2019-2020 Application Thread

[kestrel18]

10 hours ago, american2020 said:

Claiming the UT Austin acceptance off the waitlist! Will now have to make the difficult decision between UT Austin and Michigan State. 

I chose MSU among other options (top 3 in Canada, top 30 and top 50 in the USA).
Their placement record for recent years is solid; they are a small program with an almost nonexistent attrition rate. Particularly, MSU is strong in the CP and AP fields. It is not a super-top program, of course, but it is really good.
Honestly, Austin is a fantastic place to live in. However,  looking at recent placements, I'd choose MSU. Though, of course, I'm a bit biased since I have already chosen MSU

[Paulcg87]

28 minutes ago, kestrel18 said:

I chose MSU among other options (top 3 in Canada, top 30 and top 50 in the USA).
Their placement record for recent years is solid; they are a small program with an almost nonexistent attrition rate. Particularly, MSU is strong in the CP and AP fields. It is not a super-top program, of course, but it is really good.
Honestly, Austin is a fantastic place to live in. However,  looking at recent placements, I'd choose MSU. Though, of course, I'm a bit biased since I have already chosen MSU

Congrats on the additional fellowship! I don't know MSU well but I know it's a great school.

Just point of fact (not to be argumentative), but both MSU and UT Austin have excellent placement statistics, so @american2020, you should probably consider fit, funding and quality of life as much if not more than placement. Looking at the placement statistics (MSU: https://polisci.msu.edu/people/phd-alumni.html and UT: https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/government/graduate/job-placement-services/Job Placement.php), I noted that UT Austin has an incredible track record as of late; I'd say both are roughly equal in terms of that. Texas has arguably better weather and significantly better beaches (I say this as a Canadian from the same latitude/climate as Michigan; it's freezing in the winter and the Great Lakes are frozen over blocks of ice for about 4 months out of the year, whereas Austin is 2 hours from tropical beaches on the Gulf of Mexico). Texas is also in a much larger city (Austin: 1 million, East Lansing: 50,000 people) that is also the state capital and brings with it those resources and connections. Austin has non-stop airline service to Europe and Canada and domestic non-stop flights to both coasts; East Lansing is pretty much exclusively a college town. And if you're a person of colour like I am, I can tell you for a fact that UT Austin is a more diverse school in a more diverse city (Austin is a liberal enclave of a more conservative state, although Michigan is also a red state). UT Austin is also ranked higher (top 20) for polisci, though they are close enough in ranking that I think it would only matter if you plan on pursuing a tenure track job or postdoc specifically in the USA. Also, just wanted to add, according to the UT Austin link I provided above, the departmental placement rate is 91%. That is incredibly good for a public university polisci department not called "UC Berkeley". 

Edited April 9, 2020 by Paulcg87

[kestrel18]

4 minutes ago, Paulcg87 said:

Congrats on the additional fellowship! I don't know MSU well but I know it's a great school.

Just point of fact (not to be argumentative), but both MSU and UT Austin have excellent placement statistics, so @american2020, you should probably consider fit, funding and quality of life as much if not more than placement. Looking at the placement statistics (MSU: https://polisci.msu.edu/people/phd-alumni.html and UT: https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/government/graduate/job-placement-services/Job Placement.php), I noted that UT Austin has an incredible track record as of late; I'd say both are roughly equal in terms of that. Texas has arguably better weather and significantly better beaches (I say this as a Canadian from the same latitude/climate as Michigan; it's freezing in the winter and the Great Lakes are frozen over blocks of ice for about 4 months out of the year, whereas Austin is 2 hours from tropical beaches on the Gulf of Mexico). Texas is also in a much larger city (Austin: 1 million, East Lansing: 50,000 people) that is also the state capital and brings with it those resources and connections. Austin has non-stop airline service to Europe and Canada and domestic non-stop flights to both coasts; East Lansing is pretty much exclusively a college town. And if you're a person of colour like I am, I can tell you for a fact that UT Austin is a more diverse school in a more diverse city (Austin is a liberal enclave of a more conservative state, although Michigan is also a red state). UT Austin is also ranked higher (top 20) for polisci, though they are close enough in ranking that I think it would only matter if you plan on pursuing a tenure track job or postdoc specifically in the USA. 

Yep...Austin is almost a paradise in comparison to East Lansing in Winter...
I'd add UT Austin is a better brand but MSU is definitely on the rise for recent years. However, I'm afraid MSU, due to its location, might lose some stellar faculty members in upcoming years - a factor to consider too. 

