2020-2021 Application Thread

[Senochka]

Hi, 

A quick poll: do you see any merit in applying to MAPSS or other master's programs of that sort around this time? Would I have any chance with funding?

A question: Do you think the race for predoctoral fellowships and residential RA positions will be as tough as PhD admissions this year? 

Like many of you, I am so tired and sick of the process that I really do not want to move a finger unless there is a reasonable prospect of return in what I will do, on the other hand, I feel hopeless, restless and like I have to do something before the end.

Any thoughts are much appreciated.

[Senochka]

@LuxluxI was meaning to write to you but forgot my password. I also did not hear back from Vandy but I did not pay the fee so maybe I am seen as not worthy of a rejection haha, but many claimed acceptances and waitlists already so I am guessing we are expecting rejections. However, all the activity I see hereconcerning Vanderbilt was either CP or AP, so maybe you can still hope for good news.

Edited March 4, 2021 by Senochka

[plus]

8 hours ago, nivy25 said:

Would you say the same if instead of the lower-ranked fully-funded MA program, it was a mid-ranked fully-funded PhD program? (Think Rice and Austin, since I'm waitlisted here and I've been thinking about what to do).

You should consider the fact that the median MAPSS PhD placement is around the same rank as UT Austin:

 

In Political Science, 16 of 19 MAPSS applicants (84%) have funded offers. They include admits at UChicago (5), Notre Dame, UPenn, UCLA, Cornell, Ohio State, Texas-Austin, Oxford, UIC, South Carolina, Toronto, Wisconsin-Madison, Boston College, Florida, NYU, Vanderbilt, UVA, Indiana-Bloomington, Yale, Georgia, UC-Davis, UC-Santa Cruz, Kentucky, and Florida State.

 

https://mapss.uchicago.edu/past-phd-placements-political-science

[icemanyeo]

8 hours ago, nivy25 said:

Would you say the same if instead of the lower-ranked fully-funded MA program, it was a mid-ranked fully-funded PhD program? (Think Rice and Austin, since I'm waitlisted here and I've been thinking about what to do).

 

13 minutes ago, plus said:

You should consider the fact that the median MAPSS PhD placement is around the same rank as UT Austin:

 

In Political Science, 16 of 19 MAPSS applicants (84%) have funded offers. They include admits at UChicago (5), Notre Dame, UPenn, UCLA, Cornell, Ohio State, Texas-Austin, Oxford, UIC, South Carolina, Toronto, Wisconsin-Madison, Boston College, Florida, NYU, Vanderbilt, UVA, Indiana-Bloomington, Yale, Georgia, UC-Davis, UC-Santa Cruz, Kentucky, and Florida State.

 

https://mapss.uchicago.edu/past-phd-placements-political-science

 

If you get a PhD admission offer off of the waitlists, I would recommend just going there. You won't get to know your professors well enough for a good letter until after you finish the MAPSS program. That means that during the year where you're putting in applications, you're gonna have to figure out something to do in the meantime while you wait (it gets especially murky for international students, because good, paid OPT placements are getting harder to come by in the social sciences). 

[Barry B. Benson]

5 hours ago, comradecommissar said:

What schools are you considering, if I may ask?

Those two in particular are WashU and NYU

[idonknow]

.

Edited March 4, 2021 by idonknow

[poliscihopeful2021]

12 hours ago, nivy25 said:

Would you say the same if instead of the lower-ranked fully-funded MA program, it was a mid-ranked fully-funded PhD program? (Think Rice and Austin, since I'm waitlisted here and I've been thinking about what to do).

That's a good question, and I unfortunately don't know too much about those two programs in particular. I think if you have a funded offer from a school where your interests are well matched, it's probably worth going to even if it's "mid-ranked". There's probably good reason you applied to these schools right? I would more strongly recommend a higher ranked MA program over a lower-ranked MA program, since it appears that would have a strong bearing on your PhD admissions prospects. If you manage to get off the waitlist, no real reason waiting another year without the guarantee of getting into a much higher-ranked program. If you think your application would change a lot in a year at Chicago, then maybe it's worth considering the MAPSS or CIR.

