2020-2021 Application Thread

[Heterogeneous_Effects]

First time poster (I've been lurking for about a week). I really appreciate how positive and supportive everyone is on this thread! And it's nice to know that I'm not the only one riddled with anxiety over my applications... Wishing everyone the best of luck tomorrow and throughout the rest of the admissions season! 

[BrownSugar]

I am actually so hyped for this week! I hope it doesn't end up being for no reason. But I do get some energetic and positive vibes when I think of it!

[icemanyeo]

2 hours ago, BrownSugar said:

I actually don’t explicitly know anyone. What I said in my last two posts was merely what my professors directly told me when I asked them if I should pursue my PhD in the US, UK or EU, and they didn’t mention any particular scholars. I took them for their word. Like I said in my former post, I’d certainly recommend someone doing a US PhD over doing a UK one followed by a US post-doc but it’s a valid route nonetheless. 
Perhaps @afjackieknows someone? 
 

Edit: I want to point out that I advocate the US PhD more strongly NOT because I think it is “better” but merely because I know it allows for the most career flexibility and growth in practice. I myself have applied for a couple EU PhDs just in case the US didn’t work out because I wanted to have more options to be able to accept an offer in my first cycle, rather than trying again just to be in the US. 

 

2 hours ago, timeseries said:

Do you have any names of people who have done this, at the top of your head? I'm curious because I'm from the UK and was told that a UK degree works for the UK and other countries (e.g. Australia, New Zealand, maybe Canada but all three still have a US bias), but the US is really where you want to be as it has the most global mobility. Preferably junior folks, I don't know if PS rockstars like Pippa Norris represent the average PhD graduate (plus she did it ~40 years ago). 

ETA: I'm also guessing it might be subfield dependent - theory, in particular, might draw from the UK more than, say, American Politics.

I've gotten the same advice as well, more recently from a professor who did their International Relations PhD at Cambridge. They mentioned that unless you graduate from a well-known name like Oxbridge and LSE, it's really difficult to break into R1 universities in the US.

Unfortunately US PhDs are just generally seen as having better mobility and sometimes methods training -- I received the same advice when I was applying to Canadian universities (i.e unless applying to McGill, Toronto or UBC, breaking into the US market is extremely difficult.)

[icemanyeo]

30 minutes ago, BrownSugar said:

I am actually so hyped for this week! I hope it doesn't end up being for no reason. But I do get some energetic and positive vibes when I think of it!

I'm hyped up but also scared! I know there's more rejections coming along (rejections are just more likely than admissions) but my heart can't take too many decisions this week!

[Mad Scientist Malfrost]

As we prepare to go into the first week of Feb where many of us are likely to at least get some decisions one way or another I just want to say you all are great and amazing people. Look to this scene from one of my favorite renditions of Henry V to inspire you throughout this trying week!

For there is none of you so mean and base, That hath not noble lustre in your eyes. I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips ,Straining upon the start. The game's afoot: Follow your spirit, and upon this charge Cry 'God for Admits, Funding, and Saint Thomas!' (I have edited the end here to be a bit more relevant to our current circumstances!)

 

 

 

[Maguire]

5 minutes ago, Mad Scientist Malfrost said:

As we prepare to go into the first week of Feb where many of us are likely to at least get some decisions one way or another I just want to say you all are great and amazing people. Look to this scene from one of my favorite renditions of Henry V to inspire you throughout this trying week!

For there is none of you so mean and base, That hath not noble lustre in your eyes. I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips ,Straining upon the start. The game's afoot: Follow your spirit, and upon this charge Cry 'God for Admits, Funding, and Saint Thomas!' (I have edited the end here to be a bit more relevant to our current circumstances!)

 

 

 

Love Kenneth Branagh! My mom actually met him once in Northern Ireland - he was attending a premiere of one of his films in Derry and she helped guide them to the cinema after he and some of the other cast members got lost ?

A great scene. You can tell it’s another Patrick Doyle soundtrack, he’s always Branagh’s composer (particularly like his soundtrack for Thor and Frankenstein - he also did the fourth Harry Potter soundtrack)

Sharing one of my favourite motivational movie scenes from Captain Marvel - shows we may get knocked down but we will still get up and fight again ?

