2020-2021 Application Thread

[rash_sulganni]

18 minutes ago, HolyGinger said:

I'd say my GRE scores are decent although far from perfect (V161/Q160/W4.0) but it seems like I will get rejections from all the schools I have applied (except for UAlbany, and I might not get funding so basically that is the same as a rejection for me). So I believe GRE didn't really matter that much, this year at least, from my experience. I think what mattered the most was SoP's and how people managed to convince the faculties that their research interests are a great fit. 

Edit: My low undergrad score and the lack of any TA or RA experience also had an effect on my rejections, however I believe SoP's were still the most crucial item this cycle. 

Hi there @HolyGinger I wouldn't worry much about the GRE as many admission committee members have pointed out that they either ignore it entirely or only refer to it at the end. I hope you receive some good news soon.

 

P.S. I am also a Hacettepe graduate

[rash_sulganni]

Hi good people,

I have a virtual house/interview with Notre Dame next week and I kinda feel positive about it (not to count my chickens before they are hatched lol). From what I gather, ND is a bit conservative due to the Catholic background (not a problem for me). But I was wondering how much that affects the whole graduate and uni experience considering I would spend the next 5 years or so there. I will appreciate any useful info regarding life in ND.

[uncle_socks]

24 minutes ago, A_21 said:

I feel relived to know that! Just to make sure, even without a GRE score you got acceptance from UCLA and Chicago? I tend to think UChicago program is heavily quant focus, therefore they prefer candidate with strong quant background.

16 minutes ago, Habermas said:

Counterintuitively, Chicago is perhaps one of the most qualitative departments in the country.

Yeah...Chicago is like the least militantly quantitative department out of like the top 20. Part of why one observes strange outcomes from Chicago (such as the aforementioned very frequent 7 or 8 years to graduate) is because there are so many qualitative people (especially theorists). 

[btermite]

Just now, BunniesInSpace said:

Yeah...Chicago is like the least militantly quantitative department out of like the top 20. Part of why one observes strange outcomes from Chicago (such as the aforementioned very frequent 7 or 8 years to graduate) is because there are so many qualitative people (especially theorists). 

Beyond Chicago, what other programs would you say are on the less quantitative side?

 

[China_IR]

On 2/8/2021 at 4:07 PM, Jay22 said:

Are you going to accept the offer or you also have offer from another higher ranked program? Would appreciate your response! 

For IR, MIT is super qualitative before, not sure about now...

[StarkDark1]

2 minutes ago, btermite said:

Beyond Chicago, what other programs would you say are on the less quantitative side?

 

Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, UC Irvine, possibly Cornell, etc. (I looked for schools specifically with a more qualitative bent, so most of the ones I applied to lol).

Edited February 10, 2021 by StarkDark1

[icemanyeo]

Hi all!

We made it to the middle of another week (yay!). Congratulations to all those with new acceptances this week and good luck as you make it through classes, work and other commitments while you wait for decisions.

[Habermas]

3 minutes ago, StarkDark1 said:

Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, UC Irvine, possibly Cornell, etc. (I looked for schools specifically with a more qualitative bent, so most of the ones I applied to lol).

Also as an honorable mention: Yale is a quant powerhouse but lets you major in qualitative methods.

[kmccorm327]

13 minutes ago, rash_sulganni said:

Hi good people,

I have a virtual house/interview with Notre Dame next week and I kinda feel positive about it (not to count my chickens before they are hatched lol). From what I gather, ND is a bit conservative due to the Catholic background (not a problem for me). But I was wondering how much that affects the whole graduate and uni experience considering I would spend the next 5 years or so there. I will appreciate any useful info regarding life in ND.

I went to Notre Dame as an undergraduate, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. 

In terms of undergrad, ND is a little weird, in that males and females are separated into single sex dorms -- think kind of like frats and sororities -- and prohibited from entering those dorms at specific times (late at night). Some dorms are super lax about this, and others aren't. You won't be dealing with that because you're a grad student.

That being said, I absolutely LOVED my time at Notre Dame, and wish I could go back. Football season is INSANELY fun, if you're into that kind of stuff. Tailgaiting is amazing, and people are extremely friendly. You can literally walk up to a random tailgate and be invited for food, drink, etc. 

Outside of football season, it can get pretty cold. But it's fun to attend other sports games, like hockey, basketball, etc. The bars near campus (which has been built up a lot in the past few years) are also really fun. 

While religion is definitely important at ND, I wouldn't say it encompasses all aspects of academia. I grew up Catholic, but am currently not practicing. I never felt any pressure to *convert* or return to the Church. I doubt you'll be required to take religion classes like I was as a freshman there. Outside of that, I really don't remember a specific instance where religion had any impact on my studies there. I had several teachers who were atheists, Jewish, and everything else. If you want to take religion classes, they'll definitely be available. If you don't, there's more than enough classes that likely won't mention religion at all. From the political science classes I took while I was there, the teachers never shied away from controversial topics. 

I hope that helps. If you want to reach out to me directly, I'm happy to chat more about it. TLDR, I loved ND, religion can be important there if you want it to be, but it can also be completely avoided too. 

[soep13]

Congrats to all those with acceptances! What subfield are who got in WUSTL? Trying to do not lose hope.

[btermite]

6 minutes ago, Habermas said:

Also as an honorable mention: Yale is a quant powerhouse but lets you major in qualitative methods.

Yale is by far my top choice, but I'm not overly optimistic about my chances.

[poliscibxtch]

Has anyone who has been accepted to Duke received information concerning the open house? I don't see a date for it in any of my acceptance letters? 

