fucetin Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 I want to ask you about my chance of admission with scholarship. I got my bachelors in Business Administration department (major) with a GPA of 4.00 and International Relations (double major) with a GPA of 3.56. I am in my second year in MA program of Political Science and International Relations and my current GPA is 3.87. My IBT score is 106 and GRE scores are Quant:168, Verbal:155 and Writing: 4.5. Since september 2013, I have been working as RA and TA for two scholars. I am applying from Turkey and although the universities I have been are among top rank in Turkey, they are not highly reputable in international setting. I applied 17 PhD program in Political Science in U.S ranking from Chicago and Cornell to Delaware and Utah. I also applied British Columbia, McGill and Toronto in Canada. I am very curious about my possibility of admission and I will be really thankful if you share your comments with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evgeny55 Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 I think your chances are pretty solid. GPA in IR and verbal GRE scores can be a problem, but given the fact that you've applied to 17 schools this shoudn't be a big deal. Your Q score is very good, better than mine anyway. Given the fact that you are non-native speaker, even top universities should make allowances for Verbal scores below 160, though this rule does not always work. I have buddies who scored 170 in Quantitative section but did not do well on Verbal, and despite their experience with some cool methodological stuff, they still got rejections from top schools. Again, from what your reported (GREs, amount of schools you've applied to, schools you've applied too) your chances are very, very good. But committees review applications as a whole, and LOR and SOP matter as much as tests if not more. If you LORs are from professors who have at least some credibility in US, than you are in pretty good shape. If not, chances are still good but acceptances from top tiers are less likely. Anyway, best of luck! A lot of admission decisions will be mailed in 2-3 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuldReekie Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 (edited) There have already been rejections and acceptances this cycle. check out http://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php?q=political+science There will undoubtedly be more acceptances and/or rejections this week. I'm aware and have already used it! I'm thinking more about larger scale acceptances/rejections and not just the odd university here and there Edited January 19, 2015 by AuldReekie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fucetin Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 I think your chances are pretty solid. GPA in IR and verbal GRE scores can be a problem, but given the fact that you've applied to 17 schools this shoudn't be a big deal. Your Q score is very good, better than mine anyway. Given the fact that you are non-native speaker, even top universities should make allowances for Verbal scores below 160, though this rule does not always work. I have buddies who scored 170 in Quantitative section but did not do well on Verbal, and despite their experience with some cool methodological stuff, they still got rejections from top schools. Again, from what your reported (GREs, amount of schools you've applied to, schools you've applied too) your chances are very, very good. But committees review applications as a whole, and LOR and SOP matter as much as tests if not more. If you LORs are from professors who have at least some credibility in US, than you are in pretty good shape. If not, chances are still good but acceptances from top tiers are less likely. Anyway, best of luck! A lot of admission decisions will be mailed in 2-3 weeks. Really thanks for your good wishes and detailed response. You are really right about my lower verbal score but unfortunately I could not get higher. If I had known that my gpa in double major would be a problem, I would not have informed the commitee about it. I had to focus on my major to be valedictorian during my undergraduate studies. That may be a genuine problem for me then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evgeny55 Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 I think there won't be any "big waves" of admission mails before first week of February. First week of February is usually big, a lot of mails are sent. There are very good schools, though, that send mails only at the end of February and the beginning of March. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuldReekie Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 (edited) Made some beer to distract myself today and it should be ready in four weeks ... four weeks ... hopefully we all have good news within four weeks ... we'll all have good news within four weeks .. right ... Suffice to say it didn't distract me for long enough! Edited January 19, 2015 by AuldReekie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duvergerian Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Just made an account and figured I'd go ahead and post here. From what I'm seeing, my programs will be giving out responses over the span of about a month, which, I'm sure, will be nice and stressful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Facade19 Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 (edited) This entire process of waiting and checking my e-mail is taking me back to early months of 2010, when I applied to law school. I received a few acceptances, was wait-listed at a few institutions and received my fair share of rejections too. Ultimately, the school I ended up attending and graduating from did not make me an offer of admission until mid-June. That was the school I really wanted to attend, given that my sister had already completed two of her three years there. Ultimately, I hope that this will not necessarily repeat itself; meaning the long wait, but the acceptance occurring. I am not sure how much relevance this may bear, and I hope that each and