[Dwar]

26 minutes ago, Paulcg87 said:

Texas is also in a much larger city (Austin: 1 million, East Lansing: 50,000 people) that is also the state capital and brings with it those resources and connections. Austin has non-stop airline service to Europe and Canada and domestic non-stop flights to both coasts; East Lansing is pretty much exclusively a college town.

I just wanted to politely push back on this point. While it is true that Austin is a larger city than EL, taking just EL in it of itself is kind of misleading. EL, and MSU specifically, pretty much border the city of Lansing (the MI state Capitol). I'd say that a fairer assessment is to look at the metro area population, Austin being around 2.1 million and Lansing/EL being around 500k. Not trying to say that Austin is larger, but I do think it's a bit misleading to say that EL is just a small city in the middle of nowhere. Its not South Bend, West Lafayette, or Urbana. There is actually a city around it that doesn't revolve around the university. I do also want to point out that Lansing has a MUCH lower cost of living than Austin, as is the case with most of the Midwest. 

Obviously they are very different departments and universities. As for weather, thats honestly a very valid point. While I personally love the cold, I totally understand why someone would not want to live in EL for 5+ years. It is hella cold. 

Edited April 9, 2020 by Dwar

[Paulcg87]

10 minutes ago, Dwar said:

I just wanted to politely push back on this point. While it is true that Austin is a larger city than EL, taking just EL in it of itself is kind of misleading. EL, and MSU specifically, pretty much border the city of Lansing (the MI state Capitol). I'd say that a fairer assessment is to look at the metro area population, Austin being around 2.1 million and Lansing/EL being around 500k. Not trying to say that Austin is larger, but I do think it's a bit misleading to say that EL is just a small city in the middle of nowhere. Its not South Bend, West Lafayette, or Urbana. There is actually a city around it that doesn't revolve around the university. I do also want to point out that Lansing has a MUCH smaller cost of living than Austin, as is the case with most of the Midwest. 

Obviously they are very different departments and universities. As for weather, thats honestly a very valid point. While I personally love the cold, I totally understand why someone would not want to live in EL for 5+ years. It is hella cold. 

Fair enough. We can go with ~500k for Lansing/East Lansing and ~2.1 million for Austin. I've never been to Lansing or East Lansing but I grew up next to Michigan so I am pretty sure I'm spot on in terms of my comments about quality of life and climate. In terms of MSU vs. UT Austin, you really can't go wrong with either school. I'd personally choose UT Austin, but that's because I've spent most of my life freezing and I like BBQ, warm weather, and locations a bit more ethnically diverse. Note: by "ethnically diverse" I don't mean the proportion of white people to, say African Americans; I mean the cumulative representation of different ethnicities and cultures. Lansing is, in fact, a diverse city too, but I wouldn't say there is a wide range of ethnicities. 

Edited April 9, 2020 by Paulcg87

[Dwar]

3 minutes ago, Paulcg87 said:

In terms of MSU vs. UT Austin, you really can't go wrong with either school. I'd personally choose UT Austin, but that's because I've spent most of my life freezing and I like BBQ, warm weather, and locations a bit more ethnically diverse. 

Very valid, MSU is generally frozen for part of the year. 

I agree that they are both excellent choices. I think it mostly comes down to department culture and vibes. From what I've read and experienced, they seem like two very different departments. 

Edited April 9, 2020 by Dwar

[Paulcg87]

Just now, Dwar said:

Very valid, MSU is generally frozen for part of the year. 

If it's anything like neighbouring Ontario, where I grew up, I'd describe it more accurately as "frozen wasteland" for the period from about December 1st until usually March 1st. Summers are hot, humid and buggy. Fall/autumn is beautiful. Spring is also beautiful but typically lasts approximately 1 day

[kestrel18]

1 minute ago, Paulcg87 said:

If it's anything like neighbouring Ontario, where I grew up, I'd describe it more accurately as "frozen wasteland" for the period from about December 1st until usually March 1st. Summers are hot, humid and buggy. Fall/autumn is beautiful. Spring is also beautiful but typically lasts approximately 1 day

Oh yeah!...:)

[Paulcg87]

11 minutes ago, kestrel18 said:

Oh yeah!...:)

That's the spirit! I'm moving to Toronto for school, and Toronto is another city on the great lakes with a climate identical to most midwestern lakefront cities. So, we're in this together

As a side note @kestrel18, highly recommend you explore northern Michigan and the UP (Upper Peninsula). They are a beautiful little part of the world and if you like the outdoors you will love it. I particularly recommend Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (https://www.nps.gov/slbe/index.htm), Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (https://www.nps.gov/piro/index.htm), and Isle Royale National Park (https://www.nps.gov/isro/index.htm). These, along with similar parks in Ontario, were a staple of my childhood family vacations. The hiking, kayaking, fishing, camping and diving in northern Lake Michigan and Lake Superior is absolutely fantastic. 

