Welcome to the 2013-2014 Cycle

[timeless90]

For general interest: the Rochester admission's committee will be meeting during the first week of Feb. so I'd say results should be out by the 10th. Good luck to everyone! It's game time!

 

thanks for the info, and wow!  it only takes 10 days to make the final decision?? 

[zudei]

thanks for the info, and wow!  it only takes 10 days to make the final decision?? 

 

My estimate is based on past results of course. And I would prefer an early decision in any case Did you apply there?

[timeless90]

My estimate is based on past results of course. And I would prefer an early decision in any case Did you apply there?

 

haha yea, gave it a shot ! 

[zudei]

haha yea, gave it a shot ! 

 

Me too, good luck to the both of us! I checked past year results again, first accepatances were out on 6th Feb in 2013 and 11th Feb in 2012, so I guess it should be around the same time this year...

[TheGnome]

Did anyone claim A&M or MSU acceptances here yet? Sorry if I missed them.

 

My rule of thumb: If there are multiple acceptances posted on the results board and nobody claimed them here, it is OK to get suspicious about the authenticity of those posts. 

 

I think coach told us earlier that the process at Rochester started a bit later than usual. So if I had to guess, I would say the decisions will come out during the second week of February.

[steedyue]

University of San Diego don't even have a phd program in political science and someone post an admission? Strange.

[kal5]

Any thoughts on when MIT might release their results? The results page seems pretty varied between the first week and the last week of Feb - not to mention they seem like true believers in the postal service 

[IR IR IR PhD]

Ok everyone. I have a crisis that I'm pretty sure won't be resolved positively but I'm curious to gauge peoples thoughts. 

 

I was just informed via email from a graduate advisor from a school I applied to that they are missing my "official" transcripts. No where on the application (that I saw) did it say anything about mailing "official" transcripts to the grad department. As with nearly every school I applied to, I guess I assumed that this would only be a requirement if I was accepted. When I used their online portal to check my status it shows that my application was "submitted"... that my payment was received... that they had my GRE scores... and all 3 recs. There was not even a space for "official transcripts. It certainly didn't say anything was missing.

 

I explained this via email to the graduate advisor. I offered to overnight my transcripts to the department via email as well. I attempted to call but no one is picking up in the department. The email says something along the lines of, "Thank you for applying. Your application is incomplete because of missing "official transcripts". The deadline for their reception has passed. Thanks." 

 

I'm pretty much screwed huh? Jesus, not how I wanted to receive my first rejection. I really don't understand how this happened as I remember very thoroughly reading the instructions for this institution whose application involved multiple portals and what not. Gosh. 

[aecp]

Ok everyone. I have a crisis that I'm pretty sure won't be resolved positively but I'm curious to gauge peoples thoughts. 

 

I was just informed via email from a graduate advisor from a school I applied to that they are missing my "official" transcripts. No where on the application (that I saw) did it say anything about mailing "official" transcripts to the grad department. As with nearly every school I applied to, I guess I assumed that this would only be a requirement if I was accepted. When I used their online portal to check my status it shows that my application was "submitted"... that my payment was received... that they had my GRE scores... and all 3 recs. There was not even a space for "official transcripts. It certainly didn't say anything was missing.

 

I explained this via email to the graduate advisor. I offered to overnight my transcripts to the department via email as well. I attempted to call but no one is picking up in the department. The email says something along the lines of, "Thank you for applying. Your application is incomplete because of missing "official transcripts". The deadline for their reception has passed. Thanks." 

 

I'm pretty much screwed huh? Jesus, not how I wanted to receive my first rejection. I really don't understand how this happened as I remember very thoroughly reading the instructions for this institution whose application involved multiple portals and what not. Gosh. 

I feel your pain.  This almost happened to me, until a week prior to the deadline I realized that the school wanted official transcripts NOW, not just when they accept me.

 

My suggestion:  Do not give up!.  Write a detailed cover letter explaining yourself - this is an honest oversight and many schools have conflicting policies and worse their status page did not provide you any information.  If possible, include a screenshot to prove that the status page online only showed info for GRE, LORs, etc but not transcripts.  Have the official transcripts couriered to the school TODAY and indicate this has been done in the cover letter.  In the cover letter appeal that they evaluate your application and accept/reject you on the merits of your application and not on the technicalities of official/unofficial transcripts.  After all, the official transcripts  can be confirmed match exactly the unofficial transcripts you previously sent them.  Send the cover letter also by courier (FedEx, DHL, UPS) to the DGS, Chair of AdComm (if you know their name) and the Department Chair.

