This is my first post -- This fall I am planning on applying for a PhD in Political Science, and I am hoping for some advice/suggestions from you all. I am interested in topics related to Politics & Communication / Mass Media studies. I realize that this is very interdisciplinary and may be looked down on by some departments. I have considered applying to some Comm programs (like Stanford, UPenn, Northwestern, Columbia) but I'm more interested in political science and am convinced that this would also be the best option to pursue for my career as well.
For the record, here are my stats:
B.A., UCLA (Polisci & Comm double major, graduated in 3 years)
3.8 GPA overall / 3.95 in Polisci major
MSc, London School of Economics (MSc in Politics and Communication)
Probably graduating with Distinction (highest mark)
Lots of research internships, one academic publication. Working for an elected UK official right now.
No GRE scores yet.
Here are my questions:
1) Will my interdisciplinary background in these two fields hurt me in Poli Sci admissions? I've read on this forum how certain other backgrounds (i.e. economics or math) can be helpful, while others (i.e. humanities) may not be as good.
2) Are they any departments that I should particularly look into or stay away from? At UCLA I studied under a couple profs (Zaller, Vavreck) who are interested in these subjects, but otherwise I am mostly familiar with European research on it.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!