2020-2021 Application Thread

[comradecommissar]

5 minutes ago, Miss Evidence said:

Many of us would like to switch places with you! ? 

If you don't mind, when exactly did you receive MIT's response about you being on the waitlist? MIT was my top priority and the only one where my POI clearly stated that he would recommend my admission to the committee. But at this point my hopes are almost gone. ? 

Hey, sorry that it hasn't worked out for you this year, but I do think if you were able to convince a POI to want you admitted, you have a good shot in future years too. 

I received the email exactly 1 hour ago. 

[tech_and_IR]

Claiming an MIT waitlist for SS. I finally broke and made a profile after being a long-time lurker. This cycle, I've been waitlisted at MIT, Princeton (IR), and Chicago (IR) and admitted to Yale (IR). Still waiting on Georgetown, but I'm presuming rejection...

Congrats to all the admits this cycle. It's been brutal, and I'm looking forward to this all being over. 

[The Converse]

9 minutes ago, tech_and_IR said:

Claiming an MIT waitlist for SS. I finally broke and made a profile after being a long-time lurker. This cycle, I've been waitlisted at MIT, Princeton (IR), and Chicago (IR) and admitted to Yale (IR). Still waiting on Georgetown, but I'm presuming rejection...

Congrats to all the admits this cycle. It's been brutal, and I'm looking forward to this all being over. 

It has been rough.  Haha, but no need to be a lurker.  People are very supportive here.  Congrats on the Yale admission!  You must be excited about that.  

[topochica]

I can finally claim a Duke rejection! they were sending update to an incorrect email haha. Also want to thank you guys for keeping this place active. It helped me feel less alone during this cycle.

[tech_and_IR]

17 minutes ago, The Converse said:

It has been rough.  Haha, but no need to be a lurker.  People are very supportive here.  Congrats on the Yale admission!  You must be excited about that.  

Thank you!! I feel very lucky. And yes, everyone here is super supportive, and I've enjoyed following everyone's decisions. Excited for everyone who has received offers, and to those who haven't gotten the responses they've wanted this cycle, it's so not a reflection of you and your abilities. It's just a weird year

[cbsag123]

To all of you who've gotten on the waitlist at these top universities -- is there anything one could do at this stage to increase chances of admission? Like, do I let them know that I've been rejected everywhere except for the waitlist spots, or would that end up hurting my chances of negotiating a better funding package in the long run without actually helping my chances of getting of the waitlist?

[topochica]

1 minute ago, cbsag123 said:

To all of you who've gotten on the waitlist at these top universities -- is there anything one could do at this stage to increase chances of admission? Like, do I let them know that I've been rejected everywhere except for the waitlist spots, or would that end up hurting my chances of negotiating a better funding package in the long run without actually helping my chances of getting of the waitlist?

I've heard that it is a good idea to get back into contact with POIs and let them know you are still interested and thank you for their interviews, etc. I think you can express genuine continued interest and say it is your top choice for X, Y, Z reasons without letting on you've been rejected (or accepted) elsewhere.

[cbsag123]

Thank you, that's very helpful. Even though I've never even reached out to any POIs beforehand haha

[topochica]

1 minute ago, cbsag123 said:

Thank you, that's very helpful. Even though I've never even reached out to any POIs beforehand haha

Good point. You could also send an email like that to admissions or whoever you've been in contact with. Good luck!

[rash_sulganni]

Claiming MIT rejection. End of the cycle for me. 

[jjiffy]

Claiming MIT reject via email just now. Still waiting on UCLA and Georgetown but I think they have already sent out admits so that closes out PhDs for me. Congrats to all those who got in during this brutal cycle!

[The Converse]

Claiming MIT rejection.  The cycle of the hell is complete.  Haha, but it has been a learning experience.

[spotted]

at least MIT had a quick turnaround to send out rejections! im on my last two now eek

[jjiffy]

1 minute ago, spotted said:

at least MIT had a quick turnaround to send out rejections! im on my last two now eek

For real!

[Miss Evidence]

 

4 minutes ago, spotted said:

at least MIT had a quick turnaround to send out rejections! im on my last two now eek

True! We can say they were kind not taking so long to put us out of our misery... 

[btermite]

Thank you all so much for your kind words yesterday after I got my first, and likely only acceptance! It was quite an overwhelming day so I was logged off the forum for most of the day after I got the call.

Congrats to everyone who has gotten good news in the meantime, and good luck to everyone still waiting it out! I have gotten literally only rejections until getting into my dream program, so don't lose hope!

[pspr]

Harvard has just responded to my email of inquiry! It is a generic rejection, of course, but a very polite one. The email says that "notifications are being sent just now by the Graduate School" (but I haven't received any tho) and that "there were 588 applications under consideration for an incoming class of eight." 

588... for a class of 8 ...that is INSANE. 

For those who got in: a very, very big congrats!! This finally marks the end of this cycle for me!   

[The Converse]

Just now, pspr said:

Harvard has just responded to my email of inquiry! It is a generic rejection, of course, but a very polite one. The email says that "notifications are being sent just now by the Graduate School" (but I haven't received any tho) and that "there were 588 applications under consideration for an incoming class of eight." 

588... for a class of 8 ...that is INSANE. 

For those who got in: a very, very big congrats!! This finally marks the end of this cycle for me!   

