whirlibird

I agree with finknottle. I think that when schools ask for 500 words, they're making an implicit statement about what they want you to tell them. A 500 word SOP isn't the place to demonstrate creativity or flaunt vocabulary. I had to go through this process when I submitted my applications in early December, so I have a couple of practical suggestions that helped me:

1) Take your 1000 word statements and go through every sentence. Ask yourself: can I say what I mean in this sentence with fewer words, even "smaller" words? Think Ernest Hemingway. We sometimes actually underestimate the power of succinct, straightforward prose. (Remember, it's not that what you originally wrote wouldn't impress an admissions committee, but that they want to know if you can get to the point. It's a type of writing that graduate programs will require once you're admitted, so they're having a look now.)

2) Read each sentence again, and then consider if you can collapse one into another. Instead of this: "I traveled to Chile and was inspired by their democracy. This experience shaped my decision to write my undergraduate thesis on the country's transition from military rule." (27) Try this: "Inspired by Chilean democracy, I composed my undergraduate thesis on its historic regime change." (14) Don't just delete periods and add conjuctions; play around with sentence composition and try fitting the meanings of entire sentences into dependent clauses.

3) Now that you've preserved as much of your original as possible, just expressed it differently, now's the time to do more heavy cutting. I absolutely agree with you that pulling random sentences out isn't helpful. But hopefully you've condensed some of that meaning you were afraid of cutting before this point. Now you need to give the big, critical eye to your, as finknottle pointed out, "personal" bits.The first thing to go should be your narratives of how you came to be interested in a certain topic, especially if it involves an anecdote. Try to fit that stuff into dependent clauses if you MUST keep in in. Try trimming out that fat (remember, fat is what makes things taste good, but committees reading 500 word statements want the straight-up protein) and seeing where you stand. Some other things that can go, if you have them: a) Any kind of "prose CV" where you talk about your awards, accomplishments, etc. out of context just to demonstrate your chops; b ) Whatever comes before your thesis statement in your intro paragraph (whatever comes before "I want to study ____ at _____ because _____" or its equivalent in your statement); c) Sentences that expand on the one or two that came before them, but offer extraneous information that gets away from your main point. Think of your statement like a tree. A thousand word statement can have some branches, even a few branches that have branches. But a 500 word statement needs to have a clearly-defined trunk (the argument of why they should admit you) and just a few short, thick branches. The idea is not to stray too far from the trunk with anything, even if it's well-written AND informative. Ask yourself if what you're saying helps you further your MAIN POINT, which is why they shouldn't throw out your application.
-->That said, make sure you DO keep your research interests, your prior research (but be straightforward! Try a one sentence summary of the work, and a one sentence summary of your findings), your career aims, and why you're a good fit for that particular school. Those should be the backbone of your statement, because they're what committees will match with their faculty and program.

4) When you've done all this, give the statement to someone that you trust who's a good editor. Ask for feedback, especially from academics who've been through this process themselves and/or served on admissions committees before.

I realize that was kind of long, but I know how hard it is to take what you think is a finished piece of work and have to almost go back to the drawing board because you have to be willing to chop whatever it takes. Hope this is helpful! You can do it!

I agree with finknottle. I think that when schools ask for 500 words, they're making an implicit statement about what they want you to tell them. A 500 word SOP isn't the place to demonstrate creativity or flaunt vocabulary. I had to go through this process when I submitted my applications in early December, so I have a couple of practical suggestions that helped me:

1) Take your 1000 word statements and go through every sentence. Ask yourself: can I say what I mean in this sentence with fewer words, even "smaller" words? Think Ernest Hemingway. We sometimes actually underestimate the power of succinct, straightforward prose. (Remember, it's not that what you originally wrote wouldn't impress an admissions committee, but that they want to know if you can get to the point. It's a type of writing that graduate programs will require once you're admitted, so they're having a look now.)

2) Read each sentence again, and then consider if you can collapse one into another. Instead of this: "I traveled to Chile and was inspired by their democracy. This experience shaped my decision to write my undergraduate thesis on the country's transition from military rule." (27) Try this: "Inspired by Chilean democracy, I composed my undergraduate thesis on its historic regime change." (14) Don't just delete periods and add conjuctions; play around with sentence composition and try fitting the meanings of entire sentences into dependent clauses.

