PoliSci 2008-2009 Cycle

[hondo19]

First of all, I am not in the same stratosphere as most of the folks posting here, so this post may be an unwanted nuisance; my apologies in advance;

My profile:

Magna cum laude

Faculty Scholar, College of Arts & Sciences

President

[natofone]

Hondo - You should have a very reasonably chance at all of the schools that you listed. Your verbal GRE will hurt you some, but I don't believe that any of those schools listed have a strict cutoff (filtering out anyone below a certain score). Best of luck.

If you have problems getting in this year, many schools have 'cash cow' MA programs that let you go and prove your worth at an elite school. Just an idea. I took this approach because I too went to a 4th tier state school. Letters from one of these schools will go a long way.

[twright]

Hondo--I would think that you have a decent shot at a few of the schools you listed. It's nice to finally find someone else on here who has an interest in judicial politics!!!

[LeftCoast]

Hondo 19:

I am fairly new on here as well. After reading the qualifications of a lot of people here I too was beginning to feel like I had no chance. Our stats are pretty similar and we both graduated from middle of the road state universities. It also looks like we both applied to U of O, UMass & Maryland. I feel pretty good about my chances of getting into UMass & Oregon but no too sure about UMD. I have also applied to Rice which is my first choice but I will be OK if I get in anywhere.

I think it is important that you look at where a lot of people on here are applying to go to school. Lots of Harvard or Berkeley bound people. I would think you should get in somewhere. Good luck..

[catchermiscount]

By the by, those of you planning to attend the interview weekend at Emory on the 27th: shoot me an IM. Might as well get some background info so we don't have to whisper "hey, are you coachrjc?" when we get there.

[jackassjim]

First of all, I am not in the same stratosphere as most of the folks posting here, so this post may be an unwanted nuisance; my apologies in advance;

Thanks in advance.

I'm sure you'll do fine. Don't be discouraged by one rejection.

Now is quite late to talk about what you could have done better in your application. If ever you are not satisfied with how your cycle has gone, shoot me a PM and we can have a chat about options for putting together a better app next year.

Edit: Although you might not want to listen to me as I took the "automaton" route in my SOP :oops:

[hondo19]

natofone- thanks for the reply (although you are more optimistic than I re my profile). Good advice on the MA front, though I don't think I can swing the $. Check this out; I've been thinking about possibly enrolling at one of the schools to which I applied (if I get in w/ $) and then transferring after getting an MA. (esp. if I can get in done in a year or so) Is this kosher? Does anyone ever do this? (I just figure this way I can save the $, but still hopefully make a step up to a top program.)

twright- thanks for the honest input. indeed good to run into another JP'er. Out of curiosity, where are you headed? (if you know)

Leftcoast-ditto on running into another flawed applicant:-) I just hope we don't bump each other out of a spot at one of those three (although you can take Oregon if you want, I've got fingers crossed for UMass. And we both may be need divine int. for UMD) Best of luck.

[hondo19]

jackass-Thanks for the input. Your accepted list is a bit funny...PLEASE tell me you're going to Harvard.

[jackassjim]

jackass-Thanks for the input. Your accepted list is a bit funny...PLEASE tell me you're going to Harvard.

Hehe. Nah, I'm not too sure I want to become a lawyer. It's more of a Plan B...

[rlayla]

Hehe. Nah, I'm not too sure I want to become a lawyer. It's more of a Plan B...

I love the fact that Harvard Law is your plan B. You rock!

[jackassjim]

I love the fact that Harvard Law is your plan B. You rock!

Hmm... I realize now that that must have sounded quite pretentious. :oops: Believe me, the story is more complicated than that Thanks for the 'you rock' though... :wink:

Edit: emoticon overload?

[PollyTheory]

An off-day question for the theorists: what kind of stuff are you guys/gals interested in working on?

Myself, I'm currently writing on Alain Badiou. Particularly, his theory of the subject and the political.

Also, I have standing interests in democratic theory (especially Schumpeter and the idea of spectator democracy), Hellenistic political theory, and poststructuralist theory.

HPT -- Kant/German Idealism and Ancient Thought. As an undergraduate I did a lot of work on Hegel, including a senior thesis on reconciliation in the Phenomenology of Spirit.

[AllFiredUp]

Another week is here. What predictions are there for this week. I think UNC will notify early, but otherwise predict a lull in decisions before another dysenteric onslaught the last week of February.

