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PoliSciGuy00

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  1. Like
    PoliSciGuy00 got a reaction from redaxcx in Results, profile, lessons 2020   
    Hi Theory007.  It’s good to hear from you.  I hope you’ve been doing well.  I’m sorry to everyone for my absence.  Like many folks, I got off gradcafe during grad school, partly for mental health reasons but also because of the whirlwind of graduate school.  Now that I’ve had a bit of time to reflect, I’d like to share the following:

    Several years ago I decided to attend a somewhat lower ranked program because I believed I would get better mentorship than a higher-ranked program I was also admitted to.  I’m not sure that was a *mistake* but, like every decision, there are some things I know now that I wish I knew back then. 

    I’ve gotten good mentorship at my program, but I realize that mentorship isn’t the only thing that is necessary to produce good research.  In my opinion, most of us on this forum need four things to produce good research (we’re all smart enough, I imagine).  (1) Patience.  (2) Mentorship and advising.  (3) Money/time.  (4) Research skills.  I’ll skip over patience because I think that’s relatively self-explanatory.  In my somewhat lower ranked program, I’ve struggled with numbers 3 and 4.  Research is a time-consuming process that can be expensive and requires technical skills.  What I’ve learned now is that sometimes the best mentorship in the world doesn’t help if you simply don’t have the skills or time or money to actually write or run your data or visit the archives or whatever.  
     
    And now back to the ultimate point of this section: picking PhD programs.  If you’re lucky enough to get more than one choice I’d say there’s two general methods for deciding: picking the highest ranked program or going with your gut.  I went with my gut—but knowing what I know now I’m not sure I would’ve made that same decision.  Visiting days can be perfect but that doesn’t mean the program itself is perfect.  Furthermore, I think it’s safe to say lower-ranked schools will hustle to recruit you, whereas higher-ranked programs generally don’t.  But that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have a better experience at a lower-ranked program.  I’m not sure if going with your gut or simply picking for prestige is better.  But I’ll offer just a few more thoughts. 

    If you’re deciding between a prestigious program in the cold northeast or a lower ranked one in balmy LA, and you’re someone that absolutely can’t stand snow and would be miserable in the cold, then perhaps it makes sense for you to go to LA.  Why?  Because you know with a high degree of confidence that LA is warm.  Picking based on factors like mentor quality is riskier because your information at the time is limited. 
    Without picking on my current program too much—there’s too many miserable people on the internet—I just want to reiterate that factors like endowment, wealth, and prestige can be important, measurable factors you should consider.  I didn’t pay as much attention to that as I should’ve.  Generally, but not always, those are synonymous with a higher-ranked program.  Those factors can determine whether or not you have the time and money to actually complete a (good) dissertation.
    Also, try and talk to as many grad students as you can at the programs you are seriously considering.  Don’t stop with the students that show up on admitted students’ day.  Generally, they are the most engaged and getting the most out of the program.  You need to make sure you talk to the median student in the department to understand what experience you’re most likely to have.   

    So, anyways, that’s my two cents.  I wish everyone here the best of luck.  If you have more specific questions, please PM me.  I’m gonna try and hang around here at least a bit, but I probably won’t be posting anymore on the forums.       
  2. Upvote
    PoliSciGuy00 got a reaction from Theory007 in Results, profile, lessons 2020   
    Hi Theory007.  It’s good to hear from you.  I hope you’ve been doing well.  I’m sorry to everyone for my absence.  Like many folks, I got off gradcafe during grad school, partly for mental health reasons but also because of the whirlwind of graduate school.  Now that I’ve had a bit of time to reflect, I’d like to share the following:

    Several years ago I decided to attend a somewhat lower ranked program because I believed I would get better mentorship than a higher-ranked program I was also admitted to.  I’m not sure that was a *mistake* but, like every decision, there are some things I know now that I wish I knew back then. 

    I’ve gotten good mentorship at my program, but I realize that mentorship isn’t the only thing that is necessary to produce good research.  In my opinion, most of us on this forum need four things to produce good research (we’re all smart enough, I imagine).  (1) Patience.  (2) Mentorship and advising.  (3) Money/time.  (4) Research skills.  I’ll skip over patience because I think that’s relatively self-explanatory.  In my somewhat lower ranked program, I’ve struggled with numbers 3 and 4.  Research is a time-consuming process that can be expensive and requires technical skills.  What I’ve learned now is that sometimes the best mentorship in the world doesn’t help if you simply don’t have the skills or time or money to actually write or run your data or visit the archives or whatever.  
     
