BFB,
I was wondering what advice you could give to someone in the middle of a Masters program who is unsure about their capacity to succeed in attaining a doctorate. I realize that this is a very personal question and one I will have to make a decision about shortly, but there are some variables of interest.
My goal is to become a professor. I'm not particularly concerned with research (but I am also an unfunded masters student at a flagship state U who did the bare minimum amount of coursework until the last two years of undergrad so my experience in conducting research is nonexistent). I've been doing well in classes and have been told by all of my professors that I'm a good writer. I enjoy synthesizing relevant literature and critiquing articles.
At any rate, I have an excellent GRE score under my belt and have been doing well in my current program. I feel I could do even better with proper tutelage (but don't want to be a leech). Since my goal is to teach and I'm amenable to living most places, I could transition into the Ph.D. program where I'm at. The DGS has been dangling funded entry into the program over my head and I feel I've done my part to earn it, but poli sci teaching jobs are few and far between and the school I'm at places mostly at community colleges. I don't care too much about job placement but that issue when combined with their lack of concern or interest in helping the students they have succeed isn't enough to hang my hat on. I'm not getting much help here and would like to attend at a school where faculty and students working together is common, as I can't develop the skills to become a political scientist on my own. At the same time, schools where faculty and students work together tend to be the best in the country and I don't believe myself to be competitive for entry into them. Additionally, those schools may be doing something to recruit students who are ready to work with faculty on day one. It is hard to believe there is so much disparity between the education I've had thus far and those of the young people entering these programs-- So I'm leaning toward believing the difference is in the culture of particular institutions.
Since I wasn't able to compete with the best students that entered at the same time I did an was unsure about committing to seeking a Ph.D. outright, am I doomed to be left out if i don't develop the skills for stellar research on my own? It has just been a year, so I realize I'm in the same place as a lot of students. I worry about it quite a bit more because the commitment isn't mutual. If I'm not doing work, I'm worrying that I've made a mistake and will be left behind. Some sort of funding might go a long way to ameliorate my worries, but I don't know.
I'm not sure what my question is, but I hope you'll have something to say that will help me direct my next move.
Thanks.
