polisciphd

I echo Wesson's sentiment, even though I began as stats averse, I will be much more marketable because of my extensive stats training. Enrolled at one of the most quant heavy departments in the country with little exposure before hand, and have made it through without much collateral damage.

This forum is primarily for those wishing to pursue the Ph.D. in political science, not the MA from one of the policy schools (there is another forum for this elsewhere on this site)

The research interests you mentioned definitely skirt the comparative/IR divide. As someone with a masters who went back to school to get a ph.d. after being an analyst, it is absolutely worth it to pursue the ph.d. But, it is a long, long road, and a huge commitment, so do not enter into it lightly. I also had a less than stellar undergraduate record, barely above 3.0, but had a solid gre, a solid masters record, and great letters of rec (that and the SOP are the two most important components of your application).

And now they are so out of date that they will be totally and completely useless.

Research experience is not a make it or break it criteria for most ph.d. programs, so don't worry about it. You should be in good shape to apply to ph.d. programs in the top 25. The most important thing is to match your future research interests to what is being done in the departments you apply to, which should be reflected in your statement of purpose. You need to show that you are a "good fit" for the program in question, so make sure to tailor your SOP to each department that you apply to.

Sorry, no exemption for age and/or previous graduate work at any of the schools you listed.

Then you may want to look at individual scholars who have particular perspectives on nuclear proliferation, as opposed to schools. For instance, John Mueller and Scott Sagan are what are known as proliferation pessimists, whereas some of the big name realists like Mearsheimer or Waltz are more in the proliferation optimist camp. It would be different if you were looking for someplace with rigorous formal or quantitative training (I'm at UIUC, heavy quant training here).

If you can be a little more specific about what aspects of nuclear proliferation you are interested in studying, I can offer some assistance. Also, what kind of methodology do you intend to focus on, qualitative, quantitative or formal? Makes a pretty big difference to where you should be looking to apply.

Yep, Brown is not the place to study nuclear proliferation (from someone who studies nuclear proliferation).

Um, IR is not something that is done primarily at the MA level. IR is a sub-discipline of political science, whereas international affairs (much more policy focused) is what is taught at schools like GW, Georgetown, SAIS, etc.

Lots of cows, that's about it.

If you are looking to get feedback on MA IR degrees (like SFS or SAIS) then you are on the wrong board, this is primarily for political science ph.ds

I told you guys that there was nothing to be worried about regarding UIUC. If anyone has any questions about the program, please feel free to ask. There are several current grad students who check these boards periodically.

Depends almost entirely upon the school to which you are applying

I understand that some things have been posted on other sites questioning what is going on with the budget situation. Having spoken with the DGS, I can tell you that, while we will have a smaller class than usual, we will indeed have a class, and that the financial aid packages will be similar to what has been given in the past

I echo cpaige ferrero, you can't be a grad student at all of these programs. And you have already made a statement about a grad program (UIUC) that you are incorrect about (i know, I'm a current student). Please provide your sources or stop posting what appear to be either guesses or false information.

You guys can relax about the UIUC situation, will admit the same size class as last year, with the typical funding packages.

If there will be no graduate cohort at UIUC for the fall, as soon as I hear confirmation I will post something online

IR-security with a comparative minor

I am a current grad student at Illinois.

Sanssouci, what field are you applying to at Illinois?

For all you guys who are going to be getting acceptances in the coming weeks, feel free to pose any and all questions you can think of. There are lots of us who have gone through this process and are currently in grad school that still peruse these boards. As far as the preparation question goes, do yourself a favor, relax, read a book for fun, play lots of video games. Don't worry about getting ready, the adcom felt that you could handle their program, or at least give a reasonable effort, so take it easy for a few months before the craziness begins.

Didn't realize Texas A&M was in the midwest lol

Depends almost entirely upon the school to which you are applying

You at least need to get your quant score to 700 or above. There are a lot of schools who consider this the best indicator of whether you will be able to cut it as a grad student.