PoliSciGuy00

I know of someone who had a letter submitted two weeks late due to illness. They e-mailed the program post deadline to let them know. They were still accepted. Professors generally know that other professors are busy because they're also likely writing letters for students to get into other programs. They also know it is outside of your control so I would try not to stress over it.

I would not panic.  I think you are very likely to get at least one acceptance at your schools and probably more.  This is a weird year because of funding and GREs, so that adds uncertainty, but I would rest easy.  

Hi friend, 

Cornell admit from last year here.  Timeseries' advice is sound.  15-25pp is good.  

I would not do this.  You can probably get away with a few extra pages on your writing sample.  But, don't do it with your personal statement.  A few sentences is probably okay, but unfortunately OP should cut down to 2 pages double spaced.  2 single spaced is too long.    

Advice from a faculty member at Stanford: mentioning 3-5 faculty members and briefly addressing their work and your interests at the end of your SOP. To him, it is a must when he reads applicants' SOP.     btw, he also told me if you cannot list out 3, it probably means this school does not fit you well. 
 
dont just put one or two. As posts above said, we are not sure if they still take students or not. So 3-5 is much safer (its extremely unlucky if none of them takes more students)

I wouldn't do it. Think of it this way: if you're on an adcom, and you have to read dozens of applications, would you appreciate it? You'd be asking them to read twice as much (and showing you can't follow directions).

I'm applying this cycle! I literally just listed every course I have taken, which was such a chore (what are transcripts for, then?) I didn't really understand what they meant by "textbook", as during my undergraduate degree I mostly read papers and books, so I wrote that no textbook was used for every course.
I would probably just list all of them, for both degrees.

Hi Friend, 

Congrats on finishing university so quickly!  I applied, and was admitted to CIR several times, but ultimately chose to pursue different professional and academic opportunities in a another program.  I think it is a strong program, although, as I'm sure you've seen, others on this forum think differently.  I think, given that its only one year, you may not get what you need out of it if the your classes are entirely online (like strong LORs and good thesis advisement).  Keep this in mind.    
I think you should apply to CIR.  But, mind Dwar's comment and be cautious about debt.  If you are admitted to CIR, ask for more money and try to get as much out of them as possible.  If the program is going to put you in a significant amount of debt, I'd apply again the next year, maybe with a strong GRE score.  

One other thing to consider here: I'm not sure what your undergrad situation is like.  Depending on how much you're paying for undergrad, and how strong your program/professors are, I think it might be worthwhile to stay around another year in your program and write a terrific thesis, work as an RA, get closer to professors, take methods classes, etc.  I think finishing in three years is much more common and PhD adcoms (and CIR) would be more comfortable with that.  You mention that you're from a big 10 midwest program.  If you have great LORs, a strong GRE, a thesis, methods classes, and research experience, I'd say you'd be a in a very strong position to do well in PhD admissions.  Consider sticking around for another year, getting those things, and then applying straight into PhD programs.  If your department is toxic or full of professors that checked out 20 years ago, finish up in two years.  But, if there's more you can get out if it, I'd think about sticking around.     

I suggest that you check out the MA in Social Sciences at the Juan March Institute of Madrid (google it). It has a pretty good placement record (Duke, Yale, NYU, etc.) and it offers nice funding for international students. It also has a history of admitting several Turkish students. There is a very talented guy from Bogazici in my cohort. 

I think you have a nice profile. Some people on this forum will point to your GRE scores as a potential red flag, but I was accepted to a T10 program with a far lower score on the quantitative section. If you have time, I'd consider applying to a couple T10 programs, to be honest.

There are scholars in political science that produce a lot of research using qualitative work. If your main substantive interest is politics, I would not exclude political science programs, especially if you are interested in also taking quantitative methods courses. I would suggest to look into the work of these scholars (e.g. Lisa Wedeen or Erica Simmons), and also look up the work that they are referencing themselves. This should give you a good idea of the type of qual work done in poli sci. Once you have a list of scholars you can just look at where they work, and even reach out to them to discuss whether they think their institutions, and political science in general, would be a good fit for you.

I would write a standard paper, 15-25pp with an introduction, methods, results, conclusion. Most schools seem to have a 20pp cutoff, so I'd suggest keeping it shorter if you can. Concise writing is good writing in this case.

I guess one other thing to consider here is whether or not you find some modicum of joy, satisfaction, or meaning from being in a doctoral program.  In other words, might it be intrinsically worthwhile?  I for one am thankful to be a doctoral program right now.  It's stressful, to be sure, but I appreciate the opportunities I have here that I almost certainly would not have in the private or public sector, namely a guaranteed income and health insurance for five years to take classes that interest me, write (and try to publish) about things I am passionate about, develop in-demand and non in-demand skills, be in a city and area that I really like, and be around really smart people all day that care about my success.  I know a lot of people have strong feelings about this, but I just wanted to throw my two cents in.  Like most other people on this forum, there's definitely an opportunity cost for me.  I could be making more money, possibly a lot more, in the private sector.  But for now, I'm happy where I am.    

