phd_prospie

OP is not ready for Real Analysis... just take Calc I and/or Linear Algebra (linear algebra is easier than trig)

OP, actually a good question. You will never use trig in Political Science. Ever. You may, however, want to brush up on matrix algebra and calculus. You don't need trig to do the kind of calculus needed in PS. Take a look at this syllabus to get a feel for what you will need to learn: http://people.duke.edu/~das76/Research/MooSie_TOC.pdf

Don't listen to most of the advice you get here. Regional focus is less common that it used to be, but China and Middle East Studies people get lots of attention, there are lots of Africanists who major/minor in IR, and depending on where you apply, many in the old guard have a soft spot for Russia. Korea definitely works. You can always frame your interest as something more general ("nuclear") but say that something about country x makes it unique case meriting further study. If your interest is really narrow, you might think about Comparative (Foreign Policy).

Great post. I wish I had heard this advice when I was an applicant. I still ended up being the person without a seatbelt to walk away from a car crash, though.

Does anyone else receive their entire nine-month grad stipend as a lump sum in the Fall? Any suggestions for the rest of us on how to invest it?

If you're willing to live in Upper Arlington, try Fox and Hounds. I got an apartment with them pretty easily as an out-of-tower and plenty of dog owners there.

I think he/she meant North of Lane on High, not UA.

Absolutely do it.

Formatted my CV to make it look extra sexy. That was it.

Are any MIT admits IR?

Is anyone interested in comparing funding offers? I thought this could help illuminate the costliness of departments' signals. Post the schools you've received concrete offers from so your fellow prospectives can PM you to exchange info. (My suggestion to retain some measure of privacy. Others may not care.)

This is an old thread but a lot of the advice is dated so I'd like to contribute for future prospectives. Healthline is good public transportation (compared to the rest of what CLE offers), but I would advise not living in Cleveland Heights or the University Circle area where you'd have to commute all the way downtown every day without a car. It is FAR, maybe 130 blocks, and the infamous east-west divide in Cleveland makes it difficult to get from point A to point B with ease. Overlook is really more of a CWRU area... and really no Case students that I've ever known have lived there. They tend to live in Little Italy up the road, which is more affordable and less family-residential. Keep in mind that while Uni Circle is generally an oasis of affluence in an otherwise seedy area, its light rail station is one of the more dangerous ones. Since it gets dark around 5:30pm in the winters, it may be unwise for a solo student to rely on it daily. Downtown itself has *really* exploded since this thread was first started and the occupancy rate is at something like 97%, so chances are you won't be able to find off-campus housing within walking distance of CSU without advance planning, but there are neighborhoods close by that are trendy, interesting, and very affordable (Tremont, Ohio City, and the Detroit Shoreway). Try one of those.