3) Now that you've preserved as much of your original as possible, just expressed it differently, now's the time to do more heavy cutting. I absolutely agree with you that pulling random sentences out isn't helpful. But hopefully you've condensed some of that meaning you were afraid of cutting before this point. Now you need to give the big, critical eye to your, as finknottle pointed out, "personal" bits.The first thing to go should be your narratives of how you came to be interested in a certain topic, especially if it involves an anecdote. Try to fit that stuff into dependent clauses if you MUST keep in in. Try trimming out that fat (remember, fat is what makes things taste good, but committees reading 500 word statements want the straight-up protein) and seeing where you stand. Some other things that can go, if you have them: a) Any kind of "prose CV" where you talk about your awards, accomplishments, etc. out of context just to demonstrate your chops; b ) Whatever comes before your thesis statement in your intro paragraph (whatever comes before "I want to study ____ at _____ because _____" or its equivalent in your statement); c) Sentences that expand on the one or two that came before them, but offer extraneous information that gets away from your main point. Think of your statement like a tree. A thousand word statement can have some branches, even a few branches that have branches. But a 500 word statement needs to have a clearly-defined trunk (the argument of why they should admit you) and just a few short, thick branches. The idea is not to stray too far from the trunk with anything, even if it's well-written AND informative. Ask yourself if what you're saying helps you further your MAIN POINT, which is why they shouldn't throw out your application.
-->That said, make sure you DO keep your research interests, your prior research (but be straightforward! Try a one sentence summary of the work, and a one sentence summary of your findings), your career aims, and why you're a good fit for that particular school. Those should be the backbone of your statement, because they're what committees will match with their faculty and program.

4) When you've done all this, give the statement to someone that you trust who's a good editor. Ask for feedback, especially from academics who've been through this process themselves and/or served on admissions committees before.

I realize that was kind of long, but I know how hard it is to take what you think is a finished piece of work and have to almost go back to the drawing board because you have to be willing to chop whatever it takes. Hope this is helpful! You can do it!

I agree with finknottle. I think that when schools ask for 500 words, they're making an implicit statement about what they want you to tell them. A 500 word SOP isn't the place to demonstrate creativity or flaunt vocabulary. I had to go through this process when I submitted my applications in early December, so I have a couple of practical suggestions that helped me:

1) Take your 1000 word statements and go through every sentence. Ask yourself: can I say what I mean in this sentence with fewer words, even "smaller" words? Think Ernest Hemingway. We sometimes actually underestimate the power of succinct, straightforward prose. (Remember, it's not that what you originally wrote wouldn't impress an admissions committee, but that they want to know if you can get to the point. It's a type of writing that graduate programs will require once you're admitted, so they're having a look now.)

2) Read each sentence again, and then consider if you can collapse one into another. Instead of this: "I traveled to Chile and was inspired by their democracy. This experience shaped my decision to write my undergraduate thesis on the country's transition from military rule." (27) Try this: "Inspired by Chilean democracy, I composed my undergraduate thesis on its historic regime change." (14) Don't just delete periods and add conjuctions; play around with sentence composition and try fitting the meanings of entire sentences into dependent clauses.

3) Now that you've preserved as much of your original as possible, just expressed it differently, now's the time to do more heavy cutting. I absolutely agree with you that pulling random sentences out isn't helpful. But hopefully you've condensed some of that meaning you were afraid of cutting before this point. Now you need to give the big, critical eye to your, as finknottle pointed out, "personal" bits.The first thing to go should be your narratives of how you came to be interested in a certain topic, especially if it involves an anecdote. Try to fit that stuff into dependent clauses if you MUST keep in in. Try trimming out that fat (remember, fat is what makes things taste good, but committees reading 500 word statements want the straight-up protein) and seeing where you stand. Some other things that can go, if you have them: a) Any kind of "prose CV" where you talk about your awards, accomplishments, etc. out of context just to demonstrate your chops; b ) Whatever comes before your thesis statement in your intro paragraph (whatever comes before "I want to study ____ at _____ because _____" or its equivalent in your statement); c) Sentences that expand on the one or two that came before them, but offer extraneous information that gets away from your main point. Think of your statement like a tree. A thousand word statement can have some branches, even a few branches that have branches. But a 500 word statement needs to have a clearly-defined trunk (the argument of why they should admit you) and just a few short, thick branches. The idea is not to stray too far from the trunk with anything, even if it's well-written AND informative. Ask yourself if what you're saying helps you further your MAIN POINT, which is why they shouldn't throw out your application.
-->That said, make sure you DO keep your research interests, your prior research (but be straightforward! Try a one sentence summary of the work, and a one sentence summary of your findings), your career aims, and why you're a good fit for that particular school. Those should be the backbone of your statement, because they're what committees will match with their faculty and program.

