2020-2021 Application Thread

[gingerantelope]

3 hours ago, nivy25 said:

Congrats! I’ve been obsessively checking my email and the Madison application portal since I saw that people are getting interviews! 
Did you get an email about it today?

Also, if you can, please let us know how it goes, and what kinds of question they ask you! I’m sure a lot other people (including me) would find such information super helpful! 
Good luck!!

Because I have also been one to obsessively check the portal, I thought I'd let you know that my Madison application portal hasn't changed at all, I just received an email from a POI. Good luck!

[nightowlll]

Have interviews from Madison all gone out? I am IR/Methods.

Also, if my application has been read by committee member, will that be shown in the review progress in the application portal? My portal is still "Your application has been received and will be reviewed by your program".

[nivy25]

1 hour ago, gingerantelope said:

Hi all! I've been lurking on here until I had something to report. I'm also claiming a Wisconsin-Madison interview. Good luck to all of the other interviewees and applicants!

Congratulations! Let us know how it goes.

Btw, what sub field? 

[nivy25]

1 minute ago, nightowlll said:

Have interviews from Madison all gone out? I am IR/Methods.

Also, if my application has been read by committee member, will that be shown in the review progress in the application portal? My portal is still "Your application has been received and will be reviewed by your program".

Yeah that’s what mine says too! I’m IR/Comparative. 
 

I know quite a few people on here have gotten emails for interviews. I haven’t heard back yet. Optimistically, they’re probably slowly rolling them out. Pessimistically, if we don’t get one soon then I don’t know if it’s going to be a positive result with Madison at least...

[nightowlll]

1 hour ago, gingerantelope said:

Hi all! I've been lurking on here until I had something to report. I'm also claiming a Wisconsin-Madison interview. Good luck to all of the other interviewees and applicants!

Congrats! I just wonder has the review process in your application portal been updated? Mine is still showing it will be reviewed by the program.

[guest789]

38 minutes ago, nivy25 said:

Yeah that’s what mine says too! I’m IR/Comparative. 
 

I know quite a few people on here have gotten emails for interviews. I haven’t heard back yet. Optimistically, they’re probably slowly rolling them out. Pessimistically, if we don’t get one soon then I don’t know if it’s going to be a positive result with Madison at least...

Or you could be a slam dunk and they don’t need to interview you to be convinced of that. The admissions officer from OSU said a couple of years ago that they usually interview people who are borderline - the obvious rejects won’t be interviewed but also the slam dunks aren’t either.

I didn’t apply to Madison, but unless you know everyone will be interviewed, I wouldn’t infer anything from it. 

 

[ovejal]

42 minutes ago, nightowlll said:

Congrats! I just wonder has the review process in your application portal been updated? Mine is still showing it will be reviewed by the program.

Hi - not the person you quoted but also have a Madison interview. My portal still says that my application has been received and will be reviewed, like yours does. 

[nivy25]

34 minutes ago, timeseries said:

Or you could be a slam dunk and they don’t need to interview you to be convinced of that. The admissions officer from OSU said a couple of years ago that they usually interview people who are borderline - the obvious rejects won’t be interviewed but also the slam dunks aren’t either.

I didn’t apply to Madison, but unless you know everyone will be interviewed, I wouldn’t infer anything from it. 

 

Ah, I see.

I hope I am a slam dunk but I doubt that because I don’t think I have a profile that is just outstanding! I mean, it’s definitely good, but not the kind that you look at and just automatically go “Yup”! 

[nightowlll]

1 hour ago, ovejal said:

Hi - not the person you quoted but also have a Madison interview. My portal still says that my application has been received and will be reviewed, like yours does. 

Thanks for letting me know! I have accepted that I am going to be rejected haha.

Edited January 16, 2021 by nightowlll

[guest789]

44 minutes ago, nivy25 said:

Ah, I see.

I hope I am a slam dunk but I doubt that because I don’t think I have a profile that is just outstanding! I mean, it’s definitely good, but not the kind that you look at and just automatically go “Yup”! 

Well I don't know how the process works for Wisconsin, either! It could be that they interview everyone on the short list - who knows, really. I wouldn't count yourself out until you get a letter either way.

