JordanJames

Thanks bk, I guess I'll call and find out about funding.

Like I said before, if you go to the top state school in your state, I think you're still in position to go anywhere. I didn't mean that you have to go to Harvard.

Yeah, then there is that situation, and that is very unfair. But I'd like to note that your taking a personal interest in the research of people you would like to work with proves something to them that maybe some of us didn't. That is work that some weren't as willing to do.

Here's the site: http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~chin ... _paper.pdf Also, I have to disagree with you. There is a formula to making sure you get into a top school and we all know it. You may not get in at all of the schools, but you will get into at least 1 of them if you go to a good undergrad, do very well in your classes, score well on the GRE, and actively pursue research opportunities which will ultimately lead to good recommendations. The people at the best schools may not be the smartest or the most original, but they have taken the steps that show they are willing to and at least somewhat able to be a productive researcher. Some may not deserve to be there and are there, and some deserve to be there but aren't. But it is more likely that the person at Harvard is a better student than the person at Florida State. So like I said, I believe that the presumption in favor of the people at the top schools is a fair one. The formula for rebutting that presumption is also known to all of us: Impress your faculty and do some original research. that contributes substantially to the field. I don't think people at schools that aren't in the top 15 can't get jobs, I just think they have to do a little more work to find those jobs and make up for the deficiencies in their record or past performance that led to them not being accepted at the top schools. And, as I've said before, these schools aren't infallible; mistakes are made, but they still are more often right than wrong. My comments do make a generalization, but I feel that it is a useful and accurate one. Those of us not accepted at the top schools shouldn't complain about the situation we're in or get angry, and instead just pay attention to the reality of the situation at hand: Those of us who are considering schools that aren't top schools have to realize that in order to succeed and get that tenure track job we'll have to be willing to do what it takes to rebut the presumption against us. I felt it was neccesary to state why I believe that this presumption against us isn't unfair. I know that you were talking about the reality of the job market, but I felt like the tangent I went on was somewhat relavent. Anyways, I hope I didn't depress or piss off anyone.

I agree with you, general rankings are only good for telling you that a school is ranked to low to choose over another school. Also, I agree that placement rankings (I only know of 1) are probably the only rankings anybody should consider. The other rankings are too subjective and broad, telling you nothing about how well the school competes on the academic job market. Some schools don't break down their placements, and knowing how they've competed in general against other schools helps. Also, it's odd, but amazingly, at around 15 I noticed a significant drop off in the placement records at schools a while back on the Chingos rankings, so your point is definently valid. But, I don't think that it means that students at schools lower than 15 won't be placed anywhere (or anywhere attractive), I just think they have to prove that they are capable of high level research. Obviously the students at the top schools are more likely to be the top students in the nation, and will therefore find the best placements because there is a fair presumption in their favor. Those of us not going to the top schools aren't as likely to find a great academic post afterwards, but there still is a good possibility of finding an acceptable tt track job. I really hope that people reading this aren't offended, because I'm one of the people who won't be going to one of the top 15 schools. But, what canadianpolisci is saying is true to a certain extent, and we just have to deal with it. I thought about it this weekend, and having spent the last 7 years in school (undergrad and law school) not studying at all, not studying for the GRE, and not doing any independant research, what gives me the balls to say I deserve to be in a top school or that I should have an equal opportunity to to be placed. Some of us are smart enough, some of us aren't. Some of us have worked hard enough, some of us haven't. But most of us who didn't get in at a top school (no matter how brilliant we may be) didn't deserve to get in at the top schools for some reason, and don't deserve to have an equal opportunity at landing the top jobs. So yes, if you're not at a top 15 school you probably shouldn't be, and if you don't go to a top 15 school, then you're going to have to actually do somethig to prove that you deserve that tt position over the students that did go to those schools. I don't place much weight on the U.S. News rankings because I'm assuming most of the people that have to fill out the surveys spend under 5 minutes thinking about it or hand them off to their assistant (if they are spending time on it, I would believe they are doing it strategically to make sure they are ranked higher than competing schools). Anyways, when I posted the rankings and the thing my friend made I should have probably noted that I think it's all b.s., but I figured some people might like to use them.

U.S. News rankings 1. Harvard University (MA) 5.0 2. Stanford University (CA) 4.9 3. University of Michigan

damn sh!t f#ck @ss sh!t hwiufhriueijbfeiebnifjrebfhenbf aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh well, I'll live.

I agree, but US News does have break downs by subfield. They still don't really mean much, but if you're considering a couple of schools and 1 is ranked substantially higher than the other in all of the rankings, it does tell you something. General department rankings aren't going to mean as much for you as for those, like me, with holes in their apps who could find themselves anywhere on the reputation spectrum.

