flyers29

Not to add to the confusion but I checked last year's results page on this site for UMD and it seemed like people were getting notified the first week of March or so. That's sort of the timeline I expected anyway.

There is also this one on the results page: University Of Phoenix Online English, PhD (F11) Rejected via E-mail on 3 Feb 2011 A 3 Feb 2011 I can not believe they did not except me.

I also applied to a low-tier political science/IR program. But yeah, 3 total isn't a lot. Public policy is so broad of a field that the number of programs that are close to my research interests are pretty limited.

Anyone here apply for Public Policy Ph.D programs this cycle? I applied to Maryland and George Mason. Looking to focus around security and defense policy.

College Confidential's Graduate School forum is a decent resource, though it's just one forum for all different programs (fwiw there are a lot of IR people on there, even a big IR thread stickied on the top).

I'll answer 2 not answered prior: 2) Doing a Master's program first gives you an insight into what the field is like at the graduate level. I would still say there are some things that you don't experience as a master's-level student, but it's not a bad idea to go this route first. One drawback is that you might have to spend another 3 semesters doing coursework if you do a master's and PhD separately as most programs will only let you transfer a certain amount of hours of credit. 4) Not sure what you mean exactly. If you started at a program (without a master's degree already) and didn't like it, you could just complete the requirements for the master's and apply elsewhere (at which point the first answer would apply to you). If you complete your coursework, do your comps, and are working on your dissertation, however, you can't just transfer elsewhere. I know some people here have had problems with their department and chose to go elsewhere, but they pretty much had to start from the beginning again.

Might want to post this in Gov't Affairs forum.

I mean this respectfully, but maybe you ought to do some research on how very different political science may appear depending on if one is an undergraduate or doctoral student.

Kind of funny where I'm putting my priorities with a month left to go until my first deadline. More worried about my GRE re-take next week and getting all of my letters of rec together (based on my experience from doing this as a master's-level applicant 3 years ago...and as I have 2 of 3 profs already submitted I practically feel like popping champagne now!) than I am about my personal statement. I know it's the most important part, but I feel like there's only so much I can write in a couple of pages.

I applied to 7 MA programs in 2007-08. Will be applying to 3 PhD programs for this admissions cycle.

You've gotten some good advice so far, so I only have one thing to add: at this moment, please stop being one of those people who thinks a 3.5/3.9 major GPA is "mediocre." It may be below the median of applicants at top schools, but it's not the definition of mediocre.

Just be aware that the government is going to be experiencing budget cuts, including in the intelligence community, for the near future. This may change in the next few years, but it's something to consider before you put down a lot of money on this degree.

It's pretty likely that the majority of your classes will require at least 4-5 books. Might not be a bad idea to check the campus bookstore's site (if they list the books by course there) and see if the books there are available as e-books.

FWIW my debt wasn't any worse than if I had attended one of the DC schools (much lower cost of living in Denver) and was nowhere near 100k. Then again I had some savings, split rent with my SO, had a federal work-study (not hard to get), and took a larger course load to get out a quarter early (thus saving a few thousand bucks due to the weird way Denver's tuition is set up). Otherwise, I think you make a very fair post--I think Denver is second only to Tufts/Fletcher in terms of annual tuition. Kind of sucks too as the high tuition is set by DU--the Korbel administration was actually very supportive of finding ways to make it cheaper for yourself, including being very generous with the transfer of previous graduate credits.

There are a ton of public policy Ph.D programs out there, though environmental politics might be a subfield that a relative handful of programs specialize in. I know Colorado State's poli sci program revolves around environmental politics. Might also want to look at Michigan, Duke, and Maryland, though those are just a few off the top of my head.

Note: the following is intended more for people who don't have much relevant work experience coming into grad school, and is written with absolutely no bitterness on my part...just injecting some unfortunate reality into the thread. Coming from someone who finished a security program this year (Denver), I'd advise next year's applicants to think long and hard about the financial situation they may be getting themselves into. I imagine that many studying security are looking to move onto the federal government (unless you're coming with some work experience already), which is an area that will likely be seeing cuts over the next year. Not to mention that where you went to school means next to nothing in their hiring process. So while many of the programs some of you are looking at are places I would imagine many of you would have great experiences, you do have to ask yourselves if it's really worth paying off student loan debt for the next 10+ years. That's also assuming you don't have to worry about having a job when you finish, which is a huge "if" right now (I'm currently on the wrong side of that question, unfortunately). If you do decide to go forward with these options, I'd recommend trying to get into a DC-area school (don't forget about places like Maryland and George Mason) and taking advantage of some of the networking resources that could get you one of the relatively few non-government opportunities available to you without some experience. Consider state school options if available to you as well.

Bump if anyone else can add to it.

Thanks. I did already see those pages but wanted to know if anyone could give me a better insight beyond what's written there.

I'm not so sure how I stack up for poli sci PhD programs given my stats: -3.3 undergrad GPA (International Affairs), 3.7 MA GPA (International Security) -590V/630Q/6.0A GRE -1 internship with the US Department of State -Nothing published My research interests are in security studies, more specifically civil/military relations, strategic studies, and Europe/Russia/NATO. Here are the ones that interest me thus far: -FIU IR -FSU Poli Sci -UF Poli Sci -Miami (FL) Int'l Studies -South Carolina -Georgia State Really would appreciate if anyone can help as far as chances of admission, typical funding package, etc. Thanks.

I think that's usually OK.

Curious if anyone has info on stats needed, typical funding package, etc (I saw there were some people accepted there last year on the results page). Already have an MA and was looking at this program for next fall. Also aware that it's probably lower tier, but was nonetheless interested. Thanks.

Curious if anyone has info on stats needed, typical funding package, etc (I saw there were some people accepted there last year on the results page). Already have an MA and was looking at this program for next fall.

Not at all correct about people getting master's degrees straight out of college--average age at many top programs is 25-27 and work experience can tie significantly into your application. Even as someone who did their master's straight out of college my opinion is that it is nonetheless something that would be better served after several years of work experience--unfortunately a master's degree is something that is almost a de facto requirement for getting into the field.

Whole package. Look at it this way, the work experience will probably give you a boost in light of academic stats below the average.

You should be more than fine. Work experience is generally one of a few factors considered.