CGMJ

Get a PhD if you want to become an academic.
 
Don't get a PhD if you don't want to become an academic.

this may surprise you, but it is a widely promulgated opinion in academic and professional circles in the West that people from the third world live in mud huts, ride -insert national fauna- to work, get good grades by sleeping with their professors, and in general can buy a PhD diploma from the number 1 university in their country for 30 camels and an electric stove. but seriously, higher education in many third world countries is plagued by corruption, lack of funding, and outdated or ideological methods and practices, and diplomas from these universities do not count as a university education in the West. one would have to submit one's diploma for evaluation to get a document that says it is equivalent to a BA/MA/PhD in the States (or any other developed country), pay money for that, and still employers will be like, what is this shit? I'm sure you've heard of people with UK degrees struggling to find employment or admission in the US. and this guy is Kuwaiti. can you even find Kuwait on a map?
 


How is is possible for someone who isn't at least a Ph.D. student or have a Ph.D. to get two papers and two books published?  
different education system, different standards. there are people and universities and governments and entire social systems that exist outside of america, you know, and they do things however they want to do things. 

Hot take!

I was deeply saddened.

Hi all, as a current female student at UCSD, this report is troubling!  
 
Assuming the PSR poster is real, I hope she brought this to the attention of someone she feels comfortable with (her hosts, the DGS or the Women in Political Science group); if not, I would encourage her to do so. Obviously, behavior like this is inappropriate and we would hope to prevent it. 
 
Speaking from my own experience (n=1 of course, but I believe I'm modal!), UCSD in an extremely welcoming place where I feel supported and invested in as a scholar, despite the resource challenges that often face public universities. Both faculty and students (male and female) are attentive to and proactively working to address the gender imbalance in academia. Respect and encouragement have been the norm in my interactions with professors, staff, and fellow students. If that culture is not coming across to prospective students, we clearly have work to do---so please give feedback formally as well as online!
 
If anyone has questions or concerns, please feel free to PM me.

Hi all, as a current female student at UCSD, this report is troubling!  
 
Assuming the PSR poster is real, I hope she brought this to the attention of someone she feels comfortable with (her hosts, the DGS or the Women in Political Science group); if not, I would encourage her to do so. Obviously, behavior like this is inappropriate and we would hope to prevent it. 
 
Speaking from my own experience (n=1 of course, but I believe I'm modal!), UCSD in an extremely welcoming place where I feel supported and invested in as a scholar, despite the resource challenges that often face public universities. Both faculty and students (male and female) are attentive to and proactively working to address the gender imbalance in academia. Respect and encouragement have been the norm in my interactions with professors, staff, and fellow students. If that culture is not coming across to prospective students, we clearly have work to do---so please give feedback formally as well as online!
 
If anyone has questions or concerns, please feel free to PM me.

Hi all, as a current female student at UCSD, this report is troubling!  
 
Assuming the PSR poster is real, I hope she brought this to the attention of someone she feels comfortable with (her hosts, the DGS or the Women in Political Science group); if not, I would encourage her to do so. Obviously, behavior like this is inappropriate and we would hope to prevent it. 
 
Speaking from my own experience (n=1 of course, but I believe I'm modal!), UCSD in an extremely welcoming place where I feel supported and invested in as a scholar, despite the resource challenges that often face public universities. Both faculty and students (male and female) are attentive to and proactively working to address the gender imbalance in academia. Respect and encouragement have been the norm in my interactions with professors, staff, and fellow students. If that culture is not coming across to prospective students, we clearly have work to do---so please give feedback formally as well as online!
 
If anyone has questions or concerns, please feel free to PM me.

Well, yeah, but I'll buy you a drink after methods tomorrow so this was kind of a given.

That would certainly be very nice but not expected in any way (at least not by me or others I know). Just be a considerate house guest, as I'm sure you would be anyway!

That would certainly be very nice but not expected in any way (at least not by me or others I know). Just be a considerate house guest, as I'm sure you would be anyway!

Despite the sketchy link, I can confirm that this is a real document cc'ed to the department. 

OK, you got me. When I was on faculty at Harvard, we held regular pagan rituals in which babies were sacrificed on fiery altars, and the flames of those altars were fed  by the files of job applicants from non-top-10 departments.
 
My recommendation would be to take a look at job placements for just about any top department. I'm in the process of doing so at OSU, and our placements run the gamut from junior faculty at Harvard all the way to places you've never heard of. If our rank as a department or our connections with other faculty members were as determinative as you and others here and on PSR think they are, placement records for top departments would be far, far more consistent than they are.
 
Don't mistake certainty for truth. The truth is, there's a lot of noise, and anyone who tells you something different probably has either never been on this side of the process or has an axe to grind.

Yes, that was awkward especially when I needed to sent a reminder!

I'll also volunteer to talk to the UCSD admits. Of course, you're all probably going to be drinking at my house in a month, so maybe it's not that urgent.

But on the other hand, we have some young, promising professors coming in. Victor Shih, Jesse Driscoll and Molly Roberts. It is fair to claim UCSD would keep its current overall ranking for another decade.

Utility theory. The weirdest!

Expanding on choachrjc's theme, don't be a jerk to your hosts. If you're going to a visit where you'll be staying with current students, you should make sure to communicate with them when you plan on arriving/departing and remember that they are probably busy studying for comps, preparing lesson plans, or getting ready for the next conference. I'm sure they're excited to host and they have a wealth of information to share, so try to start off on the right foot with them.