    And now back to the ultimate point of this section: picking PhD programs.  If you’re lucky enough to get more than one choice I’d say there’s two general methods for deciding: picking the highest ranked program or going with your gut.  I went with my gut—but knowing what I know now I’m not sure I would’ve made that same decision.  Visiting days can be perfect but that doesn’t mean the program itself is perfect.  Furthermore, I think it’s safe to say lower-ranked schools will hustle to recruit you, whereas higher-ranked programs generally don’t.  But that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have a better experience at a lower-ranked program.  I’m not sure if going with your gut or simply picking for prestige is better.  But I’ll offer just a few more thoughts. 

    If you’re deciding between a prestigious program in the cold northeast or a lower ranked one in balmy LA, and you’re someone that absolutely can’t stand snow and would be miserable in the cold, then perhaps it makes sense for you to go to LA.  Why?  Because you know with a high degree of confidence that LA is warm.  Picking based on factors like mentor quality is riskier because your information at the time is limited. 
    Without picking on my current program too much—there’s too many miserable people on the internet—I just want to reiterate that factors like endowment, wealth, and prestige can be important, measurable factors you should consider.  I didn’t pay as much attention to that as I should’ve.  Generally, but not always, those are synonymous with a higher-ranked program.  Those factors can determine whether or not you have the time and money to actually complete a (good) dissertation.
    Also, try and talk to as many grad students as you can at the programs you are seriously considering.  Don’t stop with the students that show up on admitted students’ day.  Generally, they are the most engaged and getting the most out of the program.  You need to make sure you talk to the median student in the department to understand what experience you’re most likely to have.   

    So, anyways, that’s my two cents.  I wish everyone here the best of luck.  If you have more specific questions, please PM me.  I’m gonna try and hang around here at least a bit, but I probably won’t be posting anymore on the forums.       
  3. Like
    PoliSciGuy00 got a reaction from mjsmith in Thank you!   
    Well said.  I will also be around, especially during this summer.  Feel free to DM me and I will do my best to respond.  
  4. Upvote
    PoliSciGuy00 got a reaction from jhm37 in Which Master for US-PhD in Political Science? When to apply for the PhD then?   
    Hi friend, 

