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Getting a lot of great books added to my list, thanks. Hopefully must-read articles in the IR and CP fields will be posted as well, ones that I can access. Thanks for all the great info so far everyone!

So you guys are saying I need to do some research and narrow down -- currently I'm heavily leaning towards IR or CP. But what I am confused about is this - When applying to the PhD program, we already need to know not only what sub-field we are interested in, but also exactly what topic and region we want to research and do the dissertation on? In addition -- if anyone can recommend me MUST READ books/articles in the fields of IR and CP so I can get a true sense of what direction I want to head, that'd be great.

Another thing I'd like to add and ask for insight: The only math-related classes I have taken while at UCSD are -- Political Inquiry and Statistics using SPSS (A+), Pre-Calculus (B+), and Intro To Formal Logic which was a class on formal notation, formal reasoning, truth tables, and proofs (B+) Would this be bad for me in regards to applying to a PhD and having a relatively low amount of method type classes?

Can I ask how (and when) all of you came to an understanding of exactly what field of Political Science you wanted to specialize in? Especially when there are just so many interesting sub-fields ...

Thanks for the advice. I already had a huge number of important books/texts regarding the different sub-fields of Political Science on my "to read" list, and I will definitely be adding the ones you mentioned. Honestly I am just trying to figure out what path is more beneficial for me, and the more I think about it, for whatever reason, a PhD in Political Science seems like something I want more than a JD.

This is excellent information, thank you so much! Do you think you can post some links for me that you might think I should read and try to go over -- if possible, articles within any of the fields I listed as being interesting to me.

I haven't really narrowed it down yet to any specific field that I'm solely interested in -- but the fields I enjoy most would be American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, or Public Policy. One of those I would eventually narrow it down to. If Political Theory was a lucrative field, I would 100% go for that but I understand that it is not. I know there is math involved, I don't particularly enjoy it but that doesn't mean I can't do well in the field, right? Yeah I haven't had any real research experience yet which is why I'm going to do the independent research and honors thesis the following quarter, do you suggest I wait out this year (even though I'll be graduating from UCSD) and if I still want to get a PhD in Political Science, than apply next year (would that mean I'd have to apply at the end of next year?) Same as the above post, I'll definitely be doing an independent research + honors thesis the next two quarters, I just have a feeling that a PhD is more for me versus Law School.

I appreciate the long response. Do you know in what ways exactly is an independent study different from an honors thesis, both seem very similar to me haha but I know there's obviously some major difference. How heavy is the GRE on the math side -- and how important is that math score to Grad Schools? I honestly never really liked math to begin with, and haven't taken a math class in a few years. Also, are you currently in a PhD program now, if so, how do you like it?

Hello everyone, I'm not sure if this is the right section to post this is, but I'd really like some advice I'm currently an undergrad at UCSD with a major in Political Science. I'll be most likely graduating this year, which is ahead of time, as I've only been here for three years. My overall GPA is around a 3.5 and has been on a steady increase (it was at a 3.1 after about 1.5 years) and my Political Science Major GPA is a 3.85. Basically, the reason I've come here is to ask for any information and insight you guys might have for me. I was always "set" on law school and have studied for the LSAT, but as time goes on and I get closer to graduation, I really feel like the world of Politics and Political Science is the one I want to be apart of -- whether it's using my degree to work for some sort of think thank, research and academia (professor), a government agency (analyst of some sort), etc. etc. etc. I already have been promised by 2 of my professors, who are supposedly well known in the Poli Sci world, that they will write me a letter of recommendation. Alongside that I also have a promise from a professor in the linguistics and literature department, and a TA of mine from last year who was finishing up his PhD. Also I'd be able to get a letter of rec. from my employee (I work at a law firm part-time) and I speak 3 different languages, not sure if that helps at all, just throwing out details. So yeah, any help would be great, whether you suggest a Masters vs. a PhD route for what I've detailed about myself, just any knowledge would be great. *I'm also going to talk to my professor this week about doing an independent study with him for the next quarter, and then also an honors thesis with him the following quarter, since I believe that would be necessary (or at the very least, look good) on my resume for grad schools? Thank you.