Edited March 4, 2021 by poliscihopeful2021

[poliscihopeful2021]

1 minute ago, poliscihopeful2021 said:

That's a good question, and I unfortunately don't know too much about those two programs in particular. I think if you have a funded offer from a school where your interests are well matched, it's probably worth going to even if it's "mid-ranked". There's probably good reason you applied to these schools right? I would more strongly recommend a higher ranked MA program over a lower-ranked MA program, since it appears that would have a strong bearing on your PhD admissions prospects. If you manage to get off the waitlist, no real reason waiting another year without the guarantee of getting into a much higher-ranked program. If you think your application would change a lot in a year at Chicago, then maybe it's worth considering the MAPSS or CIR.

Also probably wait till you hear back on funding from Chicago - if you get a full ride and the extra year doesn't put you in debt, that would change the calculus.

[poliscihopeful2021]

3 hours ago, Barry B. Benson said:

Those two in particular are WashU and NYU

Congrats! What subfield? And which school are you leaning towards?

[poliscihopeful2021]

Lol just received a rejection from the CIR (to which I did not even apply in the first place but was referred to). Way to throw salt on my wounds, UChicago.

[nivy25]

I got funding information for CIR. They will be covering 20,000$. Which is almost 1/3rd of the tuition. However even with this the total cost with living expenses might come to around 60,000-70,000$. 

[desperatekid0001]

Anyone hear back from Yale Jackson? though I've gotten a few acceptance but I'm dying from the wait...

[iamlia]

Hey, I guess no one here probably is a 100% sure of the answer to this question, but I applied to one program and people have received both admissions and rejections, I still haven't heard anything from them. I've emailed the GSAS and the Department, and nothing. There are two issues that make me cling on to hope, 1) is that I didn't submit proof of English tests (I submitted TOEFL and IELTS scores but I took the tests three years ago, so they told me if accepted I'd have to retake them), 2) is that I got an email from the school's scholarships committee about a month ago informing me that I could apply to a specific scholarship for people from my home country, they said it was independent from admissions, and I had to send a separate application for the scholarship.

I wonder whether that could be a reason I haven't heard back with positive nor negative news, but at the same time I guess if they were considering to accept me they would have told me already. But as people here have claimed rejections as well, I don't understand why I'm in limbo, so if anyone has any ideas or suggestions as to what to do, my desperate soul would really appreciate it  Thanks!!

[poliscihopeful2021]

49 minutes ago, iamlia said:

Hey, I guess no one here probably is a 100% sure of the answer to this question, but I applied to one program and people have received both admissions and rejections, I still haven't heard anything from them. I've emailed the GSAS and the Department, and nothing. There are two issues that make me cling on to hope, 1) is that I didn't submit proof of English tests (I submitted TOEFL and IELTS scores but I took the tests three years ago, so they told me if accepted I'd have to retake them), 2) is that I got an email from the school's scholarships committee about a month ago informing me that I could apply to a specific scholarship for people from my home country, they said it was independent from admissions, and I had to send a separate application for the scholarship.

I wonder whether that could be a reason I haven't heard back with positive nor negative news, but at the same time I guess if they were considering to accept me they would have told me already. But as people here have claimed rejections as well, I don't understand why I'm in limbo, so if anyone has any ideas or suggestions as to what to do, my desperate soul would really appreciate it  Thanks!!

Which school?

[iamlia]

34 minutes ago, poliscihopeful2021 said:

Which school?

Harvard! I was also freaking out because I remember someone here posted that their application had just been lost and hadn't been considered or something like that... I know it's a rejection, but I want to see it if others have as well!!! 

[PolNerd]

21 hours ago, nivy25 said:

Would you say the same if instead of the lower-ranked fully-funded MA program, it was a mid-ranked fully-funded PhD program? (Think Rice and Austin, since I'm waitlisted here and I've been thinking about what to do).

