maicondouglas
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Posts posted by maicondouglas
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Yes, math and economics are great backgrounds for PP degrees. Just realize that work experience is generally a more salient factor during the app process compared to most social science graduate degrees.
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Absolutely not! I do not have a masters and I was admitted to a top 15. I know this was also the case with a bunch of posters here as well as many of the kids that I met at grad weekend. While there are certainly valid reasons for doing an MA prior to a PhD, jumping right in is a great way to elude the hefty price tags associated with most MA programs.
What I suggest you do is start preparing now for your applications and GRE so everything is picture perfect when you do apply. If you want to get into any of the programs you mentioned, having a solid math and stats background is practically essential for admission. Same goes for the GRE-- you will be competing with kids who will be in the 650v/750Q range.
So load up on quant heavy courses and buy yourself a stack of GRE test prep books and practice tests.
Crank out a working draft of your statement of purpose and rework it again and again until it's flawless. Then start lining up your LOR writers and bring them your draft, so not only do they know what your research interests are, but they also know that you're fully comitted to conquering this goal of yours.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, by the time you approach the people who will be writing your letters, have a shortlist handy of the schools that you plan on applying to. Show this to your writers and let them know what the app deadlines are well in advance. Ask for their input and allow yourself to strategize with them.
After all this, taylor in department specific tidbits into your SOP for each school. Mention what resources you wish to take advantage of, who you wish to work with and mention papers authored by faculty that you found interesting and/or that align with your research interests.
Meanwhile, since the app process at top schools is highly competitive, have some fallback MA programs on your back burner that you could apply to.
With regards to funding, most of the upper echelon departments will be able to cut you a decent stipend that should keep you a hair above the poverty line. However, there are certainly exceptions to this rule (If I remember correctly, Georgetown was particularly stingy with funding this year. I'm not sure check the fall, 2011 thread for more details.)
I know that this post goes far beyond the scope of your questions, but I think that these tips will help you conquer your ultimate goal: getting in to top PhD program. Just throw yourself into it If you have qualms about not giving it all you got, then you're probably not ready to start a PhD.
Anyway, I apologize for the rambling-- I am procrastinating studying for finals at the moment. Also, I aplogize for the typos; I am writing this on my phone.
Good luck!
- Croasyjr and Zahar Berkut
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I'll be moving to Orlando this Fall as well (MA Rhetoric & Composition). Is there any student-affiliated housing that's neither terribly expensive (over 580 altogether) nor a shit hole? I'd love to take advantage of the campus shuttle if at all possible.
You do not need to be campus affiliated to have a shuttle. In fact, I would HIGHLY avoid campus affiliated apartments for a number of reasons. First, they are packed with underclassmen and community college kids. There is a major shortage of on campus housing and so freshman are referred to these apartments when they don't get placed in a dorm. These places are therefore able to fill vacancies without ever really having to compete with other complexes on amenities and quality. The result: horrible, dirty apartments on delapedated land. Furthermore, they will nickle and dime you on the most egregious of moving out fees (I paid $15 per burnt out lightbulb in my room). Management is inaccessible and you will be continually stonewalled by 19 year old "leasing agents" if you ever need anything or have any complaints.
There are some really cheap duplexes (or townhouses as they are referred to on craigslist) that are on a shuttle route and are mostly rented out by grad students. But beware that they are in one of the sketchiest little neighborhoods that are full of shirtless unemployed men on the streets. I am told that there are countless drug dealers there and at least one expositionist.
I would sincerely consider moving in around waterford/Oviedo/university passed dean road. The shuttle is alluring, but I assure you that it is not worth what you're giving up in terms of quality, quietness and safety.
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Thank you. At least I know what I will be doing this summer
I know im weak in the calc department. Any books you would reccommend?
I'll tell you what, there was a three year gap between calc 1 and calc 2 for me and the way that I prepared was by reviewing an AP Calc BC test prep book. Everything was taught using clear step-by-step examples and I think it really got me up to speed. Otherwise, stewart 5th edition is what they use in most ug calc 1-3 classes. It's a pretty solid textbook with an outrageous amount of questions. If you do this, do the odd problems and you can go to www.cramster.com and see step by step solutions. you'll need to set up an account but it's free.
