whirlibird

Perhaps one day you'll be a professor there. Judging by the mix of admits and rejects I've had, and seen others experience; I think it's pretty clear that life's unpredictable but I think we're all in for a wild ride.

I look forward to seeing everyone's name in the APSR one day!

Congratulations to everyone who got admitted, and to those still waiting on some good news, I have some for you:

YOU ROCK!

That's why I continue to hang around. Crossing my fingers for something good for you all.

Congratulations to everyone who got admitted, and to those still waiting on some good news, I have some for you:

YOU ROCK!

That's why I continue to hang around. Crossing my fingers for something good for you all.

Yup, UNC website rejection. Will have no qualms rooting against them in the big game v. Duke, who actually liked me.

Perish the thought!



Similar experience, though at the end of January, right after the 6th had come out. Check out this amazing solidarity! (I realize we're grossly off-topic, though...sorry everybody!)

Yes I just saw it last week, did you enjoy it? I heard they're considering turning it in to a "young Morse" series. I need something to fill the void now that I've seen all of Sherlock - maybe this will do it.

Noooooo!!! Grantman!!! You're awesome and you're going to do awesome things. I truly believe it; your attitude says everything about you. Plus:

"Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."
~Calvin Coolidge

That's right. Give Silent Cal some love. He said some smart things for a silent guy. Americanists care to chime in?

So, anyway...godspeed to YOU, grantman, and glad to have been through this with you. All my best.

Gee willikers, you leave this place for like five seconds and things go crazy! TROLLS?! Run, Bilbo, run!

Claiming a Stanford rejection. Yeehaw! My decision becomes more certain as the days tick by! Soon I'll get my precious t-shirt...

Gee willikers, you leave this place for like five seconds and things go crazy! TROLLS?! Run, Bilbo, run!

Claiming a Stanford rejection. Yeehaw! My decision becomes more certain as the days tick by! Soon I'll get my precious t-shirt...

Gee willikers, you leave this place for like five seconds and things go crazy! TROLLS?! Run, Bilbo, run!

Claiming a Stanford rejection. Yeehaw! My decision becomes more certain as the days tick by! Soon I'll get my precious t-shirt...

There's gotta be a youtube video for that...

...about all the help I can give over the internet. And as a totally unlicensed medical amateur. Even when they call me Dr. I won't be a REAL one.

There's gotta be a youtube video for that...

...about all the help I can give over the internet. And as a totally unlicensed medical amateur. Even when they call me Dr. I won't be a REAL one.

I, for one, am going to try to refrain from getting too carried away by all of this "I'll never get a job unless I get into a top 25 program" stuff. The schools I got into with funding are questionably in the top 25. They are great programs with excellent faculty and resources. I'm going to get a great education, regardless of whether or not they're ranked 24 in 2004, 23 in 2006 or 29 in 2008. And I'm going to get a job afterward. It might not be at Harvard, but then again, but who ever said teaching at Harvard was the best working environment in the world anyway?

I've found myself reading over these posts and falling prey to this negative mindset of, "My God, I'm going to go through this competitive, rigorous, all-consuming program, give up this this and this in my life, force my partner to move here here and here - all for a lackluster position at Po Dunk U making 2K a semester teaching Intro to Politics for the rest of my life." ENOUGH ALREADY. To everyone who got in anywhere - congratulations. You worked hard, you got in, and everything is going to be okay. And to those who didn't and want to try again next year, do what you can to learn from your mistakes this go-around, perhaps apply to a few more backup schools, distinguish yourself from the 400 other applicants by making personal contacts with those profs you'd like to work with, and I'll bet you do a lot better.

The fact is, the hiring process is just as subjective and random as the application acceptance process. Some places are just off limits - we get it. And yes, it looks good if your CV says you have a PhD from a top ten school, but your personality or area of interest or age or bodily smell or hair color or marital status just might not gel with the department, and the job might go to someone from UNC who gave a stellar job talk and who reminds the Chair of his favorite aunt. There will be plenty of time to worry about finding a job five years from now. In the meantime, I'm just going to try to get through the first year.

Man, exactly! At this point I would just like some definite answers from everywhere so that I can just make a decision, be excited about it, and buy a t-shirt.

Man, exactly! At this point I would just like some definite answers from everywhere so that I can just make a decision, be excited about it, and buy a t-shirt.

Man, exactly! At this point I would just like some definite answers from everywhere so that I can just make a decision, be excited about it, and buy a t-shirt.

Congratulations, CooCooCachoo. I would assume that you will have more options by the end of the cycle, but I know what a relief it is to receive that first acceptance.
Also - congrats are in order for those who have claimed acceptances to UG, UVa, Columbia, Cornell, Conneticut, Arizona, WUSTL, Binghamton, and Kentucky. It is fulfulling to see so many people from this forum receive good news.

The drought has ended!

Cornell acceptance. Pretty dauntingly exciting to know that I'll be in the US within half a year.

To second the seconds and third the thirds, great idea, Ironheel! ! (Space included to make sure you know one of them is for your username and one of them is for emotion!) I admit that 7 of my 9 applications were to top 15 programs, but I'm waiting to hear back from UVA and am excited after hearing from UT today. Is it cool for the bird to whirl in here? It's where most of my favorite (friendly, funny) people are...

And I think the observation that there's a huge selection bias is spot on. The uber obsessive ones come here. Oh rats...guess that means I'm one of them...though, let's be honest, guys, I come here to get excited about poli sci since I have no one around me in real life at the moment with whom to share the idiosyncracies of our discipline. Or anyone who understands jokes about whether we're being "realists" about our chances. Haha? Bad pun? iwouldpreferanonymity, I'm looking at you!

I am sorry to hear that, grantman. Surely, it is their loss.

I just got out of a meeting and saw that a bunch of new posts were added. Naturally, I assumed that every one of my remaining schools had notified, and had completely ruined my holiday. Luckily, it was just a poetry slam. Whew.


You guys are DA BEST.

I love all of you very, very much. I even wrote you a haiku.

Bipolarity.
Warm golden sun is acceptance,
Nighttime rejection.

Heart heart heart u so much 4 eva.

I disagree. While you should decline offers from places that you will not reasonably accept, do not decline all non first choices until you visit. You may find that the person you want to work with is intolerable, or that you don't like the environment, or a host of other things.

I want to establish some research "street cred," I think, but I'm ultimately all about training little liberal arts undergrads. I'm with you guys. Awesome to know we're not alone.