everyone ends up at the right institution, meaning the one we really want to, but also the one that really wants us. I guess we all did the best we could have done and therefore, there is no need nor a point in second guessing ourselves. We will either get accepted or rejected. I dislike the thought of rejection, but like I stated, I experienced my fair share of them, and will probably live through a few more. I just want to encourage each and everyone of you to not lose sight of what is really important. No matter what happens, and sincerely mean it, be proud of the courageous efforts you have undertaken in securing a bright future for yourself. No less in the field in which you actually enjoy making a living. It takes alot of bravery to undergo this and for that I salute each and everyone of you. With that said, I really really wish the best to each and everyone of you. Edited January 20, 2015 by Facade19 Robes, Hopeful21 and NYCBluenose 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evgeny55 Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Everybody gets rejections, this just how this process works:) Even the best applications got rejected because of lack of research fit, professor goes on leave etc. Academic job market is even worse. Here you send 10-15 applications and got bunch of rejections and, in a good scenario, one or couple acceptances. With job market, from what I know, you can send 60-70 applications and get no offers. Good news is that job applications are typically free:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delete-it Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Another lurker here - just wanted to throw myself into the mix as I anxiously await decisions from political theory programs. I graduated from a highly ranked law school in 2014, was editor-in-chief of my law journal and a research assistant. My law school GPA (top 10%) and verbal GRE score (169) are high, however my undergraduate GPA (3.49) and quantitative score (159) are lower. But I'm hoping with my strong LORs and the fact that I'm currently working in academia it'll all balance out because due to my wife's medical needs we cannot move and I only applied to three programs. Good luck to everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Facade19 Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 delete-it: I sincerely wish you admission to one of them (or all three). I am really sorry about your wife's health. But your credentials look fantastic. Nonetheless, all the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopeful21 Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 (edited) I have been lurking around these forums since the end of December and I thought that I should show my solidarity in suffering, by indicating that I too have thrown my hat into the ring. I applied to 10 programs. 8 in pol sci, and 2 ethnic studies as my research area overlaps both disciplines. Although I feel that I have a strong profile, I'm an international student with a very unorthodox story, which has led me to this point in time in applying for a place in a PhD program in the United States. I have to say that I'm glad that I didn't go through these forums in any microscopic detail before I submitted my final application. I think it would have taken my stress levels from 50 to 100! Of course, there is so much valuable feedback that everyone provides, but the overwhelming message I have been able to discern from everyone's posts and past experiences, is that there is no way to know for sure either way, why a person is admitted or rejected. And really it can come down to many things not limited to just fit, such as whether or not your application was at the bottom of a pile at the end of an intensive 2-week evaluation period, where one member of the Adcom hadn't had their daily caffeine fix, or for me, whether or not the department has the resources to support an international student. But I would never have been able to make this 'balanced' judgment analytically and apply it to my situation if I was still in the throes of a violent mind-blasting application period that I had no idea would sap so much energy and sleep from my daily existence, which went on for months! Reading these forums after I submitted my applications actually has given me more of a "Zen-like" approach to what is bound to be a brutal acceptance/rejection notification period in the not too distant future! I'm thankful to have everyone's posts on here to keep me both entertained and somewhat hopeful of a positive outcome! Good luck everyone!!! Edited January 20, 2015 by Hopeful21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopeful21 Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Another lurker here - just wanted to throw myself into the mix as I anxiously await decisions from political theory programs. I graduated from a highly ranked law school in 2014, was editor-in-chief of my law journal and a research assistant. My law school GPA (top 10%) and verbal GRE score (169) are high, however my undergraduate GPA (3.49) and quantitative score (159) are lower. But I'm hoping with my strong LORs and the fact that I'm currently working in academia it'll all balance out because due to my wife's medical needs we cannot move and I only applied to three programs. Good luck to everyone. I'm willing to bet my kitchen sink that you'll get an offer from at least 2 out of 3 programs, if not from all 3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARealDowner Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Just made an account and figured I'd go ahead and post here. From what I'm seeing, my programs will be giving out responses over the span of about a month, which, I'm sure, will be nice and stressful. I like the username, Duvergerian! I'm going to hazard a guess and say you're a comparativist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sartori Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I hope that each and everyone ends up at the right institution, meaning the one we really want to, but also the one that really wants us. I guess we all did the best we could have done and therefore, there