secondtimegrad

Hi, In case this post seems misplaced please let me know or in case this was discussed in another thread please feel free to add the link here. I had two questions about the pre-application process particularly for policy/pol sci admissions? -- I was wondering if it is necessary to reach out to professors in the program (the ones whose interest you are interested in and you might mention on your SOP) prior to sending the application? I have read contradictory advice on that-- also it seems that it depends on the program. In case there is nothing explicitly said on the website what is the norm? -Is there a distinction between high/low ranked universities while approaching this? -Is August/September too late in the season to reach out to professors? -- Is it common practice to reach out to the program director to learn about the program prior to making an application. Do people hold a small phone call (or visit if possible) while making an application? -Also, is it a good idea to check with a program director about availability of faculty? -What are the kind of questions you reach out to graduate directors prior to making an application? (except some key application logistical issues). Thanks for your thoughts!

Any other suggestion/comments please?

Thanks deutsch1997bw. That is encouraging. I am still making my list of universities to apply to so it is helpful to have these insights! If anyone has safety school suggestions that will be helpful too.

Thanks for the suggestion. I did that already but did not hear any comments there so posted here too. That forum seems to have a large focus on the masters level I believe. I would be happy to hear if someone had comments here too. Thanks!

Hi, I am an international student and I plan to apply for Policy PhD programs. Also, I plan to apply for a few masters (stats/econ) programs as a back up if I do not get into a PhD program. Schools applying: Geographical preference: Colorado/Boulder/Denver area (low cost of living for me), however, I will apply to other schools throughout USA. A very preliminary PhD list I have includes: PhD Pol Sci Colorado State (Environmental policy focus) PhD Energy Economics Colorado School of Mines PhD Environmental studies (interdisciplinary) University of Colorado Boulder PhD Public Affairs (UC Denver) PhD Engineering and Policy (Cornell) PhD Public Affairs (Indiana SPEA) PhD Policy UT Austin (LBJ) PhD Policy University of Kansas Masters: statistics/Economics (University of Colorado- Boulder/Denver, Colorado school of mines) Undergraduate degree: Electrical Engineering Undergrad University: (university in top 20 in India- not IIT/IIM/NIT) Undergrad CGPA 60/100 (2.88/4 as per WES- helps calculates GPAs but I think its an approximation and depends on how universities calculate it) Grad program: Masters in Public Policy Grad university: Low ranked state university in USA (+100 rank, relatively newer program in USA but has placed students in Indiana, Cornell, UT Austin amongst a few) Grad GPA- 3.75/4 Quantitative: Strong quant with engineering maths (3+ maths subjects with advanced calculus: grades are A, A-and C ) and some basic quant classes in policy analysis along with micro/macro economics. B+ and A- grades in quant in graduate degree. Recommendations (strong letters): University program director, thesis committee chair, boss at federal research lab Relevant Work Experience (6 years): Research work experience in India for about 3 years in a non-profit on climate change, clean energy policy, and implementation- local, national and international (researcher) Full time research work experience in USA for about 2 years in a national research lab on clean energy policy and implementation, looking at markets, local and state policy, utility regulation etc.. published at the lab (research assistant) Part time research work experience at OSU on local clean energy policy issues for 2 years as a professors research assistant Research interests: Varies but primarily state and local energy policy issues, urban sustainability, climate policies, developing country sustainability challenges (strong experience in this field) have a few publications at the national lab and in India Interested in the intersection of economics and behavioral sciences, social policy GRE: 155 v/ 157 q/ 4 analytical (will retake to strengthen profile) Goals: Interested in a career in research in the policy world/government/international organizations/large think tanks. Also interested in academia. Questions: I am debating between a couple of questions and any insights would be helpful. I have read answers to similar questions on the forum and found them to improve my understanding. 1) Is my profile a good fit for Ph.D. Policy programs? what is the range of ranking of institutes I should target to get a funded PhD program? Any suggestions for safety schools? 2) Is my profile a good fit for Masters (stats/econ) programs? Any other program and range of ranking of institutes I should consider? Thank you for reading through my profile. I look forward to receiving your comments.

