eponine997

CPE would usually be something like cross-national (or sometimes subnational) comparison of units that don't interact, for example, comparing the social welfare systems of Canada and New Zealand, or the effect of state income tax between Maryland and Ohio. They have no effect on one another but can be individually measured and compared. IPE would involve some sort of international actor (IMF, WB) or international interaction between countries (trade, FDI, labor migration, etc.) and its effects on whatever (which can be done by comparison of two or more countries/sets of countries, comparing one country to itself over time, process tracing, etc). Does that make sense? Not a great distinction, if someone else can come up with a better one, feel free, but I don't necessarily think there is an obvious textbook definition because there is some significant overlap.

If you have a primary field of interest and can make a strong case for yourself for that primary field, you should be fine. There are lots of people who shift their interests once they start grad school. They expect you to have clearly defined research interests when applying to a PhD program, they don't expect you to be an expert in the field (you attend a PhD program to BECOME an expert in the field, not because you are one already). If the school requires you to express interest in a secondary field, then do so, explain how that interest came about and what questions puzzle you within that field and explain what preparation you do have, even if it is only familiarity with relevant literature that led you to explore questions X, Y and Z. Expressing this interest can also be helpful if you are trying to convey "fit" with the school (ex: "the presence of Prof. A, Prof. B, who study this is part of the reason your program applies to me because of my closely related interest in questions pertaining to this" (though obviously don't say it like that)). But your statement of purpose is not a binding contract or plan of study, they won't throw you out once you get there because you said you wanted to study political behavior in your SoP and after your first term you decide to focus on methodology (or whatever). To answer your question, you need enough training/background to be able to convey a clear, coherent research interest in the topic (however much that is, however you acquire it). It sounds like you are looking at next cycle so you have time, talk to your current profs or anyone studying relevant questions to your interest in CPE/IPE and ask what the key literature someone interested in this field should be familiar with - then talk about it in your SoP in terms of how it shaped your research interests and the questions you want to further explore.

This makes me happy! I remember you posting not long ago with a less-than-optimistic outlook, I'm glad things worked out

Same deal. I am oh-for-nine, save one wait list spot. They sent out their acceptances in late January (of course, before my 3rd recommender submitted his letter - when I realized that I was pretty bummed). Then I get a WL notice on Feb 25 telling me they won't know until "mid to late April" (so at least they told me when I'd find out, but it is still a miserable waiting experience). I know a few people have declined offers to the school and another person received an identical wait list email last week... no one has been rejected, which makes me wonder if there is any logic to when WL notices went out or if EVERYONE is on the waitlist and the notification was essentially meaningless... Hang in there, I feel your pain

I wish! Hopefully that is just the worst case scenario. I've thought countless times the ways EVERYTHING about this process could be less painful, but as a wise man told us, "blame bureaucracy" - sounds right to me

Yes. My waitlist notification said they were unlikely to know until "mid to late April." Not a specific date, just "late April..." so it could be a week or two beyond the 16th. I've heard people mention the same thing for other schools (not GWU specifically), that people wait listed for funding or admission/funding will not hear until AFTER the 15th. Even late in the day on the 16th seems too optimistic to me in terms of bureaucratic effectiveness :/ Ugh, I hear you brandnewtothis, I am just ready for this to be over .

