iwouldpreferanonymity

All - thank you for the responses! I will continue working hard in all my courses, but it is a comfort to know that a lower mark will not imperil my plans for next year.

Best possible answer.

I had a similar rough patch at the beginning of my undergrad career. I made up for it with high grades latter, and a 4.0 in my MA (so far). Contrary to popular wisdom, I made no mention of the lower grades in either my MA or Ph.D. applications. So far as I can tell, the turbulent beginning has not hurt my chances anywhere. My experiences are but my own, however, and might not be of much help. That said, I would not be too despondent about the situation. If you work hard going forward, no doubt you will gain admission to the field of your choice.

Actually, they did not even mention a visit. Well, not that I remember, at any rate. Again, I might have overlooked something.

Thank you, polisciftw. It seems like I need to chat with a couple departments tomorrow - perhaps I overlooked something.

Perhaps. I do not know. In fact, the departments that admitted me did not even provide details about such visits. Granted, they admitted me earlier, and told me to wait for more information. Still, is this something you should normally hear about when you are accepted?

I would make the same claim, but this process has already stolen from me my faculties. But yes - the dawn of every workweek now carries it with the promise of both hope and despair. Good luck to all in this coming week!

I am curious about the same thing - not because I am abroad, however, but because I am broke.

I will keep my fingers crossed for you, and hope that it all works out as you wish. I am also inclined to believe that willful people can accomplish what is necessary.

Thank you, RWGB. That is a relief. I thought that this might be so, but wished to make sure.

I must preface my question with the following statement: I have tried searching the site for an answer to my particularly concern, but have come up empty. If this question has already been asked and answered many times over, I do apologize. With that said, how much do doctoral programs care about the grades you receive after being accepted? I have a 4.0 in my current MA program, and do not expect this to change, but I am suddenly much more concerned about not making the sort of mistakes that might lead to an A- or a B+. Having been accepted to a couple of programs, I now worry about having those offers withdrawn. Is it all right if I get an A- in an unfinished class, or must I maintain my current average? I welcome all advice.

Ouch. My sympathy goes out to you. I had worried that something similar might occur with one of my letter writers. (He only communicates in spurts, and disappers for long stretches of time.) For what it counts, I have both read and heard that schools are often very sympathetic when it comes to missing letters. They recongize that you have done your part, and that you cannot control your referee. While I hope that you referee appears soon and straightens all this out, I am confident enough that it will not affect your chances of admission.

I offer this by way of encouragement, though it might sound like a joke. Why worry about the MA programs, when you are sure to be accepted at a PhD program?

I experienced a similar problem in the past, so I understand that this sort of thing can be maddening. If the site has infringed upon copyright (and it presumably has), you could file a DMCA notice against them, or their hosting company. Just an idea.

Sent.

I sent you a PM, Ironheel!!. :-)

While my acceptances have not been at what many would necessarily characterize as 'top-tier programs,' I find myself doing exactly what brent09 does. That is, I now try to analyze every possible outcome. Fortunately, I would be pleased to attend either school that has admitted me, so I am not overly anxious - but I sure would like to hear back from the other schools to which I applied! Congrats to everyone who heard good news today!

I do not have any questions, but I did want to welcome you. Best of luck with your applications!

I will keep my fingers crossed for you!

I am finishing an MPA at the moment, and have received two acceptances (so far) to PhD programs in Political Science. Since the MPA does, in theory, prepare students better for a career in public policy than in political science, I would assume that PhD programs in the former field would look favorably on an applicant with that credential. In terms of getting into a 'top 20 school,' I would guess that what is true for political science is true for public policy as well. That is, the best way to increase your chances at admission are to do well on the GRE, to write a good POS, and to indicate within it how your interests 'fit' with those of the department. I hope that helps. :-)

I agree with Justin here. I have also found that relief often comes in the form of excercise, so I have doubled the length of my workouts. I have also watched a bit more EPL, and indulged in a few more ultra-calorific foods. Generally, these coping mechanisms work, but not always. I too almost 'lost it' last weekend.

I concur with Kombucha. While I have noticed that many members of this forum are generous with advice and encouragement, Balderdash has distinguished himself as perhaps the most helpful individual here. Congratulations to all those who received acceptances today!

I fear that it might be too late for some of us. I know that, in my case, the application process itself drove me a bit bonkers, and I am not sure when or if my sanity will return. Upon reflection, I think that all who have traveled this road have paid the price by forfeiting some measure of their mental health.

I experienced fatigue at 8, so I can only imagine how exhausting it must be to turn in 18. Regarding when we might start hearing back - I have found it helpful to look back on the admissions results posted here: http://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php?q=%28politics|government|political%29&t=a&o=d. I think that the dates from last year could be used as a rough guide for this year. That said, others might be able to provide better guidance.

In the midst of applying too all these schools, I had entirely forgotten about the FAFSA. I am in the same state of mind as cunninlynguist, however, for I do not feel any rush to submit it. I too received confirmation today that all my applications are complete; I wish to enjoy that accomplishment (It might lead to nothing but it certainly feels like an accomplishment!) a bit before delving into more paperwork. In general, I am trying to avoid forms at the moment.