When you get stuck and don't understand the problems go to khanacademy and watch his video lectures. They're short and extremely clear.
I think you could really teach yourself a lot this way and get a solid background in calc. Do a bunch a bunch of problems and stick with it.
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I have been reading though this blog for a while now. And something I noticed is the mentioning of math. Now, at my undergraduate, we some easy math, and I will really stress the “some” and “easy” part. Im getting a bit nervous now that my math skills may not be up to par with other entering grad students. Should I spend the summer hitting the books and brushing up on my math? If so what should I focus on? Can someone tell me how high they went in math in their poli sci undergraduate program?
ThanksJ
I think it depends on your program, but at the very least, you will be expected to complete a stats/formal theory course series. I have heard that at a lot of schools these courses are designed to start from scratch, but move pretty quickly. I think that you would certainly not harm yourself by brushing up on a little bit of calc and linear algebra before you get the ball rolling. I think the guy over at www.khanacademy.org is a brilliant instructor and explains things very clearly.
As for myself, I took 3 semesters of calculus, a semester of differential equations, two semesters of linear algebra, a proofs course and a semester of mathematical modeling. At my campus visits, I got the feeling that people's math backgrounds were kind of all over the place. There were guys who did a lot of undergrad math, a few kids who did relatively little, and then there were those who got their backgrounds at MA programs.
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On 4/12/2011 at 1:22 PM, MadameNon said:
I'll be going for a PhD in Art History.
I haven't given apartment hunting much thought yet. I'm hoping I can room with someone from my cohort, maybe pool our resources to rent a house. I don't think I'm going to get to visit any time soon and I've never been there so this will be quite an adventure!
I'm in for a PhD in poli sci. I think I'm going to try and grab a room off of Craigslist near WashU. I am looking for a place in
the forest park and CWE area because I think it would be nice to ride my bike to school through a park everyday.
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I can't speak to how hard it is to publish experimental research. Just remember that the hoops you have to jump through when dealing with human test subjects are ridiculous. Everything needs to be approved by oversight committees and any snag could set you back six months or so.
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Hello all, my primary interests are International Relations, Political Economy and Development, and Religion and Politics. I will be limited to the NYC Area (Only programs I could find were extremely competitive like Columbia and NYU, anyone know of others? Public Policy schools where I could pursue these interests would be fine as well).
My primary concern is not having a substantial Political Science background. Can this be overcome by a solid academic performance in other fields? I have heard that PhD level Political Science work is actually highly Quantitative, could such a background be more preferable than a Political Science undergrad?
Anyways at my time of application this is what I will have:
SUNY at Buffalo - B.A. Philosophy and Mathematics, 3.74/4.0, Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Philosophy Thesis in Ethics, 6 credits of Poli Sci, 18 of Economics
American University - Law & Justice Summer Program with Research Project, 4.0/4.0
Yale Divinity School - M.A.R Theology (GPA uncalculated)
SUNY at Buffalo - M.S. International Economics (Will be in progress at time of application, GPA will most likely be above a 3.7)
Work Experience: D.C. Superior Court (Internship), U.S. Census Bureau (Enumerator), No full time employment to be spoken of as I've had no gaps in my education.
Extra-Curriculars (Undergraduate): Mock Trial, College Republicans, Ethics Bowl
GRE: I took it few years back but would need to retest, Im pretty sure I can 750+ the Quant section, the other ones I am less sure about.
What should I look to improve before I apply (I still have the entire Econ program ahead of me) should I attempt to get published, or obtain teaching experience? Would it be more valuable for me to take extra Political Science classes?
Thanks in Advance!
-Mohawkmonk87
I've never taken a poli sci class, and I got into some decent programs. I know this is true of others in the field, and they've made fine careers for themselves despite a deficit of political science coursework at the undergrad level.
I would stay away from listing that you're involved in College Republicans because most schools have a left leaning bias.
