polisci1
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Posts posted by polisci1
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12 hours ago, soupgirl said:
Have yet to hear from any of my schools but in anticipation of the worst case scenario... what is the best course of action if you don't get into any programs and want to reapply next cycle?
Should one enroll in a Master's + if so, are there any specific programs / institutions that are particularly good in terms of increasing your chances of admission into a top PhD program the following year?
Or is it better to try and get an RA role (particularly if your research experience is on the lower end)?
Thanks in advance for any helpful advice
I would highly recommend looking into Chicago’s one-year MA programs (CIR for IR and comparative, MAPSS for American). They often offer scholarships, and have excellent PhD placement. A lot of people who did MAPSS or CIR and then re-applied for PhDs are now at top 10 or top 20 programs. They’re probably two of the only masters programs in the US that are tailored to people on the PhD-track, and are close to PhD level coursework and research.
RAing for professors is also definitely a good idea, and could help you get better letters.
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9 minutes ago, StarkDark1 said:
If you get a large scholarship, definitely a good choice to do an MA at UChicago. But I wouldn't recommend taking a loan of tens of thousands for a 1 year MA. I'm glad I didn't do that. I went to another MA program with more generous funding.
If you do get into CIR or MAPSS and the funding isn’t enough to justify it for you, I would recommend asking them for money! They do take those requests and can give more funding. And in my experience they are fairly generous, offering many people 1/2, 2/3, or (in some, rarer cases) full funding. The PhD placement is great and it’s very good training.
- StarkDark1 and Maguire
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UChicago’s MA programs are a great option! They offer a decent amount of funding, and are still accepting applications. They really prepare you for a PhD and help with your applications the following year. CIR is the best for comparative and IR, MAPSS for AP.
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3 hours ago, gradpumpkin said:
Thank you all for sharing about Masters programs! Were any of y'all able to get funding for these programs? I am highly considering them, but really can't make it work unless it is fully funded (ideally even with a stipend, if that's even possible).
Just wanted to pop in here and say that UChicago’s MA programs (CIR and MAPSS) do offer quite a bit of funding! Full tuition waiver, 2/3, 3/4 etc, is all very doable. And they’re really amazing programs (CIR if you’re CP or IR, MAPSS for AP), with great PhD placement!
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7 minutes ago, sandmoon said:
I didn't personally do this, but if you want to check out economics RA positions, lot of jobs are posted on NBER, the @econ_ra twitter, and the Yale (?) economics page for example. Academics also post jobs on their own Twitter, but you kinda have to be on twitter all the time to see it, which you really shouldn't. The skills required are probably some knowledge of Stata/R and statistics, as well as some knowledge of the substantive area. I assume these positions become available throughout the year, so there might be ones you could be applying to right now! If your undergrad major is political science, you probably have to come up with a convincing motivation for applying, etc. I've never done this before, so I'll leave this part to more experienced applicants.
If you do any type of theory (political theory or formal models), I'm not sure whether there are RA positions in those areas. Will let others chime in..
Thank you so much! I’m CP, not theory, and basic stats, Stata, and R pretty much sums up my quant skills. I guess it’s mostly a matter of tailing your application/experience for each position? Would definitely appreciate hearing from anyone that has succeeded in getting an RA position like this.
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16 minutes ago, e2e4 said:
I emailed a prof and asked to RA. Then I got hired. So, just reach out I guess? Ask the professors you are close with if they know anyone who needs an RA and just email them?
Thanks! I will definitely reach out to everyone I know. Also, I DM’ed you about the Chicago MA program. I would love to know more about it!
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1 hour ago, sandmoon said:
To get into the Chicago MA program or to get a full-time RA-ship, it also helps to have one or more of the following things:
- research skills
- connections
- money (if you can’t get a scholarship)
I understand that this isn’t ideal but from the people I’ve talked to it seems like those of us from non-prestigious undergrad institutions have only a few options if we want to have a shot at the most competitive programs.
Has anyone been successful in getting an RA position after undergrad? If so, do you have any advice?
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44 minutes ago, Dwar said:
I'm sorry it didn't work out for you, I am looking down the same dark hole of rejection this cycle. I am also a graduating college senior so I understand the flurry of trying to find something to do after you graduate and while you wait to reapply.
I don't have info about research, but I did apply for a handful of jobs at policy think tanks as research assistant or similar positions. So far those have been unsuccessful. But, if you are looking for something to do between undergrad and grad school, maybe check out AmeriCorps? I am in a similar situation and it looks like that is what I'll (hopefully) be doing next year, it seems like a great opportunity to give back and serve the community and they do give about 6k to pay off student loans, it also looks good on any resume.
Thanks for the suggestion! Americorps seems interesting but my interests are very internationally focused (CP sub-field) so I don’t know if it would benefit me that much. When you’ve applied to think tanks, have you applied for specific positions or just sent in your CV? I’ve seen very few listings that seem to be designed for recent college grads and I also haven’t had any luck with job applications.
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Hello, I’ve been following this thread for awhile now and I wanted to thank everyone for their frank and honest advice about grad school. This cycle wasn’t successful for me, so now I’m looking for something to fill at least one gap year between undergrad and grad school. What have you all done to get research experience after undergrad? It seems like there aren’t very many research jobs available for someone with only an undergrad degree.
2021-2022 Application Thread
in Political Science Forum
Posted
By the way: UCLA tends to give a low initial offer and then negotiate a lot with the funding - if you have other offers to leverage you can get a pretty big increase on your offer from them!