Fall 2010 Admission Results

[SBL]

Anyone know if any of the Chicago accepts were for IR? Wondering if they've got through all the subfields yet or if there will be more releases tomorrow.

[M.Y]

Anyone know if any of the Chicago accepts were for IR? Wondering if they've got through all the subfields yet or if there will be more releases tomorrow.

I second the question.

[brouhaha]

I second the question.

Thirding, which hopefully means they haven't sent out IR acceptances yet.

[CrimsonBlue]

Is this process going to be completely over after February? I just want to hear back from Stanford GSB (Pol Econ), Harvard, Harvard PEG, Princeton WWS (Pol Econ)...! Oh well... BTW, I am so addicted to this particular page on the Grad Cafe!

[poli90]

I was a theory admit too...

[APGradApplicant]

Well, I don't have much to do but twiddle my thumbs at this point, so I made a timeline of what remains in my admissions process. As people know, some of the schools left on my list are ones I probably won't go to but nothing like a self-esteem boosting acceptance, right? (Haha, kidding)

February- 9 or 10 schools with eleven business days remaining in month (Monday the 15th is a holiday)

This week- UT-Austin and Rochester (2)

Next week- Notre Dame, Maybe Florida, Oklahoma (2 or 3)

Fourth week of February- UNC-CH (waitlisted or rejected?), Iowa (are they even gonna offer anyone funding?), Rice, SUNY-Albany, Maybe MIT, Maybe Florida (4-6)

March- One or two schools in five business days

First week of March- Minnesota, Maybe MIT

Ah, the joy it will be when this is all over...

[Coldgrad]

Crimsonblue: Curious for your thoughts on the Princeton WWS program - do you have the sense that you can leverage the degree into an academic job anywhere except a policy school? Or is it also your impression that the degree is a ticket into the higher echelons of thinktanks and public service. I ask only because I've had some positive signs I might get an admission (applied to a different cluster than you), and have been trying to think through what the career implications of taking that direction would be.

Edited February 11, 2010 by Coldgrad

[Penelope Higgins]

Not the person you were asking but... I know several WWS PhDs with academic jobs, both in political science and in other disciplines, in addition to all those working at policy schools.

Crimsonblue: Curious for your thoughts on the Princeton WWS program - do you have the sense that you can leverage the degree into an academic job anywhere except a policy school? Or is it also your impression that the degree is a ticket into the higher echelons of thinktanks and public service. I ask only because I've had some positive signs I might get an admission (applied to a different cluster than you), and have been trying to think through what the career implications of taking that direction would be.

[CrimsonBlue]

Crimsonblue: Curious for your thoughts on the Princeton WWS program - do you have the sense that you can leverage the degree into an academic job anywhere except a policy school? Or is it also your impression that the degree is a ticket into the higher echelons of thinktanks and public service. I ask only because I've had some positive signs I might get an admission (applied to a different cluster than you), and have been trying to think through what the career implications of taking that direction would be.

I applied to an academic one: Political Economy with Politics, not the one in Public Policy. So, if I get in, I will belong to the politics department with both political scientists and economists supporting me. And, getting a ph.d. in public policy only may imply some disadvantages in the academic job market. If you look at Michigan's Ford School, they offer joint degrees for this reason.

[brouhaha]

I found my UVA decision on the website with no e-mail, same as Northwestern. Now I'll be checking all of my applications to see if there are hidden rejections I don't know about!

[ridgey]

And, getting a ph.d. in public policy only may imply some disadvantages in the academic job market.

Care to expand? This is the kind of thing I need to work through. I'm pretty confident I'll be able to do the research that interests me whether I do pols, policy or public health. I think that with a poli sci degree I'm employable in all three, at least in North America. With public health, I'll be employable in public health, obviously, and most likely policy schools. Policy - I think I'd be employable in public health schools as well as policy. So, on the surface more options with pols. But, if I want to do consulting - NGOs, WHO, etc, I'm pretty sure it's public health > public policy > classical violin >political science.

Of course, as of now I have only one acceptance (LBJ school, yay!) and this is all moot. Come on, Penn!

[tomorrows verse]

My Northwestern page still doesn't have a link...I'm still just assuming I'm rejected, that way I'll be falling a shorter distance. Figuratively, of course.

[Yes]

Can you try to feel some full funding at Princeton or Oxford in your bones for me?

I did my undergrad at Oxford... did you apply for the MPhil Pol Theory?

Whom are you hoping to work with?

[brewski]

I did my undergrad at Oxford... did you apply for the MPhil Pol Theory?

Whom are you hoping to work with?

I dunno about Ziz, but I applied for the MPhil in Theory. Hoping I get in AND a Clarendon. haha.

Worked with David Miller at all??

[Yes]

I dunno about Ziz, but I applied for the MPhil in Theory. Hoping I get in AND a Clarendon. haha.

Worked with David Miller at all??

"worked with" would be pushing it - unlike in the States, undergrads don't do RAs at Oxford

But I have met him a couple of times, and he lectured, too.

I was really into Pol Theory as an undergrad (although I am now applying for IR) so if you have any questions about Theory at Oxford, hit me.

[Coldgrad]

I applied to an academic one: Political Economy with Politics, not the one in Public Policy. So, if I get in, I will belong to the politics department with both political scientists and economists supporting me. And, getting a ph.d. in public policy only may imply some disadvantages in the academic job market. If you look at Michigan's Ford School, they offer joint degrees for this reason.

Thanks. This is helpful to know. I applied to a more out there cluster (Science, Tech and Env.), but its line with my proposed dissertation, which is focused on climate change. I imagine that it would be a bit more limiting than pol econ, but its good to hear that there is generally some career flexibility that from a very top PhD in Public Affairs.

