[International relations/development - Job or PhD (LSE or King's)?]

I have secured a few offers for PhD places:

King's College London - War Studies

SOAS - Development Studies

LSE - International Development

I have already deferred my places at King's and at SOAS to September 2012 entry. I'm unsure what to do about LSE...

In the meantime I have been applying to jobs in New York (where I'm currently based) and in London (where I lived for 10ish years and where my partner and I have been planning to move back to.)

So I have 2 questions:

1) I have been interviewing for a job at Columbia University in the area of conflict resolution (the area that is the subject of my PhD) - should I defer my LSE acceptance for it? I won't hear about funding from LSE until August and my instinct is to defer for a year and work some more to increase my financial stability/pay off debts etc before starting a PhD program. Making the decision a bit more difficult is the fact that I have been gearing up to move back to London this summer. My partner has been interviewing for a job there and should find out if he got it at the end of May, but I will likely have to make my decision sooner than that. My partner hates New York but would be willing to stay on an extra year unless he gets this job in London - my worst fear is that I'll take the job here, only for him to be offered a job in London 10 days later!

2) LSE or King's? I always wanted to go back to LSE, but as the admissions process has worn on I've become more and more interested in the King's program (which was always 2nd choice out of the 5 places I applied to). My interest centres around conflict, and I think going forward Id be interested in working in DDR programs/policy. LSE obviously has better international reputation across the board, but the War Studies department at King's is one of their strongest programs and also very well respected in the field of conflict/international relations. LSE would give me a PhD in International Development, and King's would be a PhD in War Studies. I'm really unsure of which path would be best for the area I want to work in, and which program would leave open as many doors as possible, so any opinions would be great!

[UCL, SOAS, and Royal Holloway (All UoL)]

Sorry, still in undergrad. mode--Which means I forgot that in postgraduate studies, B is the new C,

and it's almost unlikely (or rather imprudent) to view postgraduate rubric in an undergrad. setting.

But, thanks to MJ. & Bukh., I have a rather clear picture of the system I'll be entering.

(Although I guess when I'm there I'll ask to understand how likely it is to achieve, academic scaling...etc.)

As for the academic calendar...Does anyone have an idea or been through the process once?

Grad Cafe--By far, is prob. one of the most beneficial forum's I've come across for postgraduate info., btw.

For the academic calendar for postgrad I only know LSE's system, which is classes in Terms 1 and 2, then exams in term three (usually in May) with one or two revision classes thrown in. Then dissertation/thesis to be submitted in August, so you have June, July and a chunk of August to write it up. A lot of departments banned any contact between supervisor and student from June onwards though. You are expected to start with your dissertation in the first term, and have to submit a research outline at the end of the first term to your supervisor. The London universities tend to keep roughly the same timetable so I'd expect UCL and SOAS would be the same, and certainly from what I remember at UCL undergrad it was exactly the same. I left London after my exams each time and wrote my dissertation in Edinburgh/New York.

I'd agree with Bukharan on the grading system. I'd say most people aim for a merit. To get into a masters program at LSE or Oxford you should be aiming for above 65%, and closer to a distinction depending on how competitive the courses you are looking at applying to are. I don't think you can really compare to the US system in terms of how difficult the courses will be - everywhere is different, across universities/departments etc. But a US undergrad will set you up well for a UK masters. You should be aware though that there is very generally more emphasis on exam performance, and on independent learning which can be a shock to US students (though more an annoyance than a disadvantage!)

One other thing to think about is the possibility of taking courses outside your university at other University of London colleges. I am not sure to what extent this is possible now, and possible for postgrad, but while I was an undergrad at UCL we had the option of taking courses at SOAS, LSE and King's. If you are looking at doing another masters at LSE it might be an idea to try to take a course in that department as part of your first masters at UCL/SOAS. Anyway, just something you might want to look into as you make your decision.

[SAIS (IDEV), Oxford or LSE/SIPA ?!]

Hi there!

Need advice! I have been admitted to

(a) the SAIS Bologna Centre (International Development concentration) with 10k Euros (plus a scholarship from my country which will basically cover the tuition fully).

( Oxford - MSc in Forced Migration at the Queen Elizabeth House/Department of International Development. I'm very optimistic about getting some funding, although I have to wait until May. I'm into refugee and human rights law, asylum policy and have relevant work experience (UNHCR).