+1

UC Davis is a good program, is it strong in your subfield? are there people you can work with within your field of interest? There are people (if you read the "welcome to the cycle" thread) that did infinitely better on their second cycles (typically after striking out the first time). Sometimes this happened just by choosing more appropriate schools (read: fit) or by writing a more focused SoP. MAPSS, if I recall correctly, is only a 1 year program. Which means you'll only have been there a very short time when you are asked to submit a writing sample, ask for letters, write a new SoP, etc. ...and you'll be balancing this with FT graduate coursework. Alternatively, you could complete MAPSS, and reapply the following year, but then you have a year during which you will need to have a job/life etc that you won't mind abandoning after one year. During that year your student loans (any you already have or any you take out to cover MAPSS which even at half tuition is still expensive, not to mention cost of living in Chicago) will not be deferred... this is something to consider. Also age, doing MAPSS and waiting two years for an acceptance to a better program might be fine when you are 22, but if you are 32, that means you'd be entering a PhD program at 34 and finishing at 39-40... and you might be fine with that scenario, others might not, personal choice only you can make. If you feel your research interests are clear, just taking more poli sci won't do much for you (econ and policy are both highly relevant). There are many people who get accepted at top programs who were not poli sci undergrads. If you are trying to completely shift gears (example: you studied econ and American public policy and now you want to study conflict in Africa) you will need to tell a story that makes sense for that interests in your SoP. If you are unclear about what you want to study, MAPSS could help you define those interests. Honestly, most people here seem to argue that taking math and stats is a better signal on application than extra poli sci - unless you are theory or area studies this is probably true. Have a look at Davis's placements. Could you be happy with the average placement in a given year? With the worst placement? The risk you take with Chicago (I am just going to assume you are not independently wealthy, if you are you can ignore this) is that in addition to needing to cover the other half of tuition, you also have living expenses. You will need to balance you school work against financial stress (whether that means working or loans) AND be a top performer academically. Someone on here mentioned a horror story that a friend took the MA option in a situation basically identical to yours, fumbled academically (for whatever reason) and couldn't get in to the same caliber program upon completion of the MA. Mostly it depends on your personal (financial) situation and your risk preferences (you seem to understand that MAPSS isn't necessarily a golden ticket to your top choice PhD program). Hope that helps, good luck!

School already told me I will hear mid to late April... though that hasn't stopped me from obsessively hoping the email/phone call will arrive sooner. They also haven't rejected anyone (according to the board) so part of me is wondering if everyone got a blast waitlist email... I keep thinking of this... http://demotivators.despair.com/demotivational/challengesdemotivator.jpg ...and knowing that the job market will probably feel worse

Solid advice. Second this ^ and LOL at stalking from Market Man

As much as I would generally advise against attending without funding (in the absence of independent wealth), your Fulbright Fellowship does change things. If after a year, if funding seems unlikely, you can apply to transfer (assuming you do well academically and the lack of funding is based on the school's budget rather than your performance) and thus avoid going into debt. Granted, from what I hear transferring can be a painful process, but at the end of the day you have to do what's best for you, not your program, advisor or classmates. In that case OSU might be worth it. Similarly, if your heart is set on some school you weren't guaranteed funding to, you can attend some place where you do have funding for a year, apply to transfer and hope they can guarantee you funding when you apply with one year of grad school under your belt. As for UW JSIS... LOVE the JSIS, but I've said before, it is a gamble if you are looking for an academic placement from a school with no placement record (if you are looking to go into gov/policy research/non-prof/etc, that is another story, because the JSIS DOES have a strong network there). Their area studies program is particularly strong for Asia/China, there are also a sufficient number of security faculty there as well. While I agree with almost everything UVaSpades said, I disagree on ruling it out for its interdisciplinary approach. A three year program means one year of debt in your case (and honestly, funding for a term or two is not out of the question there since they sometimes offer positions to MA candidates, it just won't be guaranteed). When people say avoid going into debt, it means avoid 100-200k for all 5 years, I think SOME debt is reasonable though obviously none would be preferred. I would look more closely at how the placement lists were constructed for USC and UVa (and ask the departments for a more comprehensive, post-2008 list). UVa says "typical placements for the past 10 years..." which I would assume to mean, 'the best placements over the course of the past 10 years.' USC on the other hand seems to be more comprehensive/specific, BUT, they mention current positions rather than initial placement. If you look at their 2012 candidates, ALL are lecturers at USC - you could interpret this several ways: 1) they ALL struck out on the job market and had to take those positions for a year; 2) the list was not updated since this time last year (just before they graduated); 3) USC takes care of their graduates by giving them instructor positions until they find jobs. I would ask for more detail if you base your decision on placement. Honestly, if it were me (and I applied to none of those schools), UVa, hands down.

