Welcome to the 2011-2012 Cycle

[saltlakecity2012]

This. I'd add that I was waitlisted at Princeton last year the same day that the acceptances went out.

My earlier guess that there were multiple waves at Columbia was mistaken; I had repressed forgotten that people posted fake results ahead of time last year. Although I was explicit about the fact that this was a guess, mea culpa.

Ha.

I sent you a PM re: Oxbridge - if you've got any thoughts on people on your side of that divide who I might want to look into, let me know.

Edit: this is frightening - notifications consistently came in on weekends last year, so I won't have the luxury of telling myself I won't possibly hear anything before Monday.

Edited January 28, 2012 by tergellian

[saltlakecity2012]

Also, congrats to the person who was accepted to the RAND program. If you're reading this, I'd love to hear more about why you were interested in the program. PM me if you like.

[dienekes]

Hello to fellow UW-Madison admittees!

Still waiting for the rest of my applications to get back with responses, but I'm obviously super-pleased to be in somewhere already (even if it doesn't prevent me from obsessively checking my email at work). It's complicated a bit by the fact that my longtime girlfriend is applying to schools at the same time as me and we're going to do everything in our power to go to the same place. She has admittances at UPENN, UT-Austin and UM-Amherst already, but I'm hoping we get overlap eventually.

I'm actually super surprised I got into UW-Madison, really; I feel like I had such a weak application on paper, but I know the head of my department at my undergrad institution gave me a rock-solid and enthusiastic recommendation.

Okay I'm just kind of babbling now because it's late and I can't sleep. I'm sort of jealous of the various people in this thread who can sum up their interests so succinctly; my research interests are probably best placed under Political Communication (although I put "American Politics" for most of my apps). Essentially, I'm interested in new media/Internet & politics...(outing myself as a giant nerd here)...stuff like intellectual property law, algorithms in social media, political organization online; less specifically, I'm interested theoretically and empirically in civic discourse and democracy, by way of Habermas and the deliberative democracy crowd. I'm also interested in Qualitative Research Methods, so maybe I'm just destined to be a pariah in American Politics. Anyway, I feel like that's pretty weird and esoteric by Political Science standards, so I was surprised that a straight-laced Midwestern school like UW-M was interested. Granted, the PIPA/SOPA issue cropped at exactly the perfect time to make me seem prescient and ahead of the curve, so maybe there are just ~mysterious hands of fate~ at work.

[edost]

Okay I'm just kind of babbling now because it's late and I can't sleep. I'm sort of jealous of the various people in this thread who can sum up their interests so succinctly; my research interests are probably best placed under Political Communication (although I put "American Politics" for most of my apps). Essentially, I'm interested in new media/Internet & politics...(outing myself as a giant nerd here)...stuff like intellectual property law, algorithms in social media, political organization online; less specifically, I'm interested theoretically and empirically in civic discourse and democracy, by way of Habermas and the deliberative democracy crowd. I'm also interested in Qualitative Research Methods, so maybe I'm just destined to be a pariah in American Politics. Anyway, I feel like that's pretty weird and esoteric by Political Science standards, so I was surprised that a straight-laced Midwestern school like UW-M was interested. Granted, the PIPA/SOPA issue cropped at exactly the perfect time to make me seem prescient and ahead of the curve, so maybe there are just ~mysterious hands of fate~ at work.

Nice to see someone else interested in PoliComm! I also listed American Politics as my subfield. I'm interested in the intersection of entertainment and politics, as well as political discourse and persuasion.

[deleteduser0333]

Mine would be authoritarian control and new media (under comparative) + methodology. No wonder nowhere wants me XD

[GomSaem (Bear Teacher)]

Comparative IPE, With a focus on NE Asian trade and development policies.

