Ferrero

Can you justify how your research appeals to contemporary political science, or contemporary politics writ large? No? Then go with philosophy. It will be so much less painful when you give a job talk.

How dare you. What a slur. If I were being unkind, I would say you are upset that you have been bamboozeled into enrolling at one of U.S. News' clientele. UCSD is more like a Breakers resort than a serious research university like Georgetown or GW. That's what I say.

Perhaps. But if you are in a job interview and able to say that you can incorporate your D.C. experience into the classroom, that will give you a boost. Even if it is just little anecdotes like, "I once saw Obama on the red line" or "Yes, my advisor previously worked in the Bush administration". These "throwaway lines" give an air of authority not replicable if you say you did your graduate work at WUSTL -- which sounds more like a Fortune 500.

Yes: What they do.

And yet, you do not deny that U.S. News' rankings are a racket -- a ponzi scheme cash cow where programs pay-to-play. Shame on U.S. News.

Biased across fields, I'm afraid, sommelier. Cash is exchanged and recouped in application fees by undergrads who just glance at the rankings. A flagship state school in Ann Arbor is not a better program than one in the mecca of American politics in D.C. Just isn't.

rising star might need to shoot to 7-11 to get some ICE for that burn!!!!

Nothing wrong with dropping them a line. One good approach that (in my experience) leaves an impression and elicits a response is to CC the rest of the faculty with your email, in addition to the graduate students in your subfield at the school. There will be more pressure for the professor to then reply to you, and, as a side benefit, people will be chatting up in the halls about your precociousness and (hopefully good) questions/manners.

Dear Political Scientists: I have been a frequent follower of the cable chat shows, and one word I hear bandied about fairly frequently is "socialism", i.e., that the President is a socialist mole implementing socialist policies and turning the nation into a socialist state. Furthermore, I hear that the government is filled with socialist agents to carry out these socialist plans. If there are any Marx scholars that frequent this sub-forum, can you please confirm/deny the validity of these statements. I ask here because it might be a topic to edgy for the subdued lounge. And you all study politics. Thanks Ferrero

Give them the option that they can either move with you to continue the relationship or stay where they are. If they choose the latter option, one can see that they care about their job or material good more than they do you. This tells you that he/she is not the proverbial "one".

Obama may well turn the economy around with his economic stimulii. However, the effects may not be felt for another few FY. What are the chances that the economy will be booming by the time entering Ph.D. students (for fall '09) hit the job market? 8)

Don't apply to a safety if you can't picture yourself going there and doing what you'd like. But it doesn't matter, really: CHE reports that people taking the GRE are way down this past year. By my lights, there will be plenty of spots at the top schools for even the most mediocre of applicants. Those applying to graduate school for next fall may in fact comprise only the active members of this message board.

Send in your best and longest. This is the most important part of your application if you make the first cut (with your SOP a close second).

The above posts are all conjecture. Where is the empirical proof that going over is correlated with rejection. Plenty of applicants get in that do -- hence the "compensating strengths in other parts of the application outweigh weaknesses in others" spiel (if you count a detailed research design as a "weakness"). They are paid -- sometimes princely sums -- to review your application. Get your money's worth. :idea:

Oh, and I would remove the sentence, "I am just a beginner at this time, and do not have a fixed direction yet." That is just poison on a Ph.D. application.

To be honest, I think you are a little too down on yourself in this personal statement. I would remove the sentences concerning the GRE. That is precious space to waste on a winded excuse as to why you didn't do well (which I'm sure they hear about enough from other applicants). Better to use that time accentuating in greater detail faculty matches, etc., which are conspicuously absent from your statement. Of course, one alternative route would be to plan to visit the department during the time the admissions committee meets. Since you don't know when this is specifically, you can decamp at a local hotel, halfway house, etc. Watch surreptitiously for when they meet by hanging out in the hallways, then ask if you can sit in on their deliberations. When they come to your application, you can correct them on bad assumptions about your person, denigrate other applicants, and so forth. If they decide to reject you, as a matter of last recourse, you can lock yourself in the DGS's office and relay that you will not leave until you're admitted. Quid pro quo...

I was encouraged -- quite animatedly -- not to apply. I don't get it.

I am good friends with Joseph Nye. What say you to that.

This was discussed awhile ago. slothy, I have a friend applying to Columbia poli sci who asked the same thing of Wawro. He said to keep it around the graduate school's limit. My sense is that 500 words is fine for someone in the natural sciences. Tougher for someone in humanities/social sciences. Cut down on adjectives I guess.

Weak. Milquetoast. Namby-pamby. Mollycoddle. I will reiterate: you are PAYING them (in some cases up to $100 or more) to simply NOT LOSE your application between now and the admission committees' deliberations. If they don't have your stuff, it is pure negligence. Tell them you are reporting them to the Better Business Bureau and that you are a lawyer. They will find your items in a hurry. Call morning, noon, and night.

frank, this is a great idea. What kind of tone do you think one should strike when phoning the graduate school?

Best approach might be to read their work fairly thoroughly, then needle them in the SOP on where they went wrong. That can be the point of departure for your own work -- easy segue.

More heckles from the peanut gallery. "Use your best judgement". Really helpful.

smoke signal. Ever seen how they elect a pope. you're a pope.