I guess one other thing to consider here is whether or not you find some modicum of joy, satisfaction, or meaning from being in a doctoral program.  In other words, might it be intrinsically worthwhile?  I for one am thankful to be a doctoral program right now.  It's stressful, to be sure, but I appreciate the opportunities I have here that I almost certainly would not have in the private or public sector, namely a guaranteed income and health insurance for five years to take classes that interest me, write (and try to publish) about things I am passionate about, develop in-demand and non in-demand skills, be in a city and area that I really like, and be around really smart people all day that care about my success.  I know a lot of people have strong feelings about this, but I just wanted to throw my two cents in.  Like most other people on this forum, there's definitely an opportunity cost for me.  I could be making more money, possibly a lot more, in the private sector.  But for now, I'm happy where I am.    

I guess one other thing to consider here is whether or not you find some modicum of joy, satisfaction, or meaning from being in a doctoral program.  In other words, might it be intrinsically worthwhile?  I for one am thankful to be a doctoral program right now.  It's stressful, to be sure, but I appreciate the opportunities I have here that I almost certainly would not have in the private or public sector, namely a guaranteed income and health insurance for five years to take classes that interest me, write (and try to publish) about things I am passionate about, develop in-demand and non in-demand skills, be in a city and area that I really like, and be around really smart people all day that care about my success.  I know a lot of people have strong feelings about this, but I just wanted to throw my two cents in.  Like most other people on this forum, there's definitely an opportunity cost for me.  I could be making more money, possibly a lot more, in the private sector.  But for now, I'm happy where I am.    

I guess one other thing to consider here is whether or not you find some modicum of joy, satisfaction, or meaning from being in a doctoral program.  In other words, might it be intrinsically worthwhile?  I for one am thankful to be a doctoral program right now.  It's stressful, to be sure, but I appreciate the opportunities I have here that I almost certainly would not have in the private or public sector, namely a guaranteed income and health insurance for five years to take classes that interest me, write (and try to publish) about things I am passionate about, develop in-demand and non in-demand skills, be in a city and area that I really like, and be around really smart people all day that care about my success.  I know a lot of people have strong feelings about this, but I just wanted to throw my two cents in.  Like most other people on this forum, there's definitely an opportunity cost for me.  I could be making more money, possibly a lot more, in the private sector.  But for now, I'm happy where I am.    

I guess one other thing to consider here is whether or not you find some modicum of joy, satisfaction, or meaning from being in a doctoral program.  In other words, might it be intrinsically worthwhile?  I for one am thankful to be a doctoral program right now.  It's stressful, to be sure, but I appreciate the opportunities I have here that I almost certainly would not have in the private or public sector, namely a guaranteed income and health insurance for five years to take classes that interest me, write (and try to publish) about things I am passionate about, develop in-demand and non in-demand skills, be in a city and area that I really like, and be around really smart people all day that care about my success.  I know a lot of people have strong feelings about this, but I just wanted to throw my two cents in.  Like most other people on this forum, there's definitely an opportunity cost for me.  I could be making more money, possibly a lot more, in the private sector.  But for now, I'm happy where I am.    

I guess one other thing to consider here is whether or not you find some modicum of joy, satisfaction, or meaning from being in a doctoral program.  In other words, might it be intrinsically worthwhile?  I for one am thankful to be a doctoral program right now.  It's stressful, to be sure, but I appreciate the opportunities I have here that I almost certainly would not have in the private or public sector, namely a guaranteed income and health insurance for five years to take classes that interest me, write (and try to publish) about things I am passionate about, develop in-demand and non in-demand skills, be in a city and area that I really like, and be around really smart people all day that care about my success.  I know a lot of people have strong feelings about this, but I just wanted to throw my two cents in.  Like most other people on this forum, there's definitely an opportunity cost for me.  I could be making more money, possibly a lot more, in the private sector.  But for now, I'm happy where I am.    

Have you ever made a positive contribution to this forum or has it always been like this?

As someone who studied at a college with lots of Straussians, I'd agree with everything Artifex_Archer said.  Don't worry too much about this.  Look for people that fit with your interests and apply there.    

As someone who studied at a college with lots of Straussians, I'd agree with everything Artifex_Archer said.  Don't worry too much about this.  Look for people that fit with your interests and apply there.    

Hi OP, 
Since I have a policy-oriented master's degree I'll throw my two cents in here.  Like others have said, a policy-oriented master's degree is expensive, although I still found it to be a worthwhile experience.  I got three great letter writers out of it, who I feel confident will remain valuable professional contacts down the road that I wouldn't have met otherwise.  I also got a wealth of RA experience.  My undergrad was from a relatively prestigious SLAC but I wasn't a good student and my GPA was subpar, so I didn't even bother with PhD programs right away.  Your situation is different and I think your GRE score and GPA are terrific.  However, as others on this thread have said, I think the biggest problem you have is your LOR writers.  My educated guess is that most competitive applicants have letters from three academics and at least two political scientists.  If you've been out of school for a long time most programs will excuse one letter from a non-academic professional.  It won't help them but it won't hurt them.  But the other two should be from academics and ideally political scientists or academics familiar with polisci (sometimes historians, other social scientists, or philosophers).  In your case, I'd try really hard to find another professor, even if they don't know you as well as one of your managers.  Try to have a friend or professor in polisci look over your personal statement and then send this to your professors so they have a good idea of what to talk about in your LORs.      
 
