PoliSci 2008-2009 Cycle

[guvmentkid]

Sorry for the lack of details guys and gals

My "advisor" is someone who has ongoing research with someone in the dept. at NW -- I haven't received formal notice yet -- sorry for not being more specific earlier, I was off calling friends and family -- I will provide more details as they come...

BUT -- we should all be hearing very shortly

[mormegil]

IN at Claremont Graduate U.

Called up a faculty member. He said I've been admitted. Still not decided how much funding I will get for the 1st year but tuition remission will be in the 70% ballpark and it's negotiable (fellowship/RA from 2nd year).

Official decision will come in a week or so.

[daniel]

I guess I'm the 4th UVA waitlisted so far

[poliscidude]

daniel, could you post your subfield and stats?

[procrastinatrice]

Congratulations guvmentkid and mormegil!

guvmentkid, hope to see you in Evanston:)

[intapp001]

and were you specifically told that you were waitlisted?

[flatcoat]

LeftCoast, you'll have to give people some more info. LORs, SOP, your subfield, research experience, work experience?

I've received word that one of my schools will be notifying 2 weeks later than last year. (It's not any of the schools people have been asking about, so I'll refrain from naming it). Could be the case for other schools as well.

[convex]

We probably over-value information about when a school notified last year. The composition of the admissions committee may be entirely different this year than last.

[PollyTheory]

What gives, Berkeley?! Throw us a bone!

[LeftCoast]

Flatcoat-My research experience is limited. I have worked for several years..graduated w/BS in 1998 and finished MBA last year in an evening program.

Subfield of American Politics. Specifically, lobbying/business regulation/campaign finance. My research interests are really a hybrid of politics/management.

4 LOR's. 2 from undergrad days, PS profs at U. of Oregon and two from business school. They should be good recommendations.

[guvmentkid]

LeftCoast, you'll have to give people some more info. LORs, SOP, your subfield, research experience, work experience?

I've received word that one of my schools will be notifying 2 weeks later than last year. (It's not any of the schools people have been asking about, so I'll refrain from naming it). Could be the case for other schools as well.

For all those who were accepted to Yale -- not only are there obvious reasons to attend, but since this is my first foray into "the cycle" (I know some of you have been here before), it is more than just a little impressive how quickly and efficiently the Yale adcom runs through the process. And can there be any doubt that the applicant pool may be one of the more difficult to weed through?

[guvmentkid]

Flatcoat-My research experience is limited. I have worked for several years..graduated w/BS in 1998 and finished MBA last year in an evening program.

Subfield of American Politics. Specifically, lobbying/business regulation/campaign finance. My research interests are really a hybrid of politics/management.

4 LOR's. 2 from undergrad days, PS profs at U. of Oregon and two from business school. They should be good recommendations.

Hey Lefty -- was your work related to politics in some way?

[rlayla]

For all those who were accepted to Yale -- not only are there obvious reasons to attend, but since this is my first foray into "the cycle" (I know some of you have been here before), it is more than just a little impressive how quickly and efficiently the Yale adcom runs through the process. And can there be any doubt that the applicant pool may be one of the more difficult to weed through?

Dude, don't be giving Yale props yet. Me and Big Cheese are still notification-free, even though both of us have called both the Grad School and the poli sci department. Decisions have been made, but nobody wants to tell us, which I'm sure you can tell is more a little bit frustrating.

[guvmentkid]

sorry--maybe they're not perfect...but sheesh, compared to their "colleagues"...

[ivyreject]

I, too, have mediocre GREs compared to most people here, and unremarkable GPAs from less-than-elite institutions. I applied to seven departments and I feel pretty good about 4 or 5 of them.

Like me, it seems you have made the prudent decision not to waste a thousand dollars applying to a dozen top-tier schools. I will be grateful to land at any of the places I applied, but I do expect to get in somewhere.

I think you should expect the same. Come September, you'll be over here on the Right Coast.

When I first found this site, I flipped out because it seems that virtually everyone on this site is more academically talented and more ambitious than I am. But we all come to this game with different backgrounds and perhaps different goals and dreams. Best wishes to you in this process.

[natofone]

Hey guvkid. Can I ask what kind of stats you have besides the JD? Also, with NW, did they change your status on the website yet?

[convex]

I applied to quite a few as you can see, but I functionally applied to about 8 because all of the places where my wife didn't get into the law school are already off the list. My GRE is also pretty sub-standard, and my UGPA is not that good (although my graduate GPA is much better). You can look at my list and see how that might be a problem, but I'm hoping my research experience (pretty extensive) will lead at least one decent adcom to accidentally admit me. If I get rejected everywhere else but manage to get off of this UIUC waitlist, I'll consider it a victory (though I would prefer a much more decisive victory).

