2022-2023 Application Thread

[tryingmybest123]

  On 2/21/2023 at 7:52 AM, politicallygrad said:

Congrats! Did they hold an interview

Expand  

Nope, but I did talk to one professor on my own while applying. I assume that isn’t everybody’s case though

[Obscurepun]

Any educated guesses on when Stanford will come out?

[Aztec]

  On 2/21/2023 at 2:19 PM, Obscurepun said:

Any educated guesses on when Stanford will come out?

Expand  

You already have too many acceptances @Obscurepun ?

But I am guessing this week, given the records of previous years...

[Obscurepun]

@Aztec I am currently employed in a different field (and have been out of undergraduate for some time) so I knew I would only get one shot at applications and applied quite broadly! Go big or go home (but literally in my case haha)

[tyiac5525]

  On 2/21/2023 at 7:52 AM, politicallygrad said:

Congrats! Did they hold an interview

Expand  

AP acceptance from cornell, and I had no interview

 

(acceptance: umn, duke, stony brook, and cornell, rejection: umich, princeton, awaiting: stanford, northwestern)

Edited February 21, 2023 by tyiac5525

[Aztec]

  On 2/21/2023 at 2:50 PM, Obscurepun said:

@Aztec I am currently employed in a different field (and have been out of undergraduate for some time) so I knew I would only get one shot at applications and applied quite broadly! Go big or go home (but literally in my case haha)

Expand  

That's pretty much my story. Years working and then coming back to academia (happily).

Absolutely happy with the cycle, but still two to go. 

[Obscurepun]

@AztecI love to hear of another successful application cycle for the come back kids!  Good luck on the last two

[securityscholar]

I presume from these results that Harvard is still calling the applicants one by one.

[QuantPoliSci]

I know people are still waiting for decisions and in-person visits need to happen, but anyone know where they're gonna end up for sure?

[PolGrad]

  On 2/21/2023 at 5:37 PM, Aztec said:

That's pretty much my story. Years working and then coming back to academia (happily).

Absolutely happy with the cycle, but still two to go. 

Expand  

Just asking for curiosity, wasn't it difficult to return to academia after working in another sector; especially taking the competitiveness of the PhD applications into account? From which professors could you request LORs; for instance or were your Letter writers from non-academic sectors? 

[PolGrad]

  On 2/21/2023 at 2:50 PM, Obscurepun said:

@Aztec I am currently employed in a different field (and have been out of undergraduate for some time) so I knew I would only get one shot at applications and applied quite broadly! Go big or go home (but literally in my case haha)

Expand  

Also my question for you  Just asking for curiosity, wasn't it difficult to return to academia after working in another sector; especially taking the competitiveness of the PhD applications into account? From which professors could you request LORs; for instance or were your Letter writers from non-academic sectors? 

[Aztec]

  On 2/21/2023 at 7:04 PM, PolGrad said:

Just asking for curiosity, wasn't it difficult to return to academia after working in another sector; especially taking the competitiveness of the PhD applications into account? From which professors could you request LORs; for instance or were your Letter writers from non-academic sectors? 

Expand  

Hey @PolGrad, I took the longer path: moved to the US for an MA, got to know people, built a network (LoRs), showed some potential to do research + learned a lot... My assessment was that I wouldn't be competitive (enough?) without this intermediary step...

[Obscurepun]

@PolGradIt was painful to work a very time intensive job while applying for grad programs. Luckily I love IR and learning generally so didn’t mind studying for the GRE much- it actually helped reinforce my desire to be a life long learner and enter into this profession to begin with. I asked LOR from my graduate school- I don’t think I would recommend employers because they can’t speak to your academic abilities unless you are employed in research. I made sure to connect with professors back last May to begin conversations about academia and to help me along the process. My mentality is maybe I’ll get “no” because it is so competitive now adays but I’ll let them tell me that. I am not willing to reject myself.

