Strong Flat White

Branwynn daughter of Llyr looks Welsh, is this right?

Wow this is good stuff. Thanks, guys. The MA idea is something... adds a bit of time to the timeline, but then again, it makes sense/gets the job done. It leads to another question, in that case: What do you think about PhD via the MA route? That goes not just for crossing over these fields, but even if I want to stay in my field - where I already have an MA - would it be worth applying to an MA if I'm rejected as a PhD candidate? And going back to the MA thing -- could I get into MA for English without loading up on credit hours first? Would I need the GRE subject test?

Are you only looking for an MA? Most of what you listed offer the same Human Rights content and research opps at the PhD level. And... I know you're being specific and I enjoy the search for things with the title that gives you what you're looking for (I do the same thing), but I have definitely come to accept that pretty much any polisci or joint polisci/law program will give you the Human Rights angle, provided that there are faculty advisors that you can connect with (which I have found to be likely).

A question for the English types: does a guy with a polisci background ever successfully switch to English/Lit/Writing? I can see from most admissions websites that I'd likely need about 30 credit hours of advanced stuff (since I don't have a degree in this field) and GRE subject tests (since I didn't take a subject test for international relations). So that kind of thing would have to be fulfilled, obviously. But, if I fulfilled it, would I be taken seriously anywhere? Are there programs that anyone can point out that would be particularly receptive to a cross-over? It's a tempting prospect, if at all realistic... THANKS!

I was attracted to UCSB, too, but am starting small (1 app this year) and then going big next year. If I don't get my 1 accept this year, UCSB is at the top of the list simply because it's in Santa Barbara... and isn't San Diego (the impossible school for polisci/IR -- they require a 720 quant, no idea why unless you're trying to turn polisci fully "behavioral," I think some people who aren't hard scientists really really want to be hard scientists). But no, I don't have any meaningful input about the program itself, I've only seen the website..

Professorship and novelist (like Branwen daughter of Llyr!!). But in being on a campus, what I'd REALLY like to do is get involved with international education and develop "faculty-led" study abroad programs during summers... with my wife... meaning that all of this nervous energy floating around this cool site goes double for us, since we're looking for programs to do simultaneously in the same town or city (polisci for me, anth for her). So, that would be the dream.

So the deal is, I was basically told by the director of my program that they "don't even look at quantitative." So, I didn't study for it. I was under time constraints and studied for verbal instead. I'm in the 99th percentile for verbal but I can't help thinking how embarrassing the quantitative is. It's 470 (35th percentile). And I know that for this one program, no biggie, they told me they don't look at it. I'm not sure how literally I should be taking that, but I'm trusting what they told me. However, if I get rejected this cycle, I'll be applying to more places next year, and I get the impression other programs might "look at it." Or even if they wouldn't normally look at it, a score this low might catch their attention. What do people think? Chances of keeping the verbal at that level are slim, but then again a more even score will put me at 1300+, which some places say is what they look at for funding. I'm basically looking for a way NOT to go through another $150, 3-hour hassle, but if it's that sort of a hassle for funding for a program (or even just to gain admission), then it's obviously worth it... very torn about this one.

As a university administrator (not in Admissions, but still), I would reassure you. Campuses are notorious this way -- I sometimes can't get my coworker in the next cubicle over to reply to me! I've always felt this is one of the ways that campuses are truly not a part of the "real world."