Fall 2012 Applicant results

[LLajax]

Always nice to see a fellow diver!

Also a diver! In fact, I had a dream the other day where the admissions committee brought be in and said that if I wanted to get admitted, I would have to do a nighttime search-and-rescue dive in order to save the local hockey team, whose plane crashed. I was really upset and told them that I couldn't do it because I wasn't certified for that. Then a really scary adcom guy said in a scary voice: "Are you going to let that be the reason we reject you??" with a raised eyebrow. Terrifying. I don't knwo where this stuff comes from.

[holdon]

I've been using the site a lot, and I think it's not fair to do so without contributing my 1/2 cent. Others who are lurking should do likewise. You're a bad person if you don't share any information but gorge on the generosity of others. You bastards.

Undergrad Institution: Columbia

Senior Thesis: Yes, it was on postcolonial poetry in India...

Honors Program: No.

Major(s): English

Minor(s): History

GPA in Major: 3.8

Overall GPA: 3.8

Position in Class: Relatively high

MA Institution: MPP, Harvard Kennedy School

Thesis: No

Major: Policy

GPA: None, but poor grades

Position in Class: No formal rankings but quite low.

Type of Student: Handsome is as handsome does.

GRE Scores (old version):

Q: 60%

V: 96%

W: 6.0

Research Experience: Some papers at college, thesis. But not that substantial.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: One. Not that significant.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Yes, I worked at an NGO before returning to grad school.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Have a sexy voice, but interviews haven't really happened for me.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: For the places that ask about it, growing up poor and gay.

Applying to Where:

Yale, Berkeley, Columbia, Harvard, NYU, UCLA

Research Interests & Areas of Focus: Comparative LGBT history.

Languages: German (speaking: good, reading: good, writing: good). Dutch. Poor. Spanish. Basic.

Letters of Recommendation: 3 people from undergrad who probably forget/hate me.

Statement of Purpose: It was alright, but not great. I'm not sure I should be applying this year/at all.

Writing Sample: It got an A, but I'm not sure how good it was. Was a history paper. Not related to my proposed topic.

Communication with POIs: I communicated with them, most were "interested" blablabla. That's fascinating. But none wanted to talk. Nobody ever just wants to talk.

Lessons Learned from Application Process: You don't learn lessons until these things are over. It would feel like I was cursing my application to say anything remotely constructive about it all until after I've got the hatchet/got waitlisted/got in.

[SapperDaddy]

Also a diver! In fact, I had a dream the other day where the admissions committee brought be in and said that if I wanted to get admitted, I would have to do a nighttime search-and-rescue dive in order to save the local hockey team, whose plane crashed. I was really upset and told them that I couldn't do it because I wasn't certified for that. Then a really scary adcom guy said in a scary voice: "Are you going to let that be the reason we reject you??" with a raised eyebrow. Terrifying. I don't knwo where this stuff comes from.

I am certified for that, but not my favorite thing to do and it's always scary. Been on any good dives lately?

[holdon]

Hey can you guys please not do this diving thing here. It makes the second page look ridiculous compared with the first.

We're supposed to be talking about our credentials/results, not some self-indulgent rich kid's sport.

[SapperDaddy]

Hey can you guys please not do this diving thing here. It makes the second page look ridiculous compared with the first.

We're supposed to be talking about our credentials/results, not some self-indulgent rich kid's sport.

dude, it's a message board, it's not like anything serious. This is a place to blow off steam and relax. I would suggest you try that.

[holdon]

I blow off steam by imagining your wealthy parents faces after hearing you've been lost at sea/eaten by a tiger shark/got the bends.

And what is a "sapper"? No, what's a sapperdaddy?

[SapperDaddy]

I blow off steam by imagining your wealthy parents faces after hearing you've been lost at sea/eaten by a tiger shark/got the bends.

And what is a "sapper"? No, what's a sapperdaddy?

I learned to dive in the Army. My parents are hardly rich, and don't pay for anything for me. I have a job for that. I paid for my schooling through the GI Bill and TAships. A Sapper is a graduate of Sapper Leader Course at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO. I guess you wouldn't know that since you are just an immature little punk who's been safe and sound huddled in some Ivory Tower somewhere.

And seriously, chill out and don't take yourself so seriously.

[Sigaba]

Hey can you guys please not do this diving thing here. It makes the second page look ridiculous compared with the first.

We're supposed to be talking about our credentials/results, not some self-indulgent rich kid's sport.

I blow off steam by imagining your wealthy parents faces after hearing you've been lost at sea/eaten by a tiger shark/got the bends.

And what is a "sapper"? No, what's a sapperdaddy?

holdon--

Your criticisms of the discussion of diving in this thread are somewhat confusing given the levity you have expressed in some of your previous posts.

Also, as a civilian, I think it is bad form for you to treat a member of this BB who is a veteran with such discourtesy. Moreover, by not availing yourself of this BB's robust search function you call into question your expertise as a researcher.

