Hopeful23

Problem solved. I misread characters for words.

In regards to proposals for MPSA.

In terms of preparation for a PhD, methodological training, funding opportunities? (I.e.programs that aren't cash grabs)

^^ Did you do this at the same institution you got your undergraduate degree? And was it a paid position or did you get any sort of funding?

Do you know of any that have increased in quality/prestige?

I made a post about this and didn't get too much response, so I was hoping you could shed some light on it. It is fairly common for prospective phd economics students to complete a full time RAship for a year or two to get more research experience, better letters, etc in the hope of boosting there chances to getting into a better program. Is their an equivalent in political science? Is there a place you would recommend looking for full time RA positions or predoctoral fellowships for political science? Thanks!

It is fairly common for undergraduates in economics to apply and work as a research assistant/associate at another university or agency (like the Fed, IMF, or World Bank) with economists to gain research experience, take more classes, and get more/better recommendation letters. Is there an equivalent concept in political science? If so where would I look to find them? I asked my professor and she claimed this wasn't a thing and recommended looking into econ Ra positions. So I just wanted to check and see. Thanks!

How do admissions committees view coauthorships with faculty? Is it a silver bullet? Is it disregarded if you aren't the first author? How much does it depend on who you write it with? I know it can't be used for the writing sample (though I could see it opening the door for independent work that is similar in topic or something), but for those that had one when applying, how much would you say it helped?

So I took a PhD macroeconomics course and got a B- (so pretty bad for a grad class), how would a political science admissions committee view this? I have taken other grad classes in polisci, econ, and math and firm A's in them , so would that properly offset them ? Or would it be prudent to retake the class to get a better grade? In particular i want to have some political economy in my future research. How would this effect admissions to a CHYPMS or higher political economy programs? Thanks!

Is it possible to work as an RA for a professor at another university even if you've never met them and they are in another state? I know it is common for economics professors to offer RA jobs to recent graduates that are looking to boost their chances of getting into a better PhD program, but I have never seen it in political science. For me, I will be working for a year or two and want to keep my skills sharp and boost my profile. So is it possible to contact a professor at a top program and offer to help with there research in some way?

^could you elaborate?

I actually am a senior haha. But okay that works because I was likely going to ask him about his newer and in progress papers. And noted that I shouldn't mention my interest in working with him. Do you think he will actually respond and discuss? Thanks for the advice!

What do you guys think about contacting a professor about one of their papers? Assuming I have something constructive to say or ask. I will not be applying this cycle and perhaps not for a couple years but I still want to stay sharp and this is someone I would want to work with. If this is even advisable, should I mention I'd want to apply to his school to work with him?

Can you, or anyone, take some guesses conditional of different GRE scores? As, where given my current score? If it was 160, 160, 4.5/5 (very doable, even expected improvements)? If it was 325-330 combined, plus 4.5/5/5.5 (more difficult and can't be assumed)? I know it may seem distasteful to ask for hypotheticals, but it would be appreciated for what it's worth.

So took some time off and got revamped and am ready to go into application season. Refound my spark and am more confident about my letters of recommendation and research interests! Now I want to see how you think I will compare. Where do you think I could be accepted? I am shooting for top 20 and feel very strongly for a school between 10 and 20, but do you think I can be accepted for top 10 or even top 5? What if I improve my GRE score? Or if I can really edit and put some work into some of old term papers (which have done original theory and analysis)? Let me know!

The possibility for an undergrad thesis is likely impossible now, especially since I would need to get it done by December and couples with the classes I'm taking I really am not sure that I'd be able to do it well (I'm taking 3 math classes and those two economics classes mentioned earlier). But that was my main motivation for thinking about a masters: to write a thesis there. I could ask around in my department, but do you think writing an smaller independent paper (with quantitative analysis, theory building, and extensive lit review) over the rest of the summer be worthwhile and usable as a writing sample and demonstration of research potential? My other motivation for wanting a masters now would be to build up some more math, programming, and stats credibility. Would that be a better use of my time?

PROFILE: Type of Undergrad Institution: Midwest state school (one more semester) Major(s): Political Science, Economics, Mathematics Undergrad GPA: 3.821 Type of Grad: N/A Grad GPA: N/A GRE: Don't remember, but not spectacular Any Special Courses: Took 2 PhD PoliSci (A, A-), PhD Math Econ (A), Masters Microeconomics (A); will be taking 2 PhD economics classes (Econometrics and Macro) and 1 graduate math class (Knot Theory and Gen Topology) next fall Letters of Recommendation: I imagine I have one really good one from a PoliSci prof with whom I took a PhD course with, but after that it is less clear: perhaps a good one with a prof with whom I've been meeting with and doing a small project under and then maybe another prof with whom I took an undergrad class with (we talked on many occasions about different research topics and he seemed impressed by the paper I wrote for his class). Then I have some maybes in economics and maybe one or two in math. All around not a great situation Research Experience: Very little to none worth stating. Was an RA for a semester on two different occasions for two different professors but left due to course load. Then some long term papers that had original research (but pretty weak in methods in my opinion) Teaching Experience: Economics tutoring Subfield/Research Interests: Political Economy, Comparative, Authoritarian institutions, Regime transition and consolidation, Political parties, Formal methods Other: Worked at state legislature for a semester. So, my intention for a long time was to get my PhD in either polisci or econ and so I have spent my undergrad preparing for either depending on which I would end up choosing. This usually meant I was taking the coursework needed and taking it to the extreme. So, this left me with some great coursework, but little research experience or great recommendations. And then the previous year I really started feeling the effects of burnout and really lost a lot of motivation to the point that I'm not sure what I really want. So: 1) Given my profile now, do you think I can get into a top 10? Or where do you think I could be competitive? 2) Would going and getting an MA be worthwhile? What are the chances I would get generous funding? I'm considering this option now in order to get the research experience and maybe pop out an article and get some recommendations, as well as to reinvigorate my interest. As a note, I don't think I would like private sector work, so I still believe academia is the way for me to go.