[blackcoffee64]

International Relations, mostly global governance with IPE applications. For example my work is on game theory and financial regulation

but Im very interested in comparative PE, having lived in China most of my college career and worked in the treasury department (internship also during college)

[GomSaem (Bear Teacher)]

My interaction with the three giants of NE Asia has been a bit of a roller coaster. I spent most of my undergraduate years studying Japanese politics and spending summers in Nagano. Then I ended up taking a job in Seoul and switching my focus to include both Japan and the ROK. While I thought i was all set from here I ended up meeting a girl back in the states (who is now my wife) that is an engineer from Tianjin, again altering my focus. I ended up writing a comparative institutional analysis on Japan and the ROK to explain trade patterns with China for my MSc dissertation at the LSE. So now on my third language (rapidly forgetting the other two...), I am hoping the whole marriage thing means I can stick with Chinese for the long haul.

Where in China were you living blackcoffee64? I expect to spend a couple months in Beijing this summer.

[grantman]

My focus is on international development, with particular interest in state-building. I am keenly interested in the creation of a states bureaucracy and how to build a state's capacity to govern.

Furthermore, I seek to concentrate in East and Central Asia as well as the Middle East.

[blackcoffee64]

I lived in Beijing for about 8 months in the 五道口 (wudaokou) area at Bei Da studying mandarin. Lived in 北川 (Beichaun) for about 4 months during my freshman year working in earthquake relief, and I lived in 南京 nanjing, for a while my junior year (and summer) starting my research on inflation and gentrification with a professor at Nan Shi Da -> the same project I may be getting a Fulbright for (don't know yet, just recommended)

But my key interest is in my honors thesis I've finished this semester (presenting at MPSA) on global governance and financial regulation. I never really chose Chinese and China to pursue a comparative focus for a PHD, I think I would need at least 2 - 3 more years added to my 4 years of Mandarin training to even do that. I chose China to be able to experience remarkable first hand political economic changes in the 21st century. I did so through various internships, community service, and part time jobs over there -while working at government agencies who dealt with China here in my home city in the US.

But I don't know if the grad schools will like it, they may see I'm too Chinese focused or I'm not gifted with enough methods (only taken two graduate stats courses during my undergrad...up to multi-variable regression). And my Gre math score was only a 720 with the 750 V/5.5 Writing...

But if i get the Fulbright I'll finish my project in Nanjing, disseminate it, and probably apply it to future dissertation work when I reapply to some top 30 schools...since all my eggs are in the top 10/top 20 basket.

I hear learning Japanese before Chinese is very difficult when switching over...because the tonal part. That's just what I've heard though!

[blackcoffee64]

But I get the girl thing, I've been together with the same girl for 3 years (met in college, we both graduate undergrad this may) and plan on getting married after next year! She's from long island, so the only change in interests for me would be cold weather - not language .

[saltlakecity2012]

Comparative IPE, With a focus on NE Asian trade and development policies.

We have a bit of an overlap! I've done some stuff on NE Asian regional integration.

[saltlakecity2012]

My focus is on international development, with particular interest in state-building. I am keenly interested in the creation of a states bureaucracy and how to build a state's capacity to govern.

Furthermore, I seek to concentrate in East and Central Asia as well as the Middle East.

What's your interest in Central Asia? I worked in the region for a couple of years and have worked on energy issues in the area.

[balderdash]

Seriously, the cajones on this guy who stole my article. I've been in a back-and-forth with him about taking it down, and after ignoring a few emails, today he comes back with this:

[balderdash,] relax and take things easy. Why make a mountain out of a molehill? I was contemplating hiring your services to do some feature stories for [his shoddy website]. I noticed you are a [my job title] with profound knowledge of [my subject area]. Can we discuss this on the phone? Looking forward to your response.

Regards, [article thief]

Seriously?!

[grantman]

What's your interest in Central Asia? I worked in the region for a couple of years and have worked on energy issues in the area.

My interest is mainly in the structuring of their government and how that impacts overall stability. I am currently working on a thesis that examines the role Afghainstan's provincial governors play in the reconstruction process and how in many cases their policies have allowed for further Taliban infiltration into the country. Another country I am interested in studying is India and how they have structured their government regionally to account for the plethora of different ethnicities and nationalities.

