polisci_gal
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Posts posted by polisci_gal
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Ok first thing is are you a Canadian citizen or an international student? This will dictate your health care costs - because as you know, if you're a Canadian, your healthcare is free so the school wouldn't offer you an insurance package or anything. If you're an international student, they might have something that you can buy into but I don't really know how that works.
I'd also ask the department if the TA jobs are secured for PhD students or not and get a real sense of what that looks like in the department specifically. That part of the package does seem a bit weird to me, like I'm going to a Canadian school in the fall for my PhD and TA-ing is just apart of my package, like its just a responsibility that I will have in the coming years so I don't have to "look for TA jobs" while i'm at the school - they just assign them to us. So not sure what that is like at McGill tho.
I would definitely just contact someone in the department and ask your questions because they're the ones that will know the ins and outs of the program and can give you more clarity.
Hope that helps!
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On 3/18/2021 at 9:34 PM, MEESASOBOREDSA said:
Has anyone received any news from York.... I have zero patience. It is almost April!
Pretty sure @becalmbekindbesafe heard from them a couple weeks ago? It might be worth emailing the dept at this point
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12 minutes ago, insightfulramblings said:
Since we cannot know for sure, I am going with that you were the one that helped me out!! Thank you so much!!! Have you decided where you are going yet?
Haha of course! I'm gathering you're accepting UMass then? I got an insane offer from the University of Western Ontario, so I accepted that and am going there in the fall
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12 hours ago, insightfulramblings said:
I was just notified that I got accepted off the waitlist at UMass!!!! To the beautiful person that turned down their spot, I owe you one!
I ended up declining my offer to UMass a few weeks ago....sooooo I hope that I was the one that helped you but who knows. Anyway, congratulations !
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1 hour ago, SNSD said:
For Western, do you think they sent out all their acceptances? I haven't heard back and I applied for the IR. What stream did you apply for? o:
I was also accepted to Western. I saw a few posts on the results page back when I heard (Feb 15ish). Granted I applied to Canadian Poli/Comparative poli - not IR. They might still be sending out offers for other subfields but I dont know. That being said, from what I've heard their intake is usually very small (5-6 people for the incoming PhD cohort i believe).
You could always reach out to their admissions to see if they're still sending out acceptances for other subfields!! Worth asking probably
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17 minutes ago, becalmbekindbesafe said:
Pretty sure I'm in for a PhD at York as my status now reads "Admitted"..... anyone know who how we can view the letter? It says there should be a column that says I should see, "1. Your offer letter can be found in "Admission Letters" in MyFile." but I do not see this. Perhaps it will help to get a notification from the grad coordinator later (quite surprised this didn't happen before the portal was updated).
You're slayin the game! Congrats @becalmbekindbesafe
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54 minutes ago, iffyyy said:
Hi everyone, I am wondering if anyone could shed some light on the following:
(1) How are job prospects (in academia, specifically) like with Canadian PhDs (as compared to US PhDs)? What are some reasons/considerations for choosing to do a Canadian PhD instead of a US PhD?
(2) How are the funding offers generally like in Canadian universities? How do they compare to first- or second-tier universities in the US?
I would appreciate all thoughts, thank you
I'll do my best to answer this based on my own knowledge and experiences in relation to the political science field.
1) Canadian PhDs are obviously well respected in Canada and beyond (many of the Canadian universities are ranked extremely high on the global lists), but are especially relevant if you are interested in working at a Canadian institution afterward or are interested in studying Canadian politics ( or some dimension of it). I think what the most important consideration is when choosing a Canadian PhD program vs. a US one is the faculty at that institution. For example, some schools in Canada have a lot of really highly regarded political scientists that are from the US which could help you land a job in the US afterwards because of your experience working with these individuals and their networks. I also think that some of the Canadian schools have smaller cohorts and might be able to facilitate more opportunities for teaching, publishing, etc.
