2020-2021 Application Thread

[guest789]

I'm beginning to think that there's no point in wondering if it's true or not. Either way we'll know the results for all of our apps in a few weeks. 

[afas103]

Nevermind lol

Edited January 26, 2021 by afas103
Already answered

[cbsag123]

in previous years, how many people typically claimed results from the results page? I find it hard to imagine that so many people post their admissions decisions on the results page and aren't actually active in the forum?

[afas103]

12 minutes ago, poliscibxtch said:

Oh okay. I am hesitant to trust anything on the results page unless they can be confirmed here. I have been able to confirm that many of the results are inaccurate. 

They also called advisors PIs which is kind of sketch

[Maguire]

Would people advise against emailing a POI to enquire re application/admissions status? Probably best to just wait until they contact you, right? 
Edit: Thanks - I agree waiting is the best course of action, even if it is difficult ?

Edited January 26, 2021 by scarletwitch

[ExileOnMainSt]

2 minutes ago, scarletwitch said:

Would people advise against emailing a POI to enquire re application/admissions status? Probably best to just wait until they contact you, right? 

Personally, I think it would be best to wait.

[afjackie]

Hey everyone! I've been tracking this page for the last couple weeks and wanted to report that I just got an email to interview with the Kroc Institute at Notre Dame for the PhD in Peace Studies and Political Science. 

I also wanted to say thank you to all of the folks posting positive notes and support for one another. This is a really hard year for everyone, and I know all of our anxiety levels are at an all-time high with so much uncertainty in the world 

Fingers crossed for everyone out there, and thanks to others who posted their previous interview questions!

[icemanyeo]

14 minutes ago, afjackie said:

Hey everyone! I've been tracking this page for the last couple weeks and wanted to report that I just got an email to interview with the Kroc Institute at Notre Dame for the PhD in Peace Studies and Political Science. 

I also wanted to say thank you to all of the folks posting positive notes and support for one another. This is a really hard year for everyone, and I know all of our anxiety levels are at an all-time high with so much uncertainty in the world 

Fingers crossed for everyone out there, and thanks to others who posted their previous interview questions!

Good luck! I did not end up applying to Kroc, but I've hung out around the program a lot since I was a peace studies major at another school in Indiana. They have really great people and South Bend is an amazing city! Sending all the positive energies you need ❤️ 

[til1996]

45 minutes ago, afas103 said:

They also called advisors PIs which is kind of sketch

Maybe they hired private investigators to spy on the admissions committee. 

[dr. t]

2 hours ago, 2020PhD said:

I think you're all aware that there's a messaging function in this forum. People do not have to know what games you're playing or what series you're watching. We're all here for our PhD applications, not reading how boring your lives are.

Since you are not a moderator, you don't get to tell other people how to use this forum.

I, however, am a moderator, so I do get to tell other people how to use this forum. Take a time out.

[loiewo]

my safety schools rejected me (20s-30s in the rankings). does that mean that my 1-10 schools i applied to are probably rejections too? does anyone have a worthy backup to think of? should i be applying to schools that have deadlines in february? if so, any suggestions?

[nivy25]

Just now, loiewo said:

my safety schools rejected me (20s-30s in the rankings). does that mean that my 1-10 schools i applied to are probably rejections too? does anyone have a worthy backup to think of? should i be applying to schools that have deadlines in february? if so, any suggestions?

Do you know of any schools with deadlines in February? 
As of now, I have two waitlists and one reject, I’m yet to hear from 11 schools but I’m assuming a lot of them will be rejects especially schools like Yale, Chicago, Michigan etc.

[loiewo]

Just now, nivy25 said:

Do you know of any schools with deadlines in February? 
As of now, I have two waitlists and one reject, I’m yet to hear from 11 schools but I’m assuming a lot of them will be rejects especially schools like Yale, Chicago, Michigan etc.

yes - but they're really low in the rankings

[guest789]

Because I have too much time on my hands and I've read pretty much every results thread - no not really. There is no such thing as a safety school when it comes to PhD programs and it's very likely a school ranked 20-30 is looking for very different things when compared to a top 10 school. So your app might be a perfect fit for a top 10 - but then again, no one knows.

Edited January 26, 2021 by timeseries

[ovejal]

2 minutes ago, loiewo said:

my safety schools rejected me (20s-30s in the rankings). does that mean that my 1-10 schools i applied to are probably rejections too? does anyone have a worthy backup to think of? should i be applying to schools that have deadlines in february? if so, any suggestions?

I think it was discussed about a week ago on this thread, but one of my advisors recommended one-year Master's programs in the UK (cheaper than US)! Keep the faith re: your other schools, this year is crazy. 

Edited January 26, 2021 by ovejal

[nivy25]

Just now, timeseries said:

Because I have too much time on my hands and I've read pretty much every results thread - no not really. There is no such thing as safety schools when it comes to PhDs and it's very likely a school ranked 20-30 is looking for very different things compared to a top 10 school. 

Can you elaborate on what you think they’re looking for versus Top 10...?

[guest789]

Just now, nivy25 said:

Can you elaborate on what you think they’re looking for versus Top 10...?

I really have no idea, but if I had to guess I would say that schools ranked 20-30 require a stronger "fit" with the dept - and this is impossible for us as applicants to know, given that fit depends on so many things like whether a professor even takes students - whereas top 10 depts are so broad and strong in most ares of poli sci. So if you have a mainstream poli sci interest that they are excited about, you should be fine in a top 10 dept, but there is a chance that might not be covered at all in the 20-30 school. 