[jackassjim]

another dysenteric onslaught

You sound like the great lyricist behind Carcass' hits "Crepitating Bowel Erosion" and "Lavaging Expectorate of Lysergide Composition".

[fenderpete]

Another week is here. What predictions are there for this week. I think UNC will notify early, but otherwise predict a lull in decisions before another dysenteric onslaught the last week of February.

Probably a wave of Stanford rejections, other than that I don't expect to hear anything until the end of February now - Columbia have supposed only started looking, Princeton are rumoured to be late Feb/early March and UPenn are typically mid-March. I'll happily be proved wrong on all of those though.

Regardless, it's time for me to stop messing about and get down to some serious undergrad work.

[plisar]

Another week is here. What predictions are there for this week. I think UNC will notify early, but otherwise predict a lull in decisions before another dysenteric onslaught the last week of February.

I agree with this overall, but expect:

UNC

UCLA

Northwestern

Indiana

***HARVARD***?

Last week of Feb, we'll add:

Michigan

Harvard

Princeton

Columbia

MIT

And I'm expecting my record to go from 4-1-1 to 4-6-1 by the middle of this week. Unfortunately, lots of rejections will be coming out soon

[oscarwildebeest]

An off-day question for the theorists: what kind of stuff are you guys/gals interested in working on?

I want to study the relationship between ontology and politics. Specifically, how social and political structures both presuppose and shape particular conceptions of identity and moral worth, and what that means for politics and ethics. I'm especially interested in how societies develop relatively inclusive or exclusive self-conceptions, the kind of expansion and recession of the boundaries of moral community. My influences here: Arendt, Anderson, Foucault, Taylor, Rorty. I should probably read Hegel and Heidegger, someday.

Other thinks I like to read and write on: theories of injustice, moral psychology, humanism, cosmopolitanism, 20th century political thought.

Right now I'm writing my senior thesis. It's about Reinhold Niebuhr and Judith Shklar, their critiques of liberalism from a moral-psychological standpoint, and the possibility of reconciling transformative politics with their criticisms.

[procrastinatrice]

What about Chicago, Plisar? Do you think they will be notifying this week?

[CatallaxisOfEvil]

Perhaps another wave of NYU decisions? Or are we doomed to wait til March?

Also, I'd be quite surprised if Brandeis didn't start talking this week.

[PollyTheory]

What the hell ever happened to Duke?? 7 acceptances posted on the results page - think they're all done with the yays?

[oscarwildebeest]

What the hell ever happened to Duke?? 7 acceptances posted on the results page - think they're all done with the yays?

Well, I can only speculate. But here's something I do know: their Campus Visit is scheduled for March 1-3, and the RSVP deadline on that is Feb. 19th. Based on that, I'd say it's unlikely they'll be accepting many more applicants. They might make a few more offers in the next couple days, though.

[ivyreject]

The caliber of people on here is very impressive, I agree. My numbers are, on balance, worse than yours. My GRE Verbal was better, but my UGPA, quant, and AWA were all lower. It's weird to have a master's degree and a 660V and still feel like the dumb kid who got placed in the honors class by mistake. But whatever...

Anyway, glad you're here. I was one of the BC rejects, too.

I've been repeatedly reassured here that I should be able to get into at least a couple of my schools. If that's true, then you should be fine. Good luck.

[scintille]

Well, I can only speculate. But here's something I do know: their Campus Visit is scheduled for March 1-3, and the RSVP deadline on that is Feb. 19th. Based on that, I'd say it's unlikely they'll be accepting many more applicants. They might make a few more offers in the next couple days, though.

Does anyone know why schools hold onto some rejections until weeks after their initial wave of admissions? I know they might still be considering some applications but in Duke's case it seems like there are too many people waiting for them to all be under consideration.

[flatcoat]

How do you know, flatcoat?

I got an email on Wednesday from a UF prof who wants to talk to me in the next two weeks. It sounded more like a phone interview than an acceptance. I emailed back times I'm available and presumably this person is going to call me.

Sorry - just saw this. Someone in the department told me. This coming week advisors will decide which students they want. If this information is correct, we could hear this coming week or next. It sounds promising that you will have an interview! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

[BigCheese]

Its going to be a quiet week for me... actually more like the calm before the storm... Three of the schools i applied to start notifying students the week of Feb 23... :|