barbazul

This is quite enjoyable. Thank you, everyone, for your comments. For what it's worth, I've decided to see if there's a proverbial $1000 bill down the road. After doing my own research of the job market, beyond simply getting a position worth the work of a PhD, I've grown a bit wary of placing myself at the mercy of the whole geographic roll of the dice. So I'm still planning on applying again in two years, but I'll have plenty of time to consider everything and improve my chances for one of those top schools.

I'll be facing a decision about a PhD program in the near future, and I thought I'd solicit advice from those who have experience with these things. I'll be finishing my MPA this semester at a large state university, and I know that a PhD in Public Policy/Public Affairs/Political Science with a concentration in Policy is the next step for me (I'm posting this here because it's mostly tumbleweeds in the Government Affairs section). I haven't applied, but the school where I'm doing my MPA has already offered me full tuition and a GA position with a nice stipend for the PhD program here. They've also indicated that they'd be able to sweeten their initial offer. I had planned on waiting for a couple of years after my MPA to apply for PhD programs because my wife is finishing her Master's. I have good enough stats (165 V 163 M 5.0 W, 3.94 undergrad GPA, 4.0 grad GPA) to compete at much higher ranked programs, but I highly doubt that anywhere would be willing to top the offer I've already got. I could wait two years, and I'm confident the offer would still be there as I applied to top programs too. I know that I want to research, but I want to leave the possibility of teaching open as well. So, a few questions: 1. How much of an advantage is it to have a PhD from a top 25 program vs a 50-100 ranked program, all else being equal? 2. At six years out of undergrad, is it reasonable to be in a hurry to start my PhD? 3. If I want to be a strong candidate for Public Policy/Public Affairs faculty positions, is there an advantage to doing a proper PhD in that field compared to a PhD in Political Science with a concentration in Policy? 4. All things considered, start a good program now or try for a top program later?