation is different.

I'm know its hopeless, but any waitlist numbers?

Sounds like you are really on the fence. Can you attend both open houses? I feel like a wimp, but the weather is a big deterrent for me too about Chicago. I love the reputation of their economics faculty and their quant-heavy MPP, but I am not sure if their IR coursework is robust enough... Personally, I live in DC already and dread that I will be stuck here for my entire career/life, so I WANT to get out of this city. But, if you aren't here yet, I can see the benefit of starting networking in school.

I don't know how useful this will be for MPP and IR degrees, though it would make me feel a lot better. Don't schools calculate the average number of students that will decline offers, and factor this into their admissions numbers? You'd need dozens of rejected offers to screw up their yield and make it off a waitlist. Plus, you have to be the BEST person on the waitlist. I'd love to get off the HKS waitlist, but I'm not putting any hope there...

Harris was the only place I was accepted. It wasn't anywhere near my top choice, so I don't know how I feel about going...In retrospect, I wish I applied to the joint IR and MPP degree there, but its too late now. How do people feel about the international concentration coursework there? I will definitely be at the open house to figure out my decision, but I am leaning towards sucking it up and waiting one more year. Perhaps one of you waitlisters will get a spot...

I'm in almost the same boat. 4 schools: 1 rejection, 2 waitlists, and one acceptance with no funding at a place I'm not sure I really want that much. Should I wait another year and reapply? Suck it up and go to a school I am unsure about (Harris)? I definitely hope the schools I applied to can offer feedback on how I can improve. I'm thinking rejigger personal statements, improve a lacklustre GRE, get new references, and change jobs to something that sounds way cooler...

*tear* Waitlisted. I have bombed this year. Four schools and only Chicago Harris accepted me! Honestly the only one I really wanted to go to was KSG, so I didn't apply to enough schools. I guess I'll attend the Harris open house and then see if I want to go there or wait another year and try again...Waitlist seems impossible. EDIT - I'll post in that other thread, but my stats were 680 on V and Q, 3.5 Econ GPA. Mediocre at best. Time to study

I got my waitlist letter in the mail today. I live in the DC area. *sigh* This year sucks. I got into only 1 out of 4 programs, Harris School. I will assume that I was rejected from the MA portion of the MA Econ-SFS I applied too, but I guess I should email the admin office to check.

I'm anxiously wondering too. In my case, I applied to a dual degree program SFS-MA Econ, so I have no idea how that notification works. (I assume I get rejected--twice and separately. The Phd Econ admissions was brutal this year I've heard, and you have to meet similar standards...) Emails already went out to waitlisters according to the results page. Looking at last year however, some people actually did receive their acceptances by snail mail and not email. So, I wouldn't give up hope yet. That process does not seem logical to me, but who knows...

Do they send letters in waves? I live in the DC area and haven't seen anything. And wouldn't acceptances come before rejections? Maybe that person meant to input the Public Policy school at Georgetown and not the Foreign Service school...

What was the acceptance rate last year? For some reason I have 28% in my grad school research notes, but I find that a bit high and I didn't write down the source. Let's assume there are more apps than ever, as has been the case with other schools in the government/IR fields (I blame a popular president+bad economy), and that this rate is now 20-22%. I'm thinking since I (or a hypothetical you) couldn't get waitlisted at WWS, which has a similar applicant pool, that means I was not in the top 13% of applicants ([85+37]/891)--but am I good enough for the top 20% for HKS?!? HKS is the only school I want to go to right now, I'd have to make a serious mental shift towards another place if I get rejected...um and actually get in somewhere, I'm waiting on 3. I need to stop thinking about this.

MSFS were probably the fastest updating my application materials and things online, so hopefully the mailing of decisions is just as speedy and smooth...

Sigh, rejected. I really hope I get in somewhere...The rejection email sounds more like a stock PhD rejection email than a WWS email however, as they mention "fit for our departments" as if research interests were a concern. I wonder why rejects don't get the numbers info? Did they think it would depress us too much? Actually it makes me feel better knowing how many people applied and how few could get in. Man, I'm sorry for you o1chrismbc! Really, you have to wonder if it would really screw up their yield that much to accept an additional one person. The line must be quite thin between waitlist and admit, just a question of space.

That's a good point, the website does say by March 15, which would be Monday. I hope they do go out Monday. I just got my first response from schools (rejection) and I could really use some better news...

You are KILLING me. Thanks for the info. I haven't heard back from any schools yet and I'm going crazy. Too bad I don't feel too confident about my WWS app...