[2017-2018 Application Cycle]

35 minutes ago, merhersam said:

I’m curious what people think of poliscirumors.com 

for better or worse, that's what you're getting yourself into.

[Is public school funding enough to cover cost of living?]

3 hours ago, BobBobBob said:

Can you provide a little more details?

Many large public schools (particularly Big 10 schools) allow students to adjunct to make more money. While this is a good option for people who need the money, the time required to make syllabi/grade/teach coupled with the lost time for personal research (particularly on the 5-year timeline) generally results in high levels of attrition among students without fellowships. 

[2017-18 Cycle Profiles and Advice Thread]

On 2/16/2018 at 3:35 PM, 1821123 said:

Of course; but you're misunderstanding. Don't be flippant about offers that you might actually accept, and don't disparage programs that you may very well have to endure for the next 5-7 years of your life. Grad school is a very trying experience, and you'd be wise not to make enemies before ever arriving on campus. Prospective students should be very, very careful about how they portray themselves and their perceived "skills" publicly. 

 

tl;dr: Do expect to be asked by faculty where else you were admitted, just don't be an idiot on public internet forums (because they see that too). 

http://www.poliscirumors.com/topic/love-the-fake-congratulations-on-gradcafe

Case in point. Be smart, applicants. 

[Is public school funding enough to cover cost of living?]

On 2/9/2018 at 10:47 PM, BobBobBob said:

 I'm wondering if fundings provided by these schools are enough to cover the cost of living in wherever they are located. 

No

[Choosing a school]

1) Overall Program Ranking

2) Subfield Ranking

3) Funding opportunities pre and post graduation

4) Flora/Fauna of local ecosystem

5) Relative, not absolute, age of faculty

6) ((Sum of Ranking of PhD Programs Attended by Faculty)/Total Number of Faculty)*2) + OR - number of delis (depending on the distribution)

7) Is there a Trader Joes? If yes, how big is the hot bar?

8) Will they pay me via Western Union? If not, will they deposit to my offshore bank account? (this money will be automatically re-routed to an on-shore bank account, so I'm not concerned about how this looks)

9) Summer funding? Competitive funding is preferred 

10) Teaching opportunities at local community college? Local preschools?

11) Is there a climate of success? Do they call themselves a family? Can I call my advisor dad?