curvilineardisparity

This post is being really helpful to me! Thanks for everyone here! Hoping Pittsburgh's students are still active here, I have an additional question: I saw some posts from 2014 asking whether their scholarships would be enough. I've found a shared apartment for around $650 (incl. all utilities), will have transportation covered by the uni and estimate to have a budget of ~ $500/month for food/happy hours/clothing/small savings/etc. I'm a foreigner, so I have no idea about life expenses in the US or Pittsburgh. Is $500/month enough for living expenses (other than housing/transportation) in Pittsburgh? Thanks!

@southerncharm, I'm afraid I can't properly answer your questions but I have some advices that might partially help with all the mentioned issues. I'm 31 and have just got accepted into some programs. As you correctly said, Adcoms are looking for candidates which will be successful in the job market. Additionally, they are looking for candidates who will manage to finish their studies/thesis on time. Whereas age by itself could be a limiting factor, it seems you used your years outside academia very well. Further than that, being older means you're also more responsible and, potentially, more focused, meaning you are getting into the PhD knowing exactly what you want. I'd recommend focusing your cover letter on what exactly you want to research, how you want to do it (methods, methods, methods!!!!) and which are the contributions it will bring to your field (refer to specific theories and gaps, as it will show that you are very familiar with the current literature). This way you'd possibly address the issues of question (2) and gain some points on question (1), turning your age into a favorable issue. As for employability, I'd go in the contrary direction of your assumption: you've already proved yourself. You have a successful CV and even if you don't end up in academia, you'll surely have an outstanding position outside of it. You could use one short phrase to say that you want to divide your future into research activities and consultancy in the private sector. I guess it would settle the issue. Additionally, not exactly an answer to (3) but... As you've mentioned Georgia Tech and George State, take a look at their joint program in Public Policy. It might be a great option. Also in regards of the chosen universities, make sure you exchange e-mails with at least one potential supervisor in each of them. Send an initial message, present yourself, show why you'd like to work with him and ask whether he would be interested. It will surely add some points and help you to identify universities with a good fit. And, finally (4), I assume a high GRE/Math would show you won't have problems with calculus/algebra/stats/etc. Good luck!

Dear professors, Thank you very, very much for all your posts here! They are extremely helpful! I was accepted by two different universities. A high ranked one, which offered 5 years of funding, including two years of either TA or RA (second and third years), and the rest without any work obligations; and a low ranked one, which offered a renewable 1-year TA, 4 years of summer TA and an additional scholarship from the department. Both universities have at least one professor that I'd love to work with, and in both I'd earn fairly the same amount (the second one pays a little more). Whereas I'm very tempted to take the first offer, I really want to do a TA for as long as possible. I've been a lecturer before in my home country, and I believe that being a TA for longer increases my chances of being hired at a university afterwards. My questions are: 1) Is it true that being a TA increases one's chance of being hired after graduation? 2) Taking into consideration the first case, do you see any chance of becoming a TA, let's say, in the first year, during summer courses, after the third year, etc, other than the two assigned years? 3) In case the answer to (1) is yes, does it make sense to prioritize the university with a lower rank that offered me more possibilities of being a TA?

Also claiming the result from Texas Tech (TTU). Got the e-mail a couple of hours ago proposing TA for the first year, TA for all the summer vacations (4 years) and additional funding from the department. They also sent a very kind e-mail regarding visa issues after Trump's temporary ban and changes in migration policies.

I'm claiming one of the positive results from Pittsburgh. GRE and undergrad GPA were not high but I guess that some experience, two MAs, publications and a period lecturing helped in the end. Couldn't be happier!

I applied for their MA around July 2014 and got a response in early December. I'm not sure how helpful this info is...

Austin is also quite well-known in Latin American politics! Congrats! To cite someone, you should just write @ + name (together).

Although I'd really like to live somewhere warmer than Germany, it is among the top, yes. I'm just applying to 4 schools in the US, so it ends up being in the top anyway. We are in different fields, though. I'm somewhere between comparative politics and political theory.

Almost the same here. I'm the only one among my friends applying to the US. Another one is trying Canada and Australia but the processes are a bit different, I guess. Is Syracuse your first option?

How is it over there? Already met other applicants crazily looking at their mobiles? I'm expecting to hear from Syracuse only after 20 Feb... It will still take some time, I guess.

It totally makes sense, @dagnabbit. Now, @Comparativist and @dagnabbit, in regards of US News, what about the schools whose ranked was not published (i.e. Kent State, to follow dagnabbit)? Is it possibly because they are too bad to be ranked, or just because they were not evaluated?

Indeed. At the results page, the first announcement was on 3 Feb 2016. In a phone call before submitting my application they said the results are usually released in the first week of February. I marked 6 Feb 2017 on my agenda as the day to start freaking out. Is it your first option?