© LSE - MPA in Public and Economic Policy. I am not thrilled about this programme and they didn't give a pence... but the second year could be in NYC at SIPA.

I'm basically between SAIS and Oxford. I was thinking doing the nine-month long Oxford MSc and deferring SAIS for next year. Would that make sense?

I was rejected by HKS and WWS - do you think that it's worth reapplying next year and just drop SAIS. The only problem with SAIS is that - for a European - it's not as recogniseable as Oxford or the ivies are. I think it'd be more in place at the UNDP rather than at the WB or the IMF...

Help! thanks a lot!

Go for Oxford, defer SAIS to next year and then decide at the end of your Oxford year if you really want to take it up. But QEH at Oxford has an amazing reputation - I'm envious you have the chance to go! Oh and this is coming from a two-time LSE alum who loved LSE so I'm not being biased!

[UCL, SOAS, and Royal Holloway (All UoL)]

Oh wow, that's definitely a change for me. Since I did IB in upper-school, and went on to undergrad in the US...

I wonder why the system is out of 100% and yet they maintain relatively low scores--

I guess I'll ask the int'l. support to guide me when I'm at the uni.---

Which as of now still has not been decided, I think it'll be one of those--before I go on summer vacation,

I'll make it, but until then--I'm just gathering as much details to make an informed decision.

Still on finals in the US...

In the UK, though the system is theoretically out of 100%, for non-quant subjects at the better universities it is extremely rare to get over 75% at all (the idea being that at 75% you are writing a publishable paper, a level which few students attain, and that even the best experts in your field wouldn't get much above 80% as no-one can be totally "right" in academics - weird I know!). Often Professors will just get a 'sense' of if the paper/exam reaches first/distinction level, and then just grade it 70%/71% (I've been told this by prof's themselves). I've done 2 masters at LSE, undergrad at UCL, graduating with firsts/distinctions and the best I've heard of someone getting has been 74%. The best I ever managed was 71% in a non-quant/non-language subject. In my undergrad only 7 of us got firsts out of the entire department - other departments hadn't awarded a first in over 5 years.

Comparisons with the US grading system will just confuse you (I work at Columbia now, NYU law last year) so it's best to put it out of your head. I know that at Columbia someone averaging around 70% wouldn't be considered, but then in the US people can get OVER 100% which seems equally mad compared to the UK system!

Generally, firsts, 2:1 etc are for undergrad. For Masters degrees most london universities grade 70%+ = distinction, 60%+ = merit, 50%+= pass. Merit is very do-able, distinction is a significant challenge.

[Who else has still heard nothing from a school?]

Still waiting to hear on one school - not a peep out of them since I applied, despite the fact it's rolling admissions and they aim to reply within 8 weeks. Applications for the program closed on 1st April so I'm hoping to hear soon now that all applications are in!

[International Students applying for US PhD Programs.]

If any current/previous applicants have any advice it would be more than welcome!

I considered it, as I am a UK student but spent 2 years working as a fellow/research scholar at american universities.

The GRE is harder for UK students I think, purely in terms of standardised tests not being something we are used to. I last did maths at SCE level so struggled with that (though the other sections were v easy) so it's one thing you should focus on brushing up on, especially since maths is taught very differently in the US. I came out with almost perfects score on the verbal and writing, and was in 40th percentile in maths after a month's preparation, just to give you an idea (I am admittedly hopeless at maths, but graduated with a first in BA, distinction in Masters etc so I'm not an idiot, the maths just killed me!)

Another thing to keep in mind is that British LORs and SOPs are very different to American ones - LORs in the US are generally much longer/more effusive, British ones tend to be shorter and more reserved, even if they think very highly of you. Similarly SOPs are very different - in the UK you would be expected to submit a research proposal and an SOP outlining your interest in the program etc. In the US it's completely different (check individual schools for their requirements). I've had US friends laugh at my SOP since it seemed so dry, and I in turn have wondered if my American friends have mistaken their SOP for a romantic novella. Be aware of the differences so you can write accordingly. Make sure your professors where you are know that you are planning on applying, and make sure they know who you are!

I've no idea about funding, but if you are graduating with a first then well done! I'd recommend trying to find departments/supervisors who match well with your interests first, then looking at the funding arrangements of those schools, rather than the other way round. You should also be eligible to apply for a Fulbright as well.

