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rogerfed

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Posts posted by rogerfed

  1. 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.

    This is great saltlake. Appreciate it
  2. Just called the UPenn polisci dept to ask if all the acceptances have already been out and it was confirmed that I'm unofficially out. So, if you haven't heard from them, you're out. Not pleasant news but wanted to share.

    I'm on the same boat with other NW people, still no movement in my page....This is such a painful waiting period.

    I tried to call the grad coordinator but no one pick up the phone. Has anyone tried to call? Northwestern is certainly driving us crazy
  3. No, I'm pretty sure the rejections went out yesterday afternoon, given the earlier posts in this forum. Or perhaps the online notification was delayed for some technical reason and wasn't available until Saturday afternoon. Who knows.

    Abureesh, I see a comparativist being rejected by northwestern. I really cant focus now doing other stuff. This is driving me crazy.
  4. Interested in nationalism, political identity, state formation, authoritarian durability (basically the really hard-core comparativist stuff) with a regional focus on the Middle East. However, I have secondary interests in IR, mostly collective violence, identity in conflict, etc. As far as profs, I'd like to work with Pearlman, Mahoney, Reno, Spruyt. But I've tried not to think about it too much, as I do not want to get my hopes up/get attached to any one school (as trying as it may be).

    What about you?

    I am interested in democratic transition/consolidation, voting behavior and comparative political economy in developing countries (esp. new democracies). I really like jeff winters and Andrew Roberts.

    Anyone has any news on the UVA front? Are they done? Should I assume a rejection and cross that off of my list?

    I apply to UVA too and have not heard anything. I guess we should wait till the end of next week before we can really cross it out.
  5. Just some information (maybe bad news to some of you guys)

    I just called UCLA asking for my admission status and I was told that I am unofficially rejected. Very disappointed as I think my interest on comparative politics really fit with the department there. This means that those who do not get the call, might be in the same boat as me.

    On the bright side, there is more to life than grad school.

  6. I know this is pretty late, but Brown is one of the few programs that has a very late deadline (Feb 1). I am thinking of applying there in comparative politics (democracy and citizens behavior). Is anyone familiar with the program there? How competitive is the admission to Brown? (According to the ranking, brown ranked pretty low in the list 40ish).

  7. Perhaps to be more specific, this is my research qn:

    Why does popular support for democracy vary across countries? Are economic factors more important or do political factors matter more to the people? Does the belief that democracy improves one’s economic situation or the confidence in elections to deliver accountability has the more influence in determining the popular support for democracy in new democracies?

    Hope I can get some comment.

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