PoliSci 2008-2009 Cycle

[oscarwildebeest]

So I know the absent Northwestern replies are a source of anxiety in the lives of approximately everybody. But lets expand the range of our Windy City Unrest: who else is still waiting on Chicago? Unlike Northwestern, they appear to have axed a good number of applicants already and put together something of a waitlist as well. Should I assume my rejection letter was a casualty of Minnesota's horrendous weather?

[technocat]

So I know the absent Northwestern replies are a source of anxiety in the lives of approximately everybody. But lets expand the range of our Windy City Unrest: who else is still waiting on Chicago? Unlike Northwestern, they appear to have axed a good number of applicants already and put together something of a waitlist as well. Should I assume my rejection letter was a casualty of Minnesota's horrendous weather?

I am still waiting for official rejection from Chicago, but I heard they rejected all their undergrad alumni this year b/c of department cuts, so the fact that the letter hasn't arrived is not a sign of potential goods news on my end at least.

[milkbaba]

To add to the Cornell debate, I too must say that HYP are definitely not the sun around which academic political science orbits. As far as placement is concerned, I'd say that Harvard stands out significantly in part due to its indelible brand name (the dept. itself is, I'm sure, outstanding on its own). P is heavily focused on public policy and some area studies (African politics being one of them) and doesn't have a particularly impeccable placement record. As a recent polisci undergrad from Y, I can tell you that I was pretty disappointed by the teaching and lackluster enthusiasm of the faculty. Even at the graduate level, besides Jim Scott (who has been openly critical of the overly quantitative tendencies at Yale and American Political Science depts in general), there are few faculty that are not pigeon holed by heavily stat/empirical methods, or that take a fresh, unorthodox approach to politics. Ian Shapiro, Vivek Sharma and Karuna Mantena could be considered other exceptions but they tend to focus on undergrad teaching and even with a more historiographic/theoretical approach, their areas of interest are still very specific. For example, Ian Shapiro is obsessed with democratic and distributional correlations in South Africa (and some welfare/taxation policy in the US). Mantena looks specifically at late Empire in the context of social theory and India. Add to that the fact that many other schools indeed place better than Yale, and I think not going to Cornell only because it is not HYP is a bad decision.

[kenzhu]

It sucks to hear that about Chicago as I am an alumni. I also haven't heard from Columbia but I've been putting that up to the fact I live overseas but I haven't gotten any emails from them except for an invitation to attend an event a masters program was putting on . At least I got a good offer from Maryland.

[chicagocat]

Alum from UChicago here, definitely haven't heard so I assume rejection. SO annoying! But I emailed Kathy Anderson last week, basically saying if I haven't heard it's a no, right? I figured she'd tell me my status, but instead she wrote this back (this was on Feb 27):

"Thank you for your e-mail. Some decisions are pending but the Dean of Students hoped to get most letters out this week."

That's it! I mean, MA decisions haven't gone out yet, and a lot of the time Chicago offers PhD applicants admission in CIR or MAPPs, so that could explain some of the delay. But yeah, no love for the alums.

[ivyreject]

The mainstream media gives a particularly negative take on where we stand in this process, noting that prospects for prospective humanities and social science PhDs are terrible:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/07/arts/ ... anted=1&em

At best, our future is uncertain and almost certainly will not be the experience our mentors had. At worst, we are taken advantage of as a source of cheap labor, then dumped after graduation like yesterday's trash in a system that has no place for us.

I'm in at two places, waitlisted for funding at one. Ultimately I am going to do this, no matter the cost. But I have way more reservations now than when I first contemplated this journey five years ago.

[technocat]

Alum from UChicago here, definitely haven't heard so I assume rejection. SO annoying! But I emailed Kathy Anderson last week, basically saying if I haven't heard it's a no, right? I figured she'd tell me my status, but instead she wrote this back (this was on Feb 27):

"Thank you for your e-mail. Some decisions are pending but the Dean of Students hoped to get most letters out this week."

That's it! I mean, MA decisions haven't gone out yet, and a lot of the time Chicago offers PhD applicants admission in CIR or MAPPs, so that could explain some of the delay. But yeah, no love for the alums.

Oh, MAPSS. I could do my undergrad all over again! What an opportunity! If that's what they're waiting for, I think I might prefer a direct rejection.

[Luckige]

I'm still waiting Columbia and NYU. And Princeton WWS. But I feel it is over already, since I've made my decision.

[hotep]

so...if there isn't a massive rejection wave from columbia tomorrow (i think there will be, but i hope i'm wrong), who's the brave soul willing to contact the department to find it if there is a de facto or official waitlist that those of us who haven't heard are on?

[AllFiredUp]

so...if there isn't a massive rejection wave from columbia tomorrow (i think there will be, but i hope i'm wrong), who's the brave soul willing to contact the department to find it if there is a de facto or official waitlist that those of us who haven't heard are on?

I'll take it upon myself, then! Tomorrow afternoon or Tuesday it is. One more unto the breach tomorrow morning, best of men! Thoughts are but dreams till their effects be tried.

[kenzhu]

Thanks! I'll buy you a beer when I get back from China.