[Significant others and the application process]

When I was applying, interviewing etc. I was mentally preparing for the stress an impending move would put on my 4 year relationship. I assumed my boyfriend had been doing the same thing, but we recently broke up (seriously, like 3 days ago) because he didn't think he could deal with another 4-5 years of a long distance relationship (currently we are an hour a part). One of the programs I am considering would still keep me within 2 hours of him, but another would take me across the country. I've been telling myself I have to do what's best for me, and I still will pick the program that will be the best "fit", but it's way harder realizing I will have to sacrifice my relationship.

But life will move on for the better. I would never think twice of giving up going to one of these PhD programs for my relationship - we may have been together for 4 years but everything I put in my application was a work in progress since I entered undergrad.

Best of luck to everyone who has an SO and has been going through this mentally/emotionally exhausting experience!

Really sorry to hear this - this is my biggest fear. My US visa runs out in September, and I have applied to and been accepted on to great UK-based PhD programs, so I'm definitely going. My SO is American - we have been together 4 years, the first 2 were trans-atlantic while I was in grad school in the UK, and he was at law school. He is applying to jobs in the UK and is keen to move, but the visa situation complicates things, plus it's looking like he'd have to take a pay cut of $100,000 per annum to move over. He seems more ok with the prospect of long-distance until he manages to move over than I am, but I worry that while I have been thinking about it and coming to terms with is, the reality will be a shock to him if it comes to that! Now on top of things it looks like I might be leaving for the UK 6 months earlier (as in April) and again he's calm and confident, I'm freaking out.

[Some words of Encouragement]

Thanks for this - I'm still waiting on a decision from the place I did my 2 masters degrees at that is either joint top choice for me. It takes up so so much of my time, and I'm not getting anywhere with my other work!

I too am a fan of the sniper approach - I found 3 great people to supervise me (I had heard of them/studies under them/come across their work frequently etc) at 3 great schools. Then I wavered after seeing how many people applied to loads of schools here and decided to try my luck at 2 other places based on prestige, where I had to search through department members to find suitable supervisors, rather than knowing names off the top of my head. The approach of the 2 prestige universities was also very academic - my other 3 choices (also very good well known schools and departments) emphasised field work, practical skills etc which suits me much better. Needless to say I got rejected from the 2 prestige schools, and have 2 offers out of the 3 great-fit schools. I didn't even care much about the rejections - now I wish I had just stuck to my original sniper approach instead of wasting time on schools I wasn't super interested in attending, where there wasn't a great supervisor for me.

The wait for the final application decision is killing me though. The department requires minimum grades in a masters degrees - for my masters degree grades, one of them surpasses the threshold, the other falls below it. And the department is more competitive than the 2 "prestige" schools. I'm really losing hope at this point!

[Accepted to grad programs, but still waiting on my top choice, clocks ticking what should I do??]

Call McGill and explain the situation (I did the same for LSE and admissions put a note on my file asking everyone to be speedy if possible) and email the other places to ask for an extension of the deadline so that you have more than 2 weeks to decide. If you're down to the last day then accept on of the places you have. If you get a place at McGill afterwards then you can cross that bridge when you come to it, but don't lose out on the places you do have in the hope of something that may or may not happen.

[Waiting on Oxford]

I applied for the MPhil in IR in late December and I still haven't heard back from them. I live in the US, so I'm a little peeved because University of Denver's deadline is April 15th. I assume the decision is in writing via snail mail? Is there any way to find out online or via email?

Call them explaining you have a deadline to keep - I have done this with LSE, since one of my other options said that I had 6 weeks to respond and it's getting a bit close. The admissions office put a note on my file letting the department know. I would expect if you are in the US they should email too, at least that's what happened to me.

[Waiting on Oxford]

I'm in the same boat!

I just went back through my emails and the confirmation one stated:

"The date by which departments are expected to make decisions on applications submitted in this cycle is 18 March 2011. You can therefore expect to hear the result of your application from the department, in writing, after this date."

I think the key phrase here is "after that date" -- in other words, in who knows how many days or weeks after this date...

In the meantime, I'm being pushed to accept an offer from another great school and don't know what to do. So frustrating! Why oh why can't there be some consistency between the schools in terms of an acceptable time line in which to respond within...?

Rejected from the DPhil Development Studies yesterday. By email but it was a scanned letter, so people in the UK/Europe might be getting it by post rather than email. That's just the dev. st. department though... Good luck to you all still waiting!

