Welcome to the 2011-2012 Cycle

[wmplax]

Well, it looks like my cycle is almost over.

Now to the choice between accepting the PhD offer or doing master's and reapplying...

why would you do a master's program over your acceptance at cornell?

[Blue_Bee]

Out of berkeley. It s overfor me unless there is some hope in nyu... Is that possible?

I don't foresee a great possibility that you would turn down Harvard/Stanford to attend NYU. If that's the case, why bother? (If not for ego)

[browneyedgirl]

This Berkeley thing is weird. Someone said a majority of offers have been made, yet I only remember maybe 1 person claiming an admit on the board. They usually have one of the largest classes, right?

this was more true about five years ago (and earlier) than it has been since. UCB cohorts are larger than some, but not huge (topping out at about 20).

[saltlakecity2012]

I don't foresee a great possibility that you would turn down Harvard/Stanford to attend NYU. If that's the case, why bother? (If not for ego)

Given bauhaus' interest in political economy and formal methods, NYU is actually a great choice.

Bauhaus - as far as I know, all NYU's offers have been made. Congratulations again on your fabulous set of options!

[RWBG]

Given bauhaus' interest in political economy and formal methods, NYU is actually a great choice.

Bauhaus - as far as I know, all NYU's offers have been made. Congratulations again on your fabulous set of options!

In my estimation, NYU's faculty well outstrips its reputation (and its reputation is quite good). I don't know how the training and placement are (and with a lot of the faculty being new, it's hard to get a sense right yet of how it'll do in the long term) but I think a good case could be made for going to NYU over any other school, at least if you're interested in formal/quant-heavy work in political economy.

[saltlakecity2012]

In my estimation, NYU's faculty well outstrips its reputation (and its reputation is quite good). I don't know how the training and placement are (and with a lot of the faculty being new, it's hard to get a sense right yet of how it'll do in the long term) but I think a good case could be made for going to NYU over any other school, at least if you're interested in formal/quant-heavy work in political economy.

Agreed. As that is my general vein of interest, I'm totally psyched about the program and can't wait to visit!

[Bookbag]

Hello! Long time reader, first time poster. This tread has definitely helped with the inevitable anxiety that comes with this process. I decided to stop by to ask if anyone could claim the Brown acceptance that went up earlier today. Seems odd that there was only one....

[kolja00]

Holding out hope that I can get into Notre Dame and Emory off the wait list - very stressful!

Best of luck my friend!!

[Bdeniso]

Best of luck my friend!!

At least the emails from both sounded like the legitmatley wanted me so thats hopeful

[Megan]

In my estimation, NYU's faculty well outstrips its reputation (and its reputation is quite good). I don't know how the training and placement are (and with a lot of the faculty being new, it's hard to get a sense right yet of how it'll do in the long term) but I think a good case could be made for going to NYU over any other school, at least if you're interested in formal/quant-heavy work in political economy.

If you look at recent NYU placements (last 10 years or so), they are actually pretty impressive. I would be going there NOT actively for formal/quant-heavy stuff (though I'm glad that I will have those strengths to beef up my methodological tool kit), so it's even harder to know. I will say they have a bunch of young conflict people in comparative that look really interesting and exciting, so I'm feeling pretty good about it. It's always a risk with younger faculty, I guess, but I feel excited about it given the combination of strong methods training, good young faculty, and overall program reputation. I feel like consensus has been that NYU is a bit hard to rank.

Edited for illiteracy.

Edited February 24, 2012 by Megan

[RWBG]

If you look at recent NYU placements (last 10 years or so), they are actually pretty impressive. I would be going there NOT actively for formal/quant-heavy stuff (though I'm glad that I will have those strengths to beef up my methodological tool kit), so it's even harder to know. I will say they have a bunch of young conflict people in comparative that look really interesting and exciting, so I'm feeling pretty good about it. It's always a risk with younger faculty, I guess, but I feel excited about it given the combination of strong methods training, good young faculty, and overall program reputation. I feel like consensus has been that NYU is a bit hard to rank.

