mercuryrising

PROFILE: Type of Undergrad Institution: Top-3 LAC Major(s)/Minor(s): Political Science and Economics Undergrad GPA: 3.9 Type of Grad: None Grad GPA: None GRE: 170 V / 162 Q / 6.0 W Any Special Courses: Game Theory, Econometrics, Data Visualization Letters of Recommendation: 3 undergrad profs (2 political science [iR], 1 economics) Research Experience: RA to the aforementioned 2 IR profs Teaching Experience: None Subfield/Research Interests: IR Other: Spent 2.5 years in private sector before applying RESULTS: Acceptances($$ or no $$): 3 (all $$) -- one top-3, two top-10 Waitlists: None Rejections: 4 (all top-10) Pending: Going to: Top-3 LESSONS LEARNED: - Start early. I had spent a while away from academia, so I reintroduced myself to the discourse and hot topics in IR by reading journal articles starting in mid-August. By mid-September I had banged out a first draft of my SOP. I think the late August to mid-September timeframe is when you should aim to have that first draft written, because... - Ask others to read your SOP. Ask a lot of people, and ask qualified people. I asked 2 of my undergrad professors (the 2 IR profs who wrote LORs for me) and 3 of my friends who are currently at Top-3 Political Science PhD programs. From mid-September to late November, my SOP evolved considerably. The key theme in my feedback was... - Focus on research, research, research. No one on the admissions committee needs to hear about "why you want to enter academia." I was worried that I would need to demonstrate why I was coming back from the private sector to do a PhD program -- nope. Just demonstrate that you have a clear area of desired study ("area" meaning anything from region-specific to topic-specific to concept-specific), that you are familiar with the existing literature in that area, that you have ideas for how you can build upon that existing literature in your research agenda, and that you can identify at least a couple of profs at the program you're applying to with whom you could pursue such research. You don't need to be specific about the exact methodologies you're planning to use, nor do you need to confine yourself to a single research topic. I must have proposed at least 4 different extensions on existing literature in my area of interest, but I showed that I was familiar with who had written what in those topics and showed that I understood what unanswered questions remain. By virtue of demonstrating that you are well-informed about current issues in political science and have an idea of how you would like to contribute to the discipline, you will simultaneously demonstrate your fit in academia. This is classic "show, don't tell." At the same time... - Talk about what you've been up to. If you've been away from academia, like I have, explain what you've been doing and how your experience may help you be a better candidate. In my case, that meant bolstering my relatively weak GRE Quant score by discussing the statistical methods and quant-heavy work I've been doing in the private sector. If you're still in undergrad, talk about your current research, whether independent or RA. However, if you're still in undergrad... - Go do something else for at least a year. Seriously. This might be controversial, and if you really are sure that you want to pursue a PhD, then by all means, go for it. But I'm glad I had my 3 years away from school to earn money, learn how to live on my own, and learn more about what my wants and needs are in life. I exited undergrad fairly certain that I would want to pursue a PhD at some point, but I needed to be sure -- and making a good paycheck while gaining additional quant skills in the private sector (and working insane hours) was the ideal way to make sure of that. You don't have to go into the private sector, but go join a think tank, join a nonprofit, go teach English in a foreign country. Hell, maybe even go do a master's (hopefully one that you're not taking out loans for) to see if grad school is for you. 5 years is a big commitment and my opinion is that a 22 year old is not equipped to recognize what kind of commitment that is. The three current students I asked to read my SOP all told me that they were glad they had taken at least a year off (to do various things: one was a management consultant, one was a journalist, and one was in a think tank). And finally... - If you spend more than 36 hours on your application, you're doing it wrong. Now, I don't mean "spend 1.5 days" as in spend two afternoons. I mean literally, if you add up all the time you put into your application itself, you shouldn't be spending more than 36 hours. Maybe you need to read some journal articles to get yourself re-familiarized with the discipline. But the time to do that + the time to research key professors at the programs you're applying to + the time to write a first draft of a SOP + the time to ask for and receive feedback on the SOP + the time to revise the SOP + the time to prepare materials for your recommenders so that they can write a perfect LOR + the time to fill out the dang applications themselves + the time to write any additional essays that some programs require = 36 hours max. You're going to be in a PhD program and you're going to be writing grant apps while studying for tests and doing research. Start being efficient now and stop letting hesitance or uncertainty cloud your path. I had the nagging feeling that I hadn't spent enough time on my applications, but I realized that even before you open the application, most of the hard work is done: your track record (i.e. courses taken, GPA) is set, you've taken the GRE, you probably have some writing samples at the ready, and you've built enough relationships that asking for LORs shouldn't be a stressful thing to do. If this paragraph seems unreasonable, then maybe a PhD isn't for you. SOP: I'm sure you can kind of guess what my SOP looked like based on my comments above. Here was the general structure: - Why IR fascinates me, and what specifically in IR I want to study - What is the current literature in that specific area of IR - What are the lingering questions in that specific area of IR (and maybe how they might relate to current events): i.e. my research agenda(s) - Why this program can help me pursue that research (i.e. name-drop profs) - Why I am a good candidate (highlight your track record: any awards you've won, etc.) - What I've been up to (private sector; gained research and quant experience) - Conclusion: re-iterate strong interest