xtina617

Does anyone have any firsthand knowledge or experience on this program? TIA!

I'm not opposed to "doing political science" in an academic arena, I just don't want to have tunnel vision about a career objective that I'm not sure is realistic (1) given my background and (2) given that I'm unlikely to be admitted to a top 20 program, which according to many posters here, is a prerequisite to a TT position. I'm open to a lot of different outcomes.

Thanks guys for your helpful responses, both in this thread and in DMs. I live pretty close to Hopkins; I'm not sure of their policy re auditing classes, but I'm wondering if it makes sense to try to audit an UG course just to meet a faculty member and reacquaint myself with the coursework (I haven't formally studied PS in 8 years!). Wondering what folks think. Is this a waste of time, or just plain ill-advised? Thoughts?

TheBunny, congratulations! Have you posted your stats/research interests elsewhere on this thread?

Wow, thank you for this incredibly detailed (and helpful!) response. Are you applying this upcoming fall? I'd love to chat more (whether publicly or via DM) since we have such similar backgrounds.

Hi all - I'm hoping for the advice/perspectives of those better acquainted with the PhD app process than I am at the moment. This seems like a much more collegial environment than some of the other grad school / PS-specific sites out there, so here goes nothing. About me: I'm a 30 something lawyer (UG: 2010, small LAC, magna cum laude, 3.8 in major; Law school 2013, 3.3 overall) looking to take time away from the practice of law (probably/hopefully leaving the law entirely) to pursue a PhD in political science. The loss of a "lawyer's salary" is not an issue. I do not have plans to try and break into academia after the completion of my degree, if I'm successful in getting admitted to any programs. I do know enough to steer clear of that pursuit given my background! I have the support (and strong LOR) of my UG advisor and two other PS faculty with whom I worked/studied closely as a student. I did not publish in UG, though I've written a number of articles in high profile legal publications; to wit, I have nothing that I could use as a writing sample. I plan to take the GRE this summer after the completion of a 36-hour tutoring plan I just started this month (the quant is a real b!tch for this candidate, who hasn't taken a math class since high school!). Even on my best testing day, I expect high verbal / essay scores and middling at best quant scores. My questions: Re the writing sample: Do folks dust off and revise UG papers, or spend time researching and writing a new paper altogether? I'm not remotely opposed to the latter, but would welcome any suggestions you all can offer. How does work experience factor in (if at all) to an AdCom's decision making process? I don't see how someone with my background can compete with a candidate of the same age range but who got a MA in PS or worked in a similar field. I am wondering if the JD/years spent as a lawyer has any appreciable merit. (I do not harbor any illusion about how much a law degree is worth outside of, you know, the law). Is it self-sabotage to state in one's SOP that one does not want to be an academic? Does the desire to pursue a non-academic career post-doc make someone with my background more or less desirable? I'm leaning towards American or theory, but I've read horror stories about theory candidates having fewer options after their degrees are conferred than a HS drop out. If not pursuing a teaching pos, does the subfield matter as much? Any suggestions on programs for someone with my background? I don't feel the need to pay too much attention to the rankings. I'm open to the DC, Baltimore, PA, NJ, NY areas. THANK YOU all in advance for your help and feedback.