[PolGrad]

  On 2/21/2023 at 7:19 PM, Aztec said:

Hey @PolGrad, I took the longer path: moved to the US for an MA, got to know people, built a network (LoRs), showed some potential to do research + learned a lot... My assessment was that I wouldn't be competitive (enough?) without this intermediary step...

Expand  

Yes, I understand  I had the chance to come to the US for master but it coincided with the pandemic in 2020. That's why my family was really worried and I couldn't go. At which university did you have the chance to get your MA degree? 

[PolGrad]

  On 2/21/2023 at 7:26 PM, Obscurepun said:

@PolGradIt was painful to work a very time intensive job while applying for grad programs. Luckily I love IR and learning generally so didn’t mind studying for the GRE much- it actually helped reinforce my desire to be a life long learner and enter into this profession to begin with. I asked LOR from my graduate school- I don’t think I would recommend employers because they can’t speak to your academic abilities unless you are employed in research. I made sure to connect with professors back last May to begin conversations about academia and to help me along the process. My mentality is maybe I’ll get “no” because it is so competitive now adays but I’ll let them tell me that. I am not willing to reject myself.

Expand  

You were lucky that your professors in the US helped you during the application process; sometimes they may not so reluctant to help for the applicants who returned to academia.

[Obscurepun]

@PolGradDefinitely lucky - I had some incredibly supportive professors to encourage me through the process (several of whom had similar backgrounds of coming into academia after a hiatus). They definitely are the type of Professor that I aspire to be like in my own career.

[QuantPoliSci]

  On 2/21/2023 at 7:34 PM, Obscurepun said:

@PolGradDefinitely lucky - I had some incredibly supportive professors to encourage me through the process (several of whom had similar backgrounds of coming into academia after a hiatus). They definitely are the type of Professor that I aspire to be like in my own career.

Expand  

FYI, with the gradcafe logo partially covering your profile picture, it now reads as "Nothing is popsicle" which is very depressing on here lmao 

[wubble]

  On 2/21/2023 at 8:07 PM, QuantPoliSci said:

FYI, with the gradcafe logo partially covering your profile picture, it now reads as "Nothing is popsicle" which is very depressing on here lmao 

Expand  

I was so confused for so long about that profile picture XD It finally all makes sense lol

[Obscurepun]

Swing and a miss? although most things are indeed not popsicle so… not entirely wrong?

[caa_17]

Claiming a UPenn waitlist. Got an email stating that they were taking very few students this year  because of last year over-yield (AP - political behavior)

[Hazel C]

Anyone heard from Rutgers, Georgetown and Pittsburgh? 

Should I assume my rejections? 

[Senochka]

  On 2/22/2023 at 3:17 PM, Hazel C said:

Anyone heard from Rutgers, Georgetown and Pittsburgh? 

Should I assume my rejections? 

Expand  

I saw at least one acceptance from Pitt on the results page, and people claimed both acceptances and waitlists from GTown here. With the latter, I could not discern any pattern that might help you shape your expectations though, more acceptances/waitlists can be on the way, or it can be all rejections going forward, I don't know.

[redaxcx]

Anyone here admitted for a MSc at LSE? If so did the "received" theory for docmuents work for you as well?

[QuantPoliSci]

  On 2/22/2023 at 3:17 PM, Hazel C said:

Anyone heard from Rutgers, Georgetown and Pittsburgh? 

Should I assume my rejections? 

Expand  

I got an odd email from Pitt's IT department today asking me to set up an applicant account thingy cause there would be a decision soon. Weird. 

[PolGrad]

  On 2/22/2023 at 5:24 PM, QuantPoliSci said:

I got an odd email from Pitt's IT department today asking me to set up an applicant account thingy cause there would be a decision soon. Weird. 

Expand  

Interesting. But during the Application period; didn't the Department send you a link or an email for setting up an applicant account?

Edited February 22, 2023 by PolGrad