2017-2018 Application Cycle

[cb2017]

3 minutes ago, deutsch1997bw said:

Was it an email from a POI or just a generic one? 

Generic email. The decision letter was from the Dean.

[deutsch1997bw]

2 minutes ago, cb2017 said:

Generic email. The decision letter was from the Dean.

Congrats! What are your subfield interests in CP? I applied there, too, but have yet to hear anything.

[maria24]

Not sure if this is still relevant, but I just joined and I read a few pages back about admit results coming from Columbia. The program I applied for (SIPA's environmental science and policy mpa) is one year long and starts in May/June. I wouldn't be surprised if people were trolling the results page, but another explanation could be that they applied for this program, and received an offer early because it starts earlier than most? If I'm wrong in this assumption though, please let me know! 

I got wait-listed, btw, so I am stressing to the max about what might happen next. Good luck to all!

[csantamir]

8 hours ago, swampyankee said:

Agreed. The rankings discussion is consequential, and may be helpful to our soon-to-come decisions, whereas "who heard what from where and how by whom" is an IV drip of anxiety. Not that I blame anyone for being anxious! *wipes sweat from brow*

@csantamir, my impression is "yes," though if you're applying to a lower-ranked program, I'd talk to some of the students and get a sense of their focus. Some don't provide much funding, or tie it to so much teaching that research becomes secondary.

Noted – thank you for the tip!

[csantamir]

8 hours ago, SerenityNow! said:

@csantamir I think it depends on which lower ranked school you attend and where that school is located.

I work with many people who have PhDs in Political Science, Public Policy, and Economics who all now work in the private sector and act as subject matter experts. While they are certainly not doing R1 university level research they are heavily involved in writing white papers and doing other types of "boots on the ground" research. Many of them also teach as adjuncts at some of the local universities and occasionally collaborate on research papers with full-time faculty members. Most of these people got their PhDs later (late 20s/early 30s) and didn't really make a career change just more of a pivot towards research and away from management. So yes, I think you can definitely do some research and teaching with your PhD even if it isn't "top 20" (or whatever) as long as others from your school have followed a similar path so there is an alumni network to support you and all the better if it is in a major city where there are these types of jobs and teaching opportunities.

The 2 schools I’m looking at are both located in or near major cities. Thanks!

[Kief13muse]

4 hours ago, cpmethods said:

Hey guys! Should I be worried that I did not get any interview requests from UCSD? Two of my friends received requests so I am wondering if you guys think it kinda signals me that its gonna be a straight reject for me?

 

And is anyone claiming Harvard interview? Since when is Harvard doing interviews?

 

 

Yeah I'm worrying about the same thing, and I didn't know that UCSD also holds interviews. My subfield is CP by the way.

[buckinghamubadger]

I'm kind of surprised there was nothing from CU Boulder today. Historically it's usually today or tomorrow that they start announcing. 

 

On another note, based on history and their FAQ page,and I would not be surprised in the slightest if WashU announced next week.  (Crosses fingers, knocks on wood)

[Hamb]

27 minutes ago, buckinghamubadger said:

I'm kind of surprised there was nothing from CU Boulder today. Historically it's usually today or tomorrow that they start announcing. 

 

On another note, based on history and their FAQ page,and I would not be surprised in the slightest if WashU announced next week.  (Crosses fingers, knocks on wood)

Sorry, by WashU does that mean St. Louis?

[arctic_ice]

11 minutes ago, Hamb said:

Sorry, by WashU does that mean St. Louis?

Yes

[Sheldon2017]

Does anyone know why some applicants are offered an interview others are not?

[BFB]

On 1/23/2018 at 11:10 AM, mcm1 said:

I'm confused with how far along the OSU admissions are. Should I have expected an interview request from them at this point? Is that even part of their typical process?

Interviews are a part of our typical process, but the POIs have considerable leeway when it comes to whether or not to reach out. Sometimes they find everything they need in the file, either to offer an enthusiastic thumbs-up or to say that we should probably pass. A fair number of people have been interviewed. A fair number who haven't will make the short list anyway. So not getting a call is not a very informative signal.

As to how far along we are: pretty far. People who are being admitted should hear something by the end of the week. Because financial aid is allocated centrally (don't get me started...), financial aid decisions won't be out for another month or so. (The "or so" is because the Dean of the Graduate School left abruptly a couple of weeks ago, and I really don't know how that's going to affect their turnaround time.)

One more thing: I've read over 160 files in the past few weeks, and I have to say, I'm immensely impressed with you people. You're smart as hell, and you're a lot more interesting than I was when I applied for graduate school. It's a real honor to get applications from people of your caliber, and I'm grateful to those of you who went to the time and trouble to send them in.