[brickinthewall]

6 hours ago, Sad Politics said:

Hi everyone. I had an issue with two applications and I am freaking out a bit about it. I submitted two applications close to the deadline. Even though I had sent my test scores several weeks in advance, my test scores appeared as not received and they were matched to my file until a day or two after the deadline. When a university says that "test scores must be received by the deadline", does that mean that the scores have to be matched to the application by the deadline, or does it mean that they have to be received by the office of graduate admissions by the deadline?  

This happened to me as well- I think you are fine. Some programs even explicitly stated that it could take a few weeks after an application submission for scores to match, so it seems fairly common that test scores match after the deadline. I think it's just a technical/back-end mechanic! 

[icemanyeo]

3 hours ago, nivy25 said:

Ah, I see.

I hope I am a slam dunk but I doubt that because I don’t think I have a profile that is just outstanding! I mean, it’s definitely good, but not the kind that you look at and just automatically go “Yup”! 

Disclaimer: I didn't apply to UW-M;

but I think that since they didn't require GRE scores this year, they might be interviewing applicants to help weed out ones with similar profiles. I know you said you don't have an outstanding profile but I wouldn't sell yourself short! It might be that they don't need more information from you to do a comparison with other applicants or they might be slowly rolling out interviews to applicants.

[icemanyeo]

I don't remember the exact answer, but does anyone know if Berkeley plans to interview applicants? Past data from this forum shows they usually release admits on the last week of January/first week of February so I'm not sure if they will interview this year.

[Theory007]

11 hours ago, icemanyeo said:

but I think that since they didn't require GRE scores this year, they might be interviewing applicants to help weed out ones with similar profiles.

That makes complete sense to me! If other programs do the same it may result in decision delays across the board.

[sherlock holmes/M]

Hi guys, I have an important question about the interview. Does anybody know what type of questions be asked during the interview? I am an international applicant, and I need to do more practice to answer properly and without anxiety. I wanna ask you about typically what type of question to be asked and how long it takes?

[Theory007]

1 hour ago, sherlock holmes/M said:

Hi guys, I have an important question about the interview. Does anybody know what type of questions be asked during the interview? I am an international applicant, and I need to do more practice to answer properly and without anxiety. I wanna ask you about typically what type of question to be asked and how long it takes?

My suggestion is to not try to prepare for interview questions. I understand it can be nerve-wracking and that you want to do well, but the best thing you can do it to represent yourself as honestly as possible to whomever you speak to. Besides, interviews are not only about whether or not you can answer academic questions but if you seem like a decent person someone could work with. And if you're getting an interview it probably means that your academic credentials are good enough but that they are trying to figure out if you're a good fit overall.

[BrownSugar]

Anyone claiming Princeton? Seems quite early!! 

[polisci_gal]

28 minutes ago, BrownSugar said:

Anyone claiming Princeton? Seems quite early!! 

I didn't apply to Princeton, but it looks like there have been quite a few recorded admissions! Congrats to everyone!

[btermite]

I applied to Princeton, and am also super surprised to see things going out so early! I haven't heard yet, my subfield is comparative. 

Do they tend to let people know over the span of multiple days?

[ExileOnMainSt]

I applied to Princeton for Comparative too and haven’t heard back! 

[BrownSugar]

7 minutes ago, btermite said:

I applied to Princeton, and am also super surprised to see things going out so early! I haven't heard yet, my subfield is comparative. 

Do they tend to let people know over the span of multiple days?

 

Just now, ExileOnMainSt said:

I applied to Princeton for Comparative too and haven’t heard back! 

Also applied comparative and haven’t heard! Also odd that it is Saturday. 

[btermite]

@ExileOnMainSt @BrownSugar Fingers crossed, and good luck to both of you!

At least we both know what we'll be doing this evening...

Edited January 16, 2021 by btermite

[plus]

5 minutes ago, BrownSugar said:

 

Also applied comparative and haven’t heard! Also odd that it is Saturday. 

Also haven’t heard back. Comparative, Princeton

[ExileOnMainSt]

6 minutes ago, BrownSugar said:

 

Also applied comparative and haven’t heard! Also odd that it is Saturday. 

Do you think it’s fake?
 

Also have to ask if your name is a Rolling Stones reference too ?

[ExileOnMainSt]

7 minutes ago, btermite said:

@ExileOnMainSt @BrownSugar Fingers crossed, and good luck to both of you!

At least we both know what we'll be doing this evening...

I live in India right now and it’s 4 AM ahhahahah, definitely not passing out now. ?