2020-2021 Application Thread

[Mad Scientist Malfrost]

1 minute ago, NeedaMormon said:

Claiming a University of Iowa acceptance. It looks like emails are being sent out on an individual basis.

Congrats on the acceptance! I will be keeping my fingers crossed and hoping I get something soon! Seems like a really great program. 

[PolNerd]

6 minutes ago, CompIR2021 said:

@ballofstress Hi, I also got into Georgia but regular track (not Fast track) - did you hear anything about funding?

Congrats! When and how did you find out about Georgia? And what subfield? My portal says "awaiting decision"

Edited February 11, 2021 by PolNerd

[CompIR2021]

Just now, PolNerd said:

When and how did you find out about Georgia? And what subfield? My portal says "awaiting decision"

I just checked my portal a week ago and it said App Status: Decided (I was checking daily, as I am sure you can relate to) with a letter of admission. I haven't heard from the department itself (no email/no phone call).

I applied for IR/CP.

[The Converse]

27 minutes ago, HolyGinger said:

Got an official rejection from Stony Brook (SUNY)

Were you emailed directly?

[HolyGinger]

1 minute ago, The Converse said:

Were you emailed directly?

Just got an email saying to check the portal. Portal said rejected and that this decision only reflects how tight the competition was this year. Also that they believed I'll get accepted to my other applications with such excellent qualifications (lol). 

Was one of my top choices, quite bummed.

[HolyGinger]

18 minutes ago, CompIR2021 said:

I just checked my portal a week ago and it said App Status: Decided (I was checking daily, as I am sure you can relate to) with a letter of admission. I haven't heard from the department itself (no email/no phone call).

I applied for IR/CP.

Hey congrats! May I ask if you applied before the priority deadline?

[The Converse]

2 minutes ago, HolyGinger said:

Just got an email saying to check the portal. Portal said rejected and that this decision only reflects how tight the competition was this year. Also that they believed I'll get accepted to my other applications with such excellent qualifications (lol). 

Was one of my top choices, quite bummed.

Yes, it is an interesting program.  I am sure I will have a similar fate as you some time today.  Sorry to hear that you were rejected, but I am confident you will be accepted at some of the pending schools on your list.

[afjackie]

On 2/10/2021 at 10:39 AM, 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.

Hi there! I am interviewing this week for Notre Dame's joint PhD in Political Science and Peace studies and I was originally concerned about the same thing. I talked to many people, to include professors, very candidly before applying and what I've gleaned is that while the main university is rather conservative, the political science department and the Kroc, Kellogg, and Kenough institutes are a bastion of liberal and progressives values and ideas. I've definitely gotten that sense during my interviews, as I am particularly interested in feminist and critical peace studies. South Bend itself also has a slightly  progressive bent, though it is a relatively small city in the process of revitalization and reinvention and is definitely surrounded by some conservative areas. There are pros and cons for sure, but from what I understand I don't think the conservative attitudes will permeate all that much into the graduate programs/graduate life...

[CompIR2021]

Just now, HolyGinger said:

Hey congrats! May I ask if you applied before the priority deadline?

Hi, thanks! I did apply before the priority deadline (Dec. 1) but I have yet to hear about funding. The website mentions the deadline is supposed to be some kind of priority for graduate assistantships.

[kmccorm327]

Just now, afjackie said:

Hi there! I am interviewing this week for Notre Dame's joint PhD in Political Science and Peace studies and I was originally concerned about the same thing. I talked to many people, to include professors, very candidly before applying and what I've gleaned is that while the main university is rather conservative, the political science department and the Kroc, Kellogg, and Kenough institutes are a bastion of liberal and progressives values and ideas. I've definitely gotten that sense during my interviews, as I am particularly interested in feminist and critical peace studies. South Bend itself also has a slightly  progressive bent, though it is a relatively small city in the process of revitalization and reinvention and is definitely surrounded by some conservative areas. There are pros and cons for sure, but from what I understand I don't think the conservative attitudes will permeate all that much into the graduate programs/graduate life...

Hey! I talked to the same poster about this, so if you want to see my response, look below. The main university really isn't that conservative. You can make of your education what you will there. I almost went to law school there as well, and was under the impression that graduate school similarly isn't conservative. 

 

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. 

[afjackie]

Just now, kmccorm327 said:

Hey! I talked to the same poster about this, so if you want to see my response, look below. The main university really isn't that conservative. You can make of your education what you will there. I almost went to law school there as well, and was under the impression that graduate school similarly isn't conservative. 

 

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. 