UT Austin is NOT a mid-ranked program; not even close. It is a top 20. Rice maybe but even then it is on the upper end of that range. Both of those schools are great and if you purposely applied to these programs because of the fit (at least 2 if not + professors with similar interests), you should definitely go. Especially UT Austin. If you go to Rice, you would have to work a bit harder for a TT but it's not impossible, I know many plenty of people who got TT from Virginia, Washington, Brown, etc which are in the same ranking, if not lower, as Rice. But to be honest, we all have to work extra hard in this market. It will all come down to your output and how aggressive your advisor is in helping you land a position. 

Edited March 5, 2021 by PolNerd

[nivy25]

53 minutes ago, PolNerd said:

UT Austin is NOT a mid-ranked program; not even close. It is a top 20. Rice maybe but even then it is on the upper end of that range. Both of those schools are great and if you purposely applied to these programs because of the fit (at least 2 if not + professors with similar interests), you should definitely go. Especially UT Austin. If you go to Rice, you would have to work a bit harder for a TT but it's not impossible, I know many plenty of people who got TT from Virginia, Washington, Brown, etc which are in the same ranking, if not lower, as Rice. But to be honest, we all have to work extra hard in this market. It will all come down to your output and how aggressive your advisor is in helping you land a position. 

You're absolutely right. I have been thinking about it and UT Austin will be a confirmed yes on my side if I do get off the waitlist. And at this point, I can see myself at Rice too. I appreciate your opinion. Sometimes when you look at T10 and their placements you feel like every other place is almost "inferior" (for the lack of a better word), but I'm realizing that there's a lot more to it. 

I'm grateful to have a space like this where I have been able to openly discuss my doubts and all this feedback almost serves as a wake-up call. At this point, I do think CIR will serve as a solid "backup" only if both the waitlists don't end up working out. 

[Angelo X]

Hi everyone! Thanks for sharing! Quick question, how do you think about doing a Political Science PhD in Australia?

I am an international student who got rejected by almost every U.S. program I applied to. I plan to take a gap year to reapply to U.S. programs, but my families suggest that I should join ANU. Your advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance!?

[nivy25]

45 minutes ago, Angelo X said:

Hi everyone! Thanks for sharing! Quick question, how do you think about doing a Political Science PhD in Australia?

I am an international student who got rejected by almost every U.S. program I applied to. I plan to take a gap year to reapply to U.S. programs, but my families suggest that I should join ANU. Your advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance!?

I have no idea about the education system, or the scope of Poli Sci in Australia. However, I have seen ANU pop up often on the websites of good US PhD programs when looking at their placements. If after getting an American PhD, people go to ANU then I'm assuming the gap isn't too wide and it might be similar? 

[natpvh72]

1 hour ago, Angelo X said:

Hi everyone! Thanks for sharing! Quick question, how do you think about doing a Political Science PhD in Australia?

I am an international student who got rejected by almost every U.S. program I applied to. I plan to take a gap year to reapply to U.S. programs, but my families suggest that I should join ANU. Your advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance!?

I don't know a lot about ANU's PhD program but I've been there for a conference so I know a thing or two about the school. The campus has a nice feeling. The people are very nice and diverse too.

I also know a few things about the IR-related studies there. But it depends. Is your subfield IR?

[verschiedene]

1 hour ago, Angelo X said:

Hi everyone! Thanks for sharing! Quick question, how do you think about doing a Political Science PhD in Australia?

I am an international student who got rejected by almost every U.S. program I applied to. I plan to take a gap year to reapply to U.S. programs, but my families suggest that I should join ANU. Your advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance!?

I have friends who went to college in Australia so my impression was that the educational system isn’t very different from that in Canada or the UK. In my recollection there have also been scholars who gave yearlong guest lectures or visited as fellows there.