[Was it too soon to apply for jobs?]

But surprisingly, I've gotten a lot of emails asking for interviews. I was expecting these to come after grad school decisions! My timing was waaaay off.. If I got a super good job offer, I'm not even sure if I would want to go straight to grad school. But if I got into a good grad school..well I'm getting my PhD for a reason. Should I tell these companies in the interview that I'm interested in grad school? Should I even interview so soon? Should I pull my resume and post it up later?? I feel so weird..I was sure I wanted to go to grad school, but the idea of working kind of intrigues me now :/

I'm in a really similar position. Applied to jobs thinking PhD was a long shot, got admitted to one place but finding decisions won't happen till mid May. In the meantime I got shortlisted for an amazing job that had nearly 600 applicants, and am waiting to hear on interviews, and am getting more and more excited about a second job possibility in San Diego, and a third which would be AMAZING but only if they get funding to take me on. I'm also trying to juggle the timing of all these with my boyfriend who just got an interview neither of us were expecting for a job in London (where I'd be doing my PhD if funding comes through) and not wanting to take a job in the US if he's just about to move to London as I'd want to go with him of course, PhD place or not.

I guess we just have to wait to see what offers (job or grad school) come in when, and try to juggle the options we have in front of us at that time. I'm just freaking out that I'll pass on a job in the hope of getting funding/reveal my grad school ambitions by asking for an extended deadline on acceptance and thereby mess it up, and then not get funding for grad school either so be stuck with nothing. Nowhere. I'm trying not to think about it until it happens though!

[Worse nightmare]

So I emailed to ask about my application status and found out that I actually accidentally applied for MS instead of PhD. I went through all the correspondence from that particular uni and realised they did state MS rather than PhD. Clearly I was too blind to notice. How should I respond now? Try to plead with them to consider my application as PhD? Apparently I was also told that it is likely I can get accepted into the Masters, but there is no funding for Masters.

Yes ask/plead. You'll regret it if you don't try.

[Political Science - Fall 2011 Cycle]

Hey, if you don't mind me asking, was it for a MPhil, MSc, or a PhD? Oxford is the last school I am waiting on, so I'm quite anxious to hear back so I can make my decisions and get on with life. Congrats on the other acceptance!

Dphil for development studies which is why the fit was so important for me, and I guess why I'm not feeling as disappointed as I thought I would!

[Political Science - Fall 2011 Cycle]

Rejection from Oxford - bit of a blow to the ego, but the fit wasn't great so not too surprised. I have two other applications to places (one of which I have been accepted in to) that I much prefer in terms of course content, supervisor fit and location so I'm focussing on all that and not having to think seriously about the prestige factor of Oxford had I gotten in. Looking on the bright side!

[Waiting on Oxford]

Ok - I applied for a Master of Studies (aka taught MA) at Oxford by the January deadline. According to their website, decisions are supposed to be made by this Friday, the 18th. And that's at the latest! But I STILL haven't heard anything, and, as time ticks away, I'm going more and more nuts.

The 18th is the deadline they ask departments to aim for. It's not a final decision date. I applied in November and got held back for re-evaluation against the January pool of applicants, and when they notified me the letter was dated for the day after the deadline, but I got the email with the letter scan about a week after that. So give it until the 26th or 27th before freaking out!

[Political Science - Fall 2011 Cycle]

I don't know where else to post this because I can't really see straight and this is the thread that I've most been watching and hoping/empathizing with.. But I just got my acceptance to an MSc in Human Rights at LSE. Half of it is in international political economy, so I figured it fit here.

And they gave me funding. Funding! I can't stop crying and my fingers are shaking. I had to share. I don't think I've ever been this happy about a school-related decision before.

Congrats again - to get funding is an amazing achievement! I'm still keeping fingers crossed for a PhD admit...

[Somone who doesn't sugar-coat grad school & academia]

Somewhat related to this quote but unrelated overall....I feel sometimes manual labor is more satisfying than reading and writing in an air-conditioned building. If it weren't so stigmatized, especially since I attended an Ivy League school, I would seriously consider something with a considerable physical component.

"considerable physical component" sounds so dirty, actually.

I know what you mean - I paid for my degrees by working as a cleaning and ironing lady. Not exactly hard hard labour, but there was definitely something satisfying about seeing the ikea bags full of perfectly white ironed, folded and stacked linen piling up. Definitely felt like more of an accomplishment than the staring-at-a-blank-page days that seemed to characterise my academic work!