I am interested in your work in the area. How was your experience, did you have to deal with any of governments in your dealings with energy policy?

[whirlibird]

Seriously, the cajones on this guy who stole my article. I've been in a back-and-forth with him about taking it down, and after ignoring a few emails, today he comes back with this:

Seriously?!

That's really terrible, balderdash. You just give us the signal, and we'll go all gradcafe on this jerk. Hot coffee/comments. Imagine the damage.

But, in all seriousness, that's some major sass, and that guy deserves a swift kick.

[saltlakecity2012]

My interest is mainly in the structuring of their government and how that impacts overall stability. I am currently working on a thesis that examines the role Afghainstan's provincial governors play in the reconstruction process and how in many cases their policies have allowed for further Taliban infiltration into the country. Another country I am interested in studying is India and how they have structured their government regionally to account for the plethora of different ethnicities and nationalities.

I am interested in your work in the area. How was your experience, did you have to deal with any of governments in your dealings with energy policy?

Very cool. I worked mostly in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, the Caucasus, etc. I did have some dealings with governments - one of my academic mentors does a lot of advisory work with governments in the region re: negotiations with multinational extractive industries corporations. I worked pretty extensively with some regulators in Mongolia on a large energy project there, and actually wrote my undergraduate thesis on some of the issues I encountered there. PM me if you're interested in discussing in more detail.

Edit: Any other UCLA applicants freaking out? Last year they notified on 1/31 but the year before it seems they didn't notify until later in February. What I wouldn't give for a little certainty.

Edited January 29, 2012 by tergellian

[balderdash]

But, in all seriousness, that's some major sass, and that guy deserves a swift kick.

Thanks, I thought it was rather cheeky of him myself.

Re: the UCLA question, I think last year was earlier than usual, and I would expect it to be in Feb this year. But perhaps I'm distracted by Stanford's silence.

[balthasar]

I was wondering if any of the lurkers here -former applicants, current PhD students and others- have any insider information regarding the ad com meetings that they wouldn't mind sharing with us.. you know, nothing too important but rather in the lines of "i know that they will meet on Thursday" kind of info. anyone?

[dienekes]

Nice to see someone else interested in PoliComm! I also listed American Politics as my subfield. I'm interested in the intersection of entertainment and politics, as well as political discourse and persuasion.

Where are you applying/who are you interested in working with? I'd love to hear more about the ideas you're working with; us Pols Comm people gotta stick together.

[wuerzburg]

this is frightening - notifications consistently came in on weekends last year, so I won't have the luxury of telling myself I won't possibly hear anything before Monday.

Which schools sent out weekend notifications last year?

[edost]

Where are you applying/who are you interested in working with? I'd love to hear more about the ideas you're working with; us Pols Comm people gotta stick together.

I just sent you a private message.

[RWBG]

Which schools sent out weekend notifications last year?

I only remember one school doing this, and it was a rejection that I think was expected given that acceptances had already gone out. Generally, weekends are still pretty safe.

[brent09]

I only remember one school doing this, and it was a rejection that I think was expected given that acceptances had already gone out. Generally, weekends are still pretty safe.

I think in '11 or '10 MIT called someone on a Sunday, and for some reason I thought PSU sent some letters on a Saturday last year. But my impression is that those are the exceptions, not the rule. (Not to say you couldn't receive a letter on Saturday that was postmarked earlier in the week...)

Edited January 29, 2012 by brent09

[whirlibird]

Hey everyone —

Congrats to everyone who's been accepted somewhere, and I know how awful the wait is. I'm just finishing my first year in a program, and I'm really enjoying it. I wanted to offer to answer any questions anyone might have about visiting students weekend, the first year, PhD classes, etc.

Congrats again to everyone!

Howdy, polisciftw! I actually do have a question. I'm working full-time abroad and don't think that I'll be able to make any accepted students weekends (assuming I'm accepted to more than one place). What's the best way to get an accurate feel for a department without attending? I'm sure email is always helpful, but do you have any other suggestions for someone unable to make it to the big shindig? Thanks!