jazzrap

Guys, I have a related question. If I use in-text citation, am I allowed to omit reference page? I want to do this to save pages. Writing samples are usually 20 pages long at maximum.

Are you a native speaker? If not, you should not worry about the verbal too much. I focus on getting a good total score and analyzing average score for students admitted to top schools only by adding the average verbal and average quantitative.

Chaetzli, Yes, 330 does seem high, and congrats on getting into a top 5. My own problem is simply that most of the folks I know or know of personally get scores higher than 330. I am well aware that a lot of top 25 programs don't require high score and the average score of admitted students is below 330, but I still feel a bit scared given that almost everyone I know or know of (except you, now) has score higher than that. Plus, I wonder if you have many math courses on the transcript. For me, I don't have that many and my GPA is barely a 3.7, which could be 3.8 if the ranking of my undergraduate univ is adjusted I hope. Therefore, I need to have 330 to feel secure applying. I wonder if you mind posting your SOP here or I can PM you for the SOP? Thank you!

I think your GRE is good enough. If you bother to take a brief look at the average score of admitted students in a few top schools in America, you will know that your score is above the average (or a lot above the average). If you want to get a even better score, the cost is not only 90$, but around two weeks of dedicated preparation. Given that you have to write SOP, contact letter writers, and approach scholars in your targeted schools, you might wanna stick to this old score and save time for these things. My personal view on GRE is that 320 (provided that you have 160 for both) is a line everyone needs to pass. Then, 329-330 is another line. If you pass that line, you will be considered "competitive". 336+ is another line. If you pass 336+, you are in great shape even in competing at Stanford or Harvard. However, anywhere between 330 and 336, IMO, is not going to make much difference. Do note that this is my personal opinion. The question is: are you going to get 336+ without much preparation?

Hi, Sorry for stepping on someone's toe. I was kind of being sarcastic in the beginning. I wonder if you are doing formal model and have thought about the prospects of testing models. If so, I am on you side. I believe that models can be tested, although it remains a difficult challenge. However, the reality has put modelers in an odd position. Qualis and Quantis don't seem to care about modelers as much as modelers care about them.This is what I meant by saying "formal model has little to do with statistics, though it is not PC to say it". My apologies to OP, because I was being sarcastic in answering your question. Now back to the original question: what mathematical background you would have to survive the intro course. My position remains the same: you need no stats, only a few probability rules and a sense of how to take derivatives. This is what would take for an intro course in a PhD program. However, if you are in NYU, Rochester, UCSD, WashU, you might need more beforehand. I don't know much about those schools. They just have a reputation for very heavy emphasis on math. Perhaps the 10th floor can address this better. That said, game theory is not all about math, it requires some forms of thinking (as I feel personally) other than typical math. In other words, it is time consuming to digest. If you are taking stats, design, substantive classes, then it might be wise to wait for another semester or two to take the intro to formal modeling.

OP, A minor question about your status. Are you applying in the Fall while already attending a doctoral program? I am just curious:)

A lot of models require more calculus than regressions (they require no regressions). This is what I meant basically. But thanks for the reply.

It has more to do with Calculus and probability. By statistics I meant regression models.

Formal modeling has little to do with statistics, although it is not PC to say it.

Hi Professor, Thanks a lot for spending your time with us! I have a technical yet quite important question: would you mind if an applicant does not include the list of references in his/her writing sample? Say I am doing in text citation and there is nothing after the conclusion. I am doing this to meet the word limit. I wonder whether that would hurt me.

Well, at the end of the day you have to make your own decision, but if I were you, I would go to Oxford. It is a great school. Plus, Oxford ABDs do get interviewed at US schools and some of them get TT jobs.