Hi, I am reposting since I did not get any comments before. Thanks I plan to apply for Policy PhD programs. Also, I plan to apply for a few masters (stats/econ) programs as a back up if I do not get into a PhD program. Schools applying: Geographical preference: Colorado/Boulder/Denver area (low cost of living for me), however, I will apply to other schools throughout USA. A very preliminary PhD list I have includes: PhD Pol Sci Colorado State (Environmental policy focus) PhD Energy Economics Colorado School of Mines PhD Environmental studies (interdisciplinary) University of Colorado Boulder PhD Public Affairs (UC Denver) PhD Engineering and Policy (Cornell) PhD Public Affairs (Indiana SPEA) PhD Policy UT Austin (LBJ) PhD Policy University of Kansas Masters: statistics/Economics (University of Colorado- Boulder/Denver, Colorado school of mines) Undergraduate degree: Electrical Engineering Undergrad University: (university in top 20 in India- not IIT/IIM/NIT) Undergrad CGPA 60/100 (2.88/4 as per WES- helps calculates GPAs but I think its an approximation and depends on how universities calculate it) Grad program: Masters in Public Policy Grad university: Low ranked state university (+100 rank, relatively newer program in USA but has placed students in Indiana, Cornell, UT Austin amongst a few) Grad GPA- 3.75/4 Quantitative: Strong quant with engineering maths (3+ maths subjects with advanced calculus: grades are A, A-and C ) and some basic quant classes in policy analysis along with micro/macro economics. B+ and A- grades in quant in graduate degree. Recommendations (strong letters): University program director, thesis committee chair, boss at federal research lab Relevant Work Experience (6): Research work experience in India for about 3 years in a non-profit on climate change, clean energy policy, and implementation- local, national and international (researcher) Full time research work experience in USA for about 2 years in a national research lab on clean energy policy and implementation, looking at markets, local and state policy, utility regulation etc.. published at the lab (research assistant) Part time research work experience at OSU on local clean energy policy issues for 2 years as a professors research assistant Research interests: Varies but primarily state and local energy policy issues, urban sustainability, climate policies, developing country sustainability challenges (strong experience in this field) have a few publications at the national lab and in India Interested in the intersection of economics and behavioral sciences, social policy GRE: 155 v/ 157 q/ 4 analytical (will retake to strengthen profile) Goals: Interested in a career in research in the policy world/government. I am not aure about academia yet. Questions: I am debating between a couple of questions and any insights would be helpful. I have read answers to similar questions on the forum and found them to improve my understanding. 1) Is my profile a good fit for PhD Policy programs? what is the range of ranking of institutes I should target to get a funded PhD program? Any suggestions for safety schools? 2) Is my profile a good fit for Masters (stats/econ) programs? Any other program and range of ranking of institutes I should consider? Thank you for reading through my profile. I look forward to recieve your comments.

Hi everyone, Program: Apply for 5 masters (data science/statistics/economics??) and 7-10 PhD programs (Econ/Policy). I plan to apply for a few masters programs as a back up if I do not get into a PhD program. Spring 18 semester (applied/applying for a few programs- might be too late for some) but understand that most programs may have a Fall 18 start and will make those applications. Schools applying: Geographical preference: Colorado/Boulder/Denver area (low cost of living for me), however I will apply to other schools throughout USA. A very preliminary PhD list I have includes: PhD Pol Sci Colorado State (Environmental policy focus) PhD Energy Economics Colorado School of Mines PhD Economics University of Colorado Boulder PhD Engineering and Policy (Cornell) PhD Public Policy (Indiana SPEA) PhD Policy UT Austin (LBJ) Masters statistics/Economics (University of Colorado- Boulder/Denver, Colorado school of mines) Please suggest some based on my profile. Undergraduate degree: Electrical Engineering Undergrad University: (university in top 20 in India) Undergrad CGPA 60/100 (direct approximation for a 4 grade scale would not be appropriate- different schools measure it differently, but I believe 3.0/4 might be close) Grad program: Masters in Public Policy Grad university: Low ranked state university (+100 rank, relatively newer program in USA) Grad GPA- 3.75/4 Quantitative: Strong quant with engineering maths (3+ maths subjects with advanced calculus) and some basic quant classes in policy analysis along with micro/macro economics. B+ and A- grades in quant in graduate degree. Recommendations: University program director, thesis committee chair, boss at federal research lab Age: 30 Relevant Work Experience (6): Research work experience in India for about 3 years in a non-profit on climate change, clean energy policy and implementation- local, national and international (researcher) Full time research work experience in USA for about 2 years in a national research lab on clean energy policy and implementation (research assistant) Part time research work experience at OSU on local clean energy policy issues for 2 years as a professors research assistant Research interests: Varies but primarily state and local energy policy issues, urban sustainability, climate policies, developing country sustainability challenges (strong experience in this field) have a few publications at the national lab and in india Interested in the intersection of economics and behavioral sciences, social policy GRE: 155 v/ 157 q/ 4 analytical Goals: Work towards advancing evidence based policy decision making. Improve data skills. Interested in a career in research in either academia or the policy world/government. Plan: I have approximately 25k in savings to spend on the degree. Funding> Prestige is important for me, and funding is key. Questions: I am debating between a couple of questions and any insights would be helpful. I have read answers to similar questions on the forum and found them to improve my understanding. 1) Any suggestions on college selection strategy/approach to my goals? 2) Is my profile a good fit for Masters (stats/econ/data science) programs? 3) Is my profile a good fit for PhD programs (Econ/Policy)? I don’t have an econ background, but studied 3-4 classes at the graduate level. Is this good enough for an econ program? 4) Suggestions for PhD programs where I might get funding- that is the primary criteria for me. Should I aim for lower ranked universities to ensure a full funding offer. 5) Should I improve my GRE scores and apply for better schools? Thank you for reading through my profile. Feel free to convey any comments you may have.