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2018-2019 Application Thread


Leo9

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Just wanted to add my interpretation of a few still unresolved programs.

The bulk of admission decisions from Brown came out in 2017 and 2018 on February 13th-15th and waitlists appear to be notified later. So there is at least a chance that Brown applicants will hear by the end of this week. UC Davis admits are probably all out by now (again judging from previous years' patterns), but there is a chance that waitlists still need to be notified. While it is not certain, it looks like rejections have not been sent out yet from UNC. The only available rejection in 2018 was sent out on February 15th and if they stick to this pattern, people will be rejected by Friday of this week. UNC appears to waitlist quite a few applicants and these are typically notified the week (or two or three) after rejections are sent out - so sometime next week the earliest. Crossing fingers that at least some of these predictions are true.

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25 minutes ago, Biegun said:

Hi, I'm an Insider passing by. We've got 6 IR professors here at BC (Robert Ross, Jonathan Kirshner, Timothy Crawford, Lindsey O'Rourke, Jennifer Erickson, David Deese, and Peter Krause) Best of luck to you all!

Thank you for the insider info Biegun

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46 minutes ago, Nickleby said:

Thanks, it's sometimes hard to remember there are humans behind those acronyms? Actually, I have heard this particular DGS is a great guy, so it's nothing personal. I also think Northwestern has a great program, perhaps operating above rank, but it would be nice if the decision of who will be DGS for the year could take into account field work and volume of other administrative duties, particularly if these are spanning several departments, etc.

Can second that -- fantastic person. 

That would make too much sense. While NU admittedly has some administrative quirks, it is definitely underrated and has many brilliant faculty and grad students. Sucks that you're still sitting in admissions purgatory, though.

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49 minutes ago, DuBois said:

Any News about Yale ?

hmm there's an acceptance on the results page but I haven't heard from the Yale grad students I know that they are making offers

(no idea when that would be)

Edited by sandmoon
typo
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45 minutes ago, sandmoon said:

hmm there's an acceptance on the results page but I haven't heard from the Yale grad students I know that they are making offers

(no idea when that would be)

I emailed them last week and was told that “we do not have a set date of when decisions will be announced, our decisions are typically announced no later than the first week of March.”

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1 hour ago, Bosco said:

I emailed them last week and was told that “we do not have a set date of when decisions will be announced, our decisions are typically announced no later than the first week of March.”

A previous grad student had said they send out the admits between 12-14th, but nothing so far. 

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1 hour ago, Bosco said:

I emailed them last week and was told that “we do not have a set date of when decisions will be announced, our decisions are typically announced no later than the first week of March.”

I applied a couple years ago (cycle for fall 2017 start), and I received a rejection on Feb 21st (a Tuesday). If I recall right the admits came out late the week before (17th-19th)? Not that it means anything, we're all the blind leading the blind here, but fwiw it was one of the later American schools to send out offers.

Edited by PBandMachiajelly
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21 hours ago, eggsalad14 said:

Cool, I just think it's odd that there is like one record on grad cafe of it. It is a small programs though, so I suppose there probably aren't very many admits. 

This does seem sort of odd, despite it being a small program. I figured the admit was you or trinityshot, since it lists a profile (American/Methods/3.9/164/170/5.5) that is an exact match with an admit to many of the other highest ranked programs. Clearly it is someone who is pretty active here, so seems unusual they wouldn't claim it. At any rate, I imagine we'll hear pretty soon. 

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Hey fellow applicants and future scholars! I was wondering if someone is willing to provide me their advice on schools. In this cycle, I have been admitted to UC-Irvine and UW-Madison (CP, undecided minor), but I am having trouble deciding between them. I have provided a Pro-Con breakdown (from my perspective), but would love to hear what others have to say about these two schools:
UW-Madison

Pros

  • High Ranked Program (15th in the country according to USN)
  • Great fit with intended supervisor
  • Good training program (methods and teaching) from what I've been told
  • Great placement prospects according to website
  • Closer to home so it will be cheaper to visit and have people visit me
  • Good funding package and healthcare coverage (as a international student from Canada, this is important)

Cons

  • Faculty, aside from my intended supervisor, do not share my research interests
  • Location and climate