 

I wish you success!

 

P.S. You said: "I have a crisis that I'm pretty sure won't be resolved positively".  This is the  wrong attitude.

  STAY POSITIVE.

Edited January 20, 2014 by aecp

[astreaux]

Ok everyone. I have a crisis that I'm pretty sure won't be resolved positively but I'm curious to gauge peoples thoughts. 

 

I was just informed via email from a graduate advisor from a school I applied to that they are missing my "official" transcripts. No where on the application (that I saw) did it say anything about mailing "official" transcripts to the grad department. As with nearly every school I applied to, I guess I assumed that this would only be a requirement if I was accepted. When I used their online portal to check my status it shows that my application was "submitted"... that my payment was received... that they had my GRE scores... and all 3 recs. There was not even a space for "official transcripts. It certainly didn't say anything was missing.

 

I explained this via email to the graduate advisor. I offered to overnight my transcripts to the department via email as well. I attempted to call but no one is picking up in the department. The email says something along the lines of, "Thank you for applying. Your application is incomplete because of missing "official transcripts". The deadline for their reception has passed. Thanks." 

 

I'm pretty much screwed huh? Jesus, not how I wanted to receive my first rejection. I really don't understand how this happened as I remember very thoroughly reading the instructions for this institution whose application involved multiple portals and what not. Gosh.

Ugh. I wish I had wisdom to share, but all I have is shared anxiety about this stuff. Hopefully someone will get back to you tomorrow when all the offices reopen.

[IR IR IR PhD]

I feel your pain.  This almost happened to me, until a week prior to the deadline I realized that the school wanted official transcripts NOW, not just when they accept me.

 

My suggestion:  Do not give up!.  Write a detailed cover letter explaining yourself - this is an honest oversight and many schools have conflicting policies and worse their status page did not provide you any information.  If possible, include a screenshot to prove that the status page online only showed info for GRE, LORs, etc but not transcripts.  Have the official transcripts couriered to the school TODAY and indicate this has been done in the cover letter.  In the cover letter appeal that they evaluate your application and accept/reject you on the merits of your application and not on the technicalities of official/unofficial transcripts.  After all, the official transcripts  can be confirmed match exactly the unofficial transcripts you previously sent them.  Send the cover letter also by courier (FedEx, DHL, UPS) to the DGS, Chair of AdComm (if you know their name) and the Department Chair.

 

I wish you success!

 

P.S. You said: "I have a crisis that I'm pretty sure won't be resolved positively".  This is the  wrong attitude.

  STAY POSITIVE.

aecp... thank you so much for this post. It is why I have faith in this forum. I'm so happy to be able to share the trials of this grueling process with  everyone and to receive such positive advice. Your suggestion is exactly what I will do. Thank you thank you thank you for getting my back on the right track mentally. I guess I'll put down this pity beer so not to screw up my cover letter as well! 

[boazczoine]

Ok everyone. I have a crisis that I'm pretty sure won't be resolved positively but I'm curious to gauge peoples thoughts. 

 

I was just informed via email from a graduate advisor from a school I applied to that they are missing my "official" transcripts. No where on the application (that I saw) did it say anything about mailing "official" transcripts to the grad department. As with nearly every school I applied to, I guess I assumed that this would only be a requirement if I was accepted. When I used their online portal to check my status it shows that my application was "submitted"... that my payment was received... that they had my GRE scores... and all 3 recs. There was not even a space for "official transcripts. It certainly didn't say anything was missing.

 

 

One of my schools required official transcripts as well--I believe the only place that listed this requirement was on the general grad admission website and not on any of the department materials. One word of caution against sending a screenshot of the status page--the admissions officers know what that says and it could come off whining. I do agree with sending a letter (via email to the graduate school) explaining the situation inclusive of PDFs that confirm your transcripts are being couriered immediately while apologizing sincerely for your misunderstanding. Including anything more, I think, could make it seem like you're claiming that the oversight is somehow their fault. It sucks, but its not on them. Tuesday morning, call the department ASAP and explain to the graduate coordinator the problem.

 

If this helps you clam down, the school that required my official transcripts explained to me that they were only used after a decision has been made to accept a student--and that the graduate school would get in touch at that point (the verification stage), if they were missing.

