Maphobe Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I just had a question for the Harvard admits: Does Harvard not want a writing sample? Did all you Harvard admits not submit any of your work? This seems strange... On the Government admissions website <http://www.gsas.harv.../government.php>, it says "Applicants are requested not to submit writing samples". Same goes for the Yale admits. A writing sample is not required, says the FAQ here: <http://www.yale.edu/...m/applying.html> What gives? I don't remember submitting a writing sample for Yale or Harvard. I was told by my adviser that the writing sample wasn't particularly important to a lot of schools, since committees have a lot to read and would probably just skim the writing requirement if they read it at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purled Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I don't remember submitting a writing sample for Yale or Harvard. I was told by my adviser that the writing sample wasn't particularly important to a lot of schools, since committees have a lot to read and would probably just skim the writing requirement if they read it at all. Wow; I suppose that this goes to show what a wide variety of opinion exists among advisors and adcom members. Still, though, I'm very surprised. Maybe this differs by subfield? I certainly felt that my sample was a significant part of my application. By applying to grad schools, you're implicitly asserting that you're capable of rigorous thought and serious work. More than GRE scores or, frequently, undergrad grades, the sample is where you actually show how you work, not just that you work. But, hey, everyone approaches it differently, I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
informationbomb Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Wow; I suppose that this goes to show what a wide variety of opinion exists among advisors and adcom members. Still, though, I'm very surprised. Maybe this differs by subfield? I certainly felt that my sample was a significant part of my application. By applying to grad schools, you're implicitly asserting that you're capable of rigorous thought and serious work. More than GRE scores or, frequently, undergrad grades, the sample is where you actually show how you work, not just that you work. But, hey, everyone approaches it differently, I suppose. Exactly! I too was quite surprised to find out about this. Isn't the idea that you're supposed to be judged primarily on your actual work? Clearly, all the numbers and CV entries are indicative of your potential, but shouldn't someone at least read something you've written? I worry that without a writing sample, it becomes a game of prestige: letters from the right people, the right numbers, the right university, etc etc. Or is the idea that if all the profs at your institution who read your work and gave you an A thought it was good enough, adcom members don't need to? Still sounds pretty strange to me. Maybe its because I'm a theory applicant and I can't imagine judging another theory applicant without reading their theories... Does anyone know if there are any other political science depts that don't require / don't pay attention to writing samples? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hupr Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I would be very surprised if writing samples were getting more than a cursory skimming. I actually appreciate the honesty in not asking for one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly28 Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 (edited) I would be very surprised if writing samples were getting more than a cursory skimming. I actually appreciate the honesty in not asking for one. I talked to someone who advised to keep the SoP short and put the most important stuff first, because at some point, they were going to stop reading it--just a reality of having to go through a fairly large body of applications in a fairly short period of time (and balancing that with research projects and teaching, no less). I'm sure the same holds for the writing sample. Personally, I think the writing sample and LoR were my strongest attribute, as the former showed that I understood how to use statistics up through linear regression, and the latter showed that I had produced good work in serious classes. This was particularly importDoes anyone know if there are any other political science depts that don't require / don't pay attention to writing samples? ant since my GRE-V score (610) wasn't near as good as my Q score (730). Does anyone know if there are any other political science depts that don't require / don't pay attention to writing samples? Pitt doesn't require one, and if you do give one, it has to be in paper form, which is a good way of discouraging some people from doing so Edited February 23, 2011 by firefly28 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purled Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I would be very surprised if writing samples were getting more than a cursory skimming. I actually appreciate the honesty in not asking for one. I've spoken to two adcom members at top tens, and was told that once they get down to the last cuts, they open up the sample to somewhere in the middle and read a bit; I also know someone whose POI mentioned their writing sample in the acceptance. This differs between departments and programs, though. Virginia requested "your best and longest piece of writing," I assume to confirm that you know how to write well in long form. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adaptations Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 Does anyone know if there are any other political science depts that don't require / don't pay attention to writing samples? If memory serves me right, OSU doesn't require one either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannabee Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 One other question/comment about writing samples....that is the whole question of length. There is such variety that I had to keep scrambling to come up with something different. Yale, for example, said that if you do submit a paper, it should be no longer than 10 pages. Other departments to which I applied stipulated 20-25 pages. Finally, there was UChicago. I contacted them and they indicated I could send in my entire BA thesis by mail, which is what I did. Looking back (and considering my assumed rejection at Chicago), I wonder if the latter was not my best representation given that committee members have time limitations. I might have been better off selecting one chapter to polish as I did with other programs. But who knows? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtncffts Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 If memory serves me right, OSU doesn't require one either. Yes, that's right. One other question/comment about writing samples....that is the whole question of length. There is such variety that I had to keep scrambling to come up with something different. Yale, for example, said that if you do submit a paper, it should be no longer than 10 pages. Other departments to which I applied stipulated 20-25 pages. Finally, there was UChicago. I contacted them and they indicated I could send in my entire BA thesis by mail, which is what I did. Looking back (and considering my assumed rejection at Chicago), I wonder if the latter was not my best representation given that committee members have time limitations. I might have been better off selecting one chapter to polish as I did with other programs. But who knows? I also had one place where I sent my entire MA thesis, but I indicated a portion of it which I wanted read if time was a constraint (which it surely was). I received funding details today from my one admit thus far, and am pleasantly surprised. I'm feeling good about that choice if it were to come down to it. Congrats to all the recent admits! The week has seemed a little quiet, hopefully things start moving tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly28 Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 