is no need nor a point in second guessing ourselves. We will either get accepted or rejected. I dislike the thought of rejection, but like I stated, I experienced my fair share of them, and will probably live through a few more. I just want to encourage each and everyone of you to not lose sight of what is really important. No matter what happens, and sincerely mean it, be proud of the courageous efforts you have undertaken in securing a bright future for yourself. No less in the field in which you actually enjoy making a living. It takes alot of bravery to undergo this and for that I salute each and everyone of you. With that said, I really really wish the best to each and everyone of you. It is worth reiterating how important this is. These forums are filled with stress, anxiety, self-doubt, and perfectionism. They also encourage us directly to compare ourselves to others -- never a psychologically healthy thing to do. This is entirely understandable, but reading these forums can add to stress, rather than diminish it. (Although, of course, talking this stuff through helps, and like minded communities are good.) At this point, the above advice is the best advice. Be proud of yourselves. Celebrate your achievements. Remember that decisions are not personal -- they're the product of an imperfect data gathering process, and the best efforts of imperfect people. Rejection isn't failure. In this inevitable and unpleasant waiting period, when the stakes are high, positive psychology is the best thing to do. Also, Facade19, your post made my day. Thanks. Robes and Hopeful21 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ani11 Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 There are very good schools, though, that send mails only at the end of February and the beginning of March. Aye. Looking at last year's cycle, the 3rd week of February was just carnage. Made some beer to distract myself today and it should be ready in four weeks ... four weeks ... hopefully we all have good news within four weeks ... we'll all have good news within four weeks .. right ... Suffice to say it didn't distract me for long enough! This cracked me up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robes Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Apparently, also GWU has made its shortlist. I can guess that two schools out of my 13 are off the list already.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYCBluenose Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Apparently, also GWU has made its shortlist. I can guess that two schools out of my 13 are off the list already.. Hi Robes, Would you mind clarifying about your info on GWU? Did you call them? I'm applying there as well, and would be curious to hear. Thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robes Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Hi Robes, Would you mind clarifying about your info on GWU? Did you call them? I'm applying there as well, and would be curious to hear. Thanks!! Hi NYCBluenose, unless the guy it's a troll you can find it on the Results Search: 35 shortlisted applicants invited to open house on Feb 9. Offers for 25-30 to follow thereafter. I claim my not-shortlisting, as I have not received anything so far (and it's likely I will not) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meteora Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Hi NYCBluenose, unless the guy it's a troll you can find it on the Results Search: 35 shortlisted applicants invited to open house on Feb 9. Offers for 25-30 to follow thereafter. I claim my not-shortlisting, as I have not received anything so far (and it's likely I will not) I cannot find the open house information on the event (interview) list of GWU. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYCBluenose Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 (edited) Thanks Robes! I don't know if this is real or not (looking at past years on the results page, they seem to have accepted students directly via email, rather than following an open house), but it could be. I guess we'll find out more in the coming days Edited January 20, 2015 by NYCBluenose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robes Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Thanks Robes! I don't know if this is real or not (looking at past years on the results page, they seem to have accepted students directly via email, rather than following an open house), but it could be. I guess we'll find out more in the coming days You're welcome NYC! I hope too it's gonna be not real, despite I saw another post telling the same thing. Anyway, we'll find out more in a few days. Fingers crossed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duvergerian Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I like the username, Duvergerian! I'm going to hazard a guess and say you're a comparativist? Thanks! I actually have more of a focus on American voting, just applying Duverger's principles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMLogan Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 (edited) Hi everyone! I figured it was about time to join this waiting game, mutual admiration society, and (to a more limited extent, I hope!) pity party . I've applied to eight programs in political theory and one interdisciplinary humanities program. My background is in jurisprudence and social thought with some political and critical theory in there as well. My interests range pretty broadly (although they're organized around the same basic question). In grad school, I'm hoping to balance a sense of focus with even more richness and variety, and I'm pretty excited about the programs to which I am applying! ...but, at the moment, I'm stressed. Mid-feb can't come quickly enough! Congratulations to all of you on making it to this point!!! Pretty insane and wonderful to step back and think, woah, these are future colleagues! Edited January 20, 2015 by NMLogan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toucan Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Phone constantly at my side... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now