There is something to be said about putting in a little effort on the rejections.  MIT, Michigan, and Stony Brook (waitlist) at least had some class.  They sent the rejections from the department head.  Yale and Berkeley were a joke.  Even though they don't owe us anything, Yale could at least come up with more than three sentences to every graduate applicant from the grad school head for a $120 fee.  That's just pure BS in my book.

[polisciii]

crybby^^^

[cber9604]

Lurker here ! Got my first official rejection from MIT in PE this morning. Tough pill to swallow as my fit for the MIT was very, very strong. On the other hand, had real issues with some administrative documents (their dep. was not particularly helpful, in fact they never answered to anything), so there is a STRONG chance my application was not even considered. This is in fact very frustrating but, in terms of ego and belief in my capacities, more of a status-quo kind of thing than a damning one. I will try for sure next year. Other than that, I only applied at Georgetown in IR and fully expect a rejection. Fit was strong, but competition seemed unreal.

Truth be told, really not a bright idea to apply to only two programs, but truth is I was obsessed with a MsC program at Oxford which, coupled with the insecurity regarding political climate in the States (during Fall), took my attention away from an American PhD possibility. I found out in mid November that some schools did not require GRE scores, got in contact with a Pr. at MIT through a research partner in McGill a week later and brushed up a SOP with the help of said Pr. Thought I had a good shot, but made mistakes along the way which probably really cost me.

This whole thing is a learning process and I am glad I went through it, even though I am unsuccessful. I think I have a  strong profile but, at the end of the day, still am originating from a small francophone Canadian university.  I embrace the challenge, I am only 24 years old (which I understand is fairly older than many of my compatriots on this forum, but still young in the general scheme of things),  will come back next year with way more options and hopefully with better sample and a good GRE scores. 

Do not let this cycle, which has been affected by COVID in more ways that I think we can comprehend, dictate how you see yourself as an academic. Life has that weird tendency, a frustrating one to say the least, to  create paths for yourself that will seem non-linear, filled with obstacles ; a zigzagging journey that will test everything you have. You do have to believe in this process and understand that Life has a plan for you and that you need to trust it. This cycle is one small event in a career that will, one day,  bring you cherished friendships, discoveries and experiences. Do not give up.

See you next year ! Peace.

[Theory007]

53 minutes ago, rash_sulganni said:

Claiming MIT rejection. End of the cycle for me. 

I wonder if this is a correct use of the downvote on the original post? I mean one can disapprove of the rejection but still support the person rejected.

[The Converse]

16 minutes ago, polisciii said:

crybby^^^

Lol okay

[nivy25]

56 minutes ago, rash_sulganni said:

Claiming MIT rejection. End of the cycle for me. 

I'm sorry to hear that, but congratulations on all your acceptances. This cycle was actually brutal, and obviously the programs you got accepted into are no ivy leagues, but they're still awesome! I heard about UF kind of coming up in the ranks recently with its placements! Also, my current professor spoke very highly of UMass. 

[Theory007]

8 minutes ago, cber9604 said:

Lurker here ! Got my first official rejection from MIT in PE this morning. Tough pill to swallow as my fit for the MIT was very, very strong. On the other hand, had real issues with some administrative documents (their dep. was not particularly helpful, in fact they never answered to anything), so there is a STRONG chance my application was not even considered. This is in fact very frustrating but, in terms of ego and belief in my capacities, more of a status-quo kind of thing than a damning one. I will try for sure next year. Other than that, I only applied at Georgetown in IR and fully expect a rejection. Fit was strong, but competition seemed unreal.

Truth be told, really not a bright idea to apply to only two programs, but truth is I was obsessed with a MsC program at Oxford which, coupled with the insecurity regarding political climate in the States (during Fall), took my attention away from an American PhD possibility. I found out in mid November that some schools did not require GRE scores, got in contact with a Pr. at MIT through a research partner in McGill a week later and brushed up a SOP with the help of said Pr. Thought I had a good shot, but made mistakes along the way which probably really cost me.

This whole thing is a learning process and I am glad I went through it, even though I am unsuccessful. I think I have a  strong profile but, at the end of the day, still am originating from a small francophone Canadian university.  I embrace the challenge, I am only 24 years old (which I understand is fairly older than many of my compatriots on this forum, but still young in the general scheme of things),  will come back next year with way more options and hopefully with better sample and a good GRE scores. 

Do not let this cycle, which has been affected by COVID in more ways that I think we can comprehend, dictate how you see yourself as an academic. Life has that weird tendency, a frustrating one to say the least, to  create paths for yourself that will seem non-linear, filled with obstacles ; a zigzagging journey that will test everything you have. You do have to believe in this process and understand that Life has a plan for you and that you need to trust it. This cycle is one small event in a career that will, one day,  bring you cherished friendships, discoveries and experiences. Do not give up.

See you next year ! Peace.

I'll just emphasize that the application process is truly messy. It's possible you did nothing wrong at all and simply was rejected. Even the most qualified applicants should count themselves lucky to get into MIT and many do not get in. That's unsatisfying of course but if you apply to more programs next year you'll increase your odds. I understand your apprehension about coming to the US but, despite all the difficulties, things are great her. In my opinion at least.

What do you all think?

Yes there is division these days and many things I don't like, but at least it's true that in any phd program you'll find like-minded, curious, intelligent, and brilliant people. I also find that the division is exaggerated - most normal people get along just fine in spite of political differences. Everything is blown up on the news but you could really come here and make a great life for yourself (I think).

[Oboeist]

+1 on MIT rejection. I'm assuming I got rejected from Vandy and probably Maryland too so this is most likely the end of the cycle for me.