2021-2022 Application Thread

[Hazel C]

Hello everybody. I still have two pending schools (GT, Pittsburgh), but I think there is little hope. After looking at this forum, I am writing this because I think there will be some of you are on second+ cycle and a lot of experiences. As an international applicant, I think I didn't have enough information about PhD in the US and it made my unsuccessful cycle. If anyone can give me a piece of advice, I would really appreciate it, and it will be a great help when applying again in the future. 

• BA in Persian & Iranian Studies(GPA 3.6) - Study abroad in Iran, Internship in Iran - 1yr), No MA, No GRE
• NPO Internship(Iran, Baltic related) - 1.5yr, USA 
• Defense Analyst, Overseas sales manager - 3yr. Private Defense(Missile Focus) Company, S.Korea
• Personal Background; a child of divided family in N.Korea, Farsi work-proficient, Arabic Intermediate, Korean Native  
• LOR : 1 Ph.D PoliSci, 1 Ph.D. Persian, 1 Project leader at defense company 
• Applied Comparative Politics/International Relations(research interest: human inequality under regimes, democracy, security policies, N.Korea-Iran, nuclear-pursuing countries)  
• 1A(Umass Lowell Global Studies)/Many rejections(Cornell, UMich, Rice, UIUC, Rutgers, Penn State, UMD, JHU, Berkeley, UC Boulder)/Assumed rejections(GT, Pitts, NW)   

What I thought was, (1) Low GPA (2) No masters (3) No GRE (4)No quantitative skills are my weak point. At this point, I am waiting my Masters decisions(1A, 3P), and leaning toward to choose Masters in International Relations or Security in UK(QS ranking 50-60) Or GW Elliot School(if accepted), instead of start Ph.D in the school I received the acceptance, but still not sure what is the best idea. My goal is being a researcher at a Asia/Security dept at a think tank in DC. 

In terms of essays, 3 Ph.D postgraduates(English Native) did proofreading. I am very frustrated at this point, and this make me think Ph.D. is out of my league. But also need to prepare for my next step and don't want to lose hope. If anyone can give me a piece of advice, I would appreciate sincerely.        

   

Edited February 26, 2022 by Hazel C

[uncle_socks]

11 minutes ago, Hazel C said:

Hello everybody. I still have two pending schools (GT, Pittsburgh), but I think there is little hope. After looking at this forum, I am writing this because I think there will be some of you are on second+ cycle and a lot of experiences. As an international applicant, I think I didn't have enough information about PhD in the US and it made my unsuccessful cycle. If anyone can give me a piece of advice, I would really appreciate it, and it will be a great help when applying again in the future. 

• BA in Persian & Iranian Studies(GPA 3.6) - Study abroad in Iran, Internship in Iran - 1yr), No MA, No GRE
• NPO Internship(Iran, Baltic related) - 1.5yr, USA 
• Defense Analyst, Overseas sales manager - 3yr. Private Defense(Missile Focus) Company, S.Korea
• Personal Background; a child of divided family in N.Korea, Farsi work-proficient, Arabic Intermediate, Korean Native  
• Applied Comparative Politics/International Relations(research interest: human inequality under regimes, democracy, security policies, N.Korea-Iran, nuclear-pursuing countries)  
• 1A(Umass Lowell Global Studies)/Many rejections(Cornell, UMich, Rice, UIUC, Rutgers, Penn State, UMD, JHU, Berkeley, UC Boulder)/Assumed rejections(GT, Pitts, NW)   

What I thought was, (1) Low GPA (2) No masters (3) No GRE (4)No quantitative skills are my weak point. At this point, I am waiting my Masters decisions(1A, 3P), and leaning toward to choose Masters in International Relations or Security in UK(QS ranking 50-60) Or GW Elliot School(if accepted), instead of start Ph.D in the school I received the acceptance, but still not sure what is the best idea. My goal is being a researcher at a Asia/Security dept at a think tank in DC. 

In terms of essays, 3 Ph.D postgraduates(English Native) did proofreading. I am very frustrated at this point, and this make me think Ph.D. is out of my league. But also need to prepare for my next step and don't want to lose hope. If anyone can give me a piece of advice, I would appreciate sincerely.        

