victorydance

Macdonald Campus is very far away from downtown. There really is no area where you can access both. There is a free shuttle from McGill to Macdonald that runs a couple times a day. I had friends who took this every day. It would suck, but it's doable (but you are boned if you miss it). We're talking about 1-2 hours each way. You either make a choice, live near Macdonald Campus, which does have very affordable prices, or waste potentially 3 hours a day going back and forth.

There are a number of reasons why Qatar was a horrible selection, but safety is not one of them. Using the global peace index (despite it's shortcomings), Qatar is actually one of the safest countries in the world. Qatar is a no bigger risk than the Olympics in Russia or the World Cup in South Africa despite its proximity to a relatively unstable region. I don't think anyone approves of the corruption in FIFA. But it seems to be the par for the course with these sporting organizations (IOC being another great example), as it appears to be very hard to hold these organizations accountable.

spectastic, I think you should know what you are talking about before commenting. You are perfectly fitting the ignorant American stereotype right now.

I am confused by the "should" part. I don't really give a crap about what grad students "should" do. Personally, I prefer backpacks.

I learnt how to find all my entertainment needs on the internet for free. Don't own a TV, no cable, don't ever pay for movies or music, to watch sports, ect. I do not spend a dime on entertainment.

Yes.

Lots of people? Only one fifth of Americans speak a second language. And a strong majority of these people speak a second language because they are first or second generation immigrants and are exposed to a language other than English at home. The amount of people that actually acquired a second language on their own in the US is very low (an advanced level anyways, which is very different than taking a few language courses). That being said, I could see how being proficient in German could be a slight advantage in the job market for a engineer, it makes no difference for admissions. Like someone else said, if you were in the humanities or social sciences and were studying something that is applicable or needed to do fieldwork, then yes, maybe it helps; but in this situation it makes no difference at all.

^ Sure. But the best way to get great LORs is to be involved in that person's research in some capacity.

Yeah, there is no 'easy solution.' First step is get back to regularly seeing a therapist. Anxiety disorders are incredibly 'incremental.' You need to slowly force yourself to engage in social situations and positively reinforce yourself until your comfort level starts to rise, rinse and repeat.

That's actually pretty funny because when I was reading your post I was like "NYU is perfect for this person," but yes, their placement is a little iffy compared to others in its ranking. Although, I think Przeworski has a decent placement record as a chair and fits pretty well with your research interests. I have somewhat similar interests to you (political economy - inequality/party systems/institutions) so I have been looking at probably the same programs you have, but I am very Latin American focused. Duke hasn't impressed me either, and I also think that depending on what people's research interests are, Yale and MIT aren't as strong as they appear in comparative politics. I think Cornell and Rochester are pretty good fits for you. Rochester is boss for your methodology, and Cornell has a strong political economy faculty (albeit more multi-methods focused). Columbia is a great fit, for a number of reasons and profs, and Berkeley is always good for comparative politics. I also think Minnesota is a good program, but I am kind of on the fence with them because really only one prof fits my research interests. After re-thinking it, I don't necessarily "disagree" with your rankings. I would say that Berkeley, Stanford, Rochester, Cornell, Harvard, Columbia, and Princeton are must apply for you. The rest depends on if you like a few profs or not. I don't know much about Washington U or UCLA. That being said, I think you are competitive. And my personal belief is if you are competitive, you go big or go home. Better to put your name in all the top hats and have a go then shoot yourself short.

I just spend 80% of the time working on the required assignments, how long that takes depends on the assignments. If it's a term paper, I usually spend the whole semester to write it, incrementally. Readings and things like this is easy for me to keep up. I think it depends on your field. If it's more quantitative, then more time is spent on problem sets, exercises, preparing for exams. If it's more theory based, more time is spent on writing papers, a lot of other stuff is just filler. In undergrad, I probably spent about 1 or 2 hours reading the required material for the week. Then a few hours or more depending on the class working on the papers. Even for my more quantitative classes, at least 60% of the class grade was from a paper or a combination of papers, so that was what I spent the vast majority of my time on. Being able to read, and especially digest, material quickly is an asset that allows you to tackle the really important parts of the class effectively and efficiently. Hone this skill and half the battle is won.

I don't quite understand the logic. People develop relationships beforehand (through taking courses, being involved in their research, ect.) so they can get a favourable LOR because that person will know you better and be able to vouch better for you. I don't get why anyone would want to do that process backwards. That seems a lot more disingenuous to me than the other way around. I have never met or talked to anyone who said being direct about asking for LORs is not a good idea. It's more of a matter of knowing when to ask. Think about it this way: You just got a job at X company. You then go to one of the managers and say "I would like you to be a recommendation for when I inevitably leave this company, can we get to know each other better?" Sound pretty lame? It does to me. The vast majority of profs don't give a crap about getting to know you. They will develop a relationship with you on their terms. It's up to you to cultivate that relationship into a positive and constructive LOR.

Also, places like Cornell and UNC are not "4th or 5th tiers" in comparative politics, those are two of the best programs in the country. But this also depends on what your research interests are. I find it a little humorous how you have such a clear and well-written post but don't talk about your research interests/subfield, which might be the most important thing.

You are competitive anywhere. A few things: 1) Submit your three strongest LORs whether they are from a different field or not. A strong LOR from a sociologist is better than a average one from a comparativist. 2) You don't need to explain your GPA, it is fine. 3) You have a lot of things to draw on, but don't muddle it up with irrelevant noise. Try to pick the things most relevant to your application and tie them together coherently in your SOP.

There are tonnes of places by LAX.

I think you took my comment out of context. It was in reference to the argument that 'convenience' was the utmost utility of a laptop. This type of thinking is antiquated. I am not saying that laptops are always just as powerful as desktops, obviously desktops have a much higher ceiling than laptops for a multitude of reasons. However, for the average consumer, there is really no difference between buying a run of the mill laptop and a run of the mill desktop these days, they both are able to run the same applications and have similar spec capabilities. Not that long ago laptops were only used for their portability and convenience and desktops were significantly better machines. However since then, laptops in the consumer market have caught up to desktops. Presently, there is no real reason to have a desktop unless you need it for specific purposes as a laptop will cover most applications the average person needs as long as they buy a decent quality one; with the additional benefit of being able to bring it around with you. That's all I mean.

I am really confused at how if you like working at university X, you will then not enjoy working at university Y. That seems completely illogical.

I agree with the above. People with MAs get hired at CCs all the time. I would try to find a job, see if you like it, then weigh your options a few years down the line.

Do you do regular counselling with a therapist?

This is a solid score, let alone for doctoral programs, not just MA programs. I would imagine your time/money can be spent on better things on your application than re-doing the test.

Or you could just find a pirated version or download it from you university's server for free.

MA students at Columbia have access to all Ph.D. level methods courses. In fact, you cannot even receive your MA without at least a two course sequence in graduate methods (unless you opt for a language component instead).

^ Hard to believe that a university that boasts profs like Shapiro and Green in methods would not be good in methodological training. If anyone comes out of Columbia with poor methods training it was probably their own doing.

Russian lit.

The very first one is first generation students. That is SES.