Good luck all!

 

[TheorySqueez]

Thanks to everyone who gave me their insights on the UCL/US career prospects topic! Very helpful.

Also, as per the question of someone who did a UK PhD -> US Postdoc -> US TT – I can think of Chiara Cordelli at Chicago (PhD UCL - Posdoc Stanford – TT Chicago) but only one I know off the top of my head!

 

 

[icemanyeo]

Welcome to February, everyone! Wishing you all the best with the decisions coming out this month. 

[Aydemiru]

Let the waiting begins, again?

[cbsag123]

anybody else feeling particularly anxious today?

[Maguire]

6 minutes ago, cbsag123 said:

anybody else feeling particularly anxious today?

So much so - I know one place for sure is getting back today and I'm so anxious it's making it hard to concentrate on work. Expecting at least 4 decisions this week. 

[Aydemiru]

8 minutes ago, cbsag123 said:

anybody else feeling particularly anxious today?

I am expecting too much from today. Time is not passing, it's been like 4 hours in the last hour, at least I felt like that LoL

[tryingherbest]

2 minutes ago, scarletwitch said:

So much so - I know one place for sure is getting back today and I'm so anxious it's making it hard to concentrate on work. Expecting at least 4 decisions this week. 

Same! I am trying to catch up on all the work I was too nervous to do last week

[BrownSugar]

13 minutes ago, cbsag123 said:

anybody else feeling particularly anxious today?

2 minutes ago, Aydemiru said:

I am expecting too much from today. Time is not passing, it's been like 4 hours in the last hour, at least I felt like that LoL

Yeah, it’s extra hard today, isn’t it? First day of February, beginning of the week... it’s a lot because I think we all expect or even know at least one decision is going to come. We just don’t know exactly when. 

[macska]

Woke up with an interview invitation at Aberystwyth University in Wales for International Politics! I know some other friends off of grad cafe who got invitations there today too, if anyone else is waiting to hear from them. Hoping that this is a good omen for the rest of the week  

[kmccorm327]

Hi All,

Going to be another long time lurker, first time posting! I've been on gradcafe for the past year (I applied last cycle too), and finding this forum this year has honestly been my saving grace. It's nice to know I've got virtual friends out there freaking out the same way I am! 

I agree that this week (fingers crossed) we will all hopefully be getting good news! I saw in the past that UVA posted their admissions decisions around now, unless all of those are from trolls (also, who has time for that, go get a hobby, rather than making already anxious people 209348029384 times more anxious). Any thoughts/other applicants out there? 

Sending good vibes to all of you out there biting your fingernails, pacing, and googling area codes every 34 seconds. WE CAN DO THIS! The hardest part is over, we all got our apps in! Deep breathing everyone, we got this!

 

[ExileOnMainSt]

16 minutes ago, scarletwitch said:

So much so - I know one place for sure is getting back today and I'm so anxious it's making it hard to concentrate on work. Expecting at least 4 decisions this week. 

Which place would that be?

[Maguire]

1 minute ago, ExileOnMainSt said:

Which place would that be?

They're all for History - Vanderbilt (I fear already too late there), Yale, Wisconsin-Madison & Duke. 

[ExileOnMainSt]

Ahh, best of luck! Out of curiosity, what do you intend to specialise in, in history? 

[Maguire]

Just now, ExileOnMainSt said:

Ahh, best of luck! Out of curiosity, what do you intend to specialise in, in history? 

US Policing and its connections with US Foreign Policy - hence why there's some overlap into PolSci/Government as work on the Policing area spans history, political science, sociology etc.! 

[ExileOnMainSt]

That sounds like a very interesting topic! 

[gradappsubmitter]

Sending good vibes to everyone anxiously waiting this week! I hope we hear soon. 

[nivy25]

Almost noon yet and no word yet! JUST TELL US ALREADY ?

[XXXXbe1]

Any updates from University of Virginia?

[gradappsubmitter]

On 1/28/2021 at 1:42 PM, Richelieu20 said:

For those who are waiting to hear from the OSU, Academic Program Coordinator just replied my email saying that "they will be transmitting admissions letters to admits by Monday."

 

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