   

Quite frankly, do the GRE and ace it. You have 9 months to relearn high school math and memorize some words, and that itself will make up for your lack of quant skills and GRE problem. The next immediate question I have about your application is are your letters good? Are they written by people with PhDs? Are they saying that you'll be a good academic? My last question is whether your SOP is what admissions committees want to see. People in past results threads go pretty comprehensively into what makes a good statement, and it's not obvious (or at least it wasn't to me when I started writing mine). Your experience, while impressive, is not what admissions committees are specifically looking for. You might be relying too heavily on these experiences, and not enough about your research agenda, in your statements (and possibly the letters). 

 

Quite frankly if you want to be at a think tank, you might only need a master's. If money's not a problem, I'd heavily consider the MA and then after the MA, applying to jobs (especially if you could get your dream job with just a masters) and possibly PhDs. 

[Hazel C]

17 minutes ago, uncle_socks said:

Quite frankly, do the GRE and ace it. You have 9 months to relearn high school math and memorize some words, and that itself will make up for your lack of quant skills and GRE problem. The next immediate question I have about your application is are your letters good? Are they written by people with PhDs? Are they saying that you'll be a good academic? My last question is whether your SOP is what admissions committees want to see. People in past results threads go pretty comprehensively into what makes a good statement, and it's not obvious (or at least it wasn't to me when I started writing mine). Your experience, while impressive, is not what admissions committees are specifically looking for. You might be relying too heavily on these experiences, and not enough about your research agenda, in your statements (and possibly the letters). 

 

Quite frankly if you want to be at a think tank, you might only need a master's. If money's not a problem, I'd heavily consider the MA and then after the MA, applying to jobs (especially if you could get your dream job with just a masters) and possibly PhDs. 

Thank you very much for your advice. Appreciate it. I realized GRE was quite necessary for me, and I added LOR info and i know it's not that impressive-only 1 PoliSci Ph.D., but did not have any other options though. SOP-totally agreed with your advice. I can't tell I did not rely on my experiences. I may try a job after my MA, but as an international(Visa, job issue), I thought I eventually want Ph.D., but your suggestion makes sense very much. Thank you again.   

[clairella222]

13 hours ago, bmo103 said:

Unfortunately those of us on the waitlist probably won’t hear back until mid to late March. I imagine many admitted students are waiting until the visit weekend/the rest of their decisions to roll in before accepting or rejecting WUSTL’s offer. 
 

You could always reach out to the DGS to ask about waitlist length/how much they use the waitlist, but they may be vague with their answer, as it seems most programs are when it comes to waitlist stuff. 

Thanks! ya I was told similar things by a professor (who were waitlisted by several schools) that waitlist don't usually move forward until after campus day. I will def reach out to DGS and post back any useful info 

[uncle_socks]

16 minutes ago, Hazel C said:

Thank you very much for your advice. Appreciate it. I realized GRE was quite necessary for me, and I added LOR info and i know it's not that impressive-only 1 PoliSci Ph.D., but did not have any other options though. SOP-totally agreed with your advice. I can't tell I did not rely on my experiences. I may try a job after my MA, but as an international(Visa, job issue), I thought I eventually want Ph.D., but your suggestion makes sense very much. Thank you again.   

Oh, forgot that DC jobs are much more complicated to get when you're not a US citizen. In that case yeah a PhD would really help. Yeah again, if money's not an issue then the MA would really help, as you'd also get to know and get letters from more people in the field. I know you were probably hoping to get into higher ranked schools, but if I'm reading your post correctly, you do have one PhD admittance. Going to that school wouldn't get you an R1 job in all likelihood, but if genuinely all you want to do is work in a think tank in DC and you don't have aspirations to become a university teacher, I would look at placement from there and see if your dream job is something their graduates can get. If it is, I would just go. 

[clairella222]

10 minutes ago, Hazel C said:

Thank you very much for your advice. Appreciate it. I realized GRE was quite necessary for me, and I added LOR info and i know it's not that impressive-only 1 PoliSci Ph.D., but did not have any other options though. SOP-totally agreed with your advice. I can't tell I did not rely on my experiences. I may try a job after my MA, but as an international(Visa, job issue), I thought I eventually want Ph.D., but your suggestion makes sense very much. Thank you again.   