Edited January 20, 2014 by boazczoine

[sylark]

I have to say, the application instructions are often vague/ambiguous depending on the program.

 

Most of the issues I had involved the divergence between programs and their schools; some programs require I  fill out two applications  (one for the program and one for the university).To me it seems odd I would have to fill out two forms with  different sets of instruction and requirements. As always, the general grad school application for the university often instructed that the student refer to the department's instructions, and at times, contradicted them. Likewise, some of the instructions on the department's website referred the student to the university's general graduate admissions for instructions.

 

It would be nice if more programs communicated better with their university inorder to reduce equivocation and streamline the process.

 

With all that said, I can see how programs often run into issues with qualified students that are missing materials. I'm sure if the adcom is interested in your application they will accept the late materials. (They probably have to do so from time-to-time.)

[boazczoine]

I have a question for those with families or who are in serious relationships. How is everyone tackling selecting a school while taking in account your partner's needs? Is your partner planning on moving with you no matter what/did you only apply to schools in your current city or are you exploring commuting/splitting time?

 

My husband and I have about eight different contingency plans in place depending on how the admissions process plays out for me--though I did limit my school search to a reasonable range around our home (thank you, Amtrak). We've been fortunate enough to get lots of great advice from couples who have been through similar situations, and I was just wondering if anyone else was going through the same thought processes and discussions.

[RWBG]

Stanford has better weather, so maybe their yield is higher?^^ Guess Stanford's will be closer to 40 then, since princeton and Stanford are kind of peer competitors. I'm guessing there will be some people with offers from more than one HYPS school, and then there will be the odd person turning down a HYPS school for other programs (better fit? I think Rochester sometimes got people that turned down HYPS, possibly other top-5 schools), so 50% might not be that far off.

Anecdotally, I'd say Harvard and Stanford are likely to have the highest yield. Michigan's had plenty of success getting people with offers at Yale, Berkeley, Princeton, and we've had some applicants (though fewer) turn down Stanford for us, but I can't think of anyone I know who turned down Harvard for us. In terms of people who've turned us down, it's almost universally people with other offers from the top-6: my year, I think we lost one to Harvard, three to Stanford, three to Princeton, one to Yale, one to Berkeley, and one to Illinois (I imagine for idiosyncratic reasons). From what I recall from the visit weekend, Rochester had at least one person who turned down Harvard for them, so it does happen, particularly with places that are more specialized. For the record though, our yield rate has generally been above 50%, and I'd be surprised if Stanford's wasn't a bit higher.

[timeless90]

Any thoughts on when MIT might release their results? The results page seems pretty varied between the first week and the last week of Feb - not to mention they seem like true believers in the postal service 

 

their site says early Feb...

so im guessing before feb 10th

[kal5]

their site says early Feb...

so im guessing before feb 10th

 

Thanks. Let's hope it goes that way 

[boazczoine]

Lamentably, I am single. However, I recognize that this is an extremely complex situation to navigate, even with a supportive partner. I do recall reviewing the thread "Two, Please - Grad School and Significant Others" here:

 

It's a shame that it is so outdated, because the information and experiences are extremely helpful. That being said, isn't there a pretty sizeable contingent of Political Science applicants from this forum with spouses/significant others? Come out of the woodwork, folks. 

 

Hey, thanks for the link! Its always nice to hear/read other people's thoughts. I feel very lucky to have such an awesomely supportive partner/application proofreader as I try for this path, it'll just take a little extra planning to make sure we find the right situation for us

[Targy]

Lamentably, I am single. However, I recognize that this is an extremely complex situation to navigate, even with a supportive partner. I do recall reviewing the thread "Two, Please - Grad School and Significant Others" here:

 

It's a shame that it is so outdated, because the information and experiences are extremely helpful. That being said, isn't there a pretty sizeable contingent of Political Science applicants from this forum with spouses/significant others? Come out of the woodwork, folks. 

 

I'm in a somewhat less complicated situation. My significant other will be graduating at the same time and looking for a job in the area that I will end up. He's started looking in the likely candidate areas, but there is no guarantee that it will work out nicely right away. We have a small nest egg that we would fall back on in case he can't find a job immediately. Trying to plan as much as possible in the meantime and hoping for the best.