[NeedaMormon]

5 minutes ago, soep13 said:

Congrats to all those with acceptances! What subfield are who got in WUSTL? Trying to do not lose hope.

I'm planning on AP/Quant Methods

[rash_sulganni]

4 minutes ago, kmccorm327 said:

I went to Notre Dame as an undergraduate, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. 

In terms of undergrad, ND is a little weird, in that males and females are separated into single sex dorms -- think kind of like frats and sororities -- and prohibited from entering those dorms at specific times (late at night). Some dorms are super lax about this, and others aren't. You won't be dealing with that because you're a grad student.

That being said, I absolutely LOVED my time at Notre Dame, and wish I could go back. Football season is INSANELY fun, if you're into that kind of stuff. Tailgaiting is amazing, and people are extremely friendly. You can literally walk up to a random tailgate and be invited for food, drink, etc. 

Outside of football season, it can get pretty cold. But it's fun to attend other sports games, like hockey, basketball, etc. The bars near campus (which has been built up a lot in the past few years) are also really fun. 

While religion is definitely important at ND, I wouldn't say it encompasses all aspects of academia. I grew up Catholic, but am currently not practicing. I never felt any pressure to *convert* or return to the Church. I doubt you'll be required to take religion classes like I was as a freshman there. Outside of that, I really don't remember a specific instance where religion had any impact on my studies there. I had several teachers who were atheists, Jewish, and everything else. If you want to take religion classes, they'll definitely be available. If you don't, there's more than enough classes that likely won't mention religion at all. From the political science classes I took while I was there, the teachers never shied away from controversial topics. 

I hope that helps. If you want to reach out to me directly, I'm happy to chat more about it. TLDR, I loved ND, religion can be important there if you want it to be, but it can also be completely avoided too. 

 

This is super @kmccorm327. Thanks a lot for the elaborate response. I had to google tailgate btw (we don't have that in Ghana, where I am from, or in Turkey, where I have lived for the past 8 years). It seems fun.

I already have an offer from UMASS but I suppose I may have to reconsider if ND makes an offer. Thanks once again. 

 

 

[polisciii]

12 minutes ago, poliscibxtch said:

Has anyone who has been accepted to Duke received information concerning the open house? I don't see a date for it in any of my acceptance letters? 

Not for me.

[kmccorm327]

Just now, rash_sulganni said:

 

This is super @kmccorm327. Thanks a lot for the elaborate response. I had to google tailgate btw (we don't have that in Ghana, where I am from, or in Turkey, where I have lived for the past 8 years). It seems fun.

I already have an offer from UMASS but I suppose I may have to reconsider if ND makes an offer. Thanks once again. 

 

 

Sure! And again, please feel free to reach out directly if you have any questions about other things about ND as you begin to make your final decisions. The weather will likely be very different than the places you've lived (lol, think lots of snow), but I loved it. And the tailgates (glad you looked it up!) are totally worth it.

[rash_sulganni]

Just contacted Texas A&M about the status of my application only to find out that I'd been put on the waitlist. Don't know what to make of it, but I am trying to stay positive.

[FingersCrossed2021]

Claiming a UCLA admit!! Ecstatic doesn't begin to cover it!!! After reading that tweet yesterday I had completely lost hope.  IR subfield, got an email to check the portal but nothing from the department yet. Any other admits heard anything about funding, and/or does anyone know if they typically fund all of their admits? Sending sooo many good vibes to those who are waiting for an update!

[Mad Scientist Malfrost]

2 minutes ago, rash_sulganni said:

Just contacted Texas A&M about the status of my application only to find out that I'd been put on the waitlist. Don't know what to make of it, but I am trying to stay positive.

A waitlist is always better than a straight reject, means you are still in the running if some people turn down their initial offers! 

[nivy25]

So I think two people got a NW admit sometime ago? Can you tell us which subfields please? I'm so anxious. Northwestern is my only hope and my best research fit (IR). 

I REALLY want an acceptance here. 

[cheddarbo]

has anyone heard back from Michigan with an IR subfield? I haven’t heard anything from them but haven’t seen anyone claim an IR admit

[Indeed]

2 minutes ago, nivy25 said:

So I think two people got a NW admit sometime ago? Can you tell us which subfields please? I'm so anxious. Northwestern is my only hope and my best research fit (IR). 

I REALLY want an acceptance here. 

CP here

[Crossed_fingers]

3 minutes ago, nivy25 said:

So I think two people got a NW admit sometime ago? Can you tell us which subfields please? I'm so anxious. Northwestern is my only hope and my best research fit (IR). 

I REALLY want an acceptance here. 

I believe those are still contested. Acceptances were claimed but another poster said that they contacted the department and were told no decisions had been made yet.  

To be clear, I'm not accusing anyone involved of lying. Just trying to recall how those events transpired. 

Edited February 10, 2021 by Crossed_fingers

[nivy25]

3 minutes ago, nivy25 said:

So I think two people got a NW admit sometime ago? Can you tell us which subfields please? I'm so anxious. Northwestern is my only hope and my best research fit (IR). 

I REALLY want an acceptance here. 

My anxiety has peaked. I thought decisions would come around the 15th. I'm glad people have heard, but now with every passing minute that passes that I don't hear from them I am just getting more and more worried. It's my strongest fit and I'd give anything to be here. It's also my only hope.

[nivy25]

1 minute ago, Crossed_fingers said:

I believe those are still contested. Acceptances were claimed but another poster said that they contacted the department and were told no decisions had been made yet.  

To be clear, I'm not accusing anyone involved of lying. Just trying to recall how those events transpired. 

Oh I know that. Some decisions came out today, and people have claimed it.