I think having strong LORs from referees who knows you well as a researcher is more important than getting LORs from polsci people. My letters were written by sociology prof and environmental policy prof and I have taken zero polsci course as undergraduate student. But I got in half of programs I applied to. 

But from what I've heard, it can be more advantageous to study towards a Master's in the states if getting into a PhD program in US is your goal.

And I think it's amazing that you had much "real world" experience and you are concentrated on qualitative studies!! the world needs more theorist! 

[LM2022]

1 hour ago, Hazel C said:

Hello everybody. I still have two pending schools (GT, Pittsburgh), but I think there is little hope. After looking at this forum, I am writing this because I think there will be some of you are on second+ cycle and a lot of experiences. As an international applicant, I think I didn't have enough information about PhD in the US and it made my unsuccessful cycle. If anyone can give me a piece of advice, I would really appreciate it, and it will be a great help when applying again in the future. 

• BA in Persian & Iranian Studies(GPA 3.6) - Study abroad in Iran, Internship in Iran - 1yr), No MA, No GRE
• NPO Internship(Iran, Baltic related) - 1.5yr, USA 
• Defense Analyst, Overseas sales manager - 3yr. Private Defense(Missile Focus) Company, S.Korea
• Personal Background; a child of divided family in N.Korea, Farsi work-proficient, Arabic Intermediate, Korean Native  
• LOR : 1 Ph.D PoliSci, 1 Ph.D. Persian, 1 Project leader at defense company 
• Applied Comparative Politics/International Relations(research interest: human inequality under regimes, democracy, security policies, N.Korea-Iran, nuclear-pursuing countries)  
• 1A(Umass Lowell Global Studies)/Many rejections(Cornell, UMich, Rice, UIUC, Rutgers, Penn State, UMD, JHU, Berkeley, UC Boulder)/Assumed rejections(GT, Pitts, NW)   

What I thought was, (1) Low GPA (2) No masters (3) No GRE (4)No quantitative skills are my weak point. At this point, I am waiting my Masters decisions(1A, 3P), and leaning toward to choose Masters in International Relations or Security in UK(QS ranking 50-60) Or GW Elliot School(if accepted), instead of start Ph.D in the school I received the acceptance, but still not sure what is the best idea. My goal is being a researcher at a Asia/Security dept at a think tank in DC. 

In terms of essays, 3 Ph.D postgraduates(English Native) did proofreading. I am very frustrated at this point, and this make me think Ph.D. is out of my league. But also need to prepare for my next step and don't want to lose hope. If anyone can give me a piece of advice, I would appreciate sincerely.        

   

Hi Hazel, I think we probably talked before on the result page. I am also an international applicant from East Asia and this is my second application cycle, although this circule is not very successful for me either.

If you really want to get into Top Schools, I would say that high GRE is better than no GRE, but it is not enough to make up for your lack of quantitative skills. I have a not bad GRE (164V, 168Q, AW5.0) but my writing sample is a piece using interpretivist/poststructuralist method---so it is super qualitative. As a result, I got rejected by most US schools that I applied to, and the only one that accepted me is very qualitative heavy. Frankly although I am grateful that I have been accepted, their emphasis on qualitative/theroatical training over quantitative analysis still makes me worry if I can eventually find a job to teach after getting the degree.

So, if you really wanna reapply to US PhD in Poli Sci programs, after finishing your GRE, I strongly recommend you to learn as many quantitative skills as possible before the next round of application. If necessary, do a master in data science. Write a writing sample that using advanced statistical method. Show you understand math. I believe if you can manage to show that you have strong quantitative skills, every department would be crazy for you, because your other experiences are so interesting (Unique background, knowledge in Iran and Middle East, Military-related experience).

However, as it is already noted by some, it is not necessary to get a PhD in Poli Sci to get a think tank job. If you are really interested in Think Tank or policy analysis only, try doing a PhD at policy schools like Fletcher School at Tufts, SAIS at JHU, SIS at AU, or even Rand Grad School.

