saltlakecity2012

Man... this is really quite difficult. They're all fabulous. For my interests, I can say that my preferred schools out of that bunch are: NYU, Berkeley, UCLA, Yale, UCSD. And that's not really in order. But there are lots of different ways to do what you're talking about. Some of those schools have more people working on empirical political economy, while others are doing more theoretical work. Some provide good training in both. Some schools offer excellent political economy focus if you want to study the US or the EU, while others are better for studying IR or CP questions from a political economy framework. My bias is towards the IR/CP-type questions - hence my selections.

Claiming a Stanford GSB PE rejection, too (I had assumed it, along with the Harvard KSG PEG one).

Dear Berkeley, Please stop torturing innocent doctoral program applicants. Sincerely, -Me Also, Doorkeeper - Berkeley is totally up in the air. All decisions will be out by next Wednesday. Columbia has apparently sent out all acceptances and waitlists. Chicago has sent out all admissions and waitlists. According to earlier posts, if you haven't heard from them yet you will probably be getting a rejection soon. No idea how long it will take Columbia - I think they're sifting through the pile of rejections to figure out who to pass along to the MA program for consideration. Chicago I think will send out rejections around the first of March (based on last year's results). Harvard - can't help you there, I'm not in the loop. Good luck with Berkeley!!!

Congratulations on being in at your top choice - that is totally awesome, and you will totally rock that sh*t. I definitely think you're right - I'm out at a few programs and in at others, and I would guess that it mostly comes down to fit. For example - in at Yale, out at Columbia (still waiting on that letter...). Although, I did kind of think I was a good match for Columbia. They clearly disagreed! My interests are very much a blend of IR, CP, and CPE/IPE, and my options are schools where I could put together a close-to-ideal dissertation committee for what I want to do. I think that's kind of the tradeoff with having a somewhat less mainstream area of interest - on the one hand, you stand out and are interesting. On the other hand, you have to demonstrate that you actually have serious ideas and the skills to conduct serious research - you're not just a weirdo. In a similar vein, I think something that worked in my favor this admissions cycle is the fact that I had one particular element of my application that made me stand out (I don't mean that made me a higher-quality applicant - I just mean it probably got me a second look because it was unusual). I went to work in a very weird country full-time during what would have been my junior year of college, and then came back and graduated. I was able to tie my current research interests back to that experience, and establish a convincing narrative to demonstrate my commitment to research in my field of interest beginning with that point. My advisors and others who gave me feedback during the application process told me to emphasize that narrative. Just thought I'd pass that along for anyone who comes along for Fall 2013.

Also, for the people that have heard from Columbia - has anyone been notified that their application was passed on for review for the MA program? I'm wondering if that's why it's taking them so long to send out rejections to the PhD program.

Yes, I'm in, too I do comparative political economy / IPE. A weird mixture of stuff that is mostly covered under that umbrella. I was sitting on my bed when I heard, idly browsing grad cafe, and when I saw the email I steeled myself for what I assumed was a rejection, only to shriek in disbelief when I saw "Congratulations." I scared the crap out of my roommates. I then spent the next few hours driving around like a zombie. I still feel a bit like I've been partially lobotomized, or hit over the head with a 2x4. Hopefully that will wear off by September... This whole process has been crazy - for various reasons (including the baseline shocking level of competition) I didn't think I would make it in this round, so saying I'm pleasantly surprised is something of an understatement!

I'm totally with you on the almost-car-accident-causing part - I was so shocked that I had trouble formulating sentences for about the first 2 hours after I got the email.

Comparative / political economy

Wow - just got into Yale! No word on funding yet, apparently it's coming in the mail. I thought this cycle was over! So excited!!!!

I'm interested in the same issue, and I think I understand your differentiation between the "econ type" and the "poli sci type" of political economy. Operating on the assumption that you mean schools with people on the cutting edge of comparative politics who use highly sophisticated methodology (modeling drawn from traditional econ type pol econ, etc.). I think part of the problem you're going to run into with this query is that, especially if you're interested in comparative political economy, each school has strengths in some areas and weaknesses in others. For a good comparative program, you want a combination of people with relevant regional and substantive expertise (e.g. someone with a background in Southeast Asia + someone with a background in Political Violence). You're also looking to throw in the people who are working to integrate pol econ models into more traditionally qualitative substantive focuses, If I understand you correctly. If you can provide a regional and topical field of interest, that would be helpful in suggesting which programs might be best.

I'd suggest trying to accomplish a few different things. Usual disclaimer - it is possible that I have no idea what I'm talking about. 1 - You want them to know that if they offer you the spot, you'll take it without a second thought. If you have other offers, obviously be judicious about it, but don't be overly modest. When you correspond with faculty you'd like to work with, let them know that you have other offers, but that School X is your preferred choice (for reasons a, b, and c). All the other advice on this thread applies - be cordial, enthusiastic, and do your best to make yourself seem like an excellent addition to the program personally and professionally. 2 - I would guess that at this point your academic credentials are not going to help much - you will probably have better luck if you get the attention of a couple of professors. You want one or two people to say "I want rogerfed! S/he will be extremely useful to my project on Issue X - we've already discussed it!" in the departmental meeting if any spots open up from the waitlist. So get up to date on what they're working on, and spend some time preparing some thoughts on how your research interests and theirs align. Try to get a hold of some working papers. Email the professors before the event to get a better sense of what they're working on today and for the next couple of years. 3 - Kind of a synthesis of 1 and 2: if a school is able to take students off the waitlist, they will probably go with candidates who intrigue them and who seem like a great fit. Intrigue them with your ideas, your particular spin on your field of interest. Show them you can be a great fit by speaking capably about the issues that are of interest to your target professors, by asking questions about the program that indicate you know what graduate school really will be like and that you have what it takes to make your way through it. I'd say you want everyone who could possibly be involved in the decision to know who you are, remember you as friendly, enthusiastic, interesting, and intelligent. You also want your desired advisor(s) to be able to field questions about you, your qualifications, and your interests should they come. That's all I got. Hope it's helpful.

