Fall 2010 Admission Results

[readeatsleep]

That's funny - I earned my m.a. Not as a means of garnering prestige, but in an attempt to remove myself from that ambition entirely. Thus, my m.a. Is in philosophy from an unranked, radically left leaning program. But I've become more sensitive to the practical, job-training aspect of the discipline in general, and only applied to top ten theory programs. Happily, there is still some radical thought in these programs too!

I respect the ambition to join the ivies or oxford/Cambridge. But you should know that once you get there, the shine will wear off. One of my best friends just won the Rhodes scholarship and is almost regretting the whole enterprise because he realizes oxford is prestigious but not necessarily where he wants to be. You can be happy (and academically succesful) at alot of great institutions.

Edited March 1, 2010 by readeatsleep

[interista]

Outside of HYP, you'd be better off at a lot of non-Ivy PhD programs for PT anyway. Columbia is a top-15, maybe top-10 program, but Brown, Penn and Cornell aren't terribly strong in theory.

Toronto is a very good program for theory, and I'd definitely take a funded offer from Toronto over unfunded admission to Oxford or Cambridge.

Also, I would DEFINITELY take the PhD at Wisconsin over the MA at Yale if I were in comparative politics.

Edited March 1, 2010 by interista

[APGradApplicant]

And the wait on UMN continues...sometime today let's hope it ends!

[Ziz]

Outside of HYP, you'd be better off at a lot of non-Ivy PhD programs for PT anyway. Columbia is a top-15, maybe top-10 program, but Brown, Penn and Cornell aren't terribly strong in theory.

Toronto is a very good program for theory, and I'd definitely take a funded offer from Toronto over unfunded admission to Oxford or Cambridge.

Also, I would DEFINITELY take the PhD at Wisconsin over the MA at Yale if I were in comparative politics.

I completely agree with this and what readeatsleep said. I will end up taking the Toronto offer over Oxford, it will just be hard to follow my head . I think I would also take the UW offer over Yale as well...

[qazwerty]

I guess I'll add my MA experience since everyone else is doing it, too.

I did a one-year MA program and it is almost impossible to apply for a PhD while still in it (though I know someone who did, but only to three programs). If I applied for a PhD while in my MA, I would've only had one semester (the Fall) to get to know my professors, yet still had to do research papers and my thesis. I ended up applying to PhD programs after I finished up my program and after I'd finished defending my thesis so that the professors could get to know me better. That meant a year in limbo and mostly unemployed because I also didn't apply to jobs while in the program.

I wouldn't recommend this route unless you've got financial security, especially since you've already got a top-notch offer (so I hear). I don't know how Wisconsin-Madison is for polisci, but I know it has a strong reputation in econ.

Edited March 1, 2010 by qazwerty

[qazwerty]

oops, double-post

Edited March 1, 2010 by qazwerty

[blankets]

I'll claim that UMN waitlist, gos it's nice to get some validation, even if I don't get in. So many rejections so far, I'm now a believer in "it only takes one" :-). If you're in at UMN and don't plan on going PLEASE let them know.

[APGradApplicant]

Anybody wanting to claim UMN wait list? Haha, nevermind, blankets' post went up same time as mine. Congrats on that!

Edited March 1, 2010 by APGradApplicant

[natofone]

I'll claim that UMN waitlist, gos it's nice to get some validation, even if I don't get in. So many rejections so far, I'm now a believer in "it only takes one" :-). If you're in at UMN and don't plan on going PLEASE let them know.

Conrgats! Was this a personal email?

[gravityflyer]

Wow, within the past hour I received notifications that I've been wait-listed at both Minnesota and Notre Dame!! According to their emails, I've been "ranked very high" on Minnesota's wait list and placed on a "very short" wait list at Notre Dame. But I'm sure every other applicant has been assured the same. Ugh, so close but so far away...

P.S. Natofone, my UMN notification was a personal email, not a mass email.

[blankets]

Conrgats! Was this a personal email?

Hard to say, prolly just the generic waitlist email, though very kindly worded and implied a small waitlist:

"Our admissions committee reviewed over 250 applications, and we were able to admit just about 10% of those who applied. "

[brouhaha]

Rejected from MN. This is starting to look kinda grim.

[gravityflyer]

Hard to say, prolly just the generic waitlist email, though very kindly worded and implied a small waitlist:

"Our admissions committee reviewed over 250 applications, and we were able to admit just about 10% of those who applied. "

Blankets, was your email also from Prof Johnson?

[blankets]

Blankets, was your email also from Prof Johnson?

yes

[fromark17]

Also rejected at Minnesota. Lame. I really expected to get in there. Oh well, probably would not have gone anyway so not a huge loss. I guess the cycle is over for me unless I get extremely late acceptances from UCLA and Columbia. It's on to the visitation/decision stage. I'm overall very pleased with how this process turned out and wish everyone still waiting lots of luck!

[Keller65]

Who emailed out these Notre Dame wait lists?

[APGradApplicant]

Add to me to the Minnesota rejects

Can't say it isn't disappointing, but at the same time I have very little standing to complain. I have some great options in front of me currently. I plan to visit UC-Davis, Rice, UT-Austin and WashU. In addition, I'm on the wait list at a great program with University of Rochester. Right now, I'm probably leaning towards WashU, but of course getting off the wait list at Roch would no doubt be a game-changer. We shall see, but at this point in time I feel very lucky to have the choices that I do .

Finally, a sincere congratulations to those who were accepted today!

I can't say how relieved I am that this part of the process, for better or worse, is finally finished.

[APGradApplicant]

Who emailed out these Notre Dame wait lists?

Professor Christina Wolbrecht, Director of Graduate Studies.

[mcnollgast]

Also rejected at Minnesota. Ah, well. At least they were prompt about it!

[HarrisonWinslow]

Also out at Minnesota. I am originally from there, so, kinda glad 'moving back home' is no longer an option (but, if you ask my mom that's *never* outta the question!). I will be waiting for the official rejection from JHU. But, aside from that, I am done!

It feels pretty good.

Anyone visiting UCD or MSU should PM me so it won't be awkward when we're all there!

Best of luck to everyone still waiting!

[Keller65]

Professor Christina Wolbrecht, Director of Graduate Studies.

Thank you, AP Grad Applicant. I read your personal statement. What did you think of CPAC?

[natofone]

Rejected at MN as well. No huge loss. Not a great fit and probably the only school with worse weather than where I live now.

[gravityflyer]

Rejected from MN. This is starting to look kinda grim.

Hey now, keep your chin up. Its not over till its over!

[APGradApplicant]

Thank you, AP Grad Applicant. I read your personal statement. What did you think of CPAC?

Shoot me an e-mail with your e-mail address and I'd be happy to talk about it. I know that the moment I say anything positive about Marco Rubio or Tom Coburn people here are going to get into a frenzy, so I'd rather talk to you about it off-site.

[brouhaha]

Rossiya, congrats on your Yale MA, btw! You have a very difficult choice ahead of you, but it's a good problem to have.