    Congrats on making the decision to pursue the (long) PhD journey.  Before I give any specific recommendation, I just wanted to ask for some clarification.  You say you have a Fulbright secured for a 1 year MA at Columbia?  Does this mean you would have tuition covered and a stipend for that one year?  Furthermore, does that Fulbright apply to any other school, or just Columbia?  If it is only Columbia, I would absolutely suggest you go there.  As anyone on this forum will tell you, debt sucks.  It sucks even more if you are trying to get a not super lucrative job in academia.  Columbia, while I have my problems with it, is an excellent option if funded.  It sounds like that is the case for you, but I'm not entirely sure based on the info you provided.    If that is your only funded option, I'd go there without a second thought.  
  5. Upvote
    PoliSciGuy00 reacted to Theory007 in Transferring PhD Programs   
    First of all: it freaking sucks coming to a program with a dream of getting outstanding political science training and then get disappointed. I'm sorry you are going through this. It's painful and difficult and you should do your best (as you are) to get out of there asap.
    But I agree that you cannot transfer. But some programs, also good ones, accept a ton of transfer credits. So you can go to a new program as a new student but skip out on 2-4 semesters of coursework. Also if you were to start over, it's not the end of the world. Many students join new programs and have to do or redo coursework. I would also consider using my original recommenders and not rely on the new ones. If you want to leave a program and you ask current professors for recommendations you risk not getting in anywhere. If you then choose to stay in the current program it would be no surprise to me if you'd have an even harder time getting support from anyone.
    Would you mind DMing me the program name? And if you'd be willing to elaborate on your experience I'd love to hear about it (without names and all that stuff). For one reason or another people ask me for advise about where where to apply and what programs to attend. so I'd very much appreciate getting a first-hand account of a program that does not work out. And I could give you mine if you were interested
    I basically agree with @MrsPhD. But would:
    1. Spend the summer researching new programs. Look at every program in the top-50 or so and write a list of programs that you could complete at an accelerated pace. When you have this list of 3-6 suitable programs, add a handful of programs where you'd be a good fit even if you had to start over.
    2. Take an honest look at my application material. Depending on your GRE score most people would benefit from redoing it. Study all summer for it and take it 3-4 times in August-December. Use the Manhattan Prep Books to prepare and sign up for the online Magoosh and complete the full program within your time constraints. It's cheap and best bang for the buck. There is lots of advise on what material to use to prep for the GRE but if you use what I suggest you'd be able to get 160 at least in both sections, which will make you a contender for most programs (except top-10 programs maybe).
    Work on your writing sample. Adcoms are not looking for an incredible original paper I think but one that demonstrates your research interests, one that shows that you understand the basics of social science research methodology, and one that is fairly well written. Others may weigh in on this.
    Your SOP is the most important element of your application. It's the only piece of writing that you KNOW that adcoms will read for sure. So it has to be perfect, or almost perfect. There is also lots of advise on how to write this well, but I'd recommend asking @BunniesInSpace who knows a thing or two about how to write a good application.
    3. Given that you said above, I'd then ask my original recommenders for a new set of recommendations. You'll have to come up with a good way of framing your request otherwise they may refuse. Other people may disagree with me on this though.
    I'd also consider not returning to your current program this fall. You'll have to weigh your options though.
    Hope this is somewhat helpful. 
  6. Like
    PoliSciGuy00 reacted to Theory007 in Thank you!   
    Thanks everyone for another season on this forum!
    I'm proud to be associated with you all (even if we're anonymous) and grateful that we are such a good community! The main application thread had, as you can see, well above 500k views since November, which is really quite mind-blowing to me.
    To those of you who will be reapply next year, I'll be back then and look forward to reconnect. I'll sign in from time to time and please feel free to reach out if there is anything I can do, help with, or give you advise on. I certainly do not know everything but I do know some things and would be happy to help.
    Best wishes to you all!
  7. Like
    PoliSciGuy00 got a reaction from ThucydidesLatte in 2020-2021 Application Thread   
    Just wanted to make a quick note here for anyone accepted to Chicago MA programs, its worth asking them for more $$$, especially if you have a funded offer somewhere to use as leverage.  There's no guarantee of course, but Chicago is a wealthy school so its worth asking them for more $$$.  
  8. Like
    PoliSciGuy00 got a reaction from Mazarin in How to get the most out of admit visits??   
    Great advice here.  I'm not sure I have much more to add, except that I'd echo point #3.  This is especially important, and hard to do, unfortunately, on Zoom.  I'm not sure I really have a good answer.  Although its a pain, try really hard to talk to at least 2-3 current students.    
  9. Upvote
    PoliSciGuy00 reacted to Mazarin in How to get the most out of admit visits??   
    Hello, thank you for posting this question here. I think it is quite an important one as we do these visits virtually in the coming weeks/months. I would add the following to the previous answer:
    1. As much as this may seem minor, if you have any questions regarding the coursework and curriculum of the first few years, you should feel free to ask them. 
    2. 2nd to 4th year students in general are excellent people for you to ask questions about the programme.
    3. Getting a feel for the "vibe" of the grad student and department community is indeed quite important. You'll likely be there for 5 or 6 years, so this probably matters more than one would imagine at first.
  10. Like
    PoliSciGuy00 got a reaction from icemanyeo in Which Master for US-PhD in Political Science? When to apply for the PhD then?   
    I see.  In that case, I'm not sure I have a really strong recommendation for you.  I would agree with you that if you go to Columbia, or anywhere else, for a 1 year MA, it would probably make sense to wait a year, as you won't really have gotten out of the program what you need in just 2-3 months.  If you're going to put the effort/time/money into an MA, I think it makes sense to wait until you have finished one year before applying to get the real benefit of the degree during PhD apps.  I don't think there's any harm in waiting, personally.  Sometimes professors will hire, either full or part time, former students to serve as RAs.  That's no guarantee, of course, but it could be possible at somewhere like Columbia.   
     
    The only other thing I'd say right now is not to focus too much on the "type" of master's degree, but to consider what you think you can get out of the program in terms of (1) coursework and (2) connections with faculty.  Speaking hypothetically, and if finances roughly equal out at different schools, if you think you could develop stronger connections and take more rigorous coursework at LSE vs. Columbia, then I'd go there (I'm not sure if this would be the case, just using an example).  I know its hard to gauge this stuff, especially during Covid, but just go with your gut and get as much info as you can.  Some master's programs, too, will offer much greater flexibility in coursework, so keep that in mind.  If you're trying to be competitive for a PhD, you don't necessarily want to spend all your time in a master's program taking classes on project management or leadership or whatever, you need to have some freedom to take classes that will help you develop research skills.  
     
