VaclavHavel

University of Virginia in political theory

Copied from a post on another forum: 1. Harvard University (MA) 2. Stanford University (CA) University of Michigan

Did everyone who applied to the NSSR Ph.D. already have an M.A.? I understood that to be a requirement. Maybe I would have received better funding had I ignored that rule...

BA: 2nd tier liberal arts college, Political Science Major, Economics Minor GPA: 3.547/4.0 GRE: 800V, 720Q, 6.0AW Extras: Thesis, reasonably successful debate career, a couple years working full-time at a political research firm

I'm a native Eugenian, so I'll take a crack at this. I left Eugene a while ago; I tried to keep current, but who knows what may have changed: music festivals: This depends on what kind of music your interested in. Eugene is pretty well known for the Oregon Bach Festival each summer, which I believe is one of the premier Bach events worldwide. For pop/rock/folk, in the direct Eugene area the best thing going on is the Oregon Country Fair, where aging and not-so-aging hippies converge for a drug-addled weekend of folk crafts and jam bands (this was never really my scene, though it's an interesting event for anyone). A day's drive to the north at the Gorge Amphitheatre, there's the Sasquatch Festival each summer. This usually has an excellent lineup if you're more interested in indie pop and rock. There's also the Eugene Celebration, but I always found this pretty boring. Local groups also play frequently at the Saturday Market. venues with frequent concerts: Again, it depends. The Hult Center for the Performing Arts is where all the classical and a lot of the jazz happens. For rock'n'roll, try John Henry's, the WOW Hall, Sam Bond's, Indigo District, with larger stuff happening at the McDonald Theatre. The Shedd and the Cuthbert Amphitheatre also have stuff going on. what type of music seems to be coming out of the bars: This one I can't answer. Been away too long. art festivals: This is hard to say...When I left Eugene I was not necessarily a big connoisseur of the visual arts, though Art and the Vineyard was the one people talked about the most. There are also rotating exhibits at the Hult Center, an art museum at the University, and numerous independent galleries (though remember Eugene is not a major city). indie theaters: Movies or live theatre? For movies, it's unfortunately pretty much limited to the Bijou, which doesn't usually get first-run independent movies. This situation may have changed in recent years, though I'm not sure. Check EugeneWeekly.com to see if there's any special events hosted by coffee shops, bars, etc.

I think the ones before these were 2002, so next year they should come out with some new Ph.D. rankings.

Another good resource for political theory stuff, particularly placements: http://politicaltheoryrumormill.blogspot.com Also, in case anyone is interested in the USNWR rankings for the political theory subfield, here they are. Recall that these were completed in 2005, and some of the schools have had significant faculty changes: 1. Harvard University 2. Princeton University 3. University of Chicago 4. Yale University 5. University of California

Actually, here is a resource, though it seems to have some methodological problems (the first link is a shorter summary of the study, while the second is the full study): http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/08/21/ranking http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/%7Ech ... _paper.pdf

OP: Where can I find reliable sources for per capita placement? Googling just turns up departments' pages... BTW, I'm a theorist, if that matters.

I realize the US News rankings were last completed in 2005, and that recent departures/hires may have intervened. If this is the case, please elaborate.

Of the top 20 departments in the US News rankings, 18 are on OP's list of "unambiguous top departments." The two odd ones out are UNC and Minnesota. What is it about the US News methodology that makes these outliers? I'm especially curious about UNC, which is ranked very high (No. 13, tied with OSU and Rochester) in the US News list. Also, why is Emory ("unambiguous top department" by OP's list, No. 29 according to US News) so low? US News ostensibly bases their rankings on nothing but reputation. Moreover, according to Emory's, UNC's, and Minnesota's placement histories, graduates of all three do well on the academic job market. I'm curious what OP's empirical -- not anecdotal -- basis is for his/her "unambiguous" list of top programs. Despite his/her best efforts, it seems to remain replete with ambiguity. Thanks,

I understand they've already sent acceptances out. I haven't been officially rejected either, but I assume the bad news is on its way. I don't know of anyone who has officially received a rejection letter.

I'm still waiting too. I'm pretty mystified by Northwestern's admissions process at this point.