(edit: spelling)

[LeftCoast]

IvyReject:

You nailed it. I have admittedly OK scores and grades. As much as I would like to think I am Harvard material, the record does not get me into a place like that. Wasting time(mine and the universities) and $ applying to all of the top schools does not seem like a great idea. Rice is my first choice for a variety of reasons but would be happy with any of the schools where I have applied.

[natofone]

I spent about 2 grand on applications, gre, transcripts, etc., but considering the ludicrous opportunity costs inherent to this operation (giving up current career, moving across country, making maybe 1/2 of my current salary if i can get a TT job, and only making 14-20k/year for the next five years), whats a few grand?

[flatcoat]

Flatcoat-My research experience is limited. I have worked for several years..graduated w/BS in 1998 and finished MBA last year in an evening program.

Subfield of American Politics. Specifically, lobbying/business regulation/campaign finance. My research interests are really a hybrid of politics/management.

4 LOR's. 2 from undergrad days, PS profs at U. of Oregon and two from business school. They should be good recommendations.

I think your stats are just ok...I'm not familiar with the schools you are applying to (with the exception of Maryland - I'm applying there, too), so I can't say what their cut-off points would be. If you've managed to convey in your SOP why you are going from an MBA to polisci, what the logic is, then maybe you have a chance. Based on what you've shared I'm curious, and I imagine admissions committees will be too, as to why you got an MBA if you are interested in academia - I am jumping to a big conclusion here and correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing that applying for a PhD (and here I'm also assuming - maybe you're applying for a masters?) is a recent decision based on something else not panning out for you, or feeling dissatisfied with your current work. This is not an invalid reason for deciding to apply for grad school - *but* you don't want the admissions committee to get a whiff of it.

[yogimoney]

Dude, don't be giving Yale props yet. Me and Big Cheese are still notification-free, even though both of us have called both the Grad School and the poli sci department. Decisions have been made, but nobody wants to tell us, which I'm sure you can tell is more a little bit frustrating.

rlayla, have patience and keep the faith. Yale made their decisions on friday afternoon, and they have about 10 days to call everyone or email before the letters arrive in the mail....at this point, no news is good news.

[DrRockso]

Got an email shortly before 1 PM, admitted to U. Kentucky!

[LeftCoast]

Flatcoat:

In my MBA program I took several courses focusing on the intersection of business/government & this is where I will be focusing my research. Classes include courses on the business environment and lobbying etc..In my SOP letters I made it very clear that I envision myself ultimately attached to a management school and intended on taking coursework in the school of management. When I began this process, I was not certain if a management or PS doctoral program would best suit my interests. Discussions w/profs in the business school I attended (PS background) convinced me to pursue my doctoral studies in politics rather than in a business school. You are correct in some ways though. Upon completion of my MBA, the plan was to work a few more years and apply to PhD programs. I however decided to finish my MBA at the same time the economy went into freefall. UE approaching 10% where I live with no sign of improvement certainly played a large factor in applying now rather than following my original plan.

[natofone]

Left - I can see how an MBA would make for a good fit, especially if you focus upon political economy. In my poli sci PE courses I've read a good deal of articles from business and management journals. There are some good literatures available to business-oriented folks like yourself within poli sci. The most glaring example would be the comparative capitalisms. If you're open to tapping into other social sciences, then you're set. literature. You can make it work.

[flatcoat]

Flatcoat:

In my MBA program I took several courses focusing on the intersection of business/government & this is where I will be focusing my research. Classes include courses on the business environment and lobbying etc..In my SOP letters I made it very clear that I envision myself ultimately attached to a management school and intended on taking coursework in the school of management. When I began this process, I was not certain if a management or PS doctoral program would best suit my interests. Discussions w/profs in the business school I attended (PS background) convinced me to pursue my doctoral studies in politics rather than in a business school. You are correct in some ways though. Upon completion of my MBA, the plan was to work a few more years and apply to PhD programs. I however decided to finish my MBA at the same time the economy went into freefall. UE approaching 10% where I live with no sign of improvement certainly played a large factor in applying now rather than following my original plan.

Thanks, that clarifies the picture; I see where you're coming from and you've obviously done your research. This will definitely make your app stronger. Actually, applying directly to a PhD rather than working might work out for the best in your case, especially considering your trajectory from business/government during the MBA into your intended area of research.

There are a lot of people on this forum who have an interesting/unusual background (myself being one of them) with degrees in different areas (neither my BA nor my MA are polisci)...I like to think admissions committees will value this kind of thing. Sounds like you have a good chance at success with at least one of your schools, if not multiple. Good luck!