And finally...apply to more schools. 20, or 30, if necessary.

[Hazel C]

12 minutes ago, clairella222 said:

I think having strong LORs from referees who knows you well as a researcher is more important than getting LORs from polsci people. My letters were written by sociology prof and environmental policy prof and I have taken zero polsci course as undergraduate student. But I got in half of programs I applied to. 

But from what I've heard, it can be more advantageous to study towards a Master's in the states if getting into a PhD program in US is your goal.

And I think it's amazing that you had much "real world" experience and you are concentrated on qualitative studies!! the world needs more theorist! 

Thank you for your LOR advice. Think it makes sense too. And I also think US Masters will be better than Europe, but received pretty generous funding from Europe school haha. And thank you for your last comment! It makes me more encouraged.   

[Hazel C]

1 hour ago, LM2022 said:

Hi Hazel, I think we probably talked before on the result page. I am also an international applicant from East Asia and this is my second application cycle, although this circule is not very successful for me either.

If you really want to get into Top Schools, I would say that high GRE is better than no GRE, but it is not enough to make up for your lack of quantitative skills. I have a not bad GRE (164V, 168Q, AW5.0) but my writing sample is a piece using interpretivist/poststructuralist method---so it is super qualitative. As a result, I got rejected by most US schools that I applied to, and the only one that accepted me is very qualitative heavy. Frankly although I am grateful that I have been accepted, their emphasis on qualitative/theroatical training over quantitative analysis still makes me worry if I can eventually find a job to teach after getting the degree.

So, if you really wanna reapply to US PhD in Poli Sci programs, after finishing your GRE, I strongly recommend you to learn as many quantitative skills as possible before the next round of application. If necessary, do a master in data science. Write a writing sample that using advanced statistical method. Show you understand math. I believe if you can manage to show that you have strong quantitative skills, every department would be crazy for you, because your other experiences are so interesting (Unique background, knowledge in Iran and Middle East, Military-related experience).

However, as it is already noted by some, it is not necessary to get a PhD in Poli Sci to get a think tank job. If you are really interested in Think Tank or policy analysis only, try doing a PhD at policy schools like Fletcher School at Tufts, SAIS at JHU, SIS at AU, or even Rand Grad School.

And finally...apply to more schools. 20, or 30, if necessary.

Thank you very much. Your advice and sharing personal insight is very helpful. Totally agree with everything you mentioned, and esp you are also an international applicant from East Asia and tried two times, this advice means a lot to me. I have been thinking about policy schools-if i can afford the tuition, I saw many internationals who experienced glass-ceilings, or being an 'assistant' researcher with only masters(in my perception), seeing that makes me to pursue Ph.D, cuz I really wanna work in the States. But as you said, need to consider PhD at policy schools too. Although I have been thinking I am not good at quantitative skills/not enjoy doing it, but I probably start applying more MS focusing political method, data analysis if some has not passed the deadline. Thank you very much, and I sincerely hope a bright future for you!     

Edited February 26, 2022 by Hazel C

[cest_la_vie]

Has any of you got an email from UMass about an update on the application status? 

I went into the application portal, but it said my status was "Update Pending". 

What does this mean? Is there anyone who got a definite acceptance or rejection from UMass?

[TiberiusG]

For those waiting to hear from Penn, I still haven't received an official email despite being notified of admission by my POI yesterday. I guess admissions decided they couldn't get it out before the weekend?

[Mangoman]

11 minutes ago, TiberiusG said:

For those waiting to hear from Penn, I still haven't received an official email despite being notified of admission by my POI yesterday. I guess admissions decided they couldn't get it out before the weekend?

My POI said he had no info… not sure if that’s a good thing. 

[Dpolisci]

58 minutes ago, cest_la_vie said:

Has any of you got an email from UMass about an update on the application status? 

I went into the application portal, but it said my status was "Update Pending". 

What does this mean? Is there anyone who got a definite acceptance or rejection from UMass?

I had a faculty member informing me that I was waitlisted last week. He said that they had a low budget this year so they could not admit as many people as they would like. I'm in AP by the way. 