In this sense, choosing a program based on placement would mean going through the alumni profiles and check where they are (hoping the university provides a database on that) or expecting a correlation between ranking position (i.e. US News) and placement?

What's the weight of a good supervisor in such a choice? I mean, is a renowned professor in a low-ranked university better than a not-so-famous one in a higher-ranked one?

Anyone else waiting for UCR, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and/or TTU?

When asked which are the best (or proper) universities to study, we are usually tempted to repeat the mantra: "if you are not able to say whether the university X is a top 5/10/20, it means it is not". Nonetheless, for some of us, especially foreigners, it is quite hard to identify the best 5/10/20 universities in the U.S.. Things get even harder if we are supposed to assess the quality (in terms of employability) or compare less known universities. Let's say, to decide whether to do a PhD at UC Irvine or UC Santa Barbara, or between UC Riverside and UC Merced. There are some rankings available out there: US News, Times, QS, etc. Still, in many cases, especially after the top 20, the ranking disparities are so large that it gets quite hard to make a decision. In this sense, what's the proper ranking to use? Or, what's the best way to choose the university when you have more than one letter of acceptance?

I understand the amount of people who post at the results page is quite limited but, in some cases (i.e. UCR), it seems only a few individuals were contacted by the universities at a very early date (when compared to previous years) while others received no information. Is there any reasonable explanation for that? Other than trolls, of course, though I believe it is not the case.

Thanks for the information, @Warelin! I wasn't aware of it. I will definitely e-mail the universities to double-check it.

Thanks a lot, @Determinedandnervous! Unfortunately I am not $able$ to take the GRE again at this point, so I'll be obliged to use it. In regards of the grades, I do agree with you, especially regarding the ones at the BA. Are you aware how is it usually assessed? I mean... As I am doing my second MA now, will they still consider my BA's grades? The journals are the Journal of International Studies (Poland) and three of them from Brazil (Conjuntura Global, Revista Economia & Gestão, and Publicatio Ciências Sociais). They are totally unknown in the US, I guess. On the other hand, I have done oral presentations at the congresses of the International Political Science Association, Development Studies Association, the European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy and some others... Maybe it is a plus...?

Hi everyone! I have finally gathered all my documents to apply for a PhD in Public Policy (or related area) and would really appreciate to hear your inputs on (a) the likelihood of being accepted, (b) suggestions of universities to be included or excluded from my list, and (c) ways/tips to increase my chances. Thank you very much! Education: Master in Public Economics, Law and Politics (2 years, Germany) - GPA: 3.2 (on going) Master in Public Management and Society (2 years, Brazil) - GPA: 4.0 Bachelor in Economics (5 years, Brazil) - GPA: 2.5 Exams: GRE: 155V/155Q TOEFL: 104 Work experience: ~ 10 years in political parties ~ 6 years as fundraiser in NGOs ~ 1 year as lecturer in a vocational/technical institute Others: 4 publications in unknown journals on political science, international relations and economics & law. Speak Portuguese, English, Spanish and some German. Research focus: innovation policy in Latin America Targeted universities (ordered): George Mason; Georgia Tech. Again, thank you very much!

Hi everyone! I have finally gathered all my documents to apply for a PhD in the United States and would really appreciate to hear your inputs on (a) the likelihood of being accepted, (b) suggestions of universities to be included or excluded from my list, and (c) ways/tips to increase my chances. Thank you very much! Education: Master in Public Economics, Law and Politics (2 years, Germany) - GPA: 3.2 (on going) Master in Public Management and Society (2 years, Brazil) - GPA: 4.0 Bachelor in Economics (5 years, Brazil) - GPA: 2.5 Exams: GRE: 155V/155Q TOEFL: 104 Work experience: ~ 10 years in political parties ~ 6 years as fundraiser in NGOs ~ 1 year as lecturer in a vocational/technical institute Others: 4 publications in unknown journals on political science, international relations and economics & law. Speak Portuguese, English, Spanish and some German. Research focus: political parties in Latin America (comparative politics) Targeted universities (ordered): George Mason; Pittsburgh; Syracuse; UC-Riverside; Tulane. Again, thank you very much!