All that said, I'd recommend you apply to 3-4 MA programs but also shoot for some PhD programs that you'd want to attend.  I know people on this forum have mixed feelings on UChicago CIR, but from my experience it is a good program.  Although expensive, they often give out aid and will frequently bump up your aid amount if you just ask.  As you are doing, looking at Oxbridge and LSE.  Canadian programs are good, too.  If you get admitted to different MA programs, use these offers as leverage to increase your aid.  Most won't give you a stipend, but I think you could get a pretty strong scholarship, if not a full ride, with your GRE scores.  I think it's perfectly okay to e-mail professors that fit with your interests at these MA programs and directly ask if they ever send people to PhD programs.  I think many will be forthcoming with you.
 
One other wrinkle to consider here.  I think most people on this forum will agree its a lot easier to build relationships with professors if classes are in-person and the university is functioning as normal.  Hopefully Covid will be over with by the time you matriculate, but if you're US based and taking classes entirely online at LSE or somewhere abroad...I'm not sure how helpful that will be in getting good letters, especially in a short period of time.  I'd still apply but keep this in mind in March when making your decisions.    
 
Best of luck.  If any more thoughts come to me I'll post them.        

No, you shouldn't worry about that.
First: More people should study Strauss for a number of reasons, very few of which have anything at all to do with whether one should 'agree' with him or not. Strauss is a very valuable resource for learning how to interrogate texts—and I use that term in the most holistic sense possible—in new ways. He wrote critically about the necessary tension between the philosopher and society, which is certainly worth reflection in an age where so many people believe they lead 'philosophic' lives—just as long as their 'philosophizing' remains in normative lockstep with the rest of society/the academy.
Second: The schools you list—including Chicago—don't have the 'Straussian departments' that they may once have had. I was at Chicago a couple years back, and while there were a handful of OG Strauss students and Strauss-based courses, not even the Committee on Social Thought was really 'Straussian' as a whole. 
Third, and related to the second point: The OG Strauss students I mentioned above, those who studied with him personally, are invaluable resources for Strauss myth-busting. Just as Karl Marx once quipped that he wasn't a Marxist [which may or may not be apocryphal, but it makes for a good anecdote], Leo Strauss, the man, seems to bear only a faint ideological resemblance to today's 'Straussians.' IMHO, Strauss, and his works, are meant to be argued about—not taken as having ONE true, fundamental meaning that is utterly obscured by a surface-level analysis of the text. [Strauss' point isn't that the surface-level text is there to trick you; it's that meaning is layered. Nor, by comprehending a deeper 'layer' of text, are the previous layers' meanings negated—in fact, the deeper you go, the more you realize the unity between each of those layers.] 
That last bit was a digression, and I apologize—Straussians, anti-Straussians, and Strauss the man himself all frustrate me equally in turn. But the point is, you shouldn't run from these departments and schools—they're not nearly as 'Straussian' as they once had a reputation for being; and even if they were, I haven't heard of many Harvard and Yale grads losing out on jobs because they went to Harvard or Yale. 

I think this is a strong profile, definitely worth applying to the Top 10.  Of course, apply elsewhere too, but if you're able to swing a 325-330, I think you'll get some good acceptances.  
I do notice you have not discussed your personal statement or writing sample.  Do make sure to put ample amount of time into those as well.  Even the best numbers will only get you so far.  Try and get at least one professor and friend (preferably an academically-oriented friend) to read them.  Strongly consider sharing your personal statement with professors so they can tailor and write their letters accordingly.  

Best of luck during these difficult times.

Hmmm....

I wouldn't stress out too much in your position.  A lot of people do not have a clean, straight continuity from undergrad to grad.  And while you're right that not having a stats background isn't ideal, I think your GRE quant score is strong enough that you should submit it.
For your writing sample, choose whatever is your strongest academic work, hands down.  Don't worry that it's not in comparative.  Be clear in your personal statement that you want to study comparative but don't play down or berate your writing sample.  If it's too long for some schools, submit the strongest chapter or section, with maybe a one or two page summary of the rest of the thesis.  Then polish, polish, polish.  Ask a trusted professor and, if you can, friend in grad school to look at it for you.     
As for high-ranking programs known for not being super quant-heavy, I wouldn't look at it in that way.  Look for schools that have professors that you'd want to work with, first and foremost. Look at what those professors do and what grad students from the program have written on.
Others may have different thoughts, but that's my two cents.