[hotep]

thanks for stepping up, AllFiredUp! if we don't get a massive wave of rejections tomorrow, you might actually be right that we're on a formal or defacto wait list - this seems to be exactly what happened last year, with all the rejections on one day, then wait lists a week later. though, given how many applicants columbia has, i still think its possible it is taking them multiple days to upload rejection letters onto every poli sci phd applicant's online application.

[AllFiredUp]

thanks for stepping up, AllFiredUp! if we don't get a massive wave of rejections tomorrow, you might actually be right that we're on a formal or defacto wait list - this seems to be exactly what happened last year, with all the rejections on one day, then wait lists a week later. though, given how many applicants columbia has, i still think its possible it is taking them multiple days to upload rejection letters onto every poli sci phd applicant's online application.

No problem. Of course, we must survive today first -- waiting for the guillotine to drop any moment now.

[ivyreject]

I'm trying to find out if Georgetown has a waitlist for funding.

I have this pathological issue where I save rejection letters. I saved my rejection from Duke from undergrad and from Harvard for my master's.

So far, I have rejection letters from BC and MIT. This weekend my girlfriend ripped them up. And I felt better.

DC is looking more likely for me every day. I just need them to show me some money.

[jamesmadison]

I'm trying to find out if Georgetown has a waitlist for funding.

I have this pathological issue where I save rejection letters. I saved my rejection from Duke from undergrad and from Harvard for my master's.

So far, I have rejection letters from BC and MIT. This weekend my girlfriend ripped them up. And I felt better.

DC is looking more likely for me every day. I just need them to show me some money.

Did you get an official email from Georgetown yet? I got an unofficial one, and I'm wondering if funding information will come in the follow up they promised.

[ivyreject]

Did you get an official email from Georgetown yet? I got an unofficial one, and I'm wondering if funding information will come in the follow up they promised.

I got an unofficial email from a prof in December that was very forward-looking, saying my scores "should be good enough to get [you] in," and "I'll look for your application." I got the generic acceptance email on Wednesday, but there was no mention of funding.

I need the $, otherwise I probably just won't go to grad school.

[gradster]

To weigh in on the HYP debate, again I second the notion that they are not the end all be all of political science. I would never advice someone to pay for a whole PhD or to go to school outside the top 30. However, Cornell is an great program, has a very good placement record, and is a nice working environment, and you should seriously consider going there.

Now in defense of your tactless professor, I know it sucks to hear it, but I suspect he was trying to tell you that if you are dead set on going to HPY you need to boost your file somehow. That doesn't mean that you are not very smart and have a ton of potential, but maybe that it is not coming through in your file. I've read SOPs of people looking to apply to my program (people I know are very smart and could succeed at any program including HYP) and can immediately tell them their file won't get them into HYP or even a top 10 school. That is not a personal indictment of the person, it is trying to let them realistically know that their file isn't showing everything they are. And it's not because they haven't done anything remarkable, it's because their file doesn't reflect their quality and potential. In other words, your file doesn't do you justice. I will go out on a limb and say that your professor was trying to say this and he just has no tact and wasn't able to articulate this well (but it could be he is an ass).

Now let's assume your professor is actually an ass and doesn't think you are HYP material (whatever that means). So what? What you have accomplished and done before graduate school is a poor predictor of how you will do once in graduate school. Some of the best undergraduate students can't handle graduate school, or lack the creativity it takes to do original work. Many students are just good at regurgitating stuff or can only be critical but cannot produce their own work. So go to Cornell and see if graduate school is for you. It's all a blank slate once you start and nothing you have done before graduate school will really be of any help in the academic job market (other than getting into a good program which you have already done). Remember, many of the HYP students drop out or never get jobs. And some students who barely got into a program rise to the challenge and get good jobs at the end. The good thing about the future, is that a lot of it is in your hands!

[convex]

I'm still waiting Columbia and NYU. And Princeton WWS. But I feel it is over already, since I've made my decision.

Congrats. Where are you going?

[convex]

The mainstream media gives a particularly negative take on where we stand in this process, noting that prospects for prospective humanities and social science PhDs are terrible:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/07/arts/ ... anted=1&em

At best, our future is uncertain and almost certainly will not be the experience our mentors had. At worst, we are taken advantage of as a source of cheap labor, then dumped after graduation like yesterday's trash in a system that has no place for us.

I'm in at two places, waitlisted for funding at one. Ultimately I am going to do this, no matter the cost. But I have way more reservations now than when I first contemplated this journey five years ago.

I think you read that wrong.

Of course the humanities don

[wishingandhoping]

Hey GW Admit, congrats! Care to share the details?

[intapp001]

I am one of the GWU admits - received an email earlier today from the DGS but alternate for funding. Hoping that something will come through!

[DrRockso]

UGA admits: We're probably going to have to wait until around March 15th to hear anything re: funding.

[ivyreject]

I am one of the GWU admits - received an email earlier today from the DGS but alternate for funding. Hoping that something will come through!

What time?

PS Congratulations!

[twright]

I would never advice someone to pay for a whole PhD or to go to school outside the top 30.

"Top 30" according to who?? US News, NRC, you, etc. Please define "Top 30" when making such a statement...

[g_mac15]

Man..... I'm dying with these responses from GWU. I've put a lot of hope on GWU. ......does this mean they're done? or at least done with funding? ...which basically means its done for me.