grtgmeloser

Good catch on the Mearsheimer (mis)characterization. I might add that he is notable for promoting the "Offensive Realism" point of view, in contrast to someone like Jervis who seems to be located within the "Defensive Realism" tradition. Regardless, I've never read anything that places Mearsheimer in the group of neocons such as Perle, Wolfowitz, Feith, et al. In fact, Mearsheimer and Walt have been significant and early critics of the most recent Iraq War. Tidefan, I'm still a huge fan of asswhore, so don't take this the wrong way.

Tidefan, You rock. I like your attitude. Plus, you came up with asswhore, which makes me smile everytime I log in to this silly forum.

Hey Tidefan, congrats...but what is an asswhore?

From the SAIS PhD FAQ: Can holders of a Bachelors degree apply directly to the Ph.D. program at SAIS? In order to apply for the Ph.D. program, individuals must hold the SAIS M.A. degree, be a resident SAIS student who has completed at least twelve courses toward the M.A. degree, or be a student or graduate who has comparable academic qualifications from another institution. Holders of Bachelors degrees are encouraged to research the SAIS M.A. degree. Which advanced degrees are considered to produce graduates with academic qualifications comparable to those of SAIS M.A. graduates? How successful are individuals with law or business degrees in the Ph.D. admissions process? The Ph.D. Committee accepts applicants who have completed the Master of Arts in International Relations degree at SAIS, as well as applicants who have completed M.A. programs at other institutions. Competitive applicants who have not graduated from SAIS will often hold M.A. degrees in the social sciences, especially in the disciplines of international relations, political science, or history. Such degrees require graduates to have achieved competency in theoretical studies, research methodology, and extensive academic writing. Advanced professional degrees such as a Juris Doctorate or a Master of Business Administration cannot act as substitutes for advanced work in international affairs. An advanced degree in strategic studies from a military institution would not be considered appropriate for admission to most Ph.D. fields but is sometimes acceptable for admission to the Strategic Studies field at SAIS.

For all of the IR folks out there, here's a link to the 2006 peer-response rankings for IR that were published in Foreign Policy magazine. It's pretty interesting because it specifically ranks the IR programs (pg 26). http://www.wm.edu/irtheoryandpractice/t ... t06-07.pdf

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Peter, I imagine you do it very carefully. All joking aside, in one of the funding packages I received, the Grad Program Director clearly stated that he wanted to know if we had other offers so that they could attempt to keep their program a viable option. Perhaps your acceptance/funding letters mention something similar? Maybe it is standard procedure to alert your first choice about better funding offers you have received from other schools because they hope to have an opportunity to woo/impress you? It seems as if some programs will really work hard to get you to accept their offer. They have spent so much time reviewing the applications of those they have admitted that they probably hate to lose students to better funded programs. I would imagine this is especialy true if you were a first round admit. It couldn't hurt to ask if they have additional funding they could provide.

Hey futureprof, The USC POIR recruiting event is March 10-11. The email from the graduate director mentioned that they accepted 10% of 130 total applicants. Emails starting going out Friday. USC will cover up to $600 for airfare, in addition to lodgings and incidentals for admitted students to attend the recruiting event. Hope that helps.

I didn't apply to either school. I'll call. Post the pertinent number. Please, no fake numbers for sex lines. I might get a new addiction other than checking my email and this forum.

Thanks Peter, I've read so many different ranking studies (citation, placement, NRC, US News) that I really do wonder how impactful such studies are. It seems like the forums are full of debate regarding the importance of rankings, so I was hoping that someone out there might have some personal experience with either program (i.e. a friend is a current grad, etc). I imagine choosing a program is full of intangibles, like the proximity of the campus to an In-N-Out Burger or the propensity of the faculty to use and/or appreciate Lebowski quotes. It'd be funny if we chose programs as randomly as adcoms chose admits.

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