But I assume like anywhere else it’s easier to go from a North America education to employment elsewhere than the other way around. So you probably wanna consider whether you feel comfortable getting a teaching position there and staying in Australia (or perhaps you don’t see going into academia as the only option, in that case it’s probably still likely to go back to the US and work in think tanks etc. )

Edited March 5, 2021 by verschiedene
oops messed up the quote

[Angelo X]

19 minutes ago, natpvh72 said:

I don't know a lot about ANU's PhD program but I've been there for a conference so I know a thing or two about the school. The campus has a nice feeling. The people are very nice and diverse too.

I also know a few things about the IR-related studies there. But it depends. Is your subfield IR?

Thanks a lot! Yes, I am in the IR subfield.

[natpvh72]

43 minutes ago, Angelo X said:

Thanks a lot! Yes, I am in the IR subfield.

Cool! Ok so what I know about ANU is that overall they seem to have a constructivist style of studying IR. Not very quant-heavy. And they also excel at the kind of research that is policy-oriented, unlike many schools in the US where Poli Sci and IR scholars dive into the patterns and phenomenon of politics. So it depends on which kind of research you would like to conduct - the more policy-oriented or the more basic science.

In terms of regions, ANU is also very strong at Asia-Pacific IR and American foreign policy. I'm also an international student myself and come from a Southeast Asian country. And I know ANU is one of the best schools to study IR in Asia-Pacific.

Another strength of ANU is that, due to its policy-oriented research and reputation, it has connections with policy makers in Australia as well as other countries in the region. Mostly because they produce a lot of graduates that are either diplomats or scholars in these countries as well. I know this because I have been exposed to this network, their faculty and students literally have connections with top-level policy makers in many countries. Some top IR scholars/consultants and diplomats for my country's foreign affairs dept graduated from here. This can help you to connect with what's actually going on in the policy community and can be beneficial for both your studies and future career (again depending on the type you want to pursue).

Overall, I think it's a good choice if you want to be a scholar researching policy-related stuff, a policy-analyst, or some related careers. The reputation of ANU as the best in Australia and one of the best globally (for our field) can help you land a job in many places. But if you want to study something like what US schools do and/or to get a job at the US eventually then it might be not for you.

Hope that helps.

Edited March 5, 2021 by natpvh72

[Angelo X]

34 minutes ago, natpvh72 said:

Cool! Ok so what I know about ANU is that overall they seem to have a constructivist style of studying IR. Not very quant-heavy. And they also excel at the kind of research that is policy-oriented, unlike many schools in the US where Poli Sci and IR scholars dive into the patterns and phenomenon of politics. So it depends on which kind of research you would like to conduct - the more policy-oriented or the more basic science.

In terms of regions, ANU is also very strong at Asia-Pacific IR and American foreign policy. I'm also an international student myself and come from a Southeast Asian country. And I know ANU is one of the best schools to study IR in Asia-Pacific.

Another strength of ANU is that, due to its policy-oriented research and reputation, it has connections with policy makers in Australia as well as other countries in the region. Mostly because they produce a lot of graduates that are either diplomats or scholars in these countries as well. I know this because I have been exposed to this network, their faculty and students literally have connections with top-level policy makers in many countries. Some top IR scholars/consultants and diplomats for my country's foreign affairs dept graduated from here. This can help you to connect with what's actually going on in the policy community and can be beneficial for both your studies and future career (again depending on the type you want to pursue).

Overall, I think it's a good choice if you want to be a scholar researching policy-related stuff, a policy-analyst, or some related careers. The reputation of ANU as the best in Australia and one of the best globally (for our field) can help you land a job in many places. But if you want to study something like what US schools do and/or to get a job at the US eventually then it might be not for you.

Hope that helps.

Thank you so much for your insightful advice! I am really grateful for it, and it would certainly help me make decisions.

Again, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to every person who gave me suggestions.

[natpvh72]

25 minutes ago, Angelo X said:

Thank you so much for your insightful advice! I am really grateful for it, and it would certainly help me make decisions.

Again, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to every person who gave me suggestions.

Sure thing  

Hope it'll all go well for you no matter which way you choose!