Sichselbstoffenbaren

Well sports fans, buckle up your chin straps because no matter what the results will start to roll in over the next ten business days. Made up results do not matter and the committees will send out the results because that is what they do. Good luck to everyone...

It varies. Try logging onto your application and see if the decision is posted.

Just heard from Brown Africana studies via email directing me to check web site. Wait listed....so hope springs eternal!

I haven't heard anything. I had expected to have some word pro or con from Northwestern as well but my status on their page still shows that no decision has been rendered. Not sure at all what is going on at Harvard. Really hoping to hear something before the weekend.

Thanks! I'm haven't decided whether I'm surprised about UT or not but you know how it goes. I see you suffered a set back at Maryland as well...sorry about that. What program did you apply to at College Park? Good luck, as soon as I hear something I will let you know. Ciao...

I didn't hear anything either and nothing has changed with respect to my status on the admissions page so...maybe we will hear something tomorrow. I think, judging from the results board, that she was given a phone call. If you get any details, PM them to me. Good luck to all...

Congratulations! I just checked the web site and nothing for me...fingers crossed over here. Congrats again...

My research interest is critical theory and subaltern political ideology. I think they finish up in late Feb/ early March

Good luck to you as well. I'm here in Chicago also and applied to several of the same schools but I combined Af-Am with polisci where it was appropriate. Am I the only person who applied to Brown's new Africana studies program? Have you heard anything about it?

I will send you a PM

Hi, I am a fellow applicant to the Committee on Social Thought and I'm applying from another one of UC's endless committees but I am as anxious as anyone to see what happens. I'm not sure how many people get accepted but I get the impression that it is typically less than five and a number who don't get accepted are offered admission to one of several MA programs at the university. Unfortunately, depending on perspective I guess, since I have an MA from the place that will not be an option for them to consider for me. Anyway, good luck to your boyfriend and you, this can be a very stressful process.

Hi, good luck to you as well. I am more a political theory type of person but it appears that we applied to several of the same programs. I submitted to Brown/Africana, Berkeley/Af-Am, Cornell/Govt, Harvard/Af-Am, Northwestern/Af-Am and Yale/Af-Am and Poli Sci. I'm not sure about interviews at NU, I visited a bunch of professors at the places I applied back in October so not sure if that will have a positive effect. Again, good luck!

Thanks. I'd like to teach at a small liberal arts college or go back to my service academy alma mater to be a professor and have time to write. I do quite a bit of consulting now and can't imagine how it would go away if I were more educated so I will continue that as well. You?

I've got to say I think we have veered off on a patch of intellectual black ice, though perhaps we are taking the long way around to question.! I appreciate the admonitions regarding the thin job market but I am approaching this effort with a career as a naval intelligence officer and National Security Agency employee over the last 20 years so I probably won't be pursuing the same opportunities as others (plus the MA in IR from a top 5 program). Although even if I am, the guys over on the MBA/Econ forums would tell you that the time to enter a field is when demand is at its lowest and others are flocking to busier markets. The conventional wisdom probably runs a bit like this: It is fairly unlikely that universities will cease to study political theory. It is also a fairly solid assumption that the current professors, though immersed in the mysteries of ideas have likely not discovered eternal life so they are likely to retire, die etc. So, with those two fairly unassailable starting points, the next question is where might the replacements for these individuals be located? I will bet that they will probably come from the universe of PhDs who have done solid work at well known institutions. Which is the goal of my application (attending one of these institutions) and the point of my initial question which spoke to the mechanical reality of faculty/DGS 'support' for a candidate's application.

I am applying to programs in political theory this season and felt I have a fairly 'quirky' project that would need a specific set of circumstances to fit. With that in mind, I sent an intro email to relevant professors at the appropriate programs and attached a fairly complete draft of my SOP. I traveled to meet with most and had calls with all of the others and professors from 3 institutions in the group said they would 'support my application' and one DGS at a fourth program said the same. I take that as positive but don't construe it as a guarantee but remain curious as to what it means mechanically with respect to the application process. Any guidance would be much appreciated.