Jim Hoyl

Yes, admittedly, much of my perception of what it's like to study/work as a PhD/Professor comes from hanging around the PhD's/Professors at my current UG institution, which probably isn't an accurate sample of the PhD/Professor population as a whole. Perhaps my earlier statement was premature. As of now, I am still just trying to gather as much information as possible and make the best decision going forward. As far as pursuing a Master's degree first, I've been searching all over the internet for information regarding tuition rates for 2-year Political Science Master's degrees, but haven't been able to find any specific figures so far. Assuming that I receive zero funding, how far back would such a degree set me financially? Also, given option A of attending a top 40 PhD program with funding, and option B of getting a Masters first (while paying sticker tuition) in order to increase one's chances of being admitted to a top 10 PhD program, which option would you go with given the importance of institution attended to future career prospects?

Thank you for the detailed response. At this point, I don't think I have the "softs" (e.g. published papers, grad school-targeted LOR's, research fellowships, etc.) to compete for a top 10 PhD program right out of UG, which is why I would consider doing the MA before the PhD. I would not mind working 5-7 years and living on poverty level income if it means I get to do something I like (at this point, I am fairly sure this is what I want to pursue, even if it means facing a tough job market). But if so, I would also want to make sure that I maximize my opportunities for future success, which ITE, most likely means a top 10 program. Out of curiosity, Adaptations, would you recommend any "feeder" MA programs which have had high levels of success for sending graduates to prestigious PhD programs? My sentiments exactly. What turns most people off, including myself, about the JD is the ridiculous debt you incur along with it. So many people I've talked to have said that it really does constrict your career options upon graduation. Growing up in a relatively poor household, I would have no problems with continuing my current standard of living if it means: 1) I can be relatively debt free, and 2) I get to do something I actually like.

Thank you for your response. You've pretty much answered what I was going for in #4.

Again, your insight is very much appreciated. I personally have no problem starting in a mid-sized firm/public sector/etc. and taking the extra years to pay back my loans. It's just that from talking to people on top-law-schools.com and so forth, it seems like even these 'secondary' jobs are getting taken up right now by more experienced law school grads. All I hear from current law school students is complete doom and gloom and how going to law school is the worst decision you could possibly make right now. Eventually, when you've heard enough nightmare stories, that stuff gets to you. Anyways, I would still love to hear from anyone out there who can give me further input on my earlier 'PhD placement' question.

Thanks for the response, very much appreciated. One thing though, I was under the impression that there are actually more lawyers than there are jobs for lawyers, especially in this current economy. Barring a strong comeback within the next 4-5 years, I've been told that it is likely to remain that way. Any thoughts on this? Also, for any of you out there, how is placement after graduating from a PhD program usually determined? Is it primarily based on grades, research, recommendations, prestige of your institution, etc.?

Hi all, I am a current Political Science major at a top 20 USNWR institution with a 3.95 cumulative GPA and a 4.0 degree GPA who has applied for and been accepted to a number of law schools for the 2011 admissions cycle. Long story short, the more I've researched about the prospect of taking on 150K of law school debt and competing tooth and nail for biglaw jobs which require upwards of 80 hours/week, the more I've become turned off by the law school route and enticed by the PhD route. I realize that having geared the majority of my UG career towards law school admissions, I will have to start slow and work my way back towards compiling a good PhD application. At this point, I'm afraid that I don't have that much to offer PhD adcomms in terms of "softs." What I do have is a pretty good honors thesis which I wrote last year, a few part time jobs/internships, a couple of paper presentations, and a relatively interesting personal background. As I've begun to research the PhD admissions process within the past 2 days, I've come across a couple of specific questions which I would appreciate further input on (please feel free to pick and choose whichever question you feel like answering): 1) How would you compare the GRE to the LSAT in terms of difficulty and weight in admissions? 2) What advantage, if any, would doing a Masters prior to a PhD offer? 3) Is there a specific site where I can find admission statistics for top 10 PhD Political Science PhD programs? 4) How common is it for PhD students to transfer? 5) How large of a role does the prestige of your PhD program play in your future career prospects?