CarefreeWritingsontheWall

Wow! So much movement here yesterday. Congrats to all of the UCSD, UCLA admits!

Seems like a busy day for most people wow. I didn't apply to any of the schools that released results in the last two days or so, so I've lucked out in knowing I'll likely start hearing back next week. Congrats to all the admits!

A small suggestion, for those of you who see your letter writers more regularly, would be to ask them if they've heard anything or been contacted by programs. I've received informal news through my supervisor personally.

On the topic of choosing programs, I opted for 8. I'm Canadian, but I went for programs only it the US after advice from a number of faculty, and in sitting on hiring committees this past Fall. Having American training from a top program really helps you in the job search process at top Canadian institutions which is a plus - I'd like to have the option open to come back and teach at a Canadian institution when or if I finish. Overall I would say that my choices were most significantly influenced by prospective fit and the epistemological/ontological/methodological orientation of programs. I currently work with someone who is very quant focused, which has added to my work and challenged me in many ways, but I know I wanted a program that would allow me to take on a mixed methods approach with interdisciplinary elements (borrowing from economics and history) without pushing back on me for it all the time (my current situation). Knowing this, reputation and location were also important, as well as the department's ability to support and fund advanced training in methods in house as I've had to go outside my current institution already and pay out of pocket for supplemental training they didn't offer. I wasn't that focused on USNews rankings to be honest (maybe I should have been?), but of the 8 I applied to, 4 are top 10, and 4 are 10-25 in rank. I would only consider one of my options a 'safety' as it was a last minute app, but I'm genuinely interested in going there and would take an offer seriously. An added benefit to these locations was the networking potential, and ties of my current mentors to these programs (as alma maters, where they did their post-docs). I've indirectly done RA work for a number of the people I applied to work with, as they're co-authors on a number of papers with my current supervisor. Knowing more about the projects they were working on was all the more motivation to try and work with them directly. I'd say my considerations aren't entirely typical. I haven't heard of many people saying that ontological concerns popped up when it came to program choice, nor network connections really driving potential apps - but for me it's mattered a lot in my current work/who I'm working with, and the disagreements that can arise from differences of opinion on the topic are something I'm eager to avoid in the future. This largely comes from the nature of my current MA program though. I know that no matter where I end up I'll be making the most of what the program has to offer.

Agreed! I've seen a different side of things after sitting on two hiring committees at my current department (BA + MA in the same place), and in talking to faculty about the state of the field. There's a lot of politics to the profession as well - including sexism. I didn't really feel it until my MA, but it's definitely there.

It's so addicting...the job forums are particularly nerve wracking. I swear it's like gradcafe for people in the profession.

Ah darn! That makes sense I s'pose. If anything I'm happy to delay expecting emails from my apps a little longer lol. More time to focus on finishing my MA without the PhD app distraction hovering over my head.

I'm only expecting to hear back from Stanford this week. All the nerves! I'm trying to live in ignorance until mid-February when I will likely have heard back from 4 of the 8 programs I applied to.

Hey Puddle! Thanks for the answers. Just wondering how many programs you applied to in total - you mentioned that you had already signed your commitment letter before your recruitment weekend visit, but I'm unsure if this means you applied widely or narrowly with a specific program in mind. When it comes to fit, what were the primary reasons why you ultimately chose the program you did? Also, out of curiosity, did your GRE scores and experience applying into the program fall below, or above your department's posted average statistics?

I managed to stop myself from opening up my application documents and re-reading what I submitted the other day, if only because I know that there are small issues here and there that I wish I could change now looking at it with fresh eyes. I mentioned this to one of my professors the other day and he said to prevent myself from doing such a thing at all costs. As I'm on the home stretch of finishing my MA, I fully intend to let my work distract me which shouldn't be hard. My to-do keeps growing and growing. x_x

Hi southerngent! Thanks for doing this. How many PhD programs did you originally apply to? What made you decide you wanted to apply to PhD programs in political science?

ETH Zurich Dynamics And Controls, PhD (F16) Rejected via E-mail on 11 Jan 2016 A 11 Jan 2016 Too salty to even be a potato chip.