4) When you've done all this, give the statement to someone that you trust who's a good editor. Ask for feedback, especially from academics who've been through this process themselves and/or served on admissions committees before.

I realize that was kind of long, but I know how hard it is to take what you think is a finished piece of work and have to almost go back to the drawing board because you have to be willing to chop whatever it takes. Hope this is helpful! You can do it!

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.

I have accepted an offer from South Carolina. I am extraordinarily excited for the future! If anyone else in this forum decides to attend there as well, drop me a note. We should get together.

I agree with all of this. Also, try to get a fair reading of what your likely "range" of programs should be. A lot of people advocate applying across the range of schools, but that can be a poor strategy if you're a good candidate. If I have any regrets from this past cycle, it's that I was a bit too conservative in choosing my schools. I wish I'd tried for a few top-10s and fewer top-30s. Key, I think, is talking to advisors who can give you some idea of what your range should be.

Oh how I miss the days of hundreds of posts to catch up on...

Oh how I miss the days of hundreds of posts to catch up on...

Oh how I miss the days of hundreds of posts to catch up on...

'SUP, PEEPS!

Okay, so, I've been sitting on this idea, but I thought now might be a nice time. I dunno, just went with my gut or something.

I propose...superlatives! What are our favorite Poli Sci GradCafe-ers most likely to do? Where will they go in the future? What do they do now? What sorts of fashion trends are they mostly likely to start? What mythological beast would they keep as a pet?

These can be serious...they can be humorous...they shouldn't be malicious...they should be FUN!

For example:
grantman is most likely to moonlight as a motivational speaker

Users can get more than one superlative; we have different aspects to our [perceived] personalities! I hope that everyone gets a few!

Let's have fun while we can, since we're desperate to sign our lives away to the vortex of misery known as academia!

ps. did you guys notice that this: Saito,Jun,Yale,2006,Yale is the only case where someone got hired by the same university they graduated from? Apparently Harvard won't even hire people with Harvard Degrees (from what I hear... they only hire humanoid robots created in a lab at MIT)

OK, I have been holding back comment on all of these sorts of requests because I know what it feels like to feel nervous and terrified and desperate to get an offer, and I know it's worse when the whole world is crowing about how they can't decide between their five offers at every Ivy League department. I know because I was rejected everywhere last time around, and at many places this time around. I am sympathetic, I really am, but these sorts of requests and comments are really very frustrating.

People on this board aren't jerks, for the most part. If they are REALLY sure about their decision, they have already withdrawn their acceptances to other schools. Additionally, and more importantly, them withdrawing does not help you at all. Schools factor the percentage of kids who get better offers into their admissions process, so the fact that Y person is going to decline school X is factored in already to the process. It could POTENTIALLY speed up the process, if you are going to be on the wait list or something, but it shouldn't impact the outcome either way.

When people make these sorts of requests what you really do is make people feel guilty for going through the process in their own way. You also make the focus of other people's celebration and accomplishment about what that celebration and accomplishment can do for YOU, instead of about the fact that in this absolutely brutal vicious game, they have had a success that we should all be celebrating. Yeah, the waiting is hard. Yeah, it's scary not knowing what's going on next year, and everybody on this board is sympathetic to that kind of stress. Yeah, somebody who has ABSOLUTELY decided and is still holding on to their offers is being an asshole. I don't think that person exists on this board.

I still have GW outstanding. I may or may not get in. If I do I will, most likely, decline the offer to go to NYU. I will, however, not accept an offer from any school without visiting. Until I visit NYU and decide that I love it as much as I think I will, I'm going to stay on the wait list at UNC and I'm going to stay in the running for GW. Also, if I got great money at GW, and loved it when I visited, I might accept it. I think fit is the most crucial thing. I love UNC's program, so I could really see that happening too. That's my process. If somebody on this board isn't turning down their offers yet, it's because they haven't finally decided where they are going yet. These types of requests and posts do nothing except dampen the excitement of people who deserve to be excited.

Got me one of those Chicago rejections with a fully-funded MAPPS admit. Will turn them down ASAP, and I hope someone else can use that tuition for what does seem like a very cool program.