UC-Irvine

Pros

  • Excellent fit with intended supervisor
  • Faculty shares my core research interests
  • Climate and location (Southern California, although Irvine is a boring place from I've heard)
  • Good funding package and healthcare coverage

Cons

  • Not highly ranked (45th according to USN)
  • Farther from home
  • Placements prospects are not strong
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10 minutes ago, Z2aiN said:

Hey fellow applicants and future scholars! I was wondering if someone is willing to provide me their advice on schools. In this cycle, I have been admitted to UC-Irvine and UW-Madison (CP, undecided minor), but I am having trouble deciding between them. I have provided a Pro-Con breakdown (from my perspective), but would love to hear what others have to say about these two schools:
UW-Madison

Pros

  • High Ranked Program (15th in the country according to USN)
  • Great fit with intended supervisor
  • Good training program (methods and teaching) from what I've been told
  • Great placement prospects according to website
  • Closer to home so it will be cheaper to visit and have people visit me
  • Good funding package and healthcare coverage (as a international student from Canada, this is important)

Cons

  • Faculty, aside from my intended supervisor, do not share my research interests
  • Location and climate

UC-Irvine

Pros

  • Excellent fit with intended supervisor
  • Faculty shares my core research interests
  • Climate and location (Southern California, although Irvine is a boring place from I've heard)
  • Good funding package and healthcare coverage

Cons

  • Not highly ranked (45th according to USN)
  • Farther from home
  • Placements prospects are not strong

Do you know if your intended supervisor is planning on leaving any time soon? If they are planning on staying for the next 5+ years then I would have to advise going to Madison. While I totally understand the desire for Irvine, and I totally agree that fit does outweigh some rank, I think that the 30 place difference is just too much. UW-Madison is a great school and will set you up to get  a great job after. Im not saying that UC-Irvine isn't or won't set you up after, but as you've seen yourself, the placement record for Madison outdoes the one for Irvine 

Edited by Dwar
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11 minutes ago, Z2aiN said:

Hey fellow applicants and future scholars! I was wondering if someone is willing to provide me their advice on schools. In this cycle, I have been admitted to UC-Irvine and UW-Madison (CP, undecided minor), but I am having trouble deciding between them. I have provided a Pro-Con breakdown (from my perspective), but would love to hear what others have to say about these two schools:
UW-Madison

Pros

  • High Ranked Program (15th in the country according to USN)
  • Great fit with intended supervisor
  • Good training program (methods and teaching) from what I've been told
  • Great placement prospects according to website
  • Closer to home so it will be cheaper to visit and have people visit me
  • Good funding package and healthcare coverage (as a international student from Canada, this is important)

Cons

  • Faculty, aside from my intended supervisor, do not share my research interests
  • Location and climate

UC-Irvine

Pros

  • Excellent fit with intended supervisor
  • Faculty shares my core research interests
  • Climate and location (Southern California, although Irvine is a boring place from I've heard)
  • Good funding package and healthcare coverage

Cons

  • Not highly ranked (45th according to USN)
  • Farther from home
  • Placements prospects are not strong

It’s a no brainer for me - I’d go for UWM.

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10 minutes ago, Z2aiN said:

Hey fellow applicants and future scholars! I was wondering if someone is willing to provide me their advice on schools. In this cycle, I have been admitted to UC-Irvine and UW-Madison (CP, undecided minor), but I am having trouble deciding between them. I have provided a Pro-Con breakdown (from my perspective), but would love to hear what others have to say about these two schools:
UW-Madison

Pros

  • High Ranked Program (15th in the country according to USN)
  • Great fit with intended supervisor
  • Good training program (methods and teaching) from what I've been told
  • Great placement prospects according to website
  • Closer to home so it will be cheaper to visit and have people visit me
  • Good funding package and healthcare coverage (as a international student from Canada, this is important)

Cons

  • Faculty, aside from my intended supervisor, do not share my research interests
  • Location and climate

UC-Irvine

Pros

  • Excellent fit with intended supervisor
  • Faculty shares my core research interests
  • Climate and location (Southern California, although Irvine is a boring place from I've heard)
  • Good funding package and healthcare coverage

Cons

  • Not highly ranked (45th according to USN)
  • Farther from home
  • Placements prospects are not strong

My (absolutely brilliant and wonderful) undergrad advisor went to Irvine for her PoliSci PhD, and it was on my radar for applications this cycle since I have a strong and specific interest in the application of SNA within the discipline, an area in which Irvine has previously had some institutional strength. For what it's worth, when I discussed applying to Irvine this cycle her response really surprised me. She explicitly said that she did not recommend it, since many of her own mentors and long term faculty have left over the past few years in what she described as a "gutting" of the department. This is all just hearsay,  and possibly less relevant to CP, but I respect her opinion very much. 

