2020-2021 Application Thread

[PoliSHopeful]

3 minutes ago, Mad Scientist Malfrost said:

but you are the kind of person I would loathe to be in a cohort with. 

Believe me, you're not someone of my caliber anyway. So, don't worry, you can never reach to a level to be in a cohort with me. 

[BrownSugar]

6 minutes ago, irinmn said:

@BrownSugar congratulations again on USC. I was actually born at USC Medical Center and grew up not far from the campus. It's a beautiful school in a beautiful city. You can't quite beat the quality of life there combined with SC's academic reputation. If you have any questions about the area, let me know

Thanks a lot!! I’m actually really happy about it. It’s one of my personal preferences despite what some people might think. I’ll definitely keep you in mind  

[awfasano]

grad cafe drama, who grabbing their popcorn???

[spotted]

logged on just now to see all the berkeley/chicago/michigan acceptances go out
ive got 4 more schools to go.. I only need one
at least thats what my advisor tells me lol

[CharmanderGo]

1 hour ago, polisci_gal said:

Where did you  apply? Do you have any schools you’re waiting to hear from still? I’m sure you’ll get in somewhere with those stats!! Keep the faith 

Thank you for your support!  I only have Harvard, Yale MIT, Stanford pending, so not really gonna count on them. Prolly just going to contact my undergrad advisor to develop a paper idea I had last semester and re-apply next cycle. Best of luck with your app!

[Mad Scientist Malfrost]

6 minutes ago, PoliSHopeful said:

Believe me, you're not someone of my caliber anyway. So, don't worry, you can never reach to a level to be in a cohort with me. 

Good, I'm glad I'm not at your caliber then. Cause you and people like you are the part of the reason why political science has such a bad reputation in academia among other social sciences anyway. I can safely say I would rather be DEAD than be in a cohort with someone as repugnant as you.  

Edited February 9, 2021 by Mad Scientist Malfrost

[verschiedene]

8 minutes ago, PoliSHopeful said:

Believe me, you're not someone of my caliber anyway. So, don't worry, you can never reach to a level to be in a cohort with me. 

You are absolutely right. None of us on this forum will ever be able to reach down to your level as a person. 

[NotaDoctorShh]

47 minutes ago, politicsgal said:

I've been lurking for a while and want to thank everyone for their positivity and support on this thread! Also, claiming a Vanderbilt interview (AP, received the email today). Would anyone who has completed a Vanderbilt interview be willing to share what to expect (topics, length, etc.)?

31 minutes ago, Crossed_fingers said:

I have an interview with Vanderbilt tomorrow and would also love to hear someone else’s experience.

Hey y'all congrats on the interview! I spoke with Vanderbilt last week and I believe @Indeed did as well. I'll give the same advice as such. Was honestly pretty relaxed, but I do think that they will ask you more than the generic questions. 

There was the normal, why a PhD, what do you want to do in the future, etc, but was also probed on application specific stuff. For me, I have not taken many method/quant classes formally so she asked about my research and how it prepared me for grad school. For context, I am applying straight out of undergrad and only took one class on methods/stats and everything else I learned "on the job" either through my thesis or as a research assistant which I explained as such. 

Other than that it was super conversational, just talked about what naturally came up. Know your application strengths and weaknesses as well as why you want to attend Vanderbilt specifically and it will go swimmingly. 

Drop me a message if you have any other questions and I'd be happy to help out! Godspeed. 

Edited February 9, 2021 by NotaDoctorShh

[FlameCrescent]

I truly feel sorry for this year's NYU cohort, because they'll have someone like PoliSHopeful in their class.  ?

USC is an amazing school that many would kill to get into.  Shame on you for trying to tear other people apart!

 

[NotaDoctorShh]

Hey uh can we take it down a notch please? This is a very stressful time for all of us and I liked it a lot better in here when we were supporting one another instead of taking jabs. 

Let's all just take a deep breath and cool off.

[NeedaMormon]

3 minutes ago, NotaDoctorShh said:

Let's all just take a deep breath and cool off.

It was snowing earlier does that count.

[Mad Scientist Malfrost]

Just now, NeedaMormon said:

It was snowing earlier does that count.

Does it snow often in Utah? I'm legit curious now lol 

[PolNerd]

That dude - gets accepted at NYU only and thinks he is the smartest LOL ? 

Edited February 9, 2021 by PolNerd

[Mad Scientist Malfrost]

Also @NeedaMormon, I just followed you on Twitter. Your research is fascinating. I follow Japanese politics and culture as a hobby and I'm really looking forward to seeing you grow your research if you continue to focus on voter turnout in Japan! 

[NeedaMormon]

3 minutes ago, Mad Scientist Malfrost said:

Does it snow often in Utah? I'm legit curious now lol 

It depends on how hard the people pray. (jkwhydoimakethesejokesaboutmyownreligion)

In all seriousness, it snows pretty frequently. We get a couple serious snowfalls. Probably no more than 18in in a year.

Edited February 9, 2021 by NeedaMormon

[pspr]

NYU's ranking might be high, but someone seems to be quite low in empathy and sympathy ? 

 

 

[irinmn]

Just now, NeedaMormon said:

It depends on how hard the people pray.

You just made my night with that...