    I'll chew this over and see if I have anything else to contribute later.          
     
      
  11. Like
    PoliSciGuy00 got a reaction from JPYSD in Which Master for US-PhD in Political Science? When to apply for the PhD then?   
    Hi friend, 

    Congrats on making the decision to pursue the (long) PhD journey.  Before I give any specific recommendation, I just wanted to ask for some clarification.  You say you have a Fulbright secured for a 1 year MA at Columbia?  Does this mean you would have tuition covered and a stipend for that one year?  Furthermore, does that Fulbright apply to any other school, or just Columbia?  If it is only Columbia, I would absolutely suggest you go there.  As anyone on this forum will tell you, debt sucks.  It sucks even more if you are trying to get a not super lucrative job in academia.  Columbia, while I have my problems with it, is an excellent option if funded.  It sounds like that is the case for you, but I'm not entirely sure based on the info you provided.    If that is your only funded option, I'd go there without a second thought.  
  12. Like
    PoliSciGuy00 got a reaction from JPYSD in Which Master for US-PhD in Political Science? When to apply for the PhD then?   
    I see.  In that case, I'm not sure I have a really strong recommendation for you.  I would agree with you that if you go to Columbia, or anywhere else, for a 1 year MA, it would probably make sense to wait a year, as you won't really have gotten out of the program what you need in just 2-3 months.  If you're going to put the effort/time/money into an MA, I think it makes sense to wait until you have finished one year before applying to get the real benefit of the degree during PhD apps.  I don't think there's any harm in waiting, personally.  Sometimes professors will hire, either full or part time, former students to serve as RAs.  That's no guarantee, of course, but it could be possible at somewhere like Columbia.   
     
    The only other thing I'd say right now is not to focus too much on the "type" of master's degree, but to consider what you think you can get out of the program in terms of (1) coursework and (2) connections with faculty.  Speaking hypothetically, and if finances roughly equal out at different schools, if you think you could develop stronger connections and take more rigorous coursework at LSE vs. Columbia, then I'd go there (I'm not sure if this would be the case, just using an example).  I know its hard to gauge this stuff, especially during Covid, but just go with your gut and get as much info as you can.  Some master's programs, too, will offer much greater flexibility in coursework, so keep that in mind.  If you're trying to be competitive for a PhD, you don't necessarily want to spend all your time in a master's program taking classes on project management or leadership or whatever, you need to have some freedom to take classes that will help you develop research skills.  
     
    I'll chew this over and see if I have anything else to contribute later.          
     
      
  13. Upvote
    PoliSciGuy00 got a reaction from mithradates in UC San Diego Ph.D.: Political Science vs GPS   
    I don't know very much about UC San Diego specifically, but here's my speculation: 
    Most joint degree programs with policy schools are more geared toward research careers in industry, think-tanks, or government, rather than academia.  I imagine that's what is going on at UC San Diego.  The political science program is aimed toward students who are primarily interested in academia.  Of course, students from polisci do end up working outside academia, and vice versa, but if you're in a policy PhD program you will likely find more professors engaged in policy oriented research.  