Well, at least you are going into it understanding that the market is horrible. From my MA program where everyone else is either gone (no longer taking classes and therefore barely around) or focused on policy (while I am CP/IR), I can tell you that it does make for a lonely academic experience. If there are faculty interested in your research that will be a huge plus (for me both IR people took leave as I write my thesis). Overall despite different research interests you will still find at least some classmates you have something in common with (and you can also make friends in the history/philosophy dept if your school has one), and even for those who do have shared interest, dissertation writing, etc can still be a lonely time (from nearly everyone I've talked to). I'd also recommend having something in your life besides academic work even if it is just playing rec volleyball, or dungeons & dragons, or karaoke night (whatever your thing is), it tends to give your brain a chance to process what you're learning and is also useful for managing stress (not to mention a social outlet). But generally, having different research interests won't make you some odd black sheep excluded from conversations and social gatherings... I wouldn't worry about that

Do you already have debt from undergrad, etc? Do you actually need an MA? Are you in a position where you can't get a promotion or a raise or do the work you want to do because you don't have one? If your goal is a policy oriented position (think tank or gov) and you already have a "network" in DC, it might be worthwhile to take on debt for a two-year MA since you'll likely be able to find SOME job after finishing (and won't have to deal with relocating for a summer internship (which is annoying) and can actually search locally during your last semester (which has advantages)) . Most of the wisdom on this part of the forum (poli sci) that discourages debt is directed at people who plan on becoming academics through PhD programs where the job market is less promising and it takes 5-7 years (rather than 1.5-2 years for an MA). If you are planning on doing a PhD program after finishing your MA, I would go with the debt avoidance route. GopherGrad is probably the best person to weigh in on this...

You, sir, are a high quality human being. And that is a great list... wish I'd had this before starting my MA/MA thesis. Solid advice from both GopherGrad and Coachrjc. Someone should "pin" this thread. As for "conflict types," I would emphasize (from the list) Kalyvas's Logic of Violence in Civil War. Though the title may suggest a narrow focus, his typology of violence can be applied beyond intrastate wars.

I've got a long list for this, as relating to conflict (though more civil war/comparative than IR). PM if you'd like.

My app still says "no decision" and there is a rejection on the board, so they've updated the online stuff for at least some applicants.

I'd be excited! Congrats! It sounds like you're having a really good week, glad to hear hard work is paying off!

That's awesome! Congratulations!

Does this mean that one of the Rutgers acceptances is yours?!?!

I would sooner take it to mean that we are too small of a sample. The results board suggests USC had roughly 13 admits (10% of 127) only 2 of which were claimed, not all of those people use the forums and many have been using it less since its now so late in the app cycle. South Carolina, similarly 3 admits claimed, no indication of how many based on comments. I don't recall anyone mentioning either USC earlier in the thread.

While I agree, uncool, the language in the CGS resolution suggests it applies only to financial support/funding. If an applicant was admitted without funding, the school could set any arbitrary pre-4/15 commitment date they wanted, yes? Though that seems like an easy way to circumvent the resolution, require a commitment early THEN offer funding to accept/decline by 4/15...

Congrats!

You have some time (usually). Your research interests may change considerably once you start your program; its hardly something they'd expect you to know on your first day. Unless you are using this (your second field) to decide between programs, I honestly wouldn't worry about it at all right now. Your actual experience in graduate coursework will provide you with a clearer picture of which second field is most appropriate for you much moreso than anyone on some anonymous forum ever can. What Lemeard said, this is a tough question for someone else to answer, though the most appropriate person would probably be your advisor.

Yes, Sort of like it matters where you go for undergrad (Ivy league > etc > directional school). However, having a professor interested in your research, funding(read: usually teaching/grading), opportunity to RA and attend conferences, can make a difference to sort of overcome the pedigree factor... and lacking these things can exacerbate it. If you do it, pick a program that is designed at least partially for people who have the intention of continuing on into a PhD program and that has had recent graduates accepted into decent (however you define it) PhD programs upon completion. Basically, I wouldn't pick a program based on which deadlines haven't passed yet. I am coming out of a similar situation, feel free to PM for me detail. If you have to pay for it, it might be better to take a year off to work/research/volunteer/retake the GRE. OR try enrolling as a post-bacc/grad-student-at-large at a major university and take the intro grad seminars - This will help define your interests, "prove yourself" at the grad level, get letters of rec, new/better writing samples, etc. It is still possible to get an MA and completely waste those two years (leaving with little more than a potentially higher GPA and some 500-level courses no one cares about), plus you are out cost of attendance (or the lost opportunity of money you could have earned working).

Also facing that particular impending doom... I'm wondering if it's too soon to start a "Welcome to the 2013-2014 Cycle" thread...