pingsmile Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 In at SAIS (Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies)... I didn't see any post on resultsboard but I guess SAIS' phd program is quite atypical? Anyone still waiting on Harvard? I dont know if I should just call the department.
jeudepaume Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 i'm wondering, are there any other folks who still wait to hear from UCLA? "no decision" for 4 months is so frustrating. (feels like a rejection at this point, but would be nice to know for sure)
dack Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 (edited) I know this is a debate thats been brought up a couple times but was wondering if anyone wanted to weigh in again. Since we've all been told to go to the highest ranked school, go where best fit, and not to do a PhD unfunded, how do we square those three maxims with one another? In my case I'm weighing a fully funded offer from a school ranked near 75 with so-so placements but a great fit that has been trying to woo me vs. an unfunded offer from a school ranked near 50 with very good placements for its ranking and a good but not great fit that has put no effort into wooing me. After emailing the DGS it is possible but not likely that I will eventually get funding at the second school. Any thoughts on this? Are there any good reasons to forego the funding and fit for the ranking and placements at this tier of schools? Edited March 12, 2013 by dack
ThisGuyRiteHere Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 (edited) I know this is a debate thats been brought up a couple times but was wondering if anyone wanted to weigh in again. Since we've all been told to go to the highest ranked school, go where best fit, and not to do a PhD unfunded, how do we square those three maxims with one another? In my case I'm weighing a fully funded offer from a school ranked near 75 with so-so placements but a great fit that has been trying to woo me vs. an unfunded offer from a school ranked near 50 with very good placements for its ranking and a good but not great fit that has put no effort into wooing me. After emailing the DGS it is possible but not likely that I will eventually get funding at the second school. Any thoughts on this? Are there any good reasons to forego the funding and fit for the ranking and placements at this tier of schools? It comes down to debt and your risk tolerance really. You could do the MA portion and leave in a year or two if funding does not change. Edited March 12, 2013 by TheMarketMan
setgree Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 Anyone still waiting on Harvard? I dont know if I should just call the department. I am, and I'm treating it like Schrodinger's Cat. They'll get in touch when they get in touch.
BrunoPuntzJones Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 (edited) I know this is a debate thats been brought up a couple times but was wondering if anyone wanted to weigh in again. Since we've all been told to go to the highest ranked school, go where best fit, and not to do a PhD unfunded, how do we square those three maxims with one another? In my case I'm weighing a fully funded offer from a school ranked near 75 with so-so placements but a great fit that has been trying to woo me vs. an unfunded offer from a school ranked near 50 with very good placements for its ranking and a good but not great fit that has put no effort into wooing me. After emailing the DGS it is possible but not likely that I will eventually get funding at the second school. Any thoughts on this? Are there any good reasons to forego the funding and fit for the ranking and placements at this tier of schools? For schools ranked outside the top 15-20, you need to narrow down two questions regarding the placements: (1) what's the time frame on them? A number of departments will show you aggregate stats from the past 10 years, but the market has gotten much tougher the past couple years. How have their students done recently? (2) what do the placement numbers look like within your subfield? And even more narrowly, how has your POI's last couple students performed? Some lower ranked programs routinely place students well in certain subfields. This boosts their overall numbers, but can be really misleading if you're headed their for something else. Those points aside, my advice is always to take the funded offer. It's not ideal, but you'll still have the option of looking around down the road if you feel like the school isn't competitive. The last couple markets have been rough, and I don't think a top 50 provides you that much more security than a top 75. Coming out with substantial debt is a nightmare scenario and should be avoided. Edited March 12, 2013 by BrunoPuntzJones raptureonfire 1
chaetzli Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 (edited) In at SAIS (Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies)... I didn't see any post on resultsboard but I guess SAIS' phd program is quite atypical? Anyone still waiting on Harvard? I dont know if I should just call the department. Congrats to SAIS!! I think Harvard sends out rejections by snail mail... so it could take a while until you get it. I would call or email them. But I'm pretty sure your, Setgree's and my acceptance email went to the spam folder and this is why we didn't get it so far Edited March 12, 2013 by chaetzli
jeudepaume Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 Hi all! I have a " Schrodinger's Cat" question to the faculty members (or to anyone who has a clearer idea on the topic than I do). So I called one of my 'pending' schools, and found out that while all the decision have been basically made (admissions, wait lists, rejections), my application is still undecided. So it's not rejected, but it's also not on the wait list. I am confused about what it means "no decision", when all the decisions (positive, semi-positive or negative) have been already made. Since wait lists are there to define all the following offers, it sounds to me that "no decision" at this point is just a postponed automatic rejection. Does anyone has any opinion/experience on that?