Best of luck to all of you.

[Hamb]

@BFB Thanks for making an appearance here. I've read through all of the faculty perspectives thread, and want to say thank you for all the help. Your insights have been helpful not only through the application process, but now through waiting on the admissions decisions!

Edited January 25, 2018 by Hamb

[Wiesbaden]

Are there someone who got an acceptance letter from Univ. of Arizona? This is my 1 tier school but I think I am on the waiting list lol

[Salve]

10 hours ago, cpmethods said:

Hey guys! Should I be worried that I did not get any interview requests from UCSD? Two of my friends received requests so I am wondering if you guys think it kinda signals me that its gonna be a straight reject for me?

 

And is anyone claiming Harvard interview? Since when is Harvard doing interviews?

 

 

@cpmethods I heard Harvard doesn't have interviews. Has that changed?

Edited January 25, 2018 by Salve

[Gramscian_Minivan]

Does anyone think there are still more letters of acceptance to be sent out by Wisconsin or does the current delay suggest they may have accepted everyone they plan on accepting at this point?

[DreamersDay]

36 minutes ago, Gramscian_Minivan said:

Does anyone think there are still more letters of acceptance to be sent out by Wisconsin or does the current delay suggest they may have accepted everyone they plan on accepting at this point?

I think that the answer to this question doesn't exist on this forum unless there is a member of the Wisconsin admissions committee reading this.

[DreamersDay]

1 hour ago, Salve said:

@cpmethods I heard Harvard doesn't have interviews. Has that changed?

I do not believe any top 6 program has interviews...bored, sad people post fake results.

[Albert01]

3 hours ago, Wiesbaden said:

Are there someone who got an acceptance letter from Univ. of Arizona? This is my 1 tier school but I think I am on the waiting list lol

Yes, even though it was not the official letter, but I got an email from the director of the program assuring that I am in the accepted group. I am CP/PT. The mail said that the official results will be sent out within a week. I wish you luck!

[skhann]

Scanning the results page shows that the emphasis appears to be on the GRE scores, if one takes every entry at face value. The score has to be 325+ and you can get in with a 3.2 undergrad GPA. Sad!

[huso]

Is there anyone claiming Temple univ. acceptance? I checked the portal and saw that I was accepted but there was no additional info about funding etc. and I did not get an e-mail regarding acceptance yet.

[meteora]

31 minutes ago, skhann said:

Scanning the results page shows that the emphasis appears to be on the GRE scores, if one takes every entry at face value. The score has to be 325+ and you can get in with a 3.2 undergrad GPA. Sad!

1

I think this year's revealed GRE scores (in the results page) are way higher than previous years' scores. In fact, we just have heard from several good schools, like Wisconsin and OSU. However, I am overwhelmed by the scores.

Edited January 25, 2018 by meteora

[skhann]

6 minutes ago, meteora said:

I think this year's revealed GRE scores (in the results page) are way higher than previous years' scores. In fact, we just have heard from several good schools, like Wisconsin and OSU. However, I am overwhelmed by the scores.

I was actually concerned about the correlation between high GRE scores and low GPA. The results, if taken at face value, indicate similar trends. Although it would be wrong to generalize on this very small sample, the adcomms' obsession with the GRE scores is a known fact.

Edited January 25, 2018 by skhann

[guest56436]

For the record, GPA is probably the weakest indicator of acceptance there is. There's a lot of variation.

[SerenityNow!]

It probably varies a lot by school but I know at least some don’t really care about your GRE score at all as long as it is above a relatively low bar. Where I received a masters degree the head of the admissions committee told me every year they think of getting rid of it but since almost every other school requires it they continue to as well. They told me maybe one professor on the committee really cares about scores but they they are typically out voted if they are picking people who have high GRE scores but lack basic research experience or other more important qualities in an applicant. 

 

It is easy as applicants to get caught up in GRE scoressince it is the last chance to improve your profile from a numbers perspective but I doubt they are really making or breaking a lot of folks admission chances.

[skhann]

3 minutes ago, SerenityNow! said:

It probably varies a lot by school but I know at least some don’t really care about your GRE score at all as long as it is above a relatively low bar. Where I received a masters degree the head of the admissions committee told me every year they think of getting rid of it but since almost every other school requires it they continue to as well. They told me maybe one professor on the committee really cares about scores but they they are typically out voted if they are picking people who have high GRE scores but lack basic research experience or other more important qualities in an applicant. 

 

It is easy as applicants to get caught up in GRE scoressince it is the last chance to improve your profile from a numbers perspective but I doubt they are really making or breaking a lot of folks admission chances.

That "low bar" is often 320-ish at many schools to begin with.