    There really isn't a good forum on this website for policy-oriented PhDs.  Most people on this forum are interested exclusively in polisci, whereas most folks on the government affairs forum are looking only at MA degrees.  Whether or not you want a policy-oriented PhD or a traditional political science degree comes down mostly to what you want to do after grad school.  I will say traditional political science programs are generally better funded.  I wouldn't recommend going to a PhD program UC San Diego GPS, or any PhD program, without substantial funding that allows you to avoid debt.  Hope that's helpful.  Best of luck!  
  14. Like
    PoliSciGuy00 got a reaction from AHD in What is the average number of PhD programs people apply to?   
    Thought I'd thrown in my two cents here.  I applied to 11 programs.  Some were definitely reach schools, but I wouldn't say any were that safe.  I was ultimately admitted to two pretty strong programs.  In the end, as anyone can tell you, its mostly a crapshoot.  I'm not sure there's a "right number."  I'd say don't apply to anywhere, unless you are planning to transfer out (which is unusual) that you aren't very serious about both academically and geographically.  Good luck to all of you this year.   
  15. Like
    PoliSciGuy00 got a reaction from Sad Politics in Profile Evaluation Request (Comparative Politics, Political Economy)   
    Thank you for your kind words.  Glad I was able to find a way to make my procrastination socially responsible.  Good luck with the process!  
  16. Upvote
    PoliSciGuy00 reacted to Theory007 in Advice: PhD vs Masters/Profile Eval?   
    My sense is that the GRE matters more for people coming from programs overseas and it's difficult to evaluate a profile like yours without this component. 165+ in each section could make your profile look strong overall and certainly good enough for many programs. Less could do it too. I guess my point is that I would focus on the GRE and try to get a great score. Write a focused SoP and a good writing sample and I think you would be in good shape. By this I mean that you would (depending on your GRE score) likely have a decent chance at program in the T30 -T50.
    Like many, you only want to go to T10 programs. While I understand the ambition I honestly have a hard time understanding refusing to consider other programs. For reference, most programs accept maybe a couple of people within each subfield and by going to a T10 program you would - roughly - need to be among the strongest 15-25 theory students in the world at that point. I'm not saying that you cannot get there, but it is extremely competitive and in the end a matter of being very lucky. My advise is to adjust your expectations; look closely at every T50 program and apply to those that are a good match with you. All else equal, it is of course better going to a higher ranked program but it's far more important that you are a good fit with the department. And when you go on the job market at some point, the quality of your research is going to matter a lot more than the school you came from. So the question is not if you can get into a T10 program but if you can get into a program that can help you become a scholar and produce outstanding research.
    To answer your question more directly; if you absolutely will not apply outside the best of the best programs then I would say that you probably should do the MA degree first. I think it marginally increases your chances of admission to T10 programs. But it still will be very difficult to get into the phd programs you mention - even with a strong MA degree. My advise is to approach the application process differently as I mentioned above; by all means apply to some T10 programs but I would not exclude the possibility of going to a really excellent program in the T30 - T50!
  17. Upvote
    PoliSciGuy00 got a reaction from irh4256 in Profile Evaluation?   
    As I've said to others, I think you have a good chance of getting at least one admit, and perhaps more.  This year is weird because of COVID and the lack of GRE, but I wouldn't stress too much.  
  18. Upvote
    PoliSciGuy00 got a reaction from needanoffersobad in International student; trash undergrad GPA. Will be taking an MA first, but should I even bother keeping my hopes up in terms of PhD prospects?   
    This discussion shows that people can have productive conversation on the internet....and on this forum!  Who knew.   
     
