[Fall 2010 Admission Results]

Hi everyone!

Out of curiousity: Has anyone applying for NYU - International Relations heard anything yet or

know when they usually send out their decisions?

Best of luck to everyone!

[state theory: which grad schools?]

Hi!

I am considering applying for a phd in political science. I come from europe so applying to US universities is

probably even more of a jungle to me; anyway, I'm completely lost in evaluating

which school would fit and where I would have a shot.

I was hoping you guys could help me out here....

do I need to include an outline for a doctoral thesis in my application? i haven't found any information on that on any of the school's webpages.

I would want to focus on state theory; at the moment I am specifically interested in state theory of developing states, so I would probably pick comparative politics combined with area studies as a subfield. does anyone happen to know which schools I should target? plus, do I need to include information that specific in my application?

almost all schools I have looked at want a writing sample - would a part of my thesis be a good idea for that? the topic is not exactly state theory - the subfield is international politics/international institutions. still my thesis is probably the best paper I have written yet. i have never published anything, is that an absolute prerequisite? because if so, I can immediately stop even considering applying.

i guess the university system in europe is pretty different - huge universities, very low professor: student - ratios. getting strong LOR is very hard given that its very hard to even get to know professors well enough for them to remember your name

i have a diploma in political science which in europe is considered the equivalent of a bachelor and masters degree. if i were accepted at a grad school, i would not be able to immediately start a phd since a european masters is not considered the equivalent of an american one. still, i went to university for six years including a foreign semester in cuba (btw: would that be an obstacle?) and got an A on my thesis.

if anyone who took the time to read through this could evaluate how suited I am for a phd, i would greatly appreciate it.

a lot of questions, i know..I would be extremely grateful for help!!

m.