Those rankings are pretty interesting. As much as I'd love for it to be true, I doubt FSU deserves to be ranked higher than Michigan.

I'm not sure exactly but his email said "NRC, Schmidt and Chingos, US NEWS and blah blah blah." I have no idea what blah blah blah means.

I ran into an old friend the other day and it turned out he was also applying to poli sci phd programs also. He just emailed me this average of the rankings of different departments that he made when he was applying. I don't know how he filled in certain gaps but I figured somebody on this board might get some use out of it. Here are the rankings: 1. Harvard 1. Stanford 3. Princeton 4. Berkeley 5. Michigan 6. Duke 7. Wisconsin 8. WashU 8. Emory

Thanks for the info.

Oh my god, they actually do read these boards.

Northerm Liberties is a good bet, but like any major city, parking is annoying. It's obviously not as bad as finding parking in New York or Chicago, but it's still a hassle. Also, proximity to the 95 might mean less than you think, depending on where you are exactly. The streets get packed, and just getting to the 95 is annoying at times. I personally would recommend looking for places in Ardmore. It's affordable, a nice area, you'll find parking, it's a 5 minute train ride from the city, and there is plenty to do there when you're too lazy to go into the city. I would also recommend looking at Collingswood, NJ and Haddonfield, NJ as options. There is a PATCO subway that takes you to Philly in about 10 minutes. You can transfer to the SEPTA at 8th and Market. It's more affordable to live in New Jersey, and those 2 areas are great places to live, very clean, there are good restaurants, and both are dog friendly. I lived in Collingswood for a semester and I loved it there. Your husband can take the 70 to the 295 and it'll have him in Princeton in about 40 minutes (or less, depending on traffic and how he drives). But if you would prefer to live in the city, then Northern Liberties is definently a great place to look at. Old City is also a nice area to live if you're a couple of blocks North of Market St., but the places there are very expensive and getting to and from the 95 may be hard at times. It's early and my mind isn't quite functional yet, but if I think of anything else later, I'll let you know.

They say that so people don't keep calling. Those who are admitted should probably hear from them early next week if history repeats itself. Then the rejections come a couple of weeks later. Lets hope we hear from them next week.

Sorry to hear this whole process hasn't been so good for you this year. What schools have you not heard from? It sounds like you were unlucky and didn't have a safety school. To quote one of my recommenders when I was asking her for application advise, "Understanding how schools make graduate application decisions is more complicated than anything you'll study in graduate school. Having spent years on various admissions committees, I still have no idea how some of these decisions are made." I tried to take the whole diamond in the rough angle with my apps, we'll see how well that works out for me. Good luck with the rest of your apps. Just remember that Einstein had to work in a patent office because he couldn't find a job in academia at first. These academic institutions we all admire make mistakes.

Like you said, it's a crapshoot. I actually compare this whole process to hold'em poker. The best hand wins more times than it loses, the best players win most of the time, but anyone and any hand can lose and anyone and any hand can win on any given day. If you have a 70% chance of winning, and if you're already 0-6, as you keep playing the percentages will converge on 70%. You can't start folding AK because you lost with AK a few times. You just have to keep playing good hands when you have them. Anyways, I always look for an opportunity to analogize anything with poker.

Yeah, I went to law school as well, and it is a waste if you're looking for intellectual stimulation. It gets better after first year, but if you really want to challenge your mind, you have to do it on your own. But, if you go to a top law school known for producing academics and get on journal, you can go on to clerk at a circuit court and then find a nice tt position somewhere. Anyways, I hope you get in, but if you don't, you should apply again. Better to stomach a 3rd year of apps than a lifetime of TPS reports.

Even if you don't get in now, you'll get in later. By the way, have you considered kicking ass on the LSAT, going to a top law school and entering academia that way. I know you have to pay for law school, but law professors make a lot more money, so it would be a pretty good investment. Also, I'm not sure, but I think I've only seen BC masters admits, so you may be in the running for their PhD program.

18. You have no job because you've already been fired for obsessively checking GradCafe and your inbox.

Vitalis preferably, or O'Leary, or Lustick, working with any of them would be great. How about you?

Their acceptances also usually go out later than others (poli sci at least). Rollinson, you can smile about an impending rejection (although I doubt you aren't a competitive candidate), you already got in at NWU. Penn's my top choice (I applied to some higher ranked schools, but this is the school I'm desperate to get in at). If I don't get in here, I'm probably going to FSU because I think their program is the most suitable for my interests and their stipend will go a long way in Tallahassee. I'll be happy at FSU, but I'm really pulling for Penn. This tersely written rejection should hurt more than the others.

I think that's when I'm going as well.

Who's visiting and when?