[AnotherPerspective]

1 hour ago, cest_la_vie said:

Has any of you got an email from UMass about an update on the application status? 

I went into the application portal, but it said my status was "Update Pending". 

What does this mean? Is there anyone who got a definite acceptance or rejection from UMass?

Judging from previous years, a status update with no email from POI/DGS usually means rejection. I'm in the same boat, but I can't give a definite answer, I'm hoping I am wrong. 

[sbidyanta]

Finally got the official rejection from Northwestern, but to be honest I knew this much before. 

[cest_la_vie]

3 hours ago, Dpolisci said:

I had a faculty member informing me that I was waitlisted last week. He said that they had a low budget this year so they could not admit as many people as they would like. I'm in AP by the way. 

Thank you for sharing your info. I'll have to wait for the official letter to come. 

Just hope this cycle ends... soon... 

[hanginthereJoan]

45 minutes ago, sbidyanta said:

Finally got the official rejection from Northwestern, but to be honest I knew this much before. 

Knowing that Northwestern just had their virtual visit day, I envy that you at least got a rejection email. I'm still waiting  for the official results from Northwestern and USC.

 

Btw may I ask why you put down soft rejection for USC? I thought no results were out yet.

[smallcrown]

28 minutes ago, hanginthereJoan said:

Knowing that Northwestern just had their virtual visit day, I envy that you at least got a rejection email. I'm still waiting  for the official results from Northwestern and USC.

 

Btw may I ask why you put down soft rejection for USC? I thought no results were out yet.

If you haven't gotten a rejection yet, I would assume you're still on the waitlist. Good sign I suppose. 

[LM2022]

One interesting observation: On the same day last year, the 2020-2021 application thread had already had 147 pages; By contrast, we just reached 62, which was reached by the 2020-2021 thread on Feb 4th. Why? Are there fewer applicants this year? That doesn't make intuitive sense because I know that a lot of people are doing a second circle this year (including me). So what happened?

[CapTipps]

15 hours ago, Learnerlearnerlearner said:

Thank you so much for sharing. What do you mean by that? I didn't know they were doing virtual meetings. How many people attended and was it just for those who accepted the offer? Do you know? Thanks again! 

It was a kick-off meeting for admitted students. I'm not sure, but I guess there were around 18 people attending!

[Learnerlearnerlearner]

33 minutes ago, CapTipps said:

It was a kick-off meeting for admitted students. I'm not sure, but I guess there were around 18 people attending!

Thank you so much for the information! I appreciate it!! 

Edited February 26, 2022 by Learnerlearnerlearner

[hyccup]

Deleted.

Edited February 26, 2022 by hyccup
wrong info

[uncle_socks]

1 minute ago, hyccup said:

Re: the Northwestern accepted students event with 18 people, keep in mind that the total poli sci grad student population is about 90. Assuming an even distribution, that means 18 students *per class* (and I'd assume slightly more for the beginning years) meaning there's probably either more acceptances out there, more acceptances yet to come, or a wait list. Stay optimistic!

People are absolutely not graduating in an average of 5 years anywhere, let alone somewhere with what is one of the more qualitative departments out of top schools. Not to mention, the modal school this year, relative previous years, has budget constraints where they can't actually admit a full of class as they usually do. As I've said before, Northwestern does this every year, where they admit people, they hold events, but they still won't release rejections to everyone. I know you guys like to stay optimistic, but this is systematic shitty behavior on Northwestern's part. 

[polisciboy]

Does anyone know when NYU or UCLA will let people know if they're on the waitlist? I'm also wondering about Duke, but I see some people have already been notified of this so I'm guessing I was just flat out rejected there

[uncle_socks]

2 hours ago, LM2022 said:

One interesting observation: On the same day last year, the 2020-2021 application thread had already had 147 pages; By contrast, we just reached 62, which was reached by the 2020-2021 thread on Feb 4th. Why? Are there fewer applicants this year? That doesn't make intuitive sense because I know that a lot of people are doing a second circle this year (including me). So what happened?

Gradcafe gets less and less popular every year.