MauBicara

Struggling with this now. I felt my ~1000 word SOP was pretty solid, but stripping it down to the bare bones to fit a 500 word limit seems to make it a worse read. Then again, I'm certain that departments asking for a 500 word SOP are aware of this, and prefer you keep things tight and to the point-- surely a shorter statement entails some trade offs with the depth of the finished product. UBC asks for "around 500 words." How high do you think I could go without annoying the AdComm? Would you figure 600 to be acceptable?

I was just approved for Canadian permanent residency this morning I had been planning to apply to UBC and U of T PhD programs anyway, but now will have the pleasure of doing so as a domestic student rather than international. I am pretty committed to making my life in Canada, and would prefer not to leave the country to pursue my PhD. Outside of UBC, U of T, and McGill, what Canadian universities are worth applying to for doctoral studies, if my objective is getting a tenure-track position in Canada? My regional interest is Southeast Asia, where I find very little expertise in funded programs outside of the three universities mentioned above. Are there any I've overlooked?

Definitely retake if you can. As is your score might not be a disaster, but some of your programs are very competitive, and a sub-300 certainly won't do you any favours.

I'll be sending in my first applications on Sunday night! How long are everyone's writing samples? I have longer papers, but I think that the one I'll ultimately generally end up using is 15/16 pages, with 12-point double-spaced font. Obviously excepting those that give specific page ranges of 20+, should this suffice? I'm thinking to send this paper to all universities that either don't specify a page limit, or ask for "no more than 25," or "25 pages or less."

Kept mine at 700 words. The main things I wrote about were my experience as a volunteer English tutor for adult immigrants, and then my own US --> Canada immigration experience.

I'm sending off to 7-- the first of which are going out Sunday evening.

Hey all, Any thoughts on how closely our writing samples should relate to our research interests stated in the SOP? I had a paper that I thought had tied in quite nicely and would be a good fit, but as I go through the process of editing, I am finding that it may not have been as close as I'd initially thought...In light of that, I'm now considering other papers, which I feel might be better overall, though are not about my region of interest and are only somewhat similar to my broader thematic interests. In this situation, is it better to put the effort in to polish the more relevant paper, or is a better paper that is less relevant to current research interests OK so long as it demonstrates good writing/analytical abilities?

As I prepare to submit my first applications in one weeks time (ah, so soon! D:), I'm in the process of finalizing the documents I hope to send along to the AdComms. I have found myself in a bit of a dilemma, however: I have one paper that is closely related to the project that I have proposed in my SOP, and received a very high mark in the Master's course I wrote it for. I have another which is less related to my topic directly, but is still part of my broader subfield (Comparative Politics). While the first paper would seem the obvious choice to send out, as I reread it, I think it might have more substantial editing required before it is a polished sample. The second is probably a better paper-- though as it does not directly relate to my research proposal, would that work against me?

Would anybody be willing to swap SOPs for feedback? I've managed to get a (I think) decent draft together, but I'd really like to get another pair of eyes to go over it, if anybody is willing. I'm more than happy to return the favour!

Woohoo, let's get this show on the road! I'm moving into this application cycle with some confidence. International relations undergrad with a 3.95GPA at a smallish private university with a decent reputation, 4.13GPA in my current International Studies program at a university highly ranked within Canada. No writing score yet, but my GRE results on screen were 170/170. No publications, but I have a paper in an upcoming conference, made presentations for an undergrad research conference, a research competition put on by the German Mission to the US, and an invited talk at a US diplomatic mission abroad. I have written theses at the graduate (MA) and undergraduate levels (including funded international field research for the former). Three semesters as a TA. Previous internship with the US congressman's office in my hometown, and two current remote research internships with US government agencies. That said, can't help but have some nerves. I'm applying widely (10 programs (8 US + 2 Canadian)), though all in the North American top 20. I will be obsessive over my choice of writing samples and personal statements. Good luck, everyone!

I took the actual GRE yesterday, and according to the scores that appeared on the screen following the exam, things went much better than my practice sessions. ETS I: 170V / 163Q ETS II: 166V / 163Q ETS III: 166V / 163Q Powerprep I: 167V / 162Q Powerprep II: 168V / 161Q Manhattan: 163V / 160Q Actual GRE: 170V / 170Q Hours studied: ~30

Hi all, I am joining many of you in the struggle of applying for PhD programs. At this point, I'm certain I want to pursue a doctorate-- but I'm a bit on the fence as to what I can realistically expect to get into. Undergrad: Mid-tier private university. Major(s)/Minor(s): International Relations Undergrad GPA: 3.95 Master's: Top 10 Canadian university, International Development Studies Grad GPA: 4.13 GPA (4.0 if A+s aren't weighted). GRE: Taking it in September-- practice tests have so far put me at 160-165v/155-160q Subfield/Research Interests: Comparative politics/political economy: democratic transition, decentralization, regional organizations. I generally approach these topics in the Indonesian context. Letters of Recommendation: I expect one very strong letter from my MA supervisor, who is fairly well known in political economy, and another very strong letter from the department chair at my undergrad. Third letter will likely be good-- most probably coming from the graduate director at my current institution. Research Experience: At the undergrad level, I did two independent research theses, and presented at the university's UG research conference. I am currently authoring my MA thesis, which entailed field work in Indonesia (my country of focus). I have had a related paper accepted for presentation at a conference. No publications, though I will try to change that by the time my applications are submitted. Teaching Experience: Three semesters as a TA. Very highly rated in student and supervising professor reviews. Other: Prior internship (6 years ago) at a US congressperson's district office. Research internship (long distance) with a US-government agency branch in Indonesia. B1 proficiency in Indonesian language (which I will be improving on with in-country language training next summer). Additionally, I have received three semester-long fellowships through my university, and conducted my field research with the support of a research travel award from the university. In general, I think these stats are pretty good-- though my main worries are whether I'll be hurt by a lack of publications and the lackluster prestige of the institutions I've attended. Assuming the GRE practice results are roughly accurate (though I will continue studying and hope to bump those numbers up), what level of institution can I reasonably expect to have a chance getting into? I've come up with a tentative list of 10 programs I'll expect to apply to, which includes a couple top 20s, and then the rest are scattered throughout the top 50. I know that there's no surefire way to predict admissions, but have I set my sights on roughly the right range of schools?