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19 minutes ago, Pancho Villa said:

This does seem sort of odd, despite it being a small program. I figured the admit was you or trinityshot, since it lists a profile (American/Methods/3.9/164/170/5.5) that is an exact match with an admit to many of the other highest ranked programs. Clearly it is someone who is pretty active here, so seems unusual they wouldn't claim it. At any rate, I imagine we'll hear pretty soon. 

Lol I mean it was me, I guess my messages earlier were vague about that. I'm just surprised that no one else has heard because my portal is now updated and everything, and it's not like I've won some special wustl award or have had contact with any faculty that would warrant an early notification.  

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15 minutes ago, Z2aiN said:

Hey fellow applicants and future scholars! I was wondering if someone is willing to provide me their advice on schools. In this cycle, I have been admitted to UC-Irvine and UW-Madison (CP, undecided minor), but I am having trouble deciding between them. I have provided a Pro-Con breakdown (from my perspective), but would love to hear what others have to say about these two schools:
UW-Madison

Pros

  • High Ranked Program (15th in the country according to USN)
  • Great fit with intended supervisor
  • Good training program (methods and teaching) from what I've been told
  • Great placement prospects according to website
  • Closer to home so it will be cheaper to visit and have people visit me
  • Good funding package and healthcare coverage (as a international student from Canada, this is important)

Cons

  • Faculty, aside from my intended supervisor, do not share my research interests
  • Location and climate

UC-Irvine

Pros

  • Excellent fit with intended supervisor
  • Faculty shares my core research interests
  • Climate and location (Southern California, although Irvine is a boring place from I've heard)
  • Good funding package and healthcare coverage

Cons

  • Not highly ranked (45th according to USN)
  • Farther from home
  • Placements prospects are not strong

Ranking is a pretty big deal is this particular situation.  Wisconsin is pretty highly ranked so you’ll have a leg up on what’s really a terrible job market (assuming you want to stay in academia). You’ll have a very difficult time getting a job coming out of UCI.  While some things at UCI might sound better for the next 5-7 years, think about what’s going to help your career the most. 

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19 minutes ago, Z2aiN said:

Hey fellow applicants and future scholars! I was wondering if someone is willing to provide me their advice on schools. In this cycle, I have been admitted to UC-Irvine and UW-Madison (CP, undecided minor), but I am having trouble deciding between them. I have provided a Pro-Con breakdown (from my perspective), but would love to hear what others have to say about these two schools:
UW-Madison

 Pros

  • High Ranked Program (15th in the country according to USN)
  • Great fit with intended supervisor
  • Good training program (methods and teaching) from what I've been told
  • Great placement prospects according to website
  • Closer to home so it will be cheaper to visit and have people visit me
  • Good funding package and healthcare coverage (as a international student from Canada, this is important)

Cons

  • Faculty, aside from my intended supervisor, do not share my research interests
  • Location and climate

UC-Irvine

Pros

  • Excellent fit with intended supervisor
  • Faculty shares my core research interests
  • Climate and location (Southern California, although Irvine is a boring place from I've heard)
  • Good funding package and healthcare coverage

Cons

  • Not highly ranked (45th according to USN)
  • Farther from home
  • Placements prospects are not strong

What exactly do you want to study?

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Just now, IcedCovfefe said:

Ranking is a pretty big deal is this particular situation.  Wisconsin is pretty highly ranked so you’ll have a leg up on what’s really a terrible job market (assuming you want to stay in academia). You’ll have a very difficult time getting a job coming out of UCI.  While some things at UCI might sound better for the next 5-7 years, think about what’s going to help your career the most. 

Random question from what you said, does ranking matter much in the non-academic market place? Like in policy/government or think-tank work?

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