dmsilver89

Hi all, I'm a senior ugrad PSCI major at Upenn applying to PHD programs (primary interest IR, secondary interest comparative) in the US this fall. I'm looking for a little help finding the programs/professors that best match my interests. I have a few programs I like at the top, but am having trouble picking from that multitude of second tier programs to round out my list and get 12-15 that I'll apply to, so I'm especially looking for help with second tier schools. Interests: One of my interests is looking at current international relations cases, especially China and the Middle East, in comparative perspective. I'm interested in bilateral US-China relations, as well as the idea of the US as an "empire", the Palestinian-Israeli conflict (ie Unsettled States by Ian Lustick), and others as compared to historical case studies. Also, I'm interested in the interplay between domestic and international politics, i.e. how lobbies/leaders/media affect the foreign policy of great powers (ie The Israel Lobby" by Mearsheimer) such as the US. I guess you could call it comparative international relations or comparative foreign policy. Qualifications: GPA of 3.6 (upward trend) and GRE scores of 1500+. I'm writing a senior thesis and have a few years of research experience. I'm not going to post my whole resume -- I'm more curious about what you guys have to say about where I would best fit in than where I could get into. Thanks everyone. I appreciate it.