polsgoals

Well, got my first rejection from Emory. Good to know one way or the other, though.

Ahhh the decision staggering is killing me! I haven’t heard anything from Emory or Northwestern yet ?

Hmmm... I think I’m going to push back on this one. BigTenPoliSci and others are simply pointing out the very real fact that TT jobs are fewer and far between than they were a decade+ ago. It’s no secret to anyone who is paying attention that academic positions (TT or otherwise) in no way favor the applicant. There are 100s of amazing people vying for every open spot and hiring committees can, and do, easily weed people out via institutional pedigree. Sure, relationships/connections matter and can help you get your foot in the door, but they alone will not get you the job. We all know that where you go matters, none of us would be on this forum or asking questions if we thought otherwise and no one is telling you to abandon your dreams of pursuing a PhD if you don’t go top ten. Rather, they are highlighting the very real fact that if you get in and graduate from a lower ranked program you will (in 5-6 YEARS) have a more difficult time securing an academic position. This forum has been a great source of information/support for a lot of applicants (and current students) during the application/grad school process, let’s not sully the waters with rudeness or condescension. Collegiality people, that’s where it’s at.

I’m also curious to know where/how you received your decision. Did it pop up on your apply web application page or did you receive the decision via email? Congrats to all admitted!!

Yikes! This process has totally consumed my life these last six months, don't know if I feel more excited or nervous about admissions decisions finally rolling out! ?

Same! Seeing that totally sent down the application anxiety wormhole! Shame on the posting troll...

Right?! My anxiety level is epic in this post winter break application cycle purgatory ?

So, it seems entirely too early to be getting results but I just noticed someone reported a Princeton admit Jan 5? Does someone want to claim this or should we chalk this one up to an eager troll?

Thank you for your response! Intuition tells me it shouldn't be a huge problem, but seeing the recommendation that LORs should come from people who can attest to your academic potential and that those coming from employers are less helpful was really starting to stress me out!

Thanks for the responses. I'm trying to keep a clear head about it as I know there's nothing I can really do about (especially this late in the application process). This process is so stressful and is starting to get the best of me ?

Hello! So I'm applying to phd programs in political science and generally think my profile is pretty good (I have a good personal statement and writing sample, decent gpa, and am proud of my gre scores) my only concern is with one letter of recommendation. I've been out of school for nearly a decade and kept in touch with and have fabulous letters from two professors but my third LOR is from my employer. I know it's a great, and very supportive, LOR but am concerned that because it isn't from a university faculty member I will be at a disadvantage. Does anyone have any insight into this? Thanks!

Hey all So I'm applying to phd programs in political science and generally think my profile is pretty good, my only concern is with one letter of recommendation. I've been out of school for nearly a decade and kept in touch with and have fabulous letters from two professors but my third LOR is from my employer. I know it's also a great, and very supportive, letter but am concerned that because it isn't from a university faculty member that I will be at a disadvantage. Does anyone have any insight into this? Thanks!

If you're interested in African history, I would look at the program at Michigan State. They're currently ranked #1 in African history.

This definitely seems like a good place to start. Let me first be totally forthright by saying, I am not an IR/comparative/China person, so my technical knowledge is limited. But, with that being said, consider talking about what you learned (first hand) as a journalist/from the off-the-record briefing with diplomats and how it informed your opinion/position on: How your experience highlights/confirms China's intention to stop hiding its capabilities/biding its time? How your experience informs your perception of the the effects of economic incentives and sanctions with small but incrementally meaningful military pressures and if the formation of the coalition of neighboring states has proved ineffective? Why is this important? Do you perceive China's tactics as being successful? Or does your experience indicate China's structural/resource/other weaknesses will serve as a barrier to regional control? Basically, my suggestion would be to paint a vivid picture of your experience and use that to pose your research goals/question Best of luck!

Hello! I am applying to PhD programs in political science/government and was wondering if you could take a look at my profile to see if I would be a competitive candidate. I did my undergrad at a top 25 public research university and had a 3.4 GPA. After working on a congressional campaign, I started teaching at an urban title 1 school. While teaching full-time I got my MA and had a 3.6 GPA. My GRE scores are solid (V-165, Q-168) and I have good letters from 2 professors in my MA program, 1 from my assistant principal at the school I teach at, and 1 from the congressman I worked for. My question is this: will my low GPA be prohibitive when applying to top PhD programs? Will my experience as a school teacher be viewed favorably? Will I be an attractive applicant at top programs? Is there anything obvious that I should be doing to improve my profile and make myself a better candidate? Thanks in advance for your insight!

Hey guys, How much of a factor do you think GRE scores are in the admissions process for political science PhD programs? I know the admissions websites say they look at the profile of potential candidates holistically, but there must be some sort of a cutoff, right? Do you think GRE scores more heavily weighted for applicants that have been out of school for a while (5+ years)? In the case of an applicant who has been out of school for a while, does the GRE matter more than GPA? Thoughts? Insights?

The reason I'm not using three professors for letters of recommendation is because I graduated five years ago from my MA program and it's been over seven years since undergrad. The two professors I'm using for recommendations I have a continued relationship with, but I worry others won't necessarily remember me or my work. What do you think? Would it be better to have another professor recommendation, or should I stick with more recent/work related letter writers? I don't have any practical research experience, unfortunately. (I'm hoping my work experience will help dig me out of that hole )

Don't worry too much about the GRE. The GRE is more of a puzzle than anything else. If you spend some time trying to figure out how to play the game, you'll do well. The ETS website has a lot of free resources you can use, too. Best of luck!

I wouldn't worry too much about your GRE scores. The GRE is more of a game than anything. Once you figure out how to play the game you're home free. The ETS website also has a lot of free resources you can use to help you prepare. Just keep at it! If you spend some time working at it, I see no reason that you couldn't raise your score. Good luck!

Your age shouldn't matter to an admissions committee. Your interesting work experience and background will probably be looked favorably! When you're writing your personal statement, you'll hopefully have a "cool factor" that will set you apart from other candidates. Good luck!

Hello all! I am applying to PhD programs in political science/government and was wondering if you could take a look at my profile to see if I would be a competitive candidate: undergrad GPA: 3.5 at a top 25 public research university major GPA: 3.7 grad GPA: 3.6 at a top 75 (private) research university GRE: V- 165, Q- 168 LOR: 2 from faculty I worked closely with in my masters program, 1 school assistant principal where I work, 1 US congressman with whom I worked work experience: 4 years teaching at an urban Title 1 school, 1 year working on an inaugural US congressional campaign I'm thinking of applying to top 20 programs in political science. Do you guys think it would be realistic for me to get in? I know my GPA is on the low side (I took "hard science" classes - physics, chemistry, biology, calculus - which dropped it a bit) but am hoping that my GRE scores, strong letters of recommendation, good personal statement, and (hopefully) interesting and successful work experience will work in my favor. What do you think?