  19. Upvote
    PoliSciGuy00 reacted to Muan1 in International student; trash undergrad GPA. Will be taking an MA first, but should I even bother keeping my hopes up in terms of PhD prospects?   
    My tentative understanding is that your GPA/academic performance as a master's student can mitigate a less-than-stellar academic performance as an undergraduate. How substantial, or marginal, the mitigation -- I don't know. But, if this is any hope to you, I had a friend who had a GPA somewhere in the 2's, went to law school for a year or two, then transferred to a terminal master's program, and he ended up going to Michigan for PhD (not going to divulge his field or anything). Point being, that there is hope. Now you really want to have strong letters ready for whenever you make the decision to apply to PhD programs. Hopefully your program is 2 years, instead of one, so you'll be able to form meaningful relationships with professors who have read your work and can assess your suitability for a doctoral program. But I imagine that you'll also have a professor or two who might be able to say something about this too from your undergraduate institution.
    TLDR: get into a master's, do very well, figure out what you want to study concretely, and apply to programs that you'd be a good fit at accordingly. Nobody's chances are good, and prophesies in this enterprise are meaningless. Do the things you are passionate about and the road will naturally appear before you.
  20. Upvote
    PoliSciGuy00 reacted to guest789 in International student; trash undergrad GPA. Will be taking an MA first, but should I even bother keeping my hopes up in terms of PhD prospects?   
    I'm only an applicant, so maybe take this with a grain of salt, but I think you'll be fine. Maybe apply to a few PhD programs as well and see what happens. People get into PhD programs with "bad" grades all the time - someone was accepted into Princeton last year with a 3.2 (it's in the results thread). Notably, they had a strong stats/CS background. I would not pursue a second masters - you might not even need one! Graduate admissions committees are well aware that other countries actively practice grade deflation as well - so you have that working for you. 
    The main issue, in my opinion, is that people with low GPAs - actually, most applicants regardless of grades - cannot convince the admissions committees that they know what research is about or that they're committed to furthering current, exciting avenues of research. In other words, do not apply and say you want to study a substantive topic using a method that was hashed out and is now considered old - or worse, debunked - in the late 1990s. Read APSR, AJPS, CP, whatever - look at what is being published now and talk about how your research contributes to or furthers current research agendas. Look at the working papers of current ABDs and junior profs. If your writing sample can look sort of like this work, great, you're solid. There are obviously constraints - you won't be able to get original data, for example - but you can certainly structure your paper so that it looks like working paper, with a lit review, methods, results and so on.
    You have some time, so you can do this. Make it clear you know what you're getting into. Increase the number of positive signals in your application - for example, if you're in a quant field write your CV in LaTeX.  Learn R, particularly the tidyverse. It probably won't count for much, but it won't hurt. These are weak signs, sure, but there are things you can do that will signal that you know what training in political science entails...
  21. Like
    PoliSciGuy00 got a reaction from deleted-account in Profile Evaluation - Request   
    Nice to see a law student on here.  One of my mentors had a PhD and law degree and was a terrific scholar, teacher, and mentor, so I don't think that will work against you at all.  It will probably help. 
    I think you have a great profile, but as smug-face mentioned, those are all highly competitive programs and even top students may not get in.  I e-mailed with a faculty member at UChicago last year and they told me the department generally receives around 500 applicants each year and maybe admit 25-30.  I imagine the other programs you applied to are just as competitive.  Covid might throw a wrench in that this year, for better or worse, I'm not sure.  I don't say this to add to your angst, but rather to suggest that if you aren't admitted anywhere this year that you broaden your list of schools to maybe 7-10 if you choose to apply again.  Most people on this forum apply to at least one or two "safety" schools that are outside the top 10-15.  In my *limited* experience these schools generally get 250-300 applications instead of 500+, so that improves your chances and can still give you great career opportunities.
    But now that your apps are presumably finished, I'd do your best to relax and not stress too much.  I think you've got a fighting chance at all those schools, but don't immediately bag the whole enterprise if you aren't admitted this year.  
  22. Upvote
    PoliSciGuy00 reacted to Theory007 in UC Davis Political Science Phd   
    UC Davis is a very strong department and its acceptance rate is low. Even if you had a good chance of getting in (which you may or may not have), you should apply to several other programs. A lot of people here apply to 10+ programs. You don't have to apply to that many - but apply at least to half a dozen or so to maximize your chances. Remember that "fit" is what matters many places. Unfortunately the big deadline is tomorrow on December 15th so either you have to act fast or look at the much smaller pool of programs that have application deadlines on January 15th.
    Hope that helps - good luck!
  23. Upvote
    PoliSciGuy00 reacted to smug-face in Profile Evaluation - Request   
    I think you look very strong. You're applying to few, very competitive programs, so it's always going to be a bit of a crapshoot. Lack of GRE shouldn't be an issue given that you have a strong math background. All I can say is that while browsing the grad students pages in various departments I have seen a few people who came from law school, so it is certainly not unheard of. Good luck!
  24. Upvote
    PoliSciGuy00 reacted to Sad Politics in Profile Evaluation Request (Comparative Politics, Political Economy)   
    Thank you for your reply, I think it is really good advice and I appreciate it a lot. GradCafe is a great forum but browsing it every day is probably not healthy given my current situation. Unfortunately, I cannot take days off (Duke deadline!) but hopefully, I'll be able to take a break during Christmas and think about this seriously. By the way, you always give good advice in these forums, so thank you for that.  
  25. Upvote
    PoliSciGuy00 got a reaction from Sad Politics in Profile Evaluation Request (Comparative Politics, Political Economy)   
    Nothing wrong with shooting for the stars.  Of course, everyone could've always applied to more school, but I think you have a strong profile.  With my limited knowledge of your situation, I'd say apply to Vanderbilt or Texas-Austin only if you can really imagine yourself going there.  Both are strong programs, but I don't think it's worth "anxiety applying" if you're not serious.  I'm not sure about European schools.  Ultimately, at this point, most of your work is finished.  Take a few days off this weekend, and keep away from this forum, and then see if you feel like you really need to apply to more schools.  
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