Mixedmethodsisa4letterword

And it is actually ethical to announce it beforehand than just admit 3-4 students without telling anyone about the funding issue. At least now applicants dont need to throw in 125 bucks.

Well. First School down. 7 to go. Good luck guys.

Yes. I think cGPA definitely matters more for your case. I would suggest to focus on building your language skills asap. If you are interested in China you are most likely to compete with a lot of native Chinese speakers. Given that Chinese has a steep learning curve, I think you are definitely better off by primarily focusing on polishing your language skills.

When are you going to apply? If next cycle, you are definitely gonna be better off by focusing on your language skills. As for Yenching, it is actually a bit controversial in regards to its rigor so there's that.

Preferably 1 regional + 1 thematic. The faculty sharing the same regional interest with you does not need to work on the same substantive topic.

To be honest this is really a tough situation and I am not in a position to offer you advice on scenario like this. But I would have a rather honest conversation with your advisor and express your concern about the placement record and methods training while suggesting that you are still very much willing to work with her in the future.

Hi @encyclopediabrown. I absolutely agree with you on the fact that if you look beyond traditional social movement scholars (Tarrow/McAdam alike) there are many people working on contentious politics, protest, and repression of them in general such as Slater or Davenport. And I did discuss that with OP in our later conversation. What I meant in my post was indeed social movement studies in a kinda strict/old-schooled sense

Another native Chinese speaker here. Feel free to PM me if you wanna chat! Your GRE and GPA are rock solid. It is also a huge plus that you got some research experience. I wouldn't worry too much about the quality of your writing sample; you are an undergrad and you are not supposed to have the same level of funding and quant skills as grad students. I am sure adcomms are fully aware of that. That being said, I do think a terminal master's degree would help. Another thing I wanna add is that not a lot of polisci scholars study social movements in China (there is a reason why that's the case and we can talk about it in details later). Off the top of my head, Diana Fu and Elizabeth Perry are two exceptions. Oh and there's also Kevin O'Brien but I am not sure whether he still supervises PhD students.

Just wanna add that Harvard can be very quant but they are very friendly to applicants doing qual work in CP. Chicago imo actually is fairly quant altho in a different way (formal) with people like EBdM and Luo&Gehlbach&Stokes joining the department. Other faculties in CP like Albertus are also quite quant.

I think the answer hinges on the other letters you have.

Actually from what I heard Cornell sometimes sends out unfunded offers. "Ivy League" does not mean anything for PhD programs.

I know people getting full-ride at MACSS and a few others who received half-ride at MACRM. QMSS mostly does not offer scholarship/financial aids but you can work as an RA (10-20hrs/wk).

Strongly recommend MACRM at Harris School or MACSS.

I doubt this is controversial. I actually agree. It is unlikely that someone who nailed the calculus sequence/any methods course gets a 152Q...

What @bhabhafk said is particularly true. I don't think a PhD program should be anyone's plan B. The opportunity cost is particularly high and you are unlikely to have the mental strength to pull it off if it's just your Plan B.

I personally don't consider this as an issue as long as people do not post inappropriate comments on schools/departments.

If I were you I would do MAPSS at UChicago. Good program if you want to see whether PhD is something for you.

Tbh, I would advice you to think twice before pursuing a doctoral degree. 1) PhD programs can put a lot of pressure on you and the job prospect is getting dimer every year, particularly for theorists. You need to make sure that the brutality of graduate school and job market(again, brutality is one dimension of it; grad school is also very fulfilling and exciting) will not exacerbate your mental issues. 2) You need to know (by taking more poli sci classes, getting RA experiences...) what political science research actually is before rushing to invest 7 years of your life in a program. Law school makes more sense. But if you really have passion for the discipline, then you should do it. My point is that you have to make sure this is what you want.

I think if you, from the very beginning, do not wish to pursue a career in academia, you shouldn't be going into a PhD program.

Thanks for the response. I plan to do mixed methods research while leaning towards quant side (authoritarianism and historical institutionalism). I'm CP with a focus on MENA and have been to the region multiple times. I have an elementary proficiency in Arabic but nowhere near being able to do quality research (I do know Chinese and French though). In this case, do you think I should opt for ICPSR? Thank you for the help in advance.

Thanks for weighing in! I'm CP with a focus on MENA. Know French and Chinese but only have an elementary proficiency in Arabic.

Thanks for the response! The thing is that I have taken multiple advanced stats course during my undergraduate studies (although significantly underperformed in one course). I think the dilemma here is whether to become more advanced in sth I am already sort of good at, or fill the gap in my background (the language of the area I wanna study) to be a more all-around applicant.

Hey guys, I only have one summer before next application cycle and I want to spend my time in the most effective way. I am choosing between ICPSR and Middlebury's Summer Language Program. Anyone wants to weigh in? Thanks in advance!

Me neither. My friend and I both haven't heard back from the program. However, he called the director of the program today and was told that some cohorts have already reached out to applicants for interviews. Made us worry...

Has anyone here applied for and heard back from the program?