SuddenlyParanoid: application star or greatest troll ever?

[IRmiester666]

You decide.

[gravityflyer]

You decide.

LOL!

[tskinner]

His SOP was pretty legit.

[qazwerty]

LOL I actually considered his troll-status in the past, but decided he wasn't because he had so many insider details on acceptances, like when they were sent and things of that nature.

[APGradApplicant]

LOL I actually considered his troll-status in the past, but decided he wasn't because he had so many insider details on acceptances, like when they were sent and things of that nature.

Agreed. SOP was legit and in addition, he was always pretty friendly and interactive with fellow applicants. I feel like trolls tend to barge onto the boards announcing results and then leave or don't even show up on the boards but just throw out little crumbs into the results forum to send applicants into a frenzy. That said, I guess you've posited "greatest troll ever", which indeed would be the case were SP indeed a bullshit artist.

So anyways, my guess is no, SP is a real person who just bent over the admissions process. He even sent me a PM letting me know when he turned down the offer of my wait list school. Not very trollish at all.

[Ziz]

Throughout, I didn't really think he was a troll, but maybe someone who was lying about results...so it would explain why he had a SOP and also why he could tell people when results came out b/c he would just wait until someone else claimed one. It just seems so unlikely that someone would get in everywhere and to the specific schools he did. No one can be a perfect fit at every top school and even if his grades were 4.0 800/800/6, a lot of people have those and as-good SOPs and get rejected from at least one school. Though, then again, I guess someone has to be at the far right of the normal curve and get in everywhere . So I had kind of stopped thinking about it because it really doesn't matter.

[WorldMan]

I believe that he is a regular applicant that lives in a fantasy world.

[anxiousapplicant]

I have to agree with someoneoutthere. The statistical chance of getting into all those top schools is extremely slim. And his GPA was only what, 3.7-ish? I'm just not convinced that, however solid, his SOP fit every school's agenda.

[gapa]

Fit is not an issue at best programs, which are the biggest ones as well. These can fit most people, as long as their profile is strong, their interests reasonable (and perhaps tweak their SOP here and there). Fit becomes important at lesser schools with fewer faculty, which need to specialize. Plus Political Science seems to be less competitive than Economics, resulting in reduced influence of luck for best candidates.

[applying12010]

I really don't think that it is a good idea to call someone a troll just because he/ she is successful with his/ her applications. I do know real people who got into every single top 10 programs that they applied to. Personally I will not defame another individual without solid evidence.

[qazwerty]

I really don't think that it is a good idea to call someone a troll just because he/ she is successful with his/ her applications. I do know real people who got into every single top 10 programs that they applied to. Personally I will not defame another individual without solid evidence.

People aren't suggesting he's a troll for success--they're wondering if the success are real at all. I don't think he lied about acceptances, but from what I remember of his SOP, it looked like just a template. It could have been anyone's SOP.

[APGradApplicant]

If one is a member of an under-represented minority group, particularly race, that can often be a key factor. Combined w/ a strong profile, that could probably do the trick at those places...

[plisar]

Wow, you guys really are haters aren't you. I can confirm he was admitted to every school he applied to. How about instead of spending time gossiping about someone on the internet, you figure out which schools you want to go to based on your acceptance list.

SP is already doing that based on his.

[qazwerty]

Wow, you guys really are haters aren't you. I can confirm he was admitted to every school he applied to. How about instead of spending time gossiping about someone on the internet, you figure out which schools you want to go to based on your acceptance list.

SP is already doing that based on his.

Your post on this thread is probably the most unnecessarily mean-spirited thus far.

[Penelope Higgins]

As a graduate student at a top 5 department, and during my brief stint as a faculty member at one, I learned that the majority of our admitted grad students were accepted to nearly all of the top 10 programs to which they applied. 7 out of 10, for example, was a fairly routine outcome for many of our accepted students. So I am not surprised by SP's results, though I have no personal knowledge of his situation. I am sure that several applicants with similar decisions to make are not posting on this board. While this thread started out quite entertaining, it has gone to some pretty ugly places. Let's all take a deep breath and focus on our own situations.

