2018-2019 Application Thread

[upsy]

1 hour ago, gradqs said:

Now it's really hitting me how low the stipends are for a lot of these programs. I'm currently working and have a salary and most of these offers will involve cutting my income in half. This might be money nerves talking, but would programs be amenable to me deferring a year to build up my savings? I'm not overly concerned about budgeting/living on less but I won't have my parents as a back up and one car accident or unexpected medical issue could clean me out with so little coming in.

I sent you a PM, but many programs that permit deferral specifically say that funding is not guaranteed if you defer. So, if you defer because of concerns about funding, you may find yourself with even less! Definitely check if you're really concerned, but I'd recommend that you (and generally, everyone) save now. You still have several months; even at a modest savings rate, you should be able to build up a decent rain day fund. I do know someone who, though he was more than a decade out of college,  after deciding on grad school still needed to wait a year to apply while he saved money. But, that was only because he hadn't saved at all during the rest of the time he'd been working. Not to say that you're in this situation, but had he been responsible and saved throughout the time he was working, he could have applied without waiting a year.

[mackeycold]

30 minutes ago, yubs89 said:

What is your subfield? I'm also waitlisted at UVA...

American. Wonder what happened in the last three weeks for this error to happen and go unnoticed and then get reported now...

[supertitiz]

anyone knows if all NYU decisions are out (specifically IR)? I emailed both DGS and coordinator but havent heard anything yet. 

[Battlestar]

8 hours ago, mackeycold said:

American. Wonder what happened in the last three weeks for this error to happen and go unnoticed and then get reported now...

American

[Gbrog]

How do you guys recommend Vanderbilt CP? Would you pick Notre Dame or Vanderbilt for comparative politics with focus on Latin America?

[Chronicoverthinker]

26 minutes ago, Gbrog said:

How do you guys recommend Vanderbilt CP? Would you pick Notre Dame or Vanderbilt for comparative politics with focus on Latin America?

Just checking: are you asking because you've heard about acceptances from Vanderbilt?

[IcedCovfefe]

1 hour ago, Gbrog said:

How do you guys recommend Vanderbilt CP? Would you pick Notre Dame or Vanderbilt for comparative politics with focus on Latin America?

I don’t know much about Vanderbilt, but Notre Dame definitely has a very strong reputation for Latin America

Edited February 19, 2019 by IcedCovfefe

[Tedmonkey]

22 hours ago, sandmoon said:

 Question! I got an email from a program that I'm accepted to. It's from a professor (whom I didn't name in my statement). The content of the email is boilerplate ("please feel free to ask any questions") but it does have my name on it.

If I don't have any questions that I'm comfortable asking over email, should I ignore the email and move on? I feel it's kinda rude but it would also be rude to say "no questions" right?

I feel it is more professional to reply to the emails than to ignore them. Although they have already accepted you, you don't want to start a program somewhere with them already thinking you are unresponsive and unprofessional. I basically thanked them for the congratulations and for reaching out and mentioned that all of my questions so far have already been answered but I would keep them in mind for any future questions.

[supertitiz]

In terms of empirical training, is there a HUGE difference between Rochester and Vanderbilt? 

[Gbrog]

2 hours ago, Chronicoverthinker said:

Just checking: are you asking because you've heard about acceptances from Vanderbilt?

Yes. Sorry if I gave you a  mini heart attack there. The admission only just came out, but I had reached out to the DGS yesterday afternoon and he gave me the heads up that I was in. Did you get in?

Edited February 19, 2019 by Gbrog

[Chronicoverthinker]

16 minutes ago, Gbrog said:

Yes. Sorry if I gave you a  mini heart attack there. The admission only just came out, but I had reached out to the DGS yesterday afternoon and he gave me the heads up that I was in. Did you get in?

Yes! Just got the email and I'm over the moon

[Gbrog]

2 minutes ago, Chronicoverthinker said:

Yes! Just got the email and I'm over the moon

Great! You're from CP too, aren't you? Do you plan on attending?

[rainydaze]

On 2/17/2019 at 4:52 PM, dvxyzijil said:

I scrolled back through your posts, and while I’m the blind leading the blind here, I think your quant score may be below the first round cutoff for many schools.

If you’re hesitant about the program, don’t do it. If your dream is to be in academia, a low-ranked program makes that difficult to achieve. Your application otherwise seems stellar. 

I think you may be the classic case of someone who by waiting another cycle will get significantly better results. Don’t feel like you “aimed too high” or whatever by applying to top schools this round, because I don’t see any reason you wouldn’t qualify. I feel like you’re a victim of the crapshoot. 

On the other hand, if you decide to go into policy or industry, I think you’ll do great with your Cambridge MA and end up sitting pretty with no regrets while all of us here are still on starvation wages.

You probably already know all of this, but I just want to stand in solidarity with you. I can imagine how rough it would be not getting in this cycle (I also have a serious weakness in my app and was preparing for that outcome). But it looks like GRE quant score was the main thing holding you back, and we all know that’s a function of test prep and your knack for standardized testing. It says nothing about who you are and what you’ll accomplish in whatever your dream career is.