[Loimographia]

must not get involved with the futile argument. . . must not get involved. . . must not get involved. . . But really, holdon, what do you hope to gain by provoking people? I understand that you're feeling bitter about your prospects for graduate school, but why on earth would you bother with this argument when it's clear that in a mere two posts you've degraded and diverted the quality of this thread more than the entirety of the diving conversation?

Whoops, I got involved Nevertheless, I hope you do well with your applications, and that you can gain a better attitude towards not only others, but towards yourself as well. In the mean time, I would recommend taking a step back from this thread and taking a few deep breadths. It's not worth the conflict, really.

[holdon]

Look, the diving bits have no place here. Neither of them have bothered to share their profiles as per the thread's original intent. Yet they come here to talk diving. Their irrelevant posts irritate me when I come here to try and find some information relating to the profiles of other applicants.

And Sigaba, don't suppose that everybody in the world, let alone on this site, would agree that people who signed up to fight in illegal and wicked wars is deserving, automatically, of respect.

[Sigaba]

Look, the diving bits have no place here. Neither of them have bothered to share their profiles as per the thread's original intent. Yet they come here to talk diving. Their irrelevant posts irritate me when I come here to try and find some information relating to the profiles of other applicants.

And Sigaba, don't suppose that everybody in the world, let alone on this site, would agree that people who signed up to fight in illegal and wicked wars is deserving, automatically, of respect.

holdon--

Again, if you'd used the search function, you'd know how badly off you are in this thread.

Moreover, given you might not be well positioned to criticize others for their contributions in this thread.

Edited January 15, 2012 by Sigaba

[SapperDaddy]

And don't talk about mommy and daddy and rich people when you did your undergrad at Columbia.

[holdon]

SapperDaddy: have you actually posted something on this thread that relates its original intent?

[remenis]

SapperDaddy: have you actually posted something on this thread that relates its original intent?

Undergrad Institution: 2nd tier state school, commuter school, close to home and cheap

M.A. Program: state technical/agricultural school. Well respected in some fields, underrepresented in mine. As a bonus though, they had an untapped archive that was in my field that had some one-of-a-kind resources.

Honors Program: no, not even sure that was an option

B.A. Major(s): History, Political Science

M.A. Major(s):History (Central European nationalism)

GPA in B.A Major: 3.8

Overall undergrad GPA:3.48 (first 2 semesters of mechanical engineering didn't help)

Position in Class: I don't think they even ranked us

M.A. GPA: 3.8

Type of Student: White male. Veteran. nontradiational (older) student. First in family to ever get a graduate degree.

GRE Scores (revised): not sure what the revised part means

Q: 620 (62nd)

V:680 (93rd)

W:5.5 (91st)

Research Experience: M.A Thesis. Also two articles submitted, pending peer review.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Finalist for best graduate paper Western Social Science Association. Winner of best graduate paper for Western Association of Slavic Studies, national finalist for ASEEES best graduate essay.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs:.T.A. all semesters of Master's program. Adjunct professor since graduating. Organized annual campus film festival with period films from my field.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Veteran of Kosovo/Balkans conflict, many military leadership positions. Founded my own business, serving on state regulatory commission (appointed by the governor) for my industry.

Applying to Where: U of Washington, George Washington University, Northern Illinois, UC Berkeley, University of Utah (to keep my mother happy)

Research Interests & Areas of Focus: Interwar Czechoslovakia, nationalism and nation-building. I want to look at the role that the Czechoslovak Legion played in the politics of Czechoslovakia between the world wars.

Languages: English (native), Czech (near native, lived there 2 years, translation work in the army), German (studied in high school and 1 year university, lived in Germany 6 months, but mostly at a reading level now), Slovak (with a big Czech accent, but near native reading level), Polish (beginning)

Letters of Recommendations: Major professor for my MA, now retired, but was one of the top in his field, professor I TAed for, she says I'm the best student she's even worked with (got to love that). Professor from my undergrad institution who is also my supervisor as an adjunct and who I organized the film festival for.

Statement of Purpose: I focused on my experiences outside the academy, as I feel that between my military and work experience I really stand out. I also outlined my research interested and preparations in the field.

Writing Sample: I submitted the essay that was a finalist for the ASEEES award.

Communication with POIs: email with all potential ones. Visited two schools and spoke with POIs there.

Lessons Learned from Application Process:I hate waiting for something I know I don't have a whole lot of control over.

Did you not see this post?

[holdon]

I didn't and I'm sorry, for saying the bit about him/her not contributing.

[Sigaba]

And don't talk about mommy and daddy and rich people when you did your undergrad at Columbia.

SD--

If you've not already done so, please check your private messages.

[LLajax]

Look, the diving bits have no place here. Neither of them have bothered to share their profiles as per the thread's original intent. Yet they come here to talk diving. Their irrelevant posts irritate me when I come here to try and find some information relating to the profiles of other applicants.