One other question/comment about writing samples....that is the whole question of length. There is such variety that I had to keep scrambling to come up with something different. Yale, for example, said that if you do submit a paper, it should be no longer than 10 pages. Other departments to which I applied stipulated 20-25 pages. Finally, there was UChicago. I contacted them and they indicated I could send in my entire BA thesis by mail, which is what I did. Looking back (and considering my assumed rejection at Chicago), I wonder if the latter was not my best representation given that committee members have time limitations. I might have been better off selecting one chapter to polish as I did with other programs. But who knows? I get the impression that Chicago places much more emphasis on writing than many other universities, at least in regards to the consideration for grad school admittees. I think some of that has to do with the strengths of the program. Pitt is a more quantitatively focused program and is thus more concerned with the GRE-Q, undergraduate coursework in statistics and similar subjects, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunseeker Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Who's the latest MIT admit????? -bites fingernails- Don't be an IR/Security! To the Putin video - AWESOME. Love it. Just got news of MIT acceptance. Delivered by FedEx to the UK. Im Comparative. 5 yrs funding. one summer. really shocked, and now very confused. Comparative at MIT, any opinions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UFGator Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Just got news of MIT acceptance. Delivered by FedEx to the UK. Im Comparative. 5 yrs funding. one summer. really shocked, and now very confused. Comparative at MIT, any opinions? Congratulations, that's great news! Can anyone claim the first UF acceptance for this round? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abu Bakr Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Rejections for UMN are out. "Thank you very much for your application to the Political Science Ph.D. program at the University of Minnesota. I am sorry to inform you that the department's graduate admissions committee has not selected you for our program. We had over 200 applications for the 10 places in our Fall 2011 entering class." 1 down. 9 still pending for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oranje1989 Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Still no news from Princeton. Someone in the same boat? Are they done with their rejections and waiting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Livio88 Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 In at Minnesota. Just got an email with attached pdf describing offer. Decent funding Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashlett Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I haven't heard from Viriginia or Chicago, and every day goes by I don't hear back from MIT gets worse. -sigh- I'm wondering if I should just assume I have three more rejects and be pleasantly surprised if I do get in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fsmn36 Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 (edited) Ugh. I really hope my schools pay attention to the writing sample as a.) writing is what I do best (English always was my best subject) and b.) that, while my GRE Q score shows that I can't do geometry and math without a calculator, I can at least craft a regression equation and run STATA. Edited February 24, 2011 by fsmn36 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonmonty Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 In at Minnesota. Just got an email with attached pdf describing offer. Decent funding Did you get a phone call before the e-mail, or just the e-mail? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Livio88 Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Did you get a phone call before the e-mail, or just the e-mail? Just an email but it might be because i'm an international applicant (Italy). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonmonty Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Just an email but it might be because i'm an international applicant (Italy). Well congrats! I'm still waiting to hear - it looks like some applicants have received calls, some have received a mass rejection, some have been put on the wait list... And there's me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Livio88 Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Well congrats! I'm still waiting to hear - it looks like some applicants have received calls, some have received a mass rejection, some have been put on the wait list... And there's me. Good luck! I hope you'll receive some good news from them soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMoo Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 (edited) Has anyone ever judged a department and your inclination to accept an offer based upon their friendliness on the phone? There's a department that I keep trying to contact and every interaction I've had with them (mind you, administrative staff, but still) has been extremely unpleasant and borderline rude. Hmmm. The reason for their rudeness lies within your question. If you're contacting a department more than once, unless you have a very specific problem they are helping you with, you are officially a nuisance. Edited February 24, 2011 by JMoo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
explodingstressball Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 The answer lies in your question. If you're contacting a department more than once, unless you have a very specific problem they are helping you with, you are officially a nuisance. Their website had directly contradictory information, and when I asked for a clarification, I was rather rudely dismissed. Not at all out of bounds to ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMoo Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Sometimes it depends on how you asked the question? The fact that you contacted them repeatedly makes me wonder about your ability to read social cues. I'm thinking of one person who drove us up the wall this season, and if by some strange chance you're him, there was a reason for the attitude. Or maybe they were just having a bad day? With the budget cuts, some of us have had to take on a lot of additional work because of staffing cuts, and it's a damned stressful job these days. If I get a call when I'm in the middle of a crucial project, it's sometimes hard to switch my attention to put on a friendly tone. I know this is a hugely important part of all your lives, but we staff have a hell of a lot of urgent stuff we have to juggle, and we can't give you the attention you'd deserve in a better world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
explodingstressball Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Sometimes it depends on how you asked the question? The fact that you contacted them repeatedly makes me wonder about your ability to read social cues. I'm thinking of one person who drove us up the wall this season, and if by some strange chance you're him, there was a reason for the attitude. Or maybe they were just having a bad day? With the budget cuts, some of us have had to take on a lot of additional work because of staffing cuts, and it's a damned stressful job these days. If I get a call when I'm in the middle of a crucial project, it's sometimes hard to switch my attention to put on a friendly tone. I know this is a hugely important part of all your lives, but we staff have a hell of a lot of urgent stuff we have to juggle, and we can't give you the attention you'd deserve in a better world. I have no idea if I'm that person, but I only contacted the department in question twice, so I don't believe I would have had enough interaction with anyone to drive anyone up the wall. And further, the department's website literally internally contradicted itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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