You have two waitlists - that's awesome! I wouldn't count yourself out yet.

[icemanyeo]

8 minutes ago, loiewo said:

my safety schools rejected me (20s-30s in the rankings). does that mean that my 1-10 schools i applied to are probably rejections too? does anyone have a worthy backup to think of? should i be applying to schools that have deadlines in february? if so, any suggestions?

I don't think it would be a good idea to rush a February application at this point. If you haven't completed one already, I would recommend applying for master's degrees in Europe (CEU, UK schools, etc.) so you can build up your academic portfolio (research, maybe a publication, conferences, graduate-level LORs) for another cycle. 

Keep some faith for the remainder of your applications. I'm in the same boat and that's what I'm focusing on right now.

[icemanyeo]

2 minutes ago, timeseries said:

I really have no idea, but if I had to guess I would say that schools ranked 20-30 require a stronger "fit" with the dept - and this is impossible for us as applicants to know, given that fit depends on so many things like whether a professor even takes students - whereas top 10 depts are so broad and strong in most ares of poli sci. So if you have a mainstream poli sci interest that they are excited about, you should be fine in a top 10 dept, but there is a chance that might not be covered at all in the 20-30 school. 

You have two waitlists - that's awesome! I wouldn't count yourself out yet.

I second @timeseries 's advice on this! I've seen past results thread entries where people were admitted off the waitlist, so keep the faith.

[HobbesianKant]

3 minutes ago, timeseries said:

Because I have too much time on my hands and I've read pretty much every results thread - no not really. There is no such thing as a safety school when it comes to PhD programs and it's very likely a school ranked 20-30 is looking for very different things when compared to a top 10 school. So your app might be a perfect fit for a top 10 - but then again, no one knows.

Concur with this sentiment. Unlike undergrad, where an acceptance is based almost completely on one's gpa and test score, the more holistic review for PhD applicants and limited spots eliminates the possibility of "safety schools." When their most important measurement is one's fit within the program, it is possible to be accepted to an Ivy while being rejected by a University of Oregon-not to insult any Ducks in the forum. The upside of this process is that you cannot count yourself out of the best schools, but, conversely, there is a possibility you do not get accepted anywhere.

[icemanyeo]

Just now, HobbesianKant said:

Concur with this sentiment. Unlike undergrad, where an acceptance is based almost completely on one's gpa and test score, the more holistic review for PhD applicants and limited spots eliminates the possibility of "safety schools." When their most important measurement is one's fit within the program, it is possible to be accepted to an Ivy while being rejected by a University of Oregon-not to insult any Ducks in the forum. The upside of this process is that you cannot count yourself out of the best schools, but, conversely, there is a possibility you do not get accepted anywhere.

Concur as well. Honestly my best advice is to let the waves take you wherever they want -- prepare yourself mentally for the worst outcome, but don't count yourself out of a top 10 admission just because you were rejected from a t20-50 school.

[Habermas]

8 minutes ago, loiewo said:

my safety schools rejected me (20s-30s in the rankings). does that mean that my 1-10 schools i applied to are probably rejections too? does anyone have a worthy backup to think of? should i be applying to schools that have deadlines in february? if so, any suggestions?

Chiming in to elaborate on what @timeseries was saying...Especially in a year like this, its impossible to know why some of our bright colleagues get rejected while others do not. However, it might be helpful to remain cautiously optimistic depending on your profile. Schools in 20-30 are actively looking to make sure they keep good yield rates--they don't want to be safety schools for half of their admits. Every year they probably reject a dozen or so applicants because they think those applicants will definitely be accepted at higher ranked schools. I don't know your profile specifically, but I can say having read a few people's profiles earlier and seeing them declare rejects from their "safeties", this is probably happening to some of us.

tl;dr: you can get rejected from all your safeties and it may not mean much at all.

[loiewo]

my grad gpa is 4.0 from top state school in a non-thesis masters. undergrad gpa is 3.5, 99th percentile for verbal/93rd percentile for quant, 5.5 writing. BUT, no research experience. 

[icemanyeo]

1 minute ago, Habermas said:

Chiming in to elaborate on what @timeseries was saying...Especially in a year like this, its impossible to know why some of our bright colleagues get rejected while others do not. However, it might be helpful to remain cautiously optimistic depending on your profile. Schools in 20-30 are actively looking to make sure they keep good yield rates--they don't want to be safety schools for half of their admits. Every year they probably reject a dozen or so applicants because they think those applicants will definitely be accepted at higher ranked schools. I don't know your profile specifically, but I can say having read a few people's profiles earlier and seeing them declare rejects from their "safeties", this is probably happening to some of us.

tl;dr: you can get rejected from all your safeties and it may not mean much at all.

Exactly! I've seen people in past threads get accepted at Harvard, Princeton, Michigan yet be rejected or waitlisted for Vanderbilt, Rice, Notre Dame, etc.

[guest789]

1 minute ago, loiewo said:

my grad gpa is 4.0 from top state school in a non-thesis masters. undergrad gpa is 3.5, 99th percentile for verbal/93rd percentile for quant, 5.5 writing. BUT, no research experience. 

None of us can tell what this really means. Once you're above the cut off - which you are - it's about your SoP, LoR and WS. Also other things - e.g. maybe the person you want as a POI is a known asshole (but unbeknownst to you) and they don't have any students for that reason.