[kestrel18]

1 minute ago, Paulcg87 said:

That's the spirit! I'm moving to Toronto for school, and Toronto is another city on the great lakes with a climate identical to most midwestern lakefront cities. So, we're in this together

As a side note @kestrel18, highly recommend you explore northern Michigan and the UP (Upper Peninsula). They are a beautiful little part of the world and if you like the outdoors you will love it. I particularly recommend Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (https://www.nps.gov/slbe/index.htm), Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (https://www.nps.gov/piro/index.htm), and Isle Royale National Park (https://www.nps.gov/isro/index.htm). These, along with similar parks in Ontario, were a staple of my childhood family vacations. The hiking, kayaking, fishing, camping and diving in northern Lake Michigan and Lake Superior is absolutely fantastic. 

That was good to know, thank you!

[kestrel18]

37 minutes ago, Paulcg87 said:

That's the spirit! I'm moving to Toronto for school, and Toronto is another city on the great lakes with a climate identical to most midwestern lakefront cities. So, we're in this together

As a side note @kestrel18, highly recommend you explore northern Michigan and the UP (Upper Peninsula). They are a beautiful little part of the world and if you like the outdoors you will love it. I particularly recommend Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (https://www.nps.gov/slbe/index.htm), Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (https://www.nps.gov/piro/index.htm), and Isle Royale National Park (https://www.nps.gov/isro/index.htm). These, along with similar parks in Ontario, were a staple of my childhood family vacations. The hiking, kayaking, fishing, camping and diving in northern Lake Michigan and Lake Superior is absolutely fantastic. 

Toronto is awesome! I wish I could study at MSU and live in Toronto!...:)

[Paulcg87]

41 minutes ago, kestrel18 said:

Toronto is awesome! I wish I could study at MSU and live in Toronto!...:)

I wish I could too! ?

[GabriellaG]

Just got accepted to and summarily declined CU Boulder offer as I've already accepted somewhere else so hopefully someone on the waitlist can still get in!

[Theory007]

8 hours ago, GabriellaG said:

Just got accepted to and summarily declined CU Boulder offer as I've already accepted somewhere else so hopefully someone on the waitlist can still get in!

You said you accepted CSU's offer right? You will be very happy in Fort Collins although I don't know anything about the program per se. Maybe you and @Dwar should stay in touch since the two departments literally have zero interaction with one another, are located only an hour away from one another, and are the only phd programs in political science in all of Colorado. I'll join in myself!

[Michelle11331]

I've been waitlisted at Cornell, PhD in Gov't. I believe the national deadline to respond is the 15th. Has anyone gotten in or is saying "no" to Cornell? 

[sloth_girl]

30 minutes ago, Michelle11331 said:

I've been waitlisted at Cornell, PhD in Gov't. I believe the national deadline to respond is the 15th. Has anyone gotten in or is saying "no" to Cornell? 

I was accepted but turned them down a few weeks ago. Wishing you luck! 

[Bosox]

Hi, has anyone else been in contact with Georgetown? I'm on the waitlist, and the Department said they'd provide an update ASAP, but I was wondering if any Gradcafe users have declined offers to Georgetown. Thanks!!

[PoliSciGuy00]

Hi All, 

Wanted everyone to know I just declined an offer from Cornell.  It was very hard but I believe it was the right decision.  I hope this opens up a spot for someone on the waitlist!  

 

Peace and good health.  

[Dwar]

Good luck to everyone making their final decisions. Don't forget to pop onto the results/advice/lessons thread to drop some knowledge on the next group of students!

Edited April 15, 2020 by Dwar

[decisions1234]

Declining offers is difficult...

[central dogma]

 

On 4/8/2020 at 5:44 PM, kestrel18 said:

I chose MSU among other options (top 3 in Canada, top 30 and top 50 in the USA).
Their placement record for recent years is solid; they are a small program with an almost nonexistent attrition rate. Particularly, MSU is strong in the CP and AP fields. It is not a super-top program, of course, but it is really good.
Honestly, Austin is a fantastic place to live in. However,  looking at recent placements, I'd choose MSU. Though, of course, I'm a bit biased since I have already chosen MSU

I have accepted Political Philosophy program from Michigan State. Very excited as one of the professors went to my undergraduate college.

[kestrel18]

7 hours ago, central dogma said:

 

I have accepted Political Philosophy program from Michigan State. Very excited as one of the professors went to my undergraduate college.

Congrats!
See you on campus  
 

[quebec]

Haven't logged in here for a while. Got accepted to VUB in Brussels, Belgium. I'm in the process of applying for my visa now.