[jeudepaume]

I have a question for those with families or who are in serious relationships. How is everyone tackling selecting a school while taking in account your partner's needs? Is your partner planning on moving with you no matter what/did you only apply to schools in your current city or are you exploring commuting/splitting time?

 

My husband and I have about eight different contingency plans in place depending on how the admissions process plays out for me--though I did limit my school search to a reasonable range around our home (thank you, Amtrak). We've been fortunate enough to get lots of great advice from couples who have been through similar situations, and I was just wondering if anyone else was going through the same thought processes and discussions.

 

I have this problem too. Although, in my case, any change in my situation will actually be an improvement. I met my boyfriend at another grad program: I was going for master's, he was receiving his doctorate. Now, I got my master's and moved all the way back to the Old World, whereas he got a job and stayed in the US. Now, there is about 6,000 miles and 12 hours of time difference in between us. In this light, I'm optimistic: wherever I get accepted - at least we'll end up on the same continent. 

If I get accepted somewhere... *fingers crossed*

Edited January 21, 2014 by jeudepaume

[boazczoine]

I have this problem too. Although, in my case, any change in my situation will actually be an improvement. I met my boyfriend at another grad program: I was going for master's, he was receiving his doctorate. Now, I got my master's and moved all the way back to the Old World, whereas he got a job and stayed in the US. Now, there is about 6,000 miles and 12 hours of time difference in between us. In this light, I'm optimistic: wherever I get accepted - at least we'll end up on the same continent. 

If I get accepted somewhere... *fingers crossed*

 

Wow, and I thought my past experiences made me the champ of long-distance; you definitely have me beat. Well done and congrats on making it work--I have a small understanding of how rough the time apart can be. Good luck with the admissions process!

[jeudepaume]

Wow, and I thought my past experiences made me the champ of long-distance; you definitely have me beat. Well done and congrats on making it work--I have a small understanding of how rough the time apart can be. Good luck with the admissions process!

 

Thank you, and good luck to you too! 

[Nords]

I have a question for those with families or who are in serious relationships. How is everyone tackling selecting a school while taking in account your partner's needs? Is your partner planning on moving with you no matter what/did you only apply to schools in your current city or are you exploring commuting/splitting time?

 

My husband and I have about eight different contingency plans in place depending on how the admissions process plays out for me--though I did limit my school search to a reasonable range around our home (thank you, Amtrak). We've been fortunate enough to get lots of great advice from couples who have been through similar situations, and I was just wondering if anyone else was going through the same thought processes and discussions.

I'm married as well, so I've been in the same boat during these applications. 

We're currently living in the DC metro area cause we both attended MA programs here, but now I applied to schools ranging from UNC to Syracuse to UC-Santa Barbara. So, definitely not Amtrak accessible haha Fortunately, her line of work is pretty easy to find in most cities, so wherever I end up going to school, she'll be fine with going with me. (Well, she might protest against Syracuse a bit, seeing as she doesn't like cold weather...) 

[boazczoine]

I'm married as well, so I've been in the same boat during these applications. 

We're currently living in the DC metro area cause we both attended MA programs here, but now I applied to schools ranging from UNC to Syracuse to UC-Santa Barbara. So, definitely not Amtrak accessible haha Fortunately, her line of work is pretty easy to find in most cities, so wherever I end up going to school, she'll be fine with going with me. (Well, she might protest against Syracuse a bit, seeing as she doesn't like cold weather...) 

 

Ha! My husband hates the cold weather as well--we actually met in the Deep South; he had fled the weather of New England after living there for six years. On our second date he told me he would never live "above Atlanta" again. I had the opposite view.

 

...and now they're calling for a blizzard tomorrow where we live! I...won?

[Nords]

Ha! My husband hates the cold weather as well--we actually met in the Deep South; he had fled the weather of New England after living there for six years. On our second date he told me he would never live "above Atlanta" again. I had the opposite view.

 

...and now they're calling for a blizzard tomorrow where we live! I...won?

Hahaha, brilliant. Yes, you did indeed win! But hey, at least if your husband is from New England, he has survived their winters in the past, even if he didn't like it. My wife and I met in Oklahoma of all places, though she grew up in Ecuador (hence the love of warm weather) and I grew up in Estonia (...hence the appreciation for cold weather). She's told me similar things, but her version was that she doesn't want to live north of DC. That poses a slight problem for at least 2 of the schools I applied to