Tamboursg'sell

Go to LSE and apply in the fall '13. This gives you the chance to get LORs from LSE professors that should know you by then. Plus, you can take a gap year, work, travel, relax.

Why move to PolSci? An econ Phd trains and places you much better. Economists do nearly everything anyways. (Unless you want to become a theorist.)

Finally a question worth answering. I'll go for a classic Porsche 911 from the 70s. Because I believe there are cars and there is the 911. It's the 911, by the way, who made me believe in Plato's idealism. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_911_classic

I can claim an nyu admit. About to post it.

Wow finally someone who fits my econ models.. I didn't think they really existed I'm in the same boat re geography. While I haven't heard from all programs, my current offers are almost (!) equal but in very different locations. I think one's identity and happiness depends on one's geographic circumstances to a larger degree than one wants to admit. So, personally, I will go for the better location.. Good weather, food, culture etc. foster my curiosity on which my research is based. So go to Cali, I am currently making the very same decision.

This is actually a very important point. Being in the fortunate position of having been accepted to several programs, I have a couple of questions about this: What is the specific point when one has officially committed to a program? (When some form is signed or is a mere email enough?) Furthermore, when should one decline an offer at a less preferred school given that the funding situation at preferred places is not entirely clear. The reason why I am asking is because I neither want to reserve places unnecessarily long, nor do I want to end up in the wrong / underfunded program. Thanks for the advice (I hope someone else was wondering about this too).

Just got into OSU - I'm in pol econ. So don't give your hopes up just yet!

Just got into Duke too. So, apparently decisions are really trickling in over a couple of days.

@whirlibird. I'm at the Turkey-Iranian border but will be in Istanbul tomorrow. Let me know if you are around. Oh and afterwards Im off to the 'stans so in case tergellian has some insights I would greatly appreciate it . Also, I'd like to thank the forum more generally and balderash in particular for offering such great advice. i'm convinced that without this very thread I would have made some very dumb errors in my app. Thanks again!

Just got into UCLA with full funding. Dan Treisman sent me a nice email. I was literally in the middle of nowhere in Turkey when I randomly checked my phone at 6am in the morning and got the email. Crazy. I do comp pol Econ by the way Good luck to everyone else!

Hi, I've been a reader of this forum for quite some time and have just decided to become active. Here is my strategy: 1. Don't go on GradCafe. I only go once or twice a week, but whenever I go the site somehow succeeds in turning an otherwise calm person into a nervous freak. 2. Travel to foreign countries. I've decided to spend the remaining six months on a road trip to developing countries. Amongst other things, this will a) allow me to realize there are much more important things in life than grad school and prevent me from checking my applications all too often (there is simply no internet around). 3. Sign a job offer. I signed a contract last month, which means I know what I will be doing given I am rejected. Moreover, having a job lined up puts a high opportunity cost at going to graduate school and very high bureaucratic costs of getting out of a signed contract. In sum, it creates a situation in which I almost "don't want to get an offer" - if that makes any sense. 4. Demystify grad school. Who wants to be an unemployed PhD anyways? Moreover, the schools I applied to are so freaking good that I would be the dumbest kid around the block anyways - so yet another reason to happily anticipate rejections.