- northstar22 and secretly_yes
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Taking the GRE soon (based on past practice exams I don't expect to do very well on the math). Sub 1000 combined, maybe sub 900...I really am not getting the math... (I don't do well on tests like this. I scored 830 on the SAT in High School)
Recent undergrad, graduated with 3.85 GPA (Tulane U), 36 years old, strong letters of recommendation, etc
Wanted MA at Univ. of New Orleans (its local, the price is right and the head of the program has been very informative with me in email)
I have a very tentative idea about how adcoms work, but if I were admitting anyone to any graduate program, I would scoff at such a score.
I imagine you're applying for the 2012 cycle based on the timing of this post. So, my question to you is why on earth are you planning on taking the GRE now? You should not hold yourself to such a low standard and take a shitty GRE as a given. You have about 7-8 months to take the GRE. In that time you could completely master the test. My quant GRE score jumped a solid 200 points after studying one month. You're obviously not averse to handwork given your success at tulane, so just buck up and kick ass on the GRE.
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Anybody going to WashU on Friday?
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Hello everyone,
I am planning to apply to a p.hd course in the U.S next year. I have completed my B.A(H) in Political Science and M.A in Development Studies(Both from India). I am planning to apply to a p.hd course in political science and finding it hard to track down options for my research area. I am keen to work in the area of political philosophy with an emphasis on exploring relationships between justice and populism. Also, I am keen on doing more theoretical research with a qualitative orientation rather than quantitative. Since most of the political science departments have a quantitative orientation, I was wondering if anyone could suggest me the names of the universities where I might be able to find Profs who have similar interests and orientation. Also, If someone could suggest me how I should approach them, it would be really helpful.
Thanks..
Abhishek
Abhishek, I know of people who largely avoided quantitative work, but be aware that you will be expected to complete coursework In stats/methods regardless of your research plans. I've also heard that the quant section of your GRE is an important peice of your application even if you plan to study political philosophy, so be sure to prepare for this when you apply.
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Other than my undergrad gpa, you seem to have better stats than me (GRE, publication, etc.) and I got into two top 25s, one of which was WUSTL which has a comparable ranking to UNC. So it's completely doable.
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I am officially reviving this thread, as I have a visit this weekend. Share your experiences with programs for those of us who don't get to make thorough rounds. Also, taking suggestions for MUST ASK questions while away.
I am going to WUSTL for grad weekend in a few weeks and would like to know what I should expect format-wise. Also, what the hell does one wear to one of these events?!?
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Any experience with undergrad language courses? I would like to brush up on my Portuguese.
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Apparently UNC is starting to send out rejection e-mails now; I have yet to receive one, or any news in general (the site says that my decision is not yet available). That probably just means that they haven't gotten around to e-mailing me the rejection yet
I haven't received anything yet either. What are your sources?
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Dear all,
I am a recent college graduate looking to do a PhD in Political Science. Admittedly, I am in the nascent stages of my search for programs and at the moment have very little idea as to what field I would ultimately want to go into (I don't plan on applying for a year or so anyway). I am aiming for some of the top programs, but am fearful that my stats are not strong enough. My undergrad GPA was a 3.52 (respectable university), and my recent GRE score was 790 (Q), 680 (V), AW (?). If I am to have a shot at the top 15 programs, is it worthwhile to do a terminal masters and then go into a PhD? Furthermore, should I retake the GRE once more? I am not sure that my verbal numbers were sufficient, and I feel as though I could do better.
Thanks in advance for your help!
As someone at the tail end of his application process, I can tell you that you might have a chance. Your GRE scores are definitely good enough to get into a good program. Your GPA is probably on the low side, but I got into 2 top 15s with comparable stats. My GPA is more in the 3.7 range, but I only scored a 760Q /600V on the GRE. But then again there are so many other factors that influence admission (especially in Political Science). For example, I have about 30 credit hours of math/stats class, including a handful of 400 level courses. I have also been told by a person at an adcom that my SOP and LORs were highly influential.