I've been reading the forum for quite some time, but it is my first time posting here. I'm an international student currently preparing my application for a PhD in Political Science or Public Policy in the US and would really appreciate to hear your comments on how to improve my application (questions below). Academia: Undergrad: Economics, 5 years, mid-level Brazilian university, GPA~2.5, thesis on public budget in Brazil. 1st Master's degree: Public Administration (courses on PolSci, Law and Economics), 2 years, mid-level Brazilian university, GPA=4.0, thesis on innovation policy & economic growth in Latin America, with full scholarship. 2nd Master's degree: Public Economics, Law and Politics, 2 years, mid-level German university, GPA (by now)~3.0, thesis on political parties in Latin America, with full scholarship, plus assistantship at a Development Economics course at the BA level. Lecturer: Economics, Marketing and Financial Maths, 2 semesters, mid-level Brazilian university. Others: short-term courses (i.e. summer schools) in over 10 countries. Publications: One paper in a Polish journal, two papers in Brazilian journals; oral presentations at international renowned congresses as Development Studies Association (Oxford U), International Political Science Association, European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy, and a graduate conference on political theory at SciencesPo. Work experience: National bureau positions in a Brazilian political party's youth wing for ~7 years; treasurer and program manager at an international NGO based in the UK for ~6 years; political consultant for different politicians in Brazil, incl. a former minister for ~8 years; part-time jobs in small-sized consulting firms in Germany as finance coordinator and market researcher (energy sector) for 6 months each. Languages: Portuguese (native), Spanish (upper-intermediate), German (intermediate), English (TOEFL: 104, 3 years ago, I guess I have to retake it). GRE: will take it in October. Very worried about it, as I feel myself very dumb when looking at the content. "Dream" universities: MIT, Georgia Tech or George Mason (although I believe that with not-high scores on GRE and coming from mid-level unis would not allow me to be accepted). Well, my questions are: 1) How much does coming from mid-level (not famous) international universities harm my application? 2) If I don't score high (or even in the 50th percentile) on GRE, would I still have chances with my CV? 3) In the case of low GRE scores, would you recommend any uni in the fields of either innovation or political parties in Latin America? 4) The applications are in December/January. I'm trying to improve my CV by having more publications. Is there any other thing I can do now? 5) On which aspects should I focus my application? 6) Do you believe the three listed universities would be a feasible target? Unfortunately my budget only allow me to apply for 3 universities, so I must be pretty assertive. 7) Should I approach potential supervisors before applying? If yes, how do you suggest doing so? 8) Any other suggestions or comments? I'd really appreciate hearing from you! Thank you very much for all of you contributing to it!

Thanks for the answer, @Determinedandnervous! At Georgia Tech I'm planning to apply for the Public Policy program. I'll publish a post in the other forum about it. Thanks! As of my GPA, that's a serious concern for me. Are there interesting programs where it would not be a problem? As a safe option, maybe.

I've been reading the forum for quite some time, but it is my first time posting here. I'm an international student currently preparing my application for a PhD in Political Science or Public Policy in the US and would really appreciate to hear your comments on how to improve my application (questions below). Academia: Undergrad: Economics, 5 years, mid-level Brazilian university, GPA~2.5, thesis on public budget in Brazil. 1st Master's degree: Public Administration (courses on PolSci, Law and Economics), 2 years, mid-level Brazilian university, GPA=4.0, thesis on innovation policy & economic growth in Latin America, with full scholarship. 2nd Master's degree: Public Economics, Law and Politics, 2 years, mid-level German university, GPA (by now)~3.0, thesis on political parties in Latin America, with full scholarship, plus assistantship at a Development Economics course at the BA level. Lecturer: Economics, Marketing and Financial Maths, 2 semesters, mid-level Brazilian university. Others: short-term courses (i.e. summer schools) in over 10 countries. Publications: One paper in a Polish journal, two papers in Brazilian journals; oral presentations at international renowned congresses as Development Studies Association (Oxford U), International Political Science Association, European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy, and a graduate conference on political theory at SciencesPo. Work experience: National bureau positions in a Brazilian political party's youth wing for ~7 years; treasurer and program manager at an international NGO based in the UK for ~6 years; political consultant for different politicians in Brazil, incl. a former minister for ~8 years; part-time jobs in small-sized consulting firms in Germany as finance coordinator and market researcher (energy sector) for 6 months each. Languages: Portuguese (native), Spanish (upper-intermediate), German (intermediate), English (TOEFL: 104, 3 years ago, I guess I have to retake it). GRE: will take it in October. Very worried about it, as I feel myself very dumb when looking at the content. "Dream" universities: MIT, Georgia Tech or George Mason (although I believe that with not-high scores on GRE and coming from mid-level unis would not allow me to be accepted). Well, my questions are: 1) How much does coming from mid-level (not famous) international universities harm my application? 2) If I don't score high (or even in the 50th percentile) on GRE, would I still have chances with my CV? 3) In the case of low GRE scores, would you recommend any uni in the fields of either innovation or political parties in Latin America? 4) The applications are in December/January. I'm trying to improve my CV by having more publications. Is there any other thing I can do now? 5) On which aspects should I focus my application? 6) Do you believe the three listed universities would be a feasible target? Unfortunately my budget only allow me to apply for 3 universities, so I must be pretty assertive. 7) Should I approach potential supervisors before applying? If yes, how do you suggest doing so? 8) Any other suggestions or comments? I'd really appreciate hearing from you! Thank you very much for all of you contributing to it!