[qazwerty]

As a graduate student at a top 5 department, and during my brief stint as a faculty member at one, I learned that the majority of our admitted grad students were accepted to nearly all of the top 10 programs to which they applied. 7 out of 10, for example, was a fairly routine outcome for many of our accepted students. So I am not surprised by SP's results, though I have no personal knowledge of his situation. I am sure that several applicants with similar decisions to make are not posting on this board. While this thread started out quite entertaining, it has gone to some pretty ugly places. Let's all take a deep breath and focus on our own situations.

edit

Eh, I regretted this post as soon as I made it. So easy to debate numbers.

I still don't think a majority of people who go into a top 10 were admitted to nearly all top 10s. You'll always be a superstar to me, SP!

Edited March 7, 2010 by qazwerty

[Penelope Higgins]

Didn't see your post qazwerty, but I withdraw the word 'majority'... the point I was trying to make is that this is far from an uncommon situation. Apologies for the imprecision.

edit

Eh, I regretted this post as soon as I made it. So easy to debate numbers.

I still don't think a majority of people who go into a top 10 were admitted to nearly all top 10s. You'll always be a superstar to me, SP!

[applying12010]

Didn't see your post qazwerty, but I withdraw the word 'majority'... the point I was trying to make is that this is far from an uncommon situation. Apologies for the imprecision.

According to my knowledge of the admissions process (from talking to other accepted students during school visits, professors etc.), the top schools are mostly competing for the same group of students, so for someone to have multiple offers from good schools is really not that uncommon. If you get into Harvard or Columbia etc., it is pretty likely that you will be offered admissions to other top schools; the correlation is strong. What PH is talking about is quite true...

Someone mentioned SP's "low" GPA - note that GPA is not just a simple number, it is interpreted in the context of the classes taken, rigor of the school etc. I have a 3.77 (with a lot of math and econ classes) and I did fine in this year's admissions cycle.

Let's just congratulate SP, and everyone else who is lucky enough to have admission offer(s) this year. This year has been exceptionally competitive.

[Ferrero]

I looked up this guy. His name is "Suddenly Paranoid" and he has acceptances from every program he applied to, including each Ivy he applied to. Take it from a sometime troll -- of course he is pulling everyone's chain!

He's in at all those programs, and District 9 will win Best Picture!

Edited March 8, 2010 by Ferrero

[APGradApplicant]

I believe he's a real applicant who lied about some of his results. Regardless of how great someone's application is, there is just no way that one person would get into that many top programs (I'm fairly certain that he claimed to have gotten into at least 7 of the top 10 schools). Purely based on research fit, he would have gotten rejected from at least one of those places.

^

||

Says the applicant who's still resentful that she was rejected from places she really wanted to go...

Edited March 8, 2010 by APGradApplicant

[transcendentalist]

The dude is completely legit. If you had any concept of the intradepartmental politics of admissions, combined with his fantastic profile, you would not be a doubter. As of now it's best for people who've never been to grad school not to pontificate about what is and is not possible in admissions. Just accept that he had an amazing run, wish him well, and go on your way.

[IRmiester666]

I actually started this thread in an effort to troll, but now I'm starting to believe my supporters somewhat.......

[SBL]

Personally I am very disappointed in this thread. Not so much you IRmiester (I understand the comedic appeal of rocking the boat every now and then even if I don't agree with it) - but certainly with some of the responses.

Troll or no (and I have no reason to believe SP has lied in any way whatsoever), it has little material relevance.

The only purpose this thread has served is to illustrate the competitive insecurities and snide gossiping I can expect to encounter when I eventually go to grad school.

[Bobb Cobb]

Personally I am very disappointed in this thread. Not so much you IRmiester (I understand the comedic appeal of rocking the boat every now and then even if I don't agree with it) - but certainly with some of the responses.

Troll or no (and I have no reason to believe SP has lied in any way whatsoever), it has little material relevance.

The only purpose this thread has served is to illustrate the competitive insecurities and snide gossiping I can expect to encounter when I eventually go to grad school.

This is exactly what I was thinking. There are some folks here with real confidence and security issues. Who cares whether he lied or not? It is the internet! I'll take their word for it as inspiration to know I need to work harder. Good luck in grad school with these attitudes.

[Dialogue]

Stop making assumptions about people you don't know from a hole in the wall and start worrying about your own future.

This is good advice for everyone in this thread, including the poster in the above quote.

It's also a bit ironic to advise everyone else to stop making assumptions about strangers when, just a few posts earlier, your yourself did the very thing that you discourage.

Edited March 8, 2010 by Dialogue