It may be a long shot, but if you're willing to fork out a few hundred bucks to apply to some good PhD programs, then I say go for it. Then go ahead and hedge your pipe dream with some sound safety MA programs. That's what I did and my luck paid off. Just make sure that your application is spotless. Make sure your letter writers know you and your interests and then revise your SOP again again and again until it's something that you're really proud of.
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I think it really depends on how you learn best. Some people will have a hard time learning math directly from videos and textbooks. Others will have no problem with that. Whatever you do, remember that with Math you do most of your learning by practice. So it's important that you do a lot of problems and not just follow lectures.
Another online resource is http://www.khanacademy.org/. He has a ton of short lectures on Calculus, Differential Equations and Linear Algebra that are quite helpful. I never really used it much for Calc or DE, but his videos came in really handy for Linear Algebra.
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From previous years it seems they send out rolling acceptances i February and early March before a round of rejections in March and then they admit people off the wait list. Maybe someone already offered by Maryland has the inside track for this year?
I'm claiming a Maryland rejection. I'm in Political Economy/ Comparative. I'm quite surprised because it was my safety school and I got into much better places. Oh well, good luck to you all.
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Anyone have any information on Maryland? I saw a couple acceptances listed 2 weeks ago, but thats it.
No word yet, but I wouldn't fret. Their app deadline was 2/1 I think.
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Congrats to you Harvard admits. I look forward to resenting you from snatching up all the good jobs in 5 years time (just kidding!).
Allow me to pose a stupid question to those attending recruitment events: what do you plan to wear?
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I can't speak for other departments, but we've never done that, at least since I've been here. The acceptance emails go out as soon as we have run the admit list by the full faculty and the deans.
Sorry for misrepresentation then. I was told by a faculty member in the econ department at my current university that the adcom used phone interviews and staggered acceptances for the reasons explained above. However, that may not be the case for all departments.
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I don't see what the first point has to do with anything. By the description of the Realist's OP, it's clear that there's a point at which all decisions have been made. As balderdash and I have said, it doesn't matter, after that, when decisions are sent out, only that they're all sent out on a specified date. This could be done administratively, with individual faculty following up on their own.
I also don't understand your point about funding at all. How would they admit more people than they could fund? If they wanted a cohort of, say, 10 students, they could send out admits to them, waitlist a sufficient number of others (perhaps 20 or so; a good number could probably be ascertained through trial and error, modeling, or just educated guessing), and reject the rest who under no circumstances would have been admitted. That's the stage of the decisions I'm suggesting could be sent out simultaneously. Granted, being waitlisted is another kind of agony, but at least every applicant gets a clear idea of where they stand.
I'm no expert, but I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that adcoms like to "test the water" by sending out a few acceptance letters at a time. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that most applicants are more likely to withdraw their application after they've been accepted. Out of some strange mixture of ego and curiosity, I want to see what sort of offers I get from my safety schools even though I am about 80% sure where I want to go already and about 95% sure that I won't accept an offer from any of my safties. So, schools want to see how their best applicants (who are likely to have been accepted at other high ranking schools) react to their offers before they send out offers to middle-tier schmucks like you and me.
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Did they phone interview all potential acceptances?
Also, just as a question/concern, I'm wondering why acceptances don't come the way that the FAQ on the websites say they'll come. For instance, MIT said that acceptances will only come via mail. Why, then, would they call people? Same with Washington. I guess I'm just confused and wondering if I should give up hope if some people get phone calls, when it says wait for mail.
I believe the phone interviews have all to do about gauging the applicant's enthusiasm and stacking up their offer against the other guy's.
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Does anyone claim University of Washington acceptances? I had a phone interview last week, but no news yet.
I received an email offer last Saturday. Don't get your hopes up though; the funding was quite dismal.
1430, Retake GRE for PhD Apps?
in Political Science Forum
Posted
Yeah, you're trying to get into a top school, so aim to improve your test score. The costs are pretty low when you consider the fact that you have until like November to retake the GRE. Study gradually and have the 800 in the back of your mind.