teamind Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 I know this is a debate thats been brought up a couple times but was wondering if anyone wanted to weigh in again. Since we've all been told to go to the highest ranked school, go where best fit, and not to do a PhD unfunded, how do we square those three maxims with one another? In my case I'm weighing a fully funded offer from a school ranked near 75 with so-so placements but a great fit that has been trying to woo me vs. an unfunded offer from a school ranked near 50 with very good placements for its ranking and a good but not great fit that has put no effort into wooing me. After emailing the DGS it is possible but not likely that I will eventually get funding at the second school. Any thoughts on this? Are there any good reasons to forego the funding and fit for the ranking and placements at this tier of schools? I am similarly dealing with the eternal question of fit v. rank, but without the funding aspect. For me, yours is an open and shut case as I know I don't want to put myself further in debt so from the start, I knew I would only consider funded offers. As to fit or rank, the way I'm looking at it is this: I am more likely to excel by publishing papers, presenting at conferences, and generally being supported in my work in a department with a great fit, than a department where there are little to no profs who share my interests. Therefore while the great brand name of the t20 might get me in the door for a job talk, it won't necessarily get me the job. And this is especially true in your case, where its ranked 50 and its unfunded-- nothing is guaranteeing you a placement, even a great placement record.. Either way its a risk, as are all pursuits of academia to an extent in terms of finding a decent placement-- but at least with the funded offer, you won't be drowning in debt by the end of it. Just my .02. Of course, as others have said, this all depends on your goals coming out. I also suggest reading the post by our OSU faculty friend BFB on fit v rank (can't link to it on my iPhone- it's at the top of the faculty perspectives thread).
pingsmile Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 Congrats to SAIS!! I think Harvard sends out rejections by snail mail... so it could take a while until you get it. I would call or email them. But I'm pretty sure your, Setgree's and my acceptance email went to the spam folder and this is why we didn't get it so far Thanks!! Everyone who emailed Thom Wall was rejected so I refrained from emailing until this noon. Not surprisingly, I was rejected in less than an hour. With that, closes my cycle.
chaetzli Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 Thanks!! Everyone who emailed Thom Wall was rejected so I refrained from emailing until this noon. Not surprisingly, I was rejected in less than an hour. With that, closes my cycle. Oh come on! You just destroyed my spam folder theory!!
USCoregonian Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 Is it kosher to inquire about a visit day when on a wait list? No info about any recruitment day in the letter.
Cesare Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 Is it kosher to inquire about a visit day when on a wait list? No info about any recruitment day in the letter. Also, do committees actually expect us to make a decision without visiting the school if we come off the wait-list on the 15th or after?
PoliSwede Posted March 13, 2013 Posted March 13, 2013 Is it kosher to inquire about a visit day when on a wait list? No info about any recruitment day in the letter. I know that some schools invite their wait-listed candidates to the open house/visitation weekend, but not all. I don't see the harm in asking, but I wouldn't count on them providing funding/etc. for a visit if you're on the wait list.
BFB Posted March 13, 2013 Posted March 13, 2013 I know this is a debate thats been brought up a couple times but was wondering if anyone wanted to weigh in again. Since we've all been told to go to the highest ranked school, go where best fit, and not to do a PhD unfunded, how do we square those three maxims with one another? In my case I'm weighing a fully funded offer from a school ranked near 75 with so-so placements but a great fit that has been trying to woo me vs. an unfunded offer from a school ranked near 50 with very good placements for its ranking and a good but not great fit that has put no effort into wooing me. After emailing the DGS it is possible but not likely that I will eventually get funding at the second school. Any thoughts on this? Are there any good reasons to forego the funding and fit for the ranking and placements at this tier of schools? Mm. I'd lean 75, knowing only this. If 50 funded you, it'd be a matter of how much better the placements are vs. how much worse the fit is... could go either way. But minus funding? Don't do that to yourself. I am more likely to excel by publishing papers, presenting at conferences, and generally being supported in my work in a department with a great fit, than a department where there are little to no profs who share my interests. Therefore while the great brand name of the t20 might get me in the door for a job talk, it won't necessarily get me the job. Couldn't have put it better. Is it kosher to inquire about a visit day when on a wait list? No info about any recruitment day in the letter. ... OK, don't take this the wrong way, but, news flash: you're a human being. You have a life, you have to make plans, you may have to make potentially costly decisions about travel and expenses and so on. Of course you can ask about a visit day. They might not have room to accommodate you or funds to bring you, but anyplace with people you'd want to associate with will give you a courteous answer. Also, do committees actually expect us to make a decision without visiting the school if we come off the wait-list on the 15th or after? No experience with this one; no waitlists. But if I offered someone funding after the 15th, I'd certainly expect to be talking about a visit date.