OP, it would be better if we know your potential research topic. If you are worried about network, then I am not in the position to comment. The faculty I want to work under at Oxford graduated in a US school and still goes to US meetings, so network for me is not a problem. But I am pretty sure that those teaching at Oxford/LSE are also respected in the US. Tim Besley, for example, is respected among a lot of folks here in the US as the no.1 guy on authoritarian regimes. Again, my examples are not representative. I think for the US market, a PhD from Oxford is equal to a PhD from a top 20-25 program in US. So what you need to do is to publish one piece on a top-tier journal besides dissertation, do a post-doc US, and get a job.

I am surprised you are even debating with yourself. Oxford is probably as good as a top 20-25 in the US. I am saying this merely because I assume your eventual goal is to get a TT job in US. In Australia, Singapore, and New Zealand, perhaps Oxford is more respected than a top 20 program in UNews. I am not sure if folks in non-north American OECD countries necessarily appreciate the value of a PhD from a top 20 marginal on UNews. There are six schools that did not accept you. Too bad they all made a stupid decision. At Oxford you are guaranteed with a really great cohort (because it is Oxford) and professors who have already liked you (I assume one or two letter writers of yours teach at Oxford). Okay, now let's turn to the grandma factor. A non-CHYMPS non-Ivy League school does not carry a brand that can "make your grandma happy". You are going to be in academia most of your life. However, you do have to interact, socialize, or run into people outside of the academia who have no idea that Madison, UCSD, and OSU have world's best PhD programs despite their much lower general university ranking. I hate pedigrees, but most of normal human beings judge people along those stupid lines. LSE and Oxford can give you satisfactory pedigrees to live with. I know you too may hate pedigrees. However, again, a lot of people love pedigrees.

People stopped posting there. Have they just all switched to a new address or what?

OP, It would be more helpful to determine your fit if we know a little more of your quantitative background. Stanford and NYU are highly quantitative departments. If you are looking for any schools below 25th, then I think Notre Dame could also be a great choice for you. Coppedge is a top scholar of democratization. ND is a strong program in Latin America. If you want to do Middle East, then ND is not a good choice. But since you said you kinda want a large-N approach, then ND should come to your radar.

Thank you!!

Hi, Wonder if you remember me. Two cycles ago I got to know you on the forum, and you told me in PM that your chance at the time was really low. Now I want to say many many congratulations to you for getting into an awesome program!! I am applying next cycle.

Hi, The information you provided in this thread is quite helpful!! I wonder if you still check this forum. I have a question about Oxford's Dphil in Politics. As an undergraduate in the States, can I apply directly to the Dphil program? If not, what should I choose between MsC and Mphil? The website says that MsC is not a stand alone course. What does this mean? And how likely can I get admitted to Dphil from the MsC? Furthermore, if I apply to MsC only, and since MsC is only one year course, would it not be weird that I will apply to Dphil when I am only one third into MsC? Thanks in advance!!

Oh, I forgot ND. I think the OP should definitely try ND, which has great faculty in both security studies and theories. I believe ND is also a good place to do qualitative research.

Well, GW and Georgetown are not like elite schools such as UCSD, Stanford or Harvard. I really think you should add these two in. Are you looking to apply to MA programs? Academic terminal MAs

I think you may have a decent shot at GW or Georgetown provided that you improve your GRE scores. You should try all the top schools of course. As far as I can see, you are more interested in the academic side of foreign policy than IR theories.

Concerning GPA, if I have a B+ for a business Calc II and a C+ for IT management, but I can still do probit model in my thesis, will that grade still destroy me? My overall is going to be around 3.7, and the trend is totally positive. Thanks!!

To be frank, if a master program can't make a guy quanti-literate, then there is no point even going to the program. The one at Chicago is certainly not a pointless program. It actually is one of the best terminal masters in US as stepping stone for IR specialists. So there you go

For Qualitative methods, you might consider Brandeis. If you really want to do IR with qualitative methods, then go for Notre Dame, too.

Thank you for this thread. I actually already visited the thread, but forgot that you were the original poster. Very helpful indeed! Good luck in grad school!