2) In my personal experience, funding packages in Canada were much higher, even after taking into consideration the exchange rate of USD/CAD. Granted, as a Canadian citizen you are eligible for (many) more grants and scholarships from the Canadian government, which makes it attractive for domestic students to study domestically. I cannot comment on international students and how that would work for them!
Overall, I think Canadian universities are extremely well regarded around the world and you can't go wrong! That being said, it depends too on whether you are a Canadian citizen or not in which option might be better. Most US PhDs come with healthcare packages, and I'm not sure if Canadian schools offer health care packages to international students? But obviously if youre a Canadian then your healthcare is covered by the gov
Hope this helps!
Also - @KayCee might be able to comment on this too. I know they are well versed in Canadian PhD info
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33 minutes ago, btermite said:
I just got a call from the program director for Government & Social Policy at Harvard letting me know I've been accepted!
Really can't believe it, I had completely given up hope for this cycle.
CONGRATS!! I remember you saying that you applied as a "total crapshoot" LOL so I am thrilled that you got accepted!!! Should be real proud of yourself
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1 hour ago, StarkDark1 said:
Does anyone know how UBC compares with BU and UC Irvine? UBC is a top Canadian school but I'm not sure how it translates to a US context.
Pretty sure on like a greater institutional and global level, UBC is ranked significantly higher than BU and UC Irvine (at least according to QS). I know they have a really strong political science dept as well and I think it would be worth seriously looking into who is working there. They might have some great names in your particular subfield which would likely hold some more weight as well when you hit the job market if end up working w them
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2 hours ago, Harish Pedaprolu said:
Do you have a picture about what is the average net income through funding aid minus the tuition fee , etc in Canada ? Also is it possible to get RA +TA + Bursary/Scholarship together ?
It really depends on the school in terms of the funding amount. You can look at their specific websites to see what their base funding package is or you can reach out to your admissions contact there. They will tell you how much your package is when you get accepted. That being said, If I had to take a guess - I think its generally somewhere around the 20k mark for Ontario universities after tuition fees are deducted.
& Yes it is possible to get an RA/TA-ship + additional scholarships and bursaries on top of that. When it comes to taxes though, I dont know how they calculate it when you have a combination - something to ask your school or accountant LOL
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3 hours ago, ErcW said:
Does anyone here know if PhD stipends are taxed at Candian universities?
I actually don't think they are. Stipends/bursaries/scholarships are all filed under the same category on a T4A i think - which I don't believe is considered taxable income. You'd have to do some more research into this but I'm leaning towards the fact that they're not taxed. Perhaps TA/RA-ships might be different because youre technically working? You'd have to contact the school probably to find out!
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Just now, StarkDark1 said:
A bit off topic, but does anyone know how a PhD in Canada affects your job prospects in the USA?
For example UBC has a great reputation, and is probably equal to the #25 to #35 range in the USA. But if you get your degree there, will it make it harder to find a job in the USA? Haven't heard back from UBC yet, but it's something I'm considering.
Also curious to hear thoughts on this too.
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1 minute ago, polisciii said:
Well then you should certainly evaluate your desire to go to graduate school; you don't go to grad school because you want a job--no, you do it because you love the subject so much you cannot see yourself doing anything different for the next 5 - 7 years. You should only go if you really love it, and pursue it for its own sake, as an end in itself.
I have a similar perspective. If you're going to do a PhD, you gotta do it for yourself since its a crap load of work. Probably shouldn't be in it for the job prospects alone.
I also want to highlight that in this economy, a guaranteed income for the next 5 years might be really desirable to some people. So, if you are given a funding package and are able to do something you love for the next few years and not have to go into debt for it....seems like a win-win to me!
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Just now, XXXXbe1 said:
Heard from one Maryland Professor that this year's applicant number tripled, but the class size will be slightly reduced.
Seems to be a pretty common trend this year.....
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1 hour ago, btermite said:
I also didn't reach out to and POI's this cycle because I was too nervous, but it seems like most the people having luck this year were in touch with them.