Edited for illiteracy.

I think you can feel pretty comfortable with NYU placing comparably with other top 15 schools; I think there's a chance it might place better. I really think it's a great place to be, but I do agree that (right now) it's hard to rank the training precisely. My guess is the reputation of the school will shoot up in the next few years, so I think you'll be very well-placed to enter the job market when you do.

[bauhaus]

I am really ambivalent with this. I mean NYU was my dream school (in my dream city) and all along the process i found it

impossible not to pick one program that i prefer over all the others (which is admittedly a silly attitude, ex post). also

i thought i had the best fit at that department (pol econ, behavior + quant).

as I see there is a consensus that harvard-stanford are the places that you are supposed to attend if accepted but still,

i think i d turn down both if accepted to nyu. it honestly does not have to do anything with my ego:)

[Snow Fox]

as I see there is a consensus that harvard-stanford are the places that you are supposed to attend if accepted but still,

i think i d turn down both if accepted to nyu. it honestly does not have to do anything with my ego:)

I think this is the right way to go about things; I've never been a fan of the whole "this is where you are supposed to go if you get in" outlook. There are plenty of solid personal reasons to forge a path that doesn't lead to Harvard and such (as you said, NYU was your dream program in your dream city), and at the end of the day we're talking about a process that basically results in us all needing to pick new homes for the next half-decade or so. So there's every reason for you to want to ensure you're just as happy where you are living as you are with the actual school you chose to attend.

[CooCooCachoo]

as I see there is a consensus that harvard-stanford are the places that you are supposed to attend if accepted but still,

i think i d turn down both if accepted to nyu. it honestly does not have to do anything with my ego:)

I think this whole status thing is just silly. Sure, H&S have an amazing reputation, but if University X has a better reputation in your specific issue area, or if there are one or two faculty members there that you are dying to work with, then exalting higher-ranked schools makes little sense. I hope that you will get into NYU and get to pursue a program that has the best fit with your interests.

[balderdash]

I think this whole status thing is just silly. Sure, H&S have an amazing reputation, but if University X has a better reputation in your specific issue area, or if there are one or two faculty members there that you are dying to work with, then exalting higher-ranked schools makes little sense. I hope that you will get into NYU and get to pursue a program that has the best fit with your interests.

Well the "one or two faculty members there that you are dying to work with" is not the best idea; if one of them moves (likely in a 5-year program), sees his or her research evolve in a direction away from yours, or just turns out to be a jerk... then you're up an unsanitary tributary without proper means of locomotion, dig?

But the substantive point about going to the not-necessarily-best-status program is true. The point people seem to forget is that you're not being hired by your aunt, or your friends, your undergrad peers, or whoever. You're being hired by about 10-30 people within your narrow, narrow subfield. And they know exactly what programs train students for the academy the best, whether it's NYU, Madison, UT-Austin, Bloomington, Michigan State, Rochester, or yes, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, or Yale.

[KremlinGremlin]

Hello! Long time reader, first time poster. This tread has definitely helped with the inevitable anxiety that comes with this process. I decided to stop by to ask if anyone could claim the Brown acceptance that went up earlier today. Seems odd that there was only one....

I'm curious as well...

[Megan]

Well the "one or two faculty members there that you are dying to work with" is not the best idea; if one of them moves (likely in a 5-year program), sees his or her research evolve in a direction away from yours, or just turns out to be a jerk... then you're up an unsanitary tributary without proper means of locomotion, dig?

I have nothing substantive to add, but I will never say "up shit creek" ever again. This is so much better.

[Jwnich1]

I think this whole status thing is just silly. Sure, H&S have an amazing reputation, but if University X has a better reputation in your specific issue area, or if there are one or two faculty members there that you are dying to work with, then exalting higher-ranked schools makes little sense. I hope that you will get into NYU and get to pursue a program that has the best fit with your interests.

Well the "one or two faculty members there that you are dying to work with" is not the best idea; if one of them moves (likely in a 5-year program), sees his or her research evolve in a direction away from yours, or just turns out to be a jerk... then you're up an unsanitary tributary without proper means of locomotion, dig?

