[Grad student attire?]

Most of the undergrads at my school dress very informal...like athletic shorts, t-shirts, just-woke-up look. The grad students do not get super dressed up; the clean comment above is very apt. I like to get slightly dressier (like one step down from business causual) when I teach class. I think especially if you look young, it helps students see you as an authority figure.

 

Great post. I couldn't agree more

[PhD in Asia]

^ Agreed.

Hong Kong is a great place to study China, but only if you are interested in domestic politics, public admin. or political economy. It is not really that great if you are into IR.

You do study in English, but life is not easy if you don't speak Cantonese, or live outside HK island or Kowloon (downtown area).

Nevertheless, the $$ is solid, it's very safe and clean and close to everywhere. According to the Economist, the most livable city in the world, I think. Pretty good deal overall.

Bottom line, if you want to learn Chinese, go to Taiwan; if you want to pursue a research degree (MPhil/PhD), then you might try HK (Singapore too, of course).

[first article]

a question for all the PhD students here:

in which year you published/ or plan to publish your first article in a peer-reviewed journal ?

could you share your experience ?

[PhD in Asia]

If you want to learn Chinese and experience real Chinese culture, go to Taiwan.

People are nice (the girls there are really beautiful), the environment is clean, no censorship and cheaper than places like Beijing or Shanghai.

For an exchange or a language course, I would say that's a great choice ! much better than than Mainland; of course you want to go there too, but just for holiday..

[PhD in Asia]

 

Studying in Europe or the US, learning methods and how the discipline works, coupled with extensive field research in Asia might be a better option.

 

this

[How large are your cohorts?]

11 PhD students

5 in American, 5 IR and 1 CP

[Profiles and Results, SOPs, and Advice (Fall 2013)]

PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad Institution: University of London
Major(s)/Minor(s):  Political Science
Undergrad GPA: N/A
Type of Grad: MPhil in Hong Kong
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 162/160/4.0
Any Special Courses: Mandarin Chinese
Letters of Recommendation: 3 tenured profs, 1 well-known
Research Experience: BA and MPhil theses, conference presentation, book review in a peer-reviewed journal, couple of think-tank publications unrelated to pol science
Teaching Experience: 3 semesters as TA
Subfield/Research Interests: International Relations/ IR theory, US foreign policy, Sino-American relations, non-traditional security issues

RESULTS:
Acceptances($$ or no $$): UGA ($$)
Waitlists: ND
Rejections: Penn, USC, UMN, OSU, UVA, American, Syr, Uconn, Colorado
Going to: UGA

 

LESSONS LEARNED:

Admissions are extremely competitive, keep in mind that hundreds of qualified applicants compete for a handful of offers.

The entire application process is quite an experience; it takes lot of time, effort and money.

It is even more challenging for international students as we often have to overcome a lack of pedigree or mediocre GRE scores.

Take your time when researching universities and make sure to apply widely.

It's depressing to collect so many rejections, but remember, in the end you only need one offer

Good luck !

[Welcome to the 2012-2013 cycle]

Anybody else still waiting to hear from UVA, Uconn and American ? Cheers

[Best of Luck to You All]

Good Day Everyone,

I just wanted to send my best wishes to all of you who are entering into your respective Ph.D programs as well as those who are preparing to apply for the upcoming cycle. I know all of you individuals will become excellent academics and add greatly to your respective disciplines.

Sincerely,

grantman

Thanks.

You too!

[Political Science at UC-Davis?]

Hi foosh,

It seems that you know a lot about the UCD. Do you also have any insights about funding ? Do all new students get funding?

I have searched the department web, but i could only find an ambiguous commitment, without any details...

[Phd in Canada (UoT, UBC...)]

Hi guys,

I am an international student considering also applying to Canadian universities.

First of all, do you have any clue, how do Canadian universities fare in terms of reputation, academic rigor, etc. compared to American unis?

On a similar note, how 'difficult' is to get in ? I haven't been able to find any admissions statistics (number of applicants, admission offers)

Is getting into UoT, UBC, McGill, Western, let's say as difficult as getting into top US 25 ?

Moreover, I have heard some rumors that (for whatever reasons) Phds from Canada are considered inferior to American Phds.

Is this true? and does this also apply to outside of North America ?

Last but not least, Canada is supposed to be a very 'livable' country, how does it compare with America ? ; and sorry for being so blunt, is it a better place to live?

Please feel free to offer any insights/ comments.

Cheers !

[English Language Requirement at UCSD?]

I don't think anywhere else in the top 25-30 categorically doesn't fund int'l students. I think UCLA seemed to have to fill out more paperwork to fund int'l students than other schools, but they still accept and fund plenty of non-US citizens. Don't know if being an int'l student puts you at a competitive disadvantage, but I suspect not.

That is good to know. TY

[English Language Requirement at UCSD?]

As an additional note, I don't think UCSD funds any international students, so you might want to strike them off your list.

RWBG is right; sadly, it is the case. UCSD doesn't wave tuition for students receiving TAs, as most unis do.

You can get more info here:

http://polisci.ucsd.edu/grad/financial/financial_support.html

Also, RWBG, do you happen to know any other places that don't fund int. students?

Cheers,