I've had the unique opportunity to sit on three hiring committees for my department in the last three years. Mind you, this is coming from a person at a top Canadian institution, but I feel that there are some aspects of the process that apply across schools both in Canada and the US. This year we had a pool of ~350 applicants for one TT position. Of that, 100 were full well and qualified. A significant portion were ABD, looking to defend in the next 3-6 months, while some had been doing post-docs for 2-4 years, and another chunk were assistant professors already looking to transition elsewhere. When it came to drawing the top 5 to be flown out for a job talk, it was reducible to two things: research potential, and networks, the latter being the most important means to get to the in-person interview process. One even confessed that they were only there because their supervisor was well connected to a number of high profile people in our department - something said faculty later confirmed. Of the five we chose, 2 came from top 10 programs, 3 from top 10-30. The two people who stood out the most were exactly the type of people to make the most of their degree, and they were not from your top 3 programs. Networking landed all but one candidate at the job talk phase, at which point their qualifications and research potential was the selling point. How well they spoke, meshed with existing faculty and what they could provide as a professor determined who got the job offer. Fit is crucial. I know a lot of departments are shifting, depending on whether they prioritize quantitative or qualitative studies, or the analytically eclectic approach. There's a lot of infighting in particular places as newer faculty are fighting to change things too. New hires can be extremely contentious. These are all good things to be aware of in the course of doing a PhD in political science/government, particularly given how much the field is changing with the advent of big data and machine learning. I would definitely encourage those who can sit in as a student rep on these opportunities to certainly do so. I know I've learned a lot from the process, especially since I've had the chance to start getting in on this as an undergraduate. Now as an MA student it's even more enlightening. Side note: I'm personally looking into American PhD programs with the intention of moving back to Canada when I finish, so my ambitions for teaching positions may not be as high as others here. If there's anything I've come to realize in the last two years of finishing my BA and now doing my MA, it's that knowing people matters, and having the right support from well networked faculty can certainly get you places.

Well. I submitted my last three applications last night. I wound up submitting 8 total. Having just arriving home for the holidays, my Dad was asking me how many hours I spent on these apps. I feel like I've completely lost track of time since mid-November. I couldn't even ballpark it. How is it December 15th already? Hope everyone met their December 15th deadlines alright.

Oie vey. I got an automated email from the GWU saying the transcripts I uploaded weren't valid and to email them 'complete' versions ASAP or else my application would be considered incomplete. Turned out the message was sent in error, but it left me wondering if I had uploaded the right documents for every app, so of course I had to go back and check. I've come to realize that I need to relax a little.

In all fairness, these are rules that they explain to you during the security check when you enter the test room. I know I was explicitly told that I could not rip or tear scratch paper, and it was also on the front of the booklet. You also have the right to ear plugs, which you could bring in yourself, or have provided to you if you don't want to use the sound cancelling headphones. If they didn't outline this to you before you started, or didn't offer you such ear plugs, you should write to ETS about the test center you wrote at specifically as those people weren't doing their jobs.

Ah yeah! I've looked into the same thing, especially after my current department cut 6 PhD's who missed deadlines or failed comps are two attempts this year. I thought it was harsh, then I realized it's actually quite normal sadly. This was a bad year because a number of cohorts lost people at various levels, and some chose to leave. My speak is up to 9. With 3 done, I hope to get through the rest of them quicker since I now have the long and short version of my SOP. It's just so time consuming. Then I dream I uploaded the wrong SOP for a particular app. I really need to stop obsessing. ><

In a way I am. I have one program that will require the split, and another that only wants 500 words max (Georgetown). The way I see it, I wrote the more verbose version first (for the 1000 word limit most of the programs I'm applying to look for) so that I could continue to condense and refine as I go. It's definitely time consuming. I haven't found an easy way around it outside of finding ways to tighten up my sentence structure which is just a process of re-writing and editing over and over.

My initial list of programs was 5, then it grew to 11 and now I'm back to 7. I think I might bump it to 8, just to be thorough and perhaps push myself to be a little more ambitious. I do have one question though. When it comes to describing potential dissertation topics and research interests, as well as the influences of work by potential POI's, do people cite papers properly in text and include a bibliography in their statement of purpose, or would doing so make it seem like more of a grant application?

I'm applying to 7 largely because expanding beyond that is hard for me to afford. I don't qualify for fee waivers as an international applicant. I expect my results to vary just the same but it is what it is. I think I would prefer to do 10 but then I also feel like I'm stretching fit.

What's the average number of programs people are applying to? I'm looking at 7 right now, which seems like a lot.

Thanks PhdApplicant. I'm re-adjusting some aspects of my application strategy. The GRE is by far the weakest element of my profile, but I don't think it entirely rules out applying. It's worth at least trying. I hope that my posting here can be informative to some. I'm happy to have gotten such an increase relative to when I first wrote it, and even my first practice test during this round of preparation.

Well, yesterday could have gone better. My preliminary scores are V158 and Q152. This is right in the middle of the ranges Magoosh was predicting (Q 150-155 and V 155-160) I could have used more practice, but unfortunately I was short on time. Test day anxiety oddly wasn't an issue - I didn't let it get the best of me.

Alright. 24 hours to go. I have a few small things left to review today but overall I know that it's impossible to cram. Today is more about a little practice with plenty of breaks and just being relaxed heading into tomorrow. For better or worse it will be over on Saturday by 5PM.

ETS prep questions meaning questions in the ETS powerprep software or the official guide?