But the substantive point about going to the not-necessarily-best-status program is true. The point people seem to forget is that you're not being hired by your aunt, or your friends, your undergrad peers, or whoever. You're being hired by about 10-30 people within your narrow, narrow subfield. And they know exactly what programs train students for the academy the best, whether it's NYU, Madison, UT-Austin, Bloomington, Michigan State, Rochester, or yes, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, or Yale.

Balderdash - I find myself disagreeing with you a bit, provided a few more assumptions are made: If you have identified a star at a lower-ranked institution, and know ex ante that you can work with them, they are comfortable, and that they tend to place their candidates well - then I submit it is a viable plan.

edit: It's still risky, but then again the whole endevour is a bit risky. Just providing an alternative point of view to consider.

Edited February 24, 2012 by Jwnich1

[CooCooCachoo]

Well the "one or two faculty members there that you are dying to work with" is not the best idea; if one of them moves (likely in a 5-year program), sees his or her research evolve in a direction away from yours, or just turns out to be a jerk... then you're up an unsanitary tributary without proper means of locomotion, dig?

But the substantive point about going to the not-necessarily-best-status program is true. The point people seem to forget is that you're not being hired by your aunt, or your friends, your undergrad peers, or whoever. You're being hired by about 10-30 people within your narrow, narrow subfield. And they know exactly what programs train students for the academy the best, whether it's NYU, Madison, UT-Austin, Bloomington, Michigan State, Rochester, or yes, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, or Yale.

You will presumably have checked (even if verification is impossible) that those people aren't planning on leaving within the next few years. Plus, departments will have a reason to take you on, and that reason is that you are likely to strike up a good partnership/apprenticeship relation with two or three professors. I think you are overstating the flightiness a tad, but I take your point that you shouldn't place all your eggs in one professorial basket.

[Penelope Higgins]

Just to point out that in the end you are NOT likely to be hired by the 10-30 people in your narrow research area. Most departments, for example, only have one scholar studying a given world region in comparative, and my department (for example) has only 5 IR faculty, none of whom overlap in their specialization. So you will be at a great disadvantage if you cannot link yourself to debates that are of interest to the broader field of comparative, and to the discipline as a whole. And you will be at a great disadvantage if your adviser and the other members of your committee are not well networked with the discipline as a whole. This does not mean that you should choose a program based on 'status' but it is reason, all else equal, to think about choosing a program that is broadly strong in your subfield and not just in your narrow area of interest.

[balderdash]

So you will be at a great disadvantage if you cannot link yourself to debates that are of interest to the broader field of comparative, and to the discipline as a whole. And you will be at a great disadvantage if your adviser and the other members of your committee are not well networked with the discipline as a whole.

Well I of course agree with that, apologies if my words implied otherwise. The point is that the relevant people don't have the same conception of "status" as do non-scholars.

(Edit: When I said "narrow, narrow subfield," I meant, for instance, CP or IR - and not "formal work on social capital in 1970s Tunisia" or whatever. Perhaps this is the source of the disagreement.)

Edited February 24, 2012 by balderdash

[Penelope Higgins]

That's exactly right. I'm not encouraging people to choose schools based on how non-academics would rate them, but to consider their broader profile at least within the subfield rather than just in a particular narrow area. We're on the same page here balderdash; best of luck with your choice among some great options.

PH

[Doorkeeper]

1) Anyone know the status of Hopkins?

2) Has Harvard notified waitlisted people as well as accepted people, or just accepted?

[CafeAuLait12]

1) Anyone know the status of Hopkins?

Doorkeeper, Hopkins has sent out some acceptances, and recently people have been getting rejections by mail. I haven't heard anything else yet either, so who knows.

[Max Power]

2) Has Harvard notified waitlisted people as well as accepted people, or just accepted?

i think someone claimed a harvard wait list, but to be honest, i'm not sure. you'd have to go reread the posts from Wednesday