Hey, coming back to this after taking a much needed little break from GradCafe, and this was so nice to read. I need to really think about if I CAN get my quant score up. I took 17 practice tests, hired a private tutor for a few sections, and went through two full test prep books. I can do the math required of a PoliSci PhD program, which is clear in my transcripts. I was scoring a bit better on the practice tests and maybe biffed it a little day of due to some one off factors (my test was scheduled at the epicenter of where the most recent round of California wildfires started, the day after they started) but I was never able to get into "competitive" range. I'm also unemployed right now (a confidence killer), and if I do not get the job I'm interviewing for now I'm concerned that a long period of unemployment on my CV will hurt me for next cycle too. 

It seems like USC is rapidly expanding the department (they added 7 professors last year, and are still recruiting, based on the job posting I see), and there are a few professors who have half overlaps with my areas of interest, though no one doing almost exactly what I would like to do, and they recently lost their SNA guy to LSE. I would get to stay in my current city, which I enjoy, and end a job search that is starting to become very desperate. I just can't shake the idea of spending 5+ years somewhere that might hurt my academic job prospects. 

[quesadilla]

5 hours ago, Gbrog said:

How do you guys recommend Vanderbilt CP? Would you pick Notre Dame or Vanderbilt for comparative politics with focus on Latin America?

I haven’t researched Vanderbilt but I think ND is great with the Kellogg Institute and a really robust faculty. At least five or six solid LA CP profs. Doesn’t hurt that Mainwaring is coming back from Harvard too.

[Theory007]

22 hours ago, as2472 said:

Thank you for such a well considered and thoughtful response! Assuming I don't get into Johns Hopkins, I'm also leaning towards UBC for the sake of a potential career (I definitely want to go into academia), but am waiting to talk to more current students + potentially visit Vancouver (I've been to Boulder and will be going for the admitted students event but have not been to Vancouver) before fully deciding. Unfortunately I didn't apply to UCLA and have been regretting that for a while now, but too late now! I only applied to places with people doing environmental political theory which left a fairly narrow list. Given how my applications on the whole have gone, I highly doubt I'll get into JHU but, if I do, i'm honestly not sure where I would go between there and UBC. UBC has a relatively large theory program and many of the theory profs are working with methodologies and perspectives that align with my research well. 

Re: negotiating a competitive stipend at Boulder, any recommendations on how to do that besides dropping hints (e.g. I really love this department but I am also considering  offers with fellowships at Oregon and UBC)? 

You are very welcome. I am sure everyone will ask you about other schools during your visit so you can tell them then.

[MyWay]

2 hours ago, Gbrog said:

Great! You're from CP too, aren't you? Do you plan on attending?

Notre Dame has Perez-Linan and Coppedge now and Scott Mainwaring will be returning next year. Seems like a no brainer for me...

[PBandMachiajelly]

FYI all the rejection letters for both Brown and Cornell just hit my inbox within 5 minutes of each other - so anyone else hoping for closure on those two schools should hopefully hear soon as well, unless you've found yourself on a waitlist!

[as2472]

Saw a couple of U Washington (Seattle) rejections on the results page today (acceptances went out weeks ago) and still haven't heard anything ? Is anybody else still in the no-contact boat? 

[devotee]

9 minutes ago, as2472 said:

Saw a couple of U Washington (Seattle) rejections on the results page today (acceptances went out weeks ago) and still haven't heard anything ? Is anybody else still in the no-contact boat? 

I am. I do not know how to interpret this, since, supposedly, every school has its own ways...

[Theoryboi]

4 hours ago, rainydaze said:

Hey, coming back to this after taking a much needed little break from GradCafe, and this was so nice to read. I need to really think about if I CAN get my quant score up. I took 17 practice tests, hired a private tutor for a few sections, and went through two full test prep books. I can do the math required of a PoliSci PhD program, which is clear in my transcripts. I was scoring a bit better on the practice tests and maybe biffed it a little day of due to some one off factors (my test was scheduled at the epicenter of where the most recent round of California wildfires started, the day after they started) but I was never able to get into "competitive" range. I'm also unemployed right now (a confidence killer), and if I do not get the job I'm interviewing for now I'm concerned that a long period of unemployment on my CV will hurt me for next cycle too. 

It seems like USC is rapidly expanding the department (they added 7 professors last year, and are still recruiting, based on the job posting I see), and there are a few professors who have half overlaps with my areas of interest, though no one doing almost exactly what I would like to do, and they recently lost their SNA guy to LSE. I would get to stay in my current city, which I enjoy, and end a job search that is starting to become very desperate. I just can't shake the idea of spending 5+ years somewhere that might hurt my academic job prospects. 

That's nuts! I was scheduled to re-take the GRE the day after the fires broke out too (I also live in that area). I wound up not going because I was evacuated from my house at 3 am. (5 hours before I was supposed to be there!

[TheBunny]

Got rejected from Brown and had my closure. I am not sad at least 

[PBandMachiajelly]

2 minutes ago, TheBunny said:

Got rejected from Brown and had my closure. I am not sad at least 

(I really wish they had a 'solidarity' like button).

[MidnightSkywalker]

20 hours ago, yubs89 said:

aitlisted at UVA...

 

[MidnightSkywalker]

Wow I got rejections from Cornell and Brown today. I think it was a big mistake to aim too high, like around only top 25 schools. I guess I will have to try the next cycle... Frustrated, but oh well, there's nothing I can do now.

 

Good luck everyone!

[yubs89]

2 hours ago, TheBunny said:

Got rejected from Brown and had my closure. I am not sad at least 

Where do you plan to go then?