Edited February 11, 2010 by Coldgrad

[SuddenlyParanoid]

Thanks. This is helpful to know. I applied to a more out there cluster (Science, Tech and Env.), but its line with my proposed dissertation, which is focused on climate change. I imagine that it would be a bit more limiting than pol econ, but its good to hear that there is generally some career flexibility that from a very top PhD in Public Affairs.

I'm surprised that so many people have specific ideas on their dissertation already! It seems like a lot of people know exactly what they're going to do, while I only have it narrowed it down a little.

[curufinwe]

Did you guys state your interests in the SOP with details? Or did you just state the general area?

-I am interested in comparative politics, with a focus on regime changes and democratizations. (this is what I did)

-I am interested in democratizations and I plan to focus on the impacts of Islamic culture on the civic culture of the Middle East and its impact on democratization movements in the region.

Which one is more healthy?

[Yes]

I'm surprised that so many people have specific ideas on their dissertation already! It seems like a lot of people know exactly what they're going to do, while I only have it narrowed it down a little.

I only talked about some rather wide areas of interest, and some questions that interest me within them, but I don't have a "dissertation topic" as of yet.

I actually discussed this issue with some Professors at Harvard when I visited. They said they don't mind; some even said that they prefer it that way because they like to think that our interests will develop over the first 2 years, and that they would like to be part of this process.

So I don't think we should worry (and Stanford didnt seem to mind.) At the same time, I always get slightly intimidated by people who have a very clear idea of what they want to do - makes me doubt my intellectual maturity that I don't.

[curufinwe]

Haha don't worry. I have my dissertation topic already. But I couldn't even get accepted to anywhere yet. And the chances are, I will only get into my safety school. So, you can always find a topic when you are studying there.

[Megan]

Did you guys state your interests in the SOP with details? Or did you just state the general area?

-I am interested in comparative politics, with a focus on regime changes and democratizations. (this is what I did)

-I am interested in democratizations and I plan to focus on the impacts of Islamic culture on the civic culture of the Middle East and its impact on democratization movements in the region.

Which one is more healthy?

I was fairly specific. While I am open to the fact that everybody's research interests tend to change, my research interests have been pretty focussed for the last 7 years, and at this point I will be surprised if I do my dissertation on a wildly different set of issues than those. I have been focussed on a specific geographic area as well. I'm sure there will be some shifts, but I don't necessarily forsee a radical shift.

The way I see it, there are ups and downs. The positive of doing it my way is that because my interests are focussed, I need a department that, knowing that focus, still thinks I'm a good fit. The negative is, it limited the schools where I felt comfortable applying, and I think it could hurt my admissions chances. Lots of people may be able to support you on your issue if you are general. If I had stated broadly "I am interested in looking at transitional democracies from a comparative perspective" without expanding I think I would have had more chance of getting accepted, but because I know that I am interested in those issues in a specific historical and cultural context, I felt that I needed to expand on those interests in my SOP.

I don't really know what's better...I didn't even actually consider doing it the other way, but now that i think about it maybe it would have been better...who knows.

[Ziz]

I did my undergrad at Oxford... did you apply for the MPhil Pol Theory?

Whom are you hoping to work with?

No, I've applied for the DPhil this time. I did a masters in political theory at LSE. A few years ago I was accepted to the MSc Political Theory Research but had to decline because I didn't have the funding together at the time. I was assigned to Daniel McDermott. I'm assuming that if I'm accepted again this year I will probably be assigned him again. WHat's he like?

[SBL]

I only talked about some rather wide areas of interest, and some questions that interest me within them, but I don't have a &quot;dissertation topic&quot; as of yet.<br /><br />I actually discussed this issue with some Professors at Harvard when I visited. They said they don't mind; some even said that they prefer it that way because they like to think that our interests will develop over the first 2 years, and that they would like to be part of this process.<br /><br />So I don't think we should worry (and Stanford didnt seem to mind.) At the same time, I always get slightly intimidated by people who have a very clear idea of what they want to do - makes me doubt my intellectual maturity that I don't. <img src="http://forum.thegradcafe.com/public/style_emoticons/default/sad.gif" /><br />

<br />

I used to have a very narrow dissertation topic. Then I went to one of the top schools in my list below (will remain nameless), where I was summarily told by a professor that I might as well just write a book and not bother with a phd. In general they seem to have a preference for those with broad interests they can shape (they can then continue their own research through you), rather than those that know what they want to do. Naturally in my SOP, my "intellectual maturity" quickly receeded.

The very scientific method of using the past few posts in this thread seems to support the notion that focus does not matter, and might even hurt chances of admission.

Edited February 11, 2010 by SBL

[Ziz]

Did you guys state your interests in the SOP with details? Or did you just state the general area?

-I am interested in comparative politics, with a focus on regime changes and democratizations. (this is what I did)

-I am interested in democratizations and I plan to focus on the impacts of Islamic culture on the civic culture of the Middle East and its impact on democratization movements in the region.

Which one is more healthy?

I did a bit of both. I said I have always been drawn towards questions of justice in all its incarnations. I also gave two specific questions that interested me the most and explained why I thought they were important and how my interest in them was shaped. I do have a dissertation topic but I have also done a masters degree that helped shape that. Straight out of undergrad I had only a very general idea and it wasn't until I wrote my masters thesis that I actually was able to formulate an idea for a PhD so I would agree with those who say that the first 2 years shape your thinking for sure.

[Yes]

I don't really know what's better...I didn't even actually consider doing it the other way, but now that i think about it maybe it would have been better...who knows.

Like you, I didn't really consider the alternative - it felt unnatural to pretend I have reached a stage I haven't actually reached, and also unwise, for many reasons. I didn't look at it from a strategic perspective at all.