[questions for PS grad students]

1: Math can be used in just about any field- as can qualitative methods (except maybe for theory).

2: That's a question for a DGS, not grad students.

3: I read a lot, construct hypotheses, test them. I use almost exclusively quantitative methods- the type depends on the relevant research topic. Lately, I've been using logits and event history models.

4: Mostly topics related to the judiciary.

5: Tenure track job somewhere.

Honestly, you need a strong foundation in political science. The math background helps, but it is not worth anything if you don't ask interesting questions. With a lot of the math, I never really have to look under the hood to see how it works... the statistical packages we use handle all of that. You might want to go chat with someone in the political science department at your university.

1) I am a math major seeking to apply my skills to something relevant and useful. What fields of political science are the most quantitative? What sort of math is used in those fields?

2) In my remaining six terms I will choose between classes in political science, history, economics, and applied math/statistics/programming. I will probably take only two humanities classes a term. How should I distribute my course load? Which classes should I take before senior year? Which classes should I take during senior year? (I have already taken statistics and introductory classes in political science and economics.)

3) Grad students: what do you do on a daily basis? What methods do you use in your research? (This is the most important question.)

4) Grad students: what topics are you working on?

5) Grad students: what are your plans for after grad school?

[Socialism?]

The problem with us theorists having a monopoly on the pundit market... we'd talk too long, about the finer points of definitions.... it would be like the inevitable 'So what do you do?' conversation.

[Socialism?]

As far as Marx goes- Obama has almost nothing remotely similar, he was just one of many socialist theorists.

With that being said, a fundamental tenet of socialist theory is the priority of the collective. You could say that socialist theory places the community over the individual. In its purest and most extreme form, that's socialism.

The ideology of those commentators places the individual over the community. This is the bootstraps mentality, the government needs to be small etc

Historically speaking neither of them is very accurate. Even before the Founding there were elements of the collective mixed in with the individual.

Are some of Obama's programs socialistic? Yes.

But so too are the postal service, free public education, social security, and bailouts to banks.

Is Obama plotting a socialist overthrow- no. Those are scare tactics by a beaten and battered Republican party to scare voters. In this country people are allergic to the S word, they equate it with communism which is completely innacurate.

Oh, and US news, particularly cable news is awful. I recommend..... http://news.bbc.co.uk or http://www.npr.org/

Hope this helps

[Undergrad Stats...]

I'll bite

BA in Political Science and History from a small regional public university in the midwest

3.8 GPA overall,

4.0 in PS

3.9 in History

GRE: 570-V, 600-Q 4.5 writing (I hate standardized tests)

Two years as a community organizer/director of a political non-profit

Field: Theory

Applied: Virginia, WashU, Duke, Berkeley, North Carolina, Northwestern, Southern Illinois, UCONN, UMASS

So far::: In at Southern Illinois (full tuition reimbursement/stipend)

Rejected at UVA/Duke

Anxiously awaiting the rest.

Any feedback would rock.