[How long do profs usually take to respond?]

Thanks, jaxzwolf!

To be honest, this is my first choice university if I get a chance to work this particular professor. Hopefully, he'll show some interest in my application. If not, I have a tough decision coming up soon.

I waited 3 weeks to a month, then emailed again. The guy got back to me really quick, apologising that in the madness my first email got lost in the cracks. He also couldn't supervise me, so I contacted another member of the department that was also a really good fit. But in the UK system you need to contact POI's before applying to find out if they are accepting students for supervision/advising, so the system is a little different. As someone working in academia I'd advise you not to feel shy/awkward about contacting people though - people have always said they were glad I reminded them/chased them up etc.

[Thoughts on War Studies program at King's London]

I know a few people who have done MAs there and one who has just finished his PhD and has been doing well for himself in the think tank world. The latter is American, the former are British and a South African. All were in the military.

Thanks! I'm far from military, but the supervisor there is great and I know the department has a great reputation within the war/conflict resolution field and think tanks.

[Passing on a PhD this year so that you can line up funding for next year?]

I'm really considering this too. Except that unlike you, I'm applying for a masters, not a Phd. And I'm 31 years old.

I don't know if I can put this off for another year.. But I also don't know if I can go, say, $50,000 in debt for a single year of school. I don't know what to do.

Eurgh, masters are super hard to find funding for too. Have you heard from LSE yet? Keeping fingers crossed for you!

[Passing on a PhD this year so that you can line up funding for next year?]

I've been thinking about deferring (rather than starting from scratch and reapplying), for the same reasons, plus visa-for-my-partner reasons, plus my dog's passport won't be ready until September! But yes, funding in the UK is super-hard to come by, so I'm continuing to apply for jobs and working on the basis I will probably have to defer if I don't get offered full fees + stipend funding. My top choice got back to me within 2 weeks of applying, so I'm hoping that indicates I'm high on their list and that they'll put me forward for funding, but at the end of the day it's university-wide funding rather than departmental so I'm not hopeful.

[IR/Security/Public Affairs 2011]

So this will be your third master's? No offence mate, but that is kinda taking the piss just a bit. What on Earth were your other master's in?

If you actually read my post you'll see I'll be doing a PhD.

[Thoughts on War Studies program at King's London]

Originally posted in the government affairs forum but on advice I'm moving it here...

Hello all!

Just wanted to get a some international (or US!) impressions on the War Studies program at King's? I've applied to a few PhD programs in the UK, though usually in the department of development studies (where suitable supervisors were based) but I'm really keen on the King's program. Having said that, I'm not sure how well known it is outside the UK, or what the general impression of the course is internationally, and it'd be great to get some opinions from you guys!

Thanks.

[IR/Security/Public Affairs 2011]

I would agree that King's might not be the best idea for a Master's but if the original poster's looking to get a PhD, I think it's a different story. Assuming that he/she is looking to follow the traditional post-PhD career by going into academia or fairly academic organizations (e.g. think tanks), I think what matters substantially more is the prestige of the particular department and whether that department has a faculty member whose research interests match his/hers, rather than the prestige of the university as a whole (which I again agree matters a good deal for Master's programs), which is largely based on the perceived prestige of the respective university's undergrad (as elucdiated in the prep school example that you gave).

Thanks for your replies (and everyone's replies!) - yes, I'm aiming for a PhD. I already have 2 master's degrees from LSE, and have worked as a fellow at NYU law, and a research scholar at SIPA, so I guess I'm just not too sure how much attention I should pay to reputation at this stage. LSE and King's are the best research fits for me in terms of a PhD and supervisor (at this stage they're pretty much equal), though at LSE the department would be 'international development' so would take me in a slightly different direction in terms of my career, and having done 2 masters there I thought it might be beneficial to branch out a bit. Not that I even have an offer from LSE at this stage - I'm just finding that as the application season goes on I'm more and more positive about King's. But yes, as a UK student originally I have a good idea of King's general reputation, but it's the department's reputation that matters to me in this case. I'm hoping for a career in conflict resolution/DDR programs etc, though this could be in think tanks, academic research etc, I'm very open to what comes up at the time. But it's good to get an idea of how King's is viewed abroad - I certainly don't want to inadvertently close doors to myself so it's good to know how people perceive the program.