Thanks, I totally missed this answer somehow!!

[HolyGinger]

2 minutes ago, CompIR2021 said:

Hi, thanks! I did apply before the priority deadline (Dec. 1) but I have yet to hear about funding. The website mentions the deadline is supposed to be some kind of priority for graduate assistantships.

Oh I see, I'm just hoping they release results later for the people who applied after the priority deadline. 

[XXXXbe1]

Claim an admission from UF, funding info attached. 

International Students, CP subfield.

[kmccorm327]

1 minute ago, afjackie said:

Thanks, I totally missed this answer somehow!!

Sure! And I offered the same thing to the other poster -- I'm super happy to chat about my time there, give advice on what apartments complexes are better to live in/nicer, where to go for a good drink, and anything else. Biggest advice though -- buy seasons football tickets!  Students get a HUGE discount!

[CompIR2021]

1 minute ago, HolyGinger said:

Oh I see, I'm just hoping they release results later for the people who applied after the priority deadline. 

Got it- from the FAQs on the website it seems that they review the applications as they come in, in which case I would guess that you are correct. But there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of transparency in PhD apps/decisions in general so I can only guess.

[HolyGinger]

I wanted to ask people who got rejections, have you contacted the school about your application after you got the result? I know they'll probably send some generic response, but maybe they'll share how many people applied this year and the size of their cohort? Does asking this normal?

[XXXXbe1]

1 minute ago, HolyGinger said:

I wanted to ask people who got rejections, have you contacted the school about your application after you got the result? I know they'll probably send some generic response, but maybe they'll share how many people applied this year and the size of their cohort? Does asking this normal?

Last cycle, I did so and that professor provided me a lot of useful suggestions about how to write wrting sample into the ways/topics that they are really interested at. I would suggest you contact your POIs, if the research interests really perfectly match, they probably will help you a lot.

[Polysciapplicant21]

Are any of you still waiting on Hopkins? My portal hasn’t changed yet. 

[China_IR]

Just now, Polysciapplicant21 said:

Are any of you still waiting on Hopkins? My portal hasn’t changed yet. 

That usually means good news!

[Polysciapplicant21]

1 hour ago, China_IR said:

That usually means good news!

I hope so!! I feel like MIT and JH are my strongest fits. No acceptances yet, so keeping my fingers crossed!

Edited February 11, 2021 by Polysciapplicant21

[Mad Scientist Malfrost]

I have news for people who applied for CP at Cornell. I'm in a seminar with one of the professors who is on the committee for CP; they are planning to admit 2 people for CP so...take that for what it is worth.  

[pspr]

Just now, Mad Scientist Malfrost said:

I have news for people who applied for CP at Cornell. I'm in a seminar with one of the professors who is on the committee for CP; they are planning to admit 2 people for CP so...take that for what it is worth.  

OH MY GWAD

[icemanyeo]

3 minutes ago, Mad Scientist Malfrost said:

I have news for people who applied for CP at Cornell. I'm in a seminar with one of the professors who is on the committee for CP; they are planning to admit 2 people for CP so...take that for what it is worth.  

Yikes...

[Habermas]

15 minutes ago, Polysciapplicant21 said:

Are any of you still waiting on Hopkins? My portal hasn’t changed yet. 

Same here...wondering what it means.

[Senochka]

@nivy25 Hi, I was admitted to a dual master's program at MIIS two years ago. As you may already know, it's more than half a century old and was previously called the Monterey Institute. It was about to go defunct until Middlebury College came to its rescue and turned it into the grad school of the College. When Iapplied, the school was being restructured around this goal. For me, part of the allure was the variety of dual degree options. They promised a truly multidisciplinary education, and since Middlebury is really strong in languages, foreign language training programs were abundant. In this restructuring phase they were also really generous with aid. I got 42k which then was raised to 48k annually. There seemed to be a lot of veterans and soldiers from NATO missions within the student body which made me think an emphasis on diplomacy would be apparent in the curriculum and that would positively affect the domestic students' job prospects if they were to decide that the academia is not their scene. My biggest concerns were the location (Monterey is unreasonably, inexplicably, insanely expensive, definitely not a typical college town.) and the faculty. Some professors came over from Middlebury to teach whereas some were career professionals. The names incited some promise but the overall faculty could not yet be described as robust. My humble advice is, give a shot if the aid is still that good, if options and opportunities to enrich your experience and add value to your degree are abundant, if they are delivering on their promise to grow and solidify their student and alumni networks, and IF you can meet the cost of living in Monterey. Best of luck with everything.