brzher

PROFILE: Type of Undergrad Institution: South American Major(s)/Minor(s): Finance Undergrad GPA: 80/100 Type of Grad: South American, large public well known in my country (MA in Poli Sci) Grad GPA: 4.0 GRE: 314 overall (didn't send where it wasn't required) Any Special Courses: Calculus, stats, multiple methods in undergrad and grad; grad certificate in social psych Letters of Recommendation: master's thesis advisor (associate/ department's chair), methods professor (full, well known in my research field) and research professor (associate) Teaching/Research Experience: 2 semesters undergrad TA, 1 summer RA, 2 years RA in grad school Other: 1st author publication and multiple conference presentations; BS and MA thesis; worked as analyst for a fintech Subfield: Comparative (behavior/ psych) RESULTS: Acceptances: University of Minnesota, University of Pittsburgh, UC Riverside, University of Florida, University of Georgia Rejections: UMD, Stony Brook Waitlists: UIUC Attending: U of Minnesota LESSONS LEARNED: As an international and first-time applicant, I didn’t really know what range of schools I’d be competitive for. My plan was to apply broadly within the T50 for programs where I felt there was strong faculty fit and where my research interests could be well supported. However, I decided to study for and take the GRE quite late in the game and as a result my scores weren’t competitive for most top programs. Still, I was able to apply and get admitted to one of my dream schools and couldn’t be happier! This process taught me a lot, and I hope sharing my experience helps someone else the way this forum helped me over the past few years: 1) I know people say this over and over here but it’s true: start EARLY. And I mean really early. As soon as you know you’ll be applying, start building strong relationships with potential letter writers, joining productive research groups & studying for standardized tests. When deadlines hit most of the heavy lifting will already be done and that will save you many nights stressing about missed opportunities. 2) Contacting POIs: I did this for some schools, but I’m not sure it made a huge difference. I think it’s useful to reach out if you want to check whether the professors you plan to mention in your SOP are retiring/ going on leave. But regardless, always make sure there are at least 3–4 faculty members you could see yourself working with in that department. 3) About the SOP: mine was all business (intro with research interests; a few paragraphs on past research; a couple on future agenda; one on skills; and a fit paragraph). I applied in two batches (pre and post december 1st deadlines), and my second batch SOP was waay better. One thing to mention is that SOPs are not common for PhD programs in my country, so I underestimated how hard it would be to write everything in detail within the word count, create a compelling narrative and tailor it for each school. Although I was happy with my final draft, the essay I submitted early was simply not great and I realized that too late. So take your time and write a statement you’re proud of. 4) Advice for international applicants: I) make sure that your TOEFL scores are 100+ with speaking 26+; II) If you’re not taking the GRE or scored below 160 in quant, it’s really important that other parts of your application demonstrate your ability to handle quantitative research (e.g., math/stats coursework, a quant writing sample, letters from professors mentioning your quant skills, etc); III) If you haven’t studied in the US, reach out to current students in the programs you’re interested in. They will almost always be happy to share their experience with the faculty/ department/ the city; IV) make sure to attend open houses and info sessions hosted by the program or grad school, they’re great for meeting faculty, asking questions, and sometimes receiving application fee waivers. 5) Finally, the PhD application process gets more competitive every year. So I’d definitely recommend taking every good opportunity to do research during undergrad and grad school, and if possible try to get something published along the way. Good luck!

UMN (my top choice from the start)

Hi, were you informed about the waitlist through the portal? I applied to Rutgers but haven’t heard anything from them. According to the portal there’s no decision on my application yet, it’s still under review. I find it odd since I heard all of their decisions were already out. I’m just curious anyway, as I’ve already accepted another school’s offer

Just out of curiosity, did you get any official communication about that? I saw the Wesa article on Reddit, but that's all.

Talked to the professor last year and they said that all results would be sent out in the first weeks of February.

Just got accepted to UMN too. CP subfield. So very happy!

Congrats! Was it earlier today or just now?

It looks like UMN is out. Has anyone here received an offer? I checked the portal, and my application status still says awaiting decision

I think we should expect to hear from UMN by Monday or Tuesday at the latest. That would still be consistent with past years

I was admitted to UCR last week. A colleague of mine was interviewed by UCLA a couple of weeks ago

Thank you! It's still early in the process, hope everything works out great for you

Hello guys! Claiming an acceptance from UGA.

Quoting cos huge Lana fan here too! 🌸 Good luck on your apps!

Yes, I applied to UMN too, and it seems to be a general issue. I've seen people from other fields mentioning it on reddit.

Hey guys, it looks like UT Austin is out. Any CP applicants here?