IRToni

Congrats Yale and Harvard PEG people!

First of all, Harvard hasn't released decisions yet, so I wouldn't count yourself out just yet. I'd be happy to take a look at your statement, even though I'm not in political comm. Which press did you publish your book with, and where was your peer-reviewed paper? There's some questions I would encourage you to ask yourself, though: 1. Do you read Political Science scholarship in your area of interest/more widely? That should show in your SOP, especially with an unrelated major like yours. 2. Why don't you think you'll be able to write a new writing sample/polish your old one? I know applying is a ton of work, but if you're not willing to put in the necessary work, you might ask yourself if/why you want to get a PhD in political science? 3. (seamless transition) Why do you want to get a PhD? Why one in polisci, not in communication? What's the end goal? 4. (related) If you're hoping for an academic career, being bound to one place (even if it is a relatively university-heavy one) is difficult. Something's gotta give, in my opinion. Would you be willing to relocate for a job? I actually think many of the red flags of your application can be remedied, if this is really what you want to do. First, getting your GRE up will be important, especially because you don't have any quant classes. Try going for more than 90th percentile for Quant. You can also take a CC/online quant class to show you're willing and able to put in the required work. You could also try looking into taking some poli sci classes, to get a better idea of where the field is, and where you fit in there.

Congrats! Really, really glad and happy for you! Just goes to show you how strange this process is! First acceptance, and then such a great one!

Honestly, in the US, it#s highly unlikely that a department doing critical work will rank very highly. Similarly, job prospects in mainstream PoliSci departments won't be as good as if you were doing more standard US political science. I actually think NW's ranking and placement are really good, considering its strengths, and that its view of the discipline is very different from recent developments (as someone who didn't apply to NW, because it was too critical/constructivist to me).

Take everything I say with a grain of salt, I only know what I read. NW is known as a pretty serious qualitative, ethnographic place. It's also known for its critical theory etc. I'm not sure whether they would self-classify themselves as leftist/constructivist, but it is, in many ways, a pretty niche place (sort of like Rochester, but the exact opposite).

Amazing! Congratulations!

Congrats everyone who heard good news yesterday!

I know several smart people who did their PhD at GWU, and that was also what they said. At the same time, though, they all mentioned that applying to all these fellowships cut into their research time.

Yep, Gtown and GW both are among the worst offenders in this regard. They don't even try to fund everyone!

I'm not really WLed at my top choice, BUT getting in off the WL to the program could alter my decision. I have expressed my desire to stay on the Waitlist to the person in charge, and asked about stuff. Haven't done anythuing else. You might wanna let them know they're your first choice, but aside from that, Waiting's the name of the game, I think!

I don't know of any good programs (in the US) with rolling or spring admissions. Dependening on your interests, you could look at Europe (for a Masters), which could also provide you with research experience. I honestly have not really understood how you can get research experience in PoliSci, aside from writing papers, going to conferences etc. While RAships exist (though not anywhere I've ever studied), don't most of these go to their own students?

Same here! I'm pretty sur ethe waiting is more time-consuming (for me...) than the actual applications!

Congrats! Same here re: decision. Sending you a PM!

Accepted to UBC's PoliSci program (full funding for 5 years!)

One of my PoIs is also going emeritus, but continuing to stick around!

Claiming UBC ! Also competitive financial offer! After these rough last couple of weeks, incredibly relieved!

Thanks for confirming!

Those of you considering UCSD and not in AP, does this document affect your impression of the program? If so, how? Looks like UCSD might be the best option for me (currently anyway...), but I'm unsure of whether I should/can expect a significant drop in ranking (and more importantly) placement in the next 5 years.

Wasn't the previous info we had 400 for this year? Wondering how many they hope to enroll, standard seems to be about 20? Congrats, BTW!

Not a second-round applicant, but for what it's worth, the advice I received from people that got accepted was not to be overly specific. My first draft SOP was a lot more specific, and basically included a mini-proposal, which I was advised to keep out also by professors. Obviously, with more rejections rolling in, I am wondering whether I should have been more specific with my questions etc., but my cycle so far hasn't been a bust!

Congrats!

Since it's phone calls, we have no idea! Your list of schools is amazing, congrats on your acceptances!

When do we expect UBC?

I have no idea. In the last couple of years, it took Columbia a while, and they actually did several rounds. However, some people were WL at Columbia already, so no idea! Might be worth sending an email?

That's my reasoning as well! Guess hope dies last...