publicpolicy79

I think your advisor and the people in your program would be best able to advise you on this, and I think it varies per person. For instance, one professor I have talked to really thinks that I can carry more than the typical load (9 credits) per semester because I have 10 years of work experience, so he thinks I can better juggle the worlkload, but he might now advise other people the same. So I'd just ask around at TAMU (which is where I am also headed, incidentally!).

My plan is to officially defer the loan but to continue to make payments every month. I figure that way if there is a month or two I come up short I don't HAVE to pay, but will overall keep from driving myself further into debt.

bribe (plural bribes) Something (usually money) given in exchange for influence or as an inducement to dishonesty I don't think offering a token of appreciation for a favor constitutes a bribe. Had it been such, I probably would have given the gift up front! I don't think there is an expectation of gifts (perhaps of nice thank you notes but not gifts). For me though, I have long-standing (i.e. 12 years in one case) professional and mentor/mentee relationships with all three who wrote my LORs. (I also know their families so I'm making sure the goodie baskets include things their spouses and children will enjoy too). So, for me at least, the thank you gift is about more than just the letters they wrote. It's about them listening to me, advising me, and generally just being a positive part of my life. They didn't begin our interactions with an expectation of a gift, and the gift in no way compensates them for the time and energy they have given me, but it at least lets them know that I recognize their efforts and appreciate it.

Is she no longer residing in Texas? If not, search for a "Made in Texas" gift basket. They sell them with cheese, barbecue sauce, salsa, fresh tortillas, and so on. As someone who grew up in that part of the world then lived away for six years I can honestly say that nothing made me happier than my colleague (a native Texan) who gave me salsa and barbecue sauce that was not available in DC for Christmas. The gift baskets hit all kinds of price ranges. I am actually going to send some to my referees (also from Texas because that is where I'm heading).

I got a degree at SPA (American) and there were lots of people there with incredible work experience, but also lots of people who had "only" done AmeriCorp or people who had worked in completely unrelated areas (one of my friends had been an activities director at a nursing home after college!). So you can get into good programs that lead to good jobs with less experience. I, with my American University education, ended up working with lots of HKS people so it clearly didn't make a huge difference in our career paths (or salaries for that matter).

I will definitely grant you that you have to be picky. But for me (also have lived in two college towns) I think going in the spring is the BEST way to avoid places that are undergrad party central. The time I waited until right before moving I found a lovely place in what seemed like a nice, pretty, idyllic-neighborhood. Turned out that it was only quiet because all the partiers had gone home for the summer and it was only pretty because the lawns had had three months to recover from the beer cans being strewn about and drunk kids urinating on them. I am a snob when it comes to where I will or will not live, so even if I don't sign a lease in April/May when I go apartment hunting, I at least want to do my research while everyone is in town. Plus, many places run specials if you pre-lease. I've gotten zero deposits, money off my rent or other perks before by agreeing to a place early.

I don't live in College Station yet (going for Political Science) but I can speak to cost-of-living in the wider region. And honestly, it's all about expectations and what you are used to paying. I grew up in OK but lived on the East Coast for seven years after undergrad, so to me groceries, rent, gasoline, beer, etc. are ridiculously cheap in OK/TX. I think you can live off the stipend you mentioned, assuming you don't have other outstanding debt (car payments, credit cards, etc). The harder part might be finding a place that accepts your dog without additional pet rent. There are tons of cheaper places to eat too. Goodness knows you can get cheap (GOOD) barbecue in Texas. Plus places like Freebird's are cheap and one burrito from there can serve as your entire food for the day. So I'd say it is doable but it will be stretch. I wouldn't necessarily call it "comfortable", but again I worked for several years and made real money, so I think I have a higher expectation for comfort than most PhD students...

Ivyreject has heard all the arguments about doing unfunded PhDs at this point. If he chooses to go to Georgetown without funding up-front, then everyone needs to respect that and wish him well instead of continuing to question the decision. So, Ivyreject, good luck at Georgetown. I hope that funding opportunities come along as you progress through the program. And enjoy DC! I lived there for six years and had a blast!

I have an unfunded offer from one school that explicitly stated that if my attendance is contingent upon securing funding then my deadline is May 15 (so if they get some rejections and pass along the offer, I won't have already rejected them). That may be the case at your school, so it is worth asking. Whatever you do, don't just assume you don't have to respond. That's an excellent way to burn bridges with people you may interact with in the future. Academia is a small world.

I don't think your current job is limiting you. I am currently teaching elementary school (admittedly after 6+ years working in Policy and Politics in DC - LONG story) but I have been admitted to both political science and public policy programs with funding. I think that if you can do the MPP with a focus on IR/Comp and make the grades, it could strengthen your application. Alternatively, if you can get a job at a recognizable think tank in your area, that would probably strengthen your application further (I was explicitly told that having my former boss who is now at Brookings write one of my recommendation letters made a difference - admittedly that contradicts other things I've heard about never using non-tenured faculty as LORs). You should check out the blogs...Ejuliast applied to (and was succesful at) Public Policy and Sociology programs and she had a M.Ed. and a Master's in quantitative methodology. Different fields but since her goal is to be an academic you might gain from her experience. She would also probably be willing to share some advice on how to make the teaching experience appear relevant in your applications. Good luck!

I know at one of the programs (not the school, just the program) while PhD students are in their coursework, they share an office with one other person (two desks, one door with a lock), once they start preparing for their comps they get their own office. But the other program I am considering only has shared office space if you are a TA, for keeping office hours.

My plan is not to move until the beginning of August (make as much money as I can before I give up the income!). However, depending on where you are moving, LOTS of places do pre-leasing for the fall semester. Once I make my decision (one choice has a "move-in next week" rental market while the other is a college town, lots of pre-leasing), if I pick the "college town" I plan to go for a weekend and find a place, get the application and deposits done, then be set come August. Less stress, more time for me to plan compulsively...

I have an offer at Maryland in Public Policy but my testudo status still says "decision pending" (not to offer false hope, but at least there is hope). Ivyreject, I'm in DC this week (to visit friends and Maryland). The weather is TERRIBLE here. Cold and rainy. It will seriously make you reconsider Florida...

Also, nams, Maryland has made decisions, they just haven't notified yet. I am going to visit the DGS this week, so he told me I was in. Funding information is still being worked out, hence the delay. Supposedly my official letter should be coming in the next few days (though they are on spring break). He did say it was a large and competitive application field (as if I expected otherwise this year!). So good luck!

Every place I have been to or asked this question (both Political Science and Public Policy programs) have been "business casual" to "casual". Do NOT show up in a suit. If you want to wear jeans, wear nice dark ones with a nice top. My wardrobe has either been dark jeans, button-down shirt and a jacket, or slacks and a sweater or button-down. I refuse to wander campus all day in a skirt because I can't wear comfortable walking shoes with a skirt! There were some people that showed up in t-shirts and jeans, and no one really reacted at all, but I was glad I had made a little effort - I felt like it kinda put me on a more even footing with faculty. Like my grandmother would say, putting some effort into your appearance demonstrates respect for the people you are going to visit and yourself. (I'm not worried about you knowing this Ejuliast, that was meant more for the straight-out-of-undergrad crowd).