makingtheleap.back

Anyone have insight beyond what the website says? I've been working for the few years since graduating undergrad, and would ideally like to do a PhD in Poli Sci, but I have zero published research under my name, so I feel like a Master's might be necessary before making the deep plunge.

Agree wholeheartedly. Though I'm currently going through this process, it would seem to me that anything you add which makes you seem like a real person others would want to be around for 12-24 months would be a huge plus.

Currently evaluating the program, but it's certainly on the long list. Outside of the prestige/networking/job placement, what do you think really separates the program?

First, I owe a big thank you to the entire gradcafe community. As a lurker, I learned quite a bit about everything from GRE prep to which programs are more academic vs. more professionally oriented. I'm returning to school after a few years working, so it's been really nice to have a support system (even if none of you know me). Current List: UC Berkeley (Goldman), Georgetown (McCourt), Chicago (Harris), UVA (Batten), Michigan (Ford), Washington (Evans) -- also, I'm interested in MIT's MSci program, but that might be OT. GPA: 3.65, 3.9 Major GPA (International Studies, Focus on US Foreign Policy, Top 10 program for field, but definitely not Ivy). GRE: 169V, 161Q, Writing unknown (took it yesterday). Work Experience: 2 political campaign cycles in leadership positions (plus an internship in '08), 2 years in small business leadership (non-founder but with some policy overlap), 1 year as an academic coach at a community college (with experience setting/implementing new training/assessment policies). Quant Background: Calc I, II, Stats, Econometrics, Applications of Econometrics in a Professional Capacity Languages: Intermediate in two beyond English (but they are very common, nothing crazy). SOP: I do and will have very clear, well articulated reasons for being interested in policy, but don't want to share too much on the interwebs. LOR: Reaching out to a couple undergrad professors who knew me very well at the time; hopefully that goes well (if anyone has experience doing this and has suggestions, that would be wonderful). Will have at least one very good professional rec. Do you think the schools I'm looking at are reasonable? I'm also very interested in the possibility of a PhD in Poli Sci after a MPP/MPA program (I have a deep and unfortunate love of teaching, but have zero peer-reviewed, published research experience). Are there certain programs I should look at/stay away from?

First, I owe a big thank you to the entire gradcafe community. As a lurker, I learned quite a bit about everything from GRE prep to which programs are more academic vs. more professionally oriented. I'm coming back to school after a few years working, so it's been really nice to have a support system (even if none of you know me). Long-Term Goal: I'm 95% sure I would eventually like to obtain my PhD in Political Science and do a mix of teaching, researching, and consulting. Short-Term Goal: Lacking peer-reviewed pieces, I think the best route is probably to do a Master's degree and go from there. Public Policy has always been fascinating to me, so I've been evaluating MPP/MPA programs. If you feel there might be a better/smarter direction, please let me know. Current List: UC Berkeley (Goldman), Georgetown (McCourt), Chicago (Harris), UVA (Batten), UMichigan (Ford), UWashington (Evans) -- also, I'm interested in MIT's MSci program, so if anyone can shed light on whether that might be a good fit, that would be wonderful. GPA: 3.65, 3.9 Major GPA (International Studies, Focus on US Foreign Policy, Top 10 program for field, but definitely not Ivy). GRE: 169V, 161Q, Writing unknown (took it yesterday). Work Experience: 2 political campaign cycles in leadership positions (plus an internship in '08), 2 years in small business leadership (non-founder but with some policy overlap), 1 year as an academic coach at a community college (with experience setting/implementing new training/assessment policies). LOR: Reaching out to undergrad professors who knew me very well at the time; hopefully that goes well (if anyone has experience doing this and has suggestions, that would be wonderful). Will have one very good professional rec.