I would definitely recommend reaching out to some POIs ahead of time. I did this, and I think it was really helpful for me. Not only did it kinda put my name out there, but that process of networking and speaking with faculty gave me a lot of clarity on which school(s) would provide the best environment for me, and who could facilitate my research the best. It also saved me some $$ during the application cycle too because I didn't apply anywhere blindly.
Also, I can't recommend getting a masters degree enough if you don't already have one and it is within your means (i.e., you can pay the tuition). The experience in graduate level work that my masters has given me is invaluable, and I think I was able to really showcase my growth and potential for PhD programs in my applications. I also had the opportunity to get my LOR from both undergrad+graduate profs that I had worked with or taken classes from which was probably a nice touch.
I sincerely wish you all the best in this cycle and the next one if you decide to reapply in the coming year ❤️
- gradpumpkin and btermite
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2 hours ago, MEESASOBOREDSA said:
Is there anyone who applied to York University? I checked the last year's info and apparently they do not send e-mails at all...
pretty sure @StarkDark1did
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10 minutes ago, ChairmanX said:
I just found this forum recently and wanted to say congrats to those who have recently been accepted!
I have 1 admittance and 1 rejection and I am anxiously waiting to hear from the other 4 schools I applied to.
Welcome! Congrats on your acceptance
Where was it to?
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7 hours ago, icemanyeo said:
I definitely get how you feel. When I was looking for schools to apply, my advisors basically suggested two pools: ultra-competitive environments where you have at least a general fit and probably better chances of an R1 job; and a 2nd pool of more relaxed environments where you'll be competitive for teaching colleges but probably not R1. As an applicant, you can mix and match or go all in on one side or another, it's up to you. 5-7 years is a long time and you need to be happy/healthy both physically and mentally.
I got similar advice - couple of my advisors said t10 or t20 is definitely important to an extent, but if you go to a mid-lower ranked place that has really well known faculty, has good methods training, you get some publications in, and you really excel - then you can still be a competitive applicant on the job market.
Was also told that getting into any program during this time would be a huge accomplishment.
- lemonbee, gradpumpkin and Angelo X
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5 minutes ago, PolNerd said:
I love research (and honestly research that have policy relevance - maybe a TT position at the IR policy schools like Elliott or Denver will be a great fit) and I have very strong "independent" streak to put it lightly, haha so academia seems like the place I will be happy in. But the horrible TT market and the financial aspect part of not only giving up 5 years of salary equivalent to a TT position is giving up second thoughts.
This is fair. I think its really important to consider what the future will hold in terms of job prospectives, but so much can happen in 5 years time that might change the world as we know it (i.e., COVID). I know this sounds really cheesy, but I would say follow your heart and your passion, and trust that something will work out for you! Especially if you are admitted to a pretty good school or a place that you would be able to really thrive in - these will definitely help you in the future during your application process for TT jobs.
Ultimately, the future is uncertain for everyone. So just do what feels right for you.
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1 minute ago, PolNerd said:
Guys, anyone know what an actual starting salary range of a tenure track political science AssProf is? I have years of work experience and an MPP and I think I am starting to weigh the pros and cons of giving up my current policy career and going back to school, especially because I think I am already making the salary of a tenure track professor at the moment.
According to this website https://academicpositions.com/career-advice/phd-professor-and-postdoc-salaries-in-the-united-states it is around 70k.
I think whats more important to ask yourself right now is - in the long term, what career will make you the happiest?
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1 minute ago, afjackie said:
I was told by my POI at Northwestern back in November that there was a good chance they and many other programs would have smaller cohort sizes going forward as PhD programs are having to come to terms with changing realities.
Wow. I feel like the admissions process is just going to get tougher and tougher as the years go on if this is the case. It's also interesting to see how some programs have completely paused admissions this year because they want to focus on their current students (ex., Columbia, UNC Chapel Hill, etc...)
2020-2021 Application Thread
in Political Science Forum
Posted
Congrats @nivy25 !! Well deserved