camcgee97

I've lived in the DC are for 16 years. I would tell you to go with a hotel in the Rosslyn area of Arlington rather than trying to find a place in DC. The rooms will be far less expensive (although they won't be cheap anywhere in the area), and you'll be able to do more because it's simply easier to move around outside of DC. DC isn't like other urban centers- it's spread out because there are no high rises, the "suburbs" are actually older and more established than DC itself, and more people live in the "suburbs" than live in the city. In fact, nearly as many people live in the City of Arlington as live in DC.

I'm also contemplating going the MA route and studying theory. I got into MAPSS at Chicago with 1/3 funding, but that would still leave me borrowing around $30k. If I were just coming out of school or still at my undergrad, I would take advantage of the opportunity to go to Chicago at the drop of a hat. But since I'm 4 years into a career in politics in DC already, it's a little hard to justify taking a year off, losing my contacts at work, and losing my salary.

Just got my rejection from Brown... pretty much makes it a certainty I'm not getting into a PhD program this cycle. Wish Notre Dame and Georgetown would go ahead and get their notifications sent out.

Got my first mini-acceptance- rejected by Chicago's PhD program, but accepted into MAPSS with 1/3 tuition. I've always wanted to go to Chicago, so this is enticing, but the thought of nearly $30,000 in debt is daunting.

Ha... Shouldn't they be resting today?

No, I'd like to at least have made it that far... I'd also be interested in your subfield and stats.

Where are you applying this year? Or are you already in another program? I also thought Claremont was a good fit for me, but didn't apply there.

I contemplated applying there as well because of Claes Ryn, Stephen Schneck, and Dennis Coyle, all of which are well known in conservative circles. Didn't end up doing it because their department wasn't as highly regarded as some others, but after a couple of rejections it's looking like should have.

Something makes me think that post wasn't real. If not, then I suppose it just serves to emphasize how important the non-quantitative portions of the application are.

Just going by what everyone in Texas has told me. My Aunt lives in Dallas and says that Austin is the Texas city where she'd be willing to live.

To be fair, Austin is hardly Texas.

Just checked Texas's (Austin) application status website and I was rejected. Have not received any communication from them, but I'm assuming the letter's in the mail. Have to say I really did not expect this one, as I thought Texas was somewhat of a safety school for me. It also seemed their theory faculty matched my interests well, but I suppose I was mistaken.

Just to clarify this comment, you can work on the Hill and be paid, especially if you have a JD and any kind of policy expertise. I've worked on the Hill for around three years, and while I did intern for around 6 months (paid), I was just a lowly BA at the time.

Any political theory admits yet? Thus far, my only result is a rejection from Duke. Still waiting on: Georgetown, Brown, WUSTL, Johns Hopkins, Chicago, Texas, Virginia

I was also rejected by Duke today. They did tell me that they just about only accepted political theory students whose stats were in the top percentile. All in all, I'm disappointed I didn't get in, but Duke seems to be very efficient and responsive in their admissions process. Kudos to them.

First of all, thanks to anyone willing to spend the time to offer some advice. I realize most of the people in here are fellow prospectives and may not know much more than I do, but I thought I might try anyway. I am planning to apply to Political Science programs this fall, but am only looking at programs with strong political theory faculty. I've whittled my options down to a few places where I think I would do well, and where faculty match my interests: Chicago, UVA, Brown, Texas, WashU, Georgetown, and Johns Hopkins. With a 3.61 GPA from a top 25 public school (where I took enough credits for a BS in Psychology and a BA in Philosophy), 700 V and 710 Q on the GRE, and 3 years of experience working in politics (as Congressional staff), what do you think my chances would be at the above schools? What are your thoughts? Where are you applying?