socioeconomist Posted March 13, 2013 Posted March 13, 2013 Hi folks, How big is the funding in Michigan this year?
Porthos Posted March 13, 2013 Posted March 13, 2013 Dealing with rejection. I got into my second choice, but no other programs (although I am still waiting on Rutgers). It certainly stings considering how much time and effort I put into these PhD applications. How have you guys been dealing with it?
jeudepaume Posted March 13, 2013 Posted March 13, 2013 Porthos, my congratulations to you on your acceptance, especially as it is the second choice! (am I understanding correctly: by "second" you mean literally just one below the first? That's actually awesome) From my own experience (which is much worse, as all I have for the moment is a couple of wait lists that highly unlikely will turn into offers) and from everything I see and hear around, I judge that it's a very random process. The competition is insane, and in a situation like that you are never judged by your actual full potential; there is a whole bunch of other reasons that inevitably come into play instead. So this is not an effective evaluation of whether you are good enough or not, but largely a great deal of luck (so just repeating pretty much everything people already said on this forum, I wouldn't take rejections personally). Considering all that, it is a great outcome, that you got an offer, which you are happy with. A very brilliant person that I know and that currently holds a tenure position told me that in his case out of 11 applications, 9 came flat-out rejections, 1 wait list and 1 acceptance. That's frustrating and consoling at the same time.
PoliSwede Posted March 13, 2013 Posted March 13, 2013 A very brilliant person that I know and that currently holds a tenure position told me that in his case out of 11 applications, 9 came flat-out rejections, 1 wait list and 1 acceptance. That's frustrating and consoling at the same time. My mentor told me that "one is all you need" at one point during this process. It was (at least a bit) comforting to think of it that way.
raptureonfire Posted March 13, 2013 Posted March 13, 2013 In at SAIS (Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies)... I didn't see any post on resultsboard but I guess SAIS' phd program is quite atypical? Anyone still waiting on Harvard? I dont know if I should just call the department. SAIS's program is very strong for policy; not so much academia. That's probably why you don't see a huge focus on the program here at GC!
Porthos Posted March 13, 2013 Posted March 13, 2013 I love john rawls and Lemeard: Thanks for the advice! Yes, I agree that all you need is one and I am very fortunate to have gotten into my second choice. This is my second cycle and this process is just insane. I wish you all the best in trying to get off those waitlists (call, email, bribe, do whatever you can to show them how much you want to go). More importantly, if this is really your dream then don't give up just yet. I am thirty years old and this was definitely going to be my last cycle, so I went all out in editing my writing sample, writing an academic resume, and working on my "statement of purpose". It was a difficult venture and I was hoping for at least two acceptances to boost my ego. Ultimately, however, getting into my second choice (University of Washington) is pretty solid. Anyone else still waiting to hear from Rutgers? Judging from previous years, it's pretty unusual for them to be sending out acceptances so late.
NBM Posted March 13, 2013 Posted March 13, 2013 I love john rawls and Lemeard: Thanks for the advice! Yes, I agree that all you need is one and I am very fortunate to have gotten into my second choice. This is my second cycle and this process is just insane. I wish you all the best in trying to get off those waitlists (call, email, bribe, do whatever you can to show them how much you want to go). More importantly, if this is really your dream then don't give up just yet. I am thirty years old and this was definitely going to be my last cycle, so I went all out in editing my writing sample, writing an academic resume, and working on my "statement of purpose". It was a difficult venture and I was hoping for at least two acceptances to boost my ego. Ultimately, however, getting into my second choice (University of Washington) is pretty solid. Anyone else still waiting to hear from Rutgers? Judging from previous years, it's pretty unusual for them to be sending out acceptances so late. Congratulations on UW, it's a wonderful program! And, good luck to all those who are on waitlists.
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