This is based on experience from six rushes. Any example or issue I raise is from an actual event.

(1) Don't be a jerk. I can tell you this because I am, in fact, a jerk.

(2) Business casual is fine. If you want to add a blazer to your shirt and slacks, that's cool, but don't be a jerk about it. No shiny Ed Hardy shirts.

(3) Ask if you can sit in a class or two. If you do, don't be a jerk in class. You're there to observe, not to interrupt. If the professor asks you a question or something, go ahead and participate, but don't be a jerk about it.

An example on (3). Last year, we had a guy sit in our (highly technical) dynamic modeling class. He happened to sit in the dryest, hardest lecture of the year. So the professor proves a theorem on the board that has us all panting and trembling, and he writes out "for all" on the board in doing so. During break, the prospective student rocks up to the professor and is alike "Hey, why did you write out 'for all' instead of using the upside-down A? That would have been more rigorous.'" Don't be like that. That's jerky.

(4) If you are a jerk when you are drunk, then do not drink too much. If you are fun when you are drunk (but not a fun jerk---there are fun jerks out there), wait until the faculty are gone and then rock the f**k out.

(5) You can ask professors if they're happy at Department X, but don't be a jerk about it. Don't ask if they have a mortgage or anything. That's jerky. If they're unhappy, they'll say so in code. Don't press.

(6) Don't be a jerk on academic grounds. Don't talk down to people. Don't tell people they *need* to read a paper or a book. Don't talk about your own research unless asked. Don't say you published unless it's a real journal. Like, a real journal.

(7) Ask the students the hard questions, but don't be a jerk about it. Ask about their research to get a sense of the training. Don't feign being impressed, but don't get too critical. Ask what they're happy about, what they're unhappy about. Be discriminating-seeming but not critical.

(8) Don't be a jerk about other schools you're considering. Not everything you see at Department X reminds you of something you might see on your pending visit at Department Y. You don't have to rattle off your list all the live-long day; that's jerky. You came to visit and learn more about Department X, so stick to that.

(9) Don't be a jerk about stipends just yet. If you want to ask for more, visit day isn't the day to do it. That's really jerky.

(10) Don't be a jerk with the other visitors. Don't probe them constantly. Don't seem indifferent. If you go to Department X, then these people will be your all-nighter buddies during problem sets; your comp stress empathizers; your idea-bouncers. Don't get that off on the wrong foot.

(11) Seem like somebody that faculty and grad students will want to work with. The best way to do that is to avoid being a jerk.

And no, your offer won't be revoked if you're a jerk. But impressions matter. They matter with potential advisors, with other grad cohortmates you might coauthor with, with older grad students that might offer well-timed advice. You may think you've made it (and you have, and your achievements should be celebrated), but you'll be a lowly first-year soon enough. It's going to be a lot of fun, and you might as well get the experience off on the right foot.

Yes, the UCSD reject was a troll. Word around the department is that the adcom is meeting later this year then they did last year, so I wouldn't expect to see results for at least another week. Also, I think posting rejections last year before admissions was a fluke (word has it that the department got extra money right as decisions were about to go out, so they still sent the rejects but waited to redo the offer letters for the acceptances before sending them). 

Yes, the UCSD reject was a troll. Word around the department is that the adcom is meeting later this year then they did last year, so I wouldn't expect to see results for at least another week. Also, I think posting rejections last year before admissions was a fluke (word has it that the department got extra money right as decisions were about to go out, so they still sent the rejects but waited to redo the offer letters for the acceptances before sending them). 

Yes, the UCSD reject was a troll. Word around the department is that the adcom is meeting later this year then they did last year, so I wouldn't expect to see results for at least another week. Also, I think posting rejections last year before admissions was a fluke (word has it that the department got extra money right as decisions were about to go out, so they still sent the rejects but waited to redo the offer letters for the acceptances before sending them). 

Yes, the UCSD reject was a troll. Word around the department is that the adcom is meeting later this year then they did last year, so I wouldn't expect to see results for at least another week. Also, I think posting rejections last year before admissions was a fluke (word has it that the department got extra money right as decisions were about to go out, so they still sent the rejects but waited to redo the offer letters for the acceptances before sending them). 

Yes, the UCSD reject was a troll. Word around the department is that the adcom is meeting later this year then they did last year, so I wouldn't expect to see results for at least another week. Also, I think posting rejections last year before admissions was a fluke (word has it that the department got extra money right as decisions were about to go out, so they still sent the rejects but waited to redo the offer letters for the acceptances before sending them). 

Why are you doing this to yourself? Unless there is an incredibly serious red flag on your application, the only thing anyone can say is that you have a shot and that you need to wait and see. It is not like you are asking about what schools you need to consider, or what part of your application you can improve - you have already applied. The application season is over. There is nothing you can do anymore. You just have to wait and see. Obviously your numbers look fine enough to get you considered everywhere you apply. Other than that, maybe (hopefully) you will get into all of these schools, maybe none.
 
Please don't get me wrong, I mean no offense whatsoever. Having gone through this process more than once, I understand - probably more than most - the need for even a tiny bit of security and certainty. However, it is nowhere to be found. Bear with us and join the gradcafe community. We will help each other out in soothing and controlling our anxiety. We will also share your good and bad news. However asking for your chances on January 9th, when you have no control over the process anymore, will not help you.
 
Best of luck to you!

Sure! I kept neurotically going back to check when things had been posted in 2012, so it seemed easier to put it in a spreadsheet and then neurotically update that...
 
It was so cold today that I almost regretted wearing sandals