[NeedaMormon]

5 minutes ago, Mad Scientist Malfrost said:

Also @NeedaMormon, I just followed you on Twitter. Your research is fascinating. I follow Japanese politics and culture as a hobby and I'm really looking forward to seeing you grow your research if you continue to focus on voter turnout in Japan! 

I mean we'll see what I end up doing. My real interests are with voter turnout, and political communication. Especially online communication by political campaigns.

If I want to do stuff in Japanese politics I should def brush up on my Japanese lol. Can't just waste those 2 years in Japan.

Edited February 9, 2021 by NeedaMormon

[icemanyeo]

1 hour ago, CharmanderGo said:

Hi everyone, long time lurker here. Just wondering if anyone can share their 0.2 applying as an undergrad? I received my 5th rejection today (so far no acceptance), and it's getting really hard to not blame myself at this point in the game.

I am an international applicant with a BA from an ivy (just graduated last December), triple major (government+area studies+philosophy, summa cum laude), GPA 4.0, GRE 168+169+5, four RA-ships, two TA, one first-author publication accepted at a top area studies journal, and a few more student journal/conference/etc. LOR from my undergrad advisors, all of whom I have worked with for a while and assured me they wrote strong letters. Tbh, I really felt that I checked all the boxes and didn't expect this result at all. I would really appreciate if any fellow undergrad applicant can share their experiences! Thanks!

Unfortunately this is just an extremely competitive year. I know you can sometimes fall into the trap of obsessing over your stats, but don't do it. As many others have mentioned, I think schools were looking for a much more tighter fit than in previous years. And on top of the pandemic, there are a whole host of other factors at play here. Don't beat yourself up too much.

[pspr]

2 hours ago, Jay22 said:

Did they mention when they might release the decisions? What does it mean to use a waitlist? Do you think they will waitlist first and then accept from that list? 

I'm really sorry I can't answer all questions. I have no idea about what the department means by "go slow," but I doubt it's all going to be like what you described.  But that's all the department told me. I had posted somewhere earlier that Cornell's plan to release the decisions would be by or before the end of this month, which is in line with previous years. 

[afjackie]

33 minutes ago, spotted said:

logged on just now to see all the berkeley/chicago/michigan acceptances go out
ive got 4 more schools to go.. I only need one
at least thats what my advisor tells me lol

Keeping my fingers crossed for you! You definitely only need one!

[icemanyeo]

Also @CharmanderGo, this may not console you, but I felt kind of the same way. I didn't graduate from an Ivy for undergrad but went to a SLAC, did my honors thesis, student publications, several conferences, then went on to a prestigious master's. Had great LORs, discussed greatly with them about fit at the schools I applied to, had a great GPA and this cycle still went to the dumpster.

Unfortunately, we are not in control of the process. You can check all the boxes on the "average admit profile" sheet, and still not get in. I know it hurts a lot to keep getting rejections. Trust me, I feel the same way. But academic life is paved with rejections: the job market is dismal, rejections to journals and grants will pile on in an academic career, and your papers won't get accepted at certain conferences.

My advice is to start getting used to it and build up a healthy coping system now. I've spoken to academics, both now retired and recent graduates starting their first non-TT/TT job; this career is not easy. But if you know in your heart that the ivory tower is where you want to be, make sure your defenses and self-care game are top notch starting now. You'll need it.

Edited February 9, 2021 by icemanyeo

[icemanyeo]

Sending positive energies to everyone ❤️ we all need it. Don't feed the trolls on this forum, replying to them just keeps them going. I'm really glad to have met such an amazing community, and as the decisions cycle ends, I hope to stay in contact with many of you! You're all very wonderful people, and if the rejections are getting to you, always remember they do not quantify your worth as a human being or as a scholar. 

[polisci1]

3 hours ago, gradpumpkin said:

Thank you all for sharing about Masters programs! Were any of y'all able to get funding for these programs? I am highly considering them, but really can't make it work unless it is fully funded (ideally even with a stipend, if that's even possible). 

Just wanted to pop in here and say that UChicago’s MA programs (CIR and MAPSS) do offer quite a bit of funding! Full tuition waiver, 2/3, 3/4 etc, is all very doable. And they’re really amazing programs (CIR if you’re CP or IR, MAPSS for AP), with great PhD placement!

[CharmanderGo]

28 minutes ago, icemanyeo said:

Also @CharmanderGo, this may not console you, but I felt kind of the same way. I didn't graduate from an Ivy for undergrad but went to a SLAC, did my honors thesis, student publications, several conferences, then went on to a prestigious master's. Had great LORs, discussed greatly with them about fit at the schools I applied to, had a great GPA and this cycle still went to the dumpster.

Unfortunately, we are not in control of the process. You can check all the boxes on the "average admit profile" sheet, and still not get in. I know it hurts a lot to keep getting rejections. Trust me, I feel the same way. But academic life is paved with rejections: the job market is dismal, rejections to journals and grants will pile on in an academic career, and your papers won't get accepted at certain conferences.

My advice is to start getting used to it and build up a healthy coping system now. I've spoken to academics, both now retired and recent graduates starting their first non-TT/TT job; this career is not easy. But if you know in your heart that the ivory tower is where you want to be, make sure your defenses and self-care game is top notch starting now. You'll need it.

Thank you for all the positivity!!! I really needed this! I know that I still want this career, so definitely will keep trying no matter what happens in the next few weeks. Best of luck!