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Fall 2015 Applicants


dr. t

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Has anyone been accepted into a program at which they did not contact a POI?

Not exactly.  One of the POI I contacted never got to me and I was accepted. For the other one, I contacted one POI and got paired up a with a different one at the end.

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Has anyone been accepted into a program at which they did not contact a POI?

 

Yep. I didn't contact anyone before applying (both on advice from advisor and because I applied to 15 schools). At two of the programs I've been accepted to, the professors I listed on my application emailed me after I was accepted to introduce themselves.

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Has anyone been accepted into a program at which they did not contact a POI?

I've been accepted to 5 schools so far and didn't contact a single POI. I did mention who I wanted to work with in my SOP, and those professors all emailed me within a few days of being accepted and it didn't seem to be a problem.

Edited by girlscoutcookies
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Has anyone been accepted into a program at which they did not contact a POI?

I never contacted anyone for GWU and for NCSU I only talked to a graduate student and the Director of Graduate Studies about a writing workshop they were offering for applicants. I was nervous about not creating that relationship with a professor at each school, but thankfully it appears to have worked out for me.

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Cool, good to hear. I did contact a couple of professors, but for the most part did not directly contact POI. I was worried my lack of communication may negatively affect my applications, but answers have allayed my fears a bit. At least now I know that if I am not accepted anywhere, failure to contact POI will not be a major factor in the rejections. Thanks guys, I'm just freaking out a bit here.

Edited by JTE
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Completely unrelated post:

Walked into my advisor's office to talk about the tactical risks and benefits of using explosives in insurgency since 1890... Walked out talking about relative understandings of time in relation to physical and political proximity to conflict... this requires beer.

I hope that I am able some day to warp the mind of a young postgraduate just like what just happened to me.

Edited by JJWS
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Congrats kateosee!

And that sounds like an amazing conversation, JJWS. I feel the same way when I talk to my professors. I go in thinking I've grown as a grad student, and they remind me how little I know and how much more deeply I can think about things. I have a shadow of that effect when I chat with undergrads about topics in my wheelhouse. I wanna blow minds for the rest of my life!

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Nice, JJWS. I see you were included in that Emory massacre yesterday too. Sucks, doesn't it? But at least it affords us a bit of closure (we--thankfully--know we won't be living in Atlanta next year).

Edited by JTE
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What about Harvard? Should I expect my rejection via snail mail?

 

No Harvard notifies via email to check portal...this is my second round, I was rejected last year

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Hmm... It looks like Im still under review at Rice. I got an email from a POI informing me that they are looking at my application and that most rejections have been sent. I have a similar situation with IU. They demoted me to the MA program, but its totally cool cause they said they "will help provide funding opportunities during my MA program." Also, at IU, "Only a few spaces are open, and you are next in line for admission."  Im not exactly sure how to react to this news...

 

My fingers are still crossed

 

Congrats to all admits! Lets finish this month with a plethora of acceptance letters, cheesecake, and positive thoughts of our future!

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In regards to contacting POIs:

I did at every school I applied to, because I didn't want a repeat of a few years back when I discovered only after I applied, that my top program was not taking applicants in my subfield. At the very least, I think it's important, especially if you have a very specific interest like myself, to contact POIs to see if they're even taking on students. A few of the profs I contacted at Duke, UPenn, and Chapel Hill all told me to not apply because they are retiring, on sabbatical, or the department is rebuilding their modern Jewish Studies faculty (for some reason, they seem overly prone to die/retire). Just one email to each saved me a good $300 and some self-loathing.

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