I apologize for degrading your BB holdon; I didn't post my stats because I'm applying for Art History programs, not History. I keep up with the history boards because I did my undergrad in history and work part-time in a history department. I also post on the lit boards, because they have really fun and lively conversations there.

Edited January 15, 2012 by LLajax

[crazedandinfused]

Jeez, what happened here? We are all nervous but there is no need for personal invective. Let's keep our cool until at least Valentine's Day, ok?

To try to get this back on topic: With all you Ivy League-3.6+GPA people bemoaning your slim chances, I feel pretty crappy about my 3.0 and 3.4(UG and Grad) from my middle-rank university. Writing Sample and LORS, Writing Sample and LORS.......

Oh, and I'm also not applying to exclusively top notch programs. I have a feeling, and one of my recommendeds confirmed this, that by the time I hit the job market the people i will have worked with and the work i will have done will be equally as important as the institution on my diploma.

Edited January 15, 2012 by crazedandinfused

[lureynol]

I have a feeling, and one of my recommendeds confirmed this, that by the time I hit the job market the people i will have worked with and the work i will have done will be equally as important as the institution on my diploma.

From what I've heard/seen, this is very much the case.

I'm guilty of some of that elitist self-deprication/bragging, but I have to say I'm a thousand times prouder of the research, work, and growing I did at my respectable but not overly famous MA school than at my top-of-the-line old world undergrad institution.

[Loimographia]

Jeez, what happened here? We are all nervous but there is no need for personal invective. Lets keep our cool until at least Valentine's Day, ok?

I'm holding you to this! at 12:01A.M. on 2/14/12 I WILL BE RAGING ALL OVER THE PLACE!!!!!!RAAAAWWR!! Well, probably not. And then I will give you all chocolates <3 (It's late and I'm tired, so if I sound a little crazy, I apologize)

To get the thread a little more on topic again, I'll add a note of more lessons I'm learning every day: Don't apply to too many places. I'm hitting my ninth application right now, and I'm pretty sure it's my worst because I'm fairly burned out. The stress builds slowly, and after the first one you might think "oh that's not so bad. . . and heck, I'm only applying to six places, lets just tack on a few more names, research a few more schools . . ." But it's a beast. Don't feed it!

Another lesson: Just because someone tells you you'll never get in somewhere doesn't mean you shouldn't apply. One of my prof's told me I'll never get into Harvard. He's probably right, my hopes aren't up, and I'm just waiting on the inevitable rejection letter. But automatically denying yourself of something because it's hopeless is a slippery slope to despair. Sometimes you've got to do something just to say that hey, at least you tried.

[lureynol]

It was I who started the diving bit, in my own version of the form. I tossed it in there because it's on my resume, to demonstrate a bit of diversity if nothing else. I'm sorry it caused so much ire.

I think that the discussion will be extremely helpful to future applicants - it will show that we're all just as much on edge as they are.

That said, I'm always glad to know a fellow diver or two, especially those trained in the military. The Sapper course is no joke - that designation is only one of four that allows soldiers to wear a special left shoulder tab, the other three, to provide some context, are the Ranger Tab, The Special Forces Tab, and the Presidents 100 Tab. Combine it with the military trained diving and you have someone who, along with a host of other skills, is I believe qualified to tackle and defuse underwater mines - something I'm pretty sure we can all agree, no matter what our stance on the wars, takes skill and bravery.

Now that I've further fanned the flames (for which I hypocritically apologize) I must add that I also recently had a dream akin to LLajax's, where my 1st choice department contacted me and told me that I was only going to be accepted if I improved my handwriting. For those future applicatants combing this topic for advice, I offer the following reading on this: applications make us all crazy. You do this at your peril, only because you want and need to.

Finally, on the subject of helping future readers, may I suggest that those who have posted the questionaire quote their own answer and add where they end up going, once they know?

[lureynol]

Another lesson: Just because someone tells you you'll never get in somewhere doesn't mean you shouldn't apply. One of my prof's told me I'll never get into Harvard. He's probably right, my hopes aren't up, and I'm just waiting on the inevitable rejection letter. But automatically denying yourself of something because it's hopeless is a slippery slope to despair. Sometimes you've got to do something just to say that hey, at least you tried.

This. You'll never know unless you try.

[oseirus]

Lessons Learned from Application Process: You don't learn lessons until these things are over. It would feel like I was cursing my application to say anything remotely constructive about it all until after I've got the hatchet/got waitlisted/got in.

I agree and disagree: there are things you have learned up to this point that you wish had known before and obviously you won't know everything TILL you get the results obviously. The debrief process never ends!

[holdon]

I've just reread my posts/ and realized that I'm going crazy. Crazedandinfused, sorry I look like a diva. But I guess I'm still super-worried.

The application process has definitely made me a (more) horrible person...

[oseirus]

We're all on tenterhooks holdon, everyone will have one of "those" moments ... it's a competitive process & we're all competing for such a small pot ... tensions are bound to boil over at some point ... better to get it out of the way early I say