I love GradCafe. This website has pretty much saved my sanity for the past several months. I love the community. But as a source of information, it's a bit difficult to navigate. I've been wondering for months "why isn't there a Grad School Wiki?"

There isn't a grad school wiki. I checked. I even searched on Wikia. So I stopped asking the wrong questions and asked the right question: "Why am I not creating a Grad School Wiki?" I didn't have a great answer. So I made one.

http://gradschool.wikia.com

It's literally brand-new, and it's essentially empty. If you'd like, you can help. If it's a bad idea, just ignore it. That is all.

Woah - this is totally out of line, and totally unacceptable grad cafe behavior. Jnwich was just providing an alternative viewpoint that will probably be just as, or more, useful to other people reading this than the conventional wisdom that you go wherever your partner goes. I hate to break it to you, but most relationships end - your career stays with you forever.

Of course, every individual (and couple) prioritizes differently. Some of the people on this forum care much more about staying with their partner, particularly if they're choosing from among a set of very similar options in terms of quality. Some people will not have the chance to choose amongst schools of similar quality, and it may in fact be a serious error to choose a school that is of much lower quality so you can stay with your s.o. Why? Because in 5 years you will be on the academic job market, and the chances of you being able to both get jobs at the same school or in the same area are slim to none. By each attending the best schools possible for you, you might have a better chance of being reunited at your first teaching position.

I thought about doing this for a while, but decided to use a low tech approach instead. I placed, in a hallway, a large map of the United States. I put large pins in the city of each college to which I was accepted. Next to the pins, I have placed large sticky notes where I write down the pros and cons of each school as they come to me. This is probably not the most effective means of comparing programs, but it gives the whole process a road-trip-esque feel.

Congrats! You know Eugene is landlocked, right? You'll have to lay down your pirate activities and become a filthy land-lover.

Oh, man, ain't that the truth. My experience was SCOTUS Clerk's Office and the mail I read and the phones I answered...



This is why you and I are going to be best friends forever.

Its important to see beyond the simple dichotomy of dictatorship vs democracy and its correlation in the media (evil vs good) and realize that there are so many variant, alternative, and hybrid forms of government. Personally, it seems evident to me from daily observation and the study of history that the article is on to something. The main problem with democracy is that it leads to a general overall mediocracy of government, especially when you have the entire population vote from the least educated to the most education. Its true as Saltlake says that democracy prevents, due to its structure, the worst ideas and leaders from doing too much damage. But it also restrains the very best. As Tocqueville suggested, really smart people don't even bother participating in democractic politics. I also disagree with the "at least democracy allows new ideas to be implemented eventually" argument as well. Often democracy leads to bloated bureaucracies, interest groups, and entitlements that are really hard to change "through the system." Many of the ancients seem to have believed rightfully that a new phoenix can only emerge out of the ashes of an old one.

In any case, ultimately liberalism is probably more important than democracy and its what people really want. By that, I mean classical liberalism which is really a system that allows for much individual freedom. Deep down inside, that's what the people of the Arab Spring want for example. To not be harassed and suppressed. Democracy hardly allows the individual much choice and change, since it is really a stand in for plutocracy. Liberal autocracy, as in the great 18th and 19th century European empires can probably ensure a better run system than a modern liberal democracy. But I do not seriously believe that people will outgrow the need to impose their views on society, whether conservative or liberal...humans seem to have an innate tendency to want to do so.

Negative, Ghost Rider. Commence relaxation.

DUDE what HAPPENED to this forum?! It's like we all turned into snails! I don't know if I've ever seen it this slow for so long. I know some of us are wrapping up cycles, people, but where's your HEART?!

This message brought to you by a concerned bird.

I second the St. Andrews suggestion if you're interested in a Masters. If you're going PhD, though, and the endgame is for a tenure track job, you'd be best served just applying straight to US schools, I think. What you'd gain from taking the year to get an MLitt is really dependent on your undergraduate record, and financial aid is tough to come by.

They've rejected me twice now. My undergrad adviser suggested I take all my rejection letters, put them in a pile, and light them on fire. I think I will dance around that fire in the tshirt of whichever school I attend!

Same, bro. All but officially decided where I'm headed, but no one gets my dumb jokes anywhere else, so I'll be around for a bit...

I've wrapped up my cycle and I'm still going to commiserate, make lame jokes and in general hang about. I also may finally sleep a full 8 hours again (there have to be a few perks!)