Here's Berkeley's prompt for the PHS for the application for fall 2012 term: "Please describe how your personal background informs your decision to pursue a graduate degree. Please include information on how you have overcome barriers to access higher education, evidence of how you have come to understand the barriers faced by others, evidence of your academic service to advance equitable access to higher education for women, racial minorities, and individuals from other groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education, evidence of your research focusing on underserved populations or related issues of inequality, or evidence of your leadership among such groups. The Personal History Statement is required for all applicants. Please note that the Personal History Statement should not duplicate the Statement of Purpose. The University of California is committed to excellence and equity in every facet of its mission. Teaching, research, professional and public service contributions that promote diversity and equal opportunity are encouraged and given recognition in the evaluation of the applicant's qualifications. These contributions to diversity and equal opportunity can take a variety of forms including efforts to advance equitable access to education, public service that addresses the needs of California's diverse population, or research in a scholar's area of expertise that explores inequalities. Please describe any aspects of your personal background, accomplishments, or achievements that will allow the department to evaluate your contributions to the University's diversity mission. For example, please discuss any academic research interests focusing on cultural, societal, or educational problems as they affect underserved segments of society; educational experiences that provide an understanding how to address the academic needs of underrepresented students, or evidence of an intention to use the graduate degree toward serving disadvantaged individuals or populations. In addition, please describe any aspects of your personal background that might add to the diversity of the graduate group, such as experience living in bicultural communities, experience with barriers in access to higher education, multicultural competency, economic challenges, fluency in other languages, physical or mental disability, or other life experiences that will enable you to address the needs of our diverse society in your scholarly career." And U Mich's prompt for the PS: "How have your background and life experiences, including cultural, geographical, financial, educational or other opportunities or challenges, motivated your decision to pursue a graduate degree at the University of Michigan? For example, if you grew up in a community where educational, cultural, or other opportunities were either especially plentiful or especially lacking, you might discuss the impact this had on your development and interests. This should be a discussion of the journey that has led to your decision to seek a graduate degree. Please do not repeat your Academic Statement of Purpose."

RWBG's profile/SOP thread got me thinking about the essays that not every school required. Berkeley, for example, wanted a Personal History Statement in addition to the SOP. U Michigan wanted a Personal Statement in addition to the SOP. UCLA wanted the SOP only, but wanted some personal statement-like stuff in there according to the prompt. When I was applying this time around I found little information available about these types of essays, so I wanted to start a thread on the topic. Feel free to contribute any tips you've been given, your actual statement (I'll put mine up when Berkeley gets around to rejecting me ), or whatever else might be helpful. Hope this gives the next cycle a hand!

I can't claim a Berkeley admit, but I spoke to Berkeley on the phone today and they confirmed that most acceptances have gone out. However, as I posted a few pages back, there is still "a group in the middle", i.e. a set of applicants that they're on the fence about. All decisions will be sent by next Wednesday. They won't even tell you if you've been rejected yet b/c of the people who they're still making up their minds about - at least, she wouldn't tell me. Maybe I just wasn't persuasive enough. Gah!

Looks like it. Congrats to all of them!

Okay - for all you anxiously awaiting Berkeley: just spoke to Janet Newhall, who said that the majority of acceptance offers have already been made, but that there is "a group in the middle" whose fate has not been decided yet. No clue on the size of this group, or when the crystal ball may clear up. So, no information can be released. All decisions (including rejections) will be sent by next Wednesday (I know, torture...).

I see that one brave soul reached out to Yale for his/her admissions decision... I'm wondering whether I can summon the courage to do the same with Berkeley and Yale, and thereby obtain some closure!

Wow! Congrats to the Princeton admits - that's awesome! And thanks for claiming them

No waitlists or acceptances yet - they haven't made their decisions yet. The "long short list" stuff is, I think, the pool of consideration. But I don't think you're out if you haven't been contacted by them. As with the rest of this cycle, it seems there will be waiting and confusion involved

Thanks for the tip! Good luck to you, too

Favorite president: Eisenhower. Why? Cause it doesn't get much cooler than Ike.

Thank you very much I'm really honored and grateful, and kind of shocked still!

Earlier today - I received it around 4:15pm EST. And icedance - I only have secondhand information, but 2 sources have now posted on this thread that they contacted the division of graduate studies and were told that all offers and waitlist offers had been made.

They asked if I'd accepted an offer from elsewhere yet, and said they've narrowed the pool down to a "long short list." They also got in touch because one of my recommenders wasn't able to successfully upload his letter using their system - I suspect that was the initial reason.

So I've heard lots of stuff about people being able to negotiate slightly better funding packages for themselves - how does that process work? What kind of leverage is most useful? What kind of increases could one potentially achieve? Any thoughts would be very welcome.