JordanJames

I've heard their reputation is pretty good when it comes to producing political theorists, but that's all I've heard that relates to placement. I also know that if you go to the New School, you're most likely a socialist or communist enemy of the USA and probably will commit a treasonous (if you're American) act or two during your lifetime. (I'm just kidding, don't be offended)

I'm pretty much just waiting to hear from 1 school (equal in everything, but in a perfect location for me) and am close to choosing FSU. I'm not visiting until March 30, but I'm pretty sure I'm going there. I already pulled my application or informed all of the schools that I've been accepted at that I won't be going, except the school I'm waiting on and 1 school in case my visit is a disaster. I talked about working with 2 professors in my SoP, but I'm not sure who I'll be working with next year, and apparently the poli sci department is pretty flexible when it comes to switching advisors. So we'll see how the visit goes, but I'm almost certain I'll be a Seminole next year. The closer I get to confirming, the more I realize that their program almost perfectly fits me. Anyways, I'm pretty excited. Good luck on your visit, and do inform me of how it went. Also, flag football? I'm an IM junkie, so I'm pretty sure I'll be playing flag football, softball, basketball and whatever else I can get other dorks like me to play. For the women out their who are wondering whether this is some jock guy thing, I was thinking of putting together corec teams as just a way of doing something active and having some fun. I'd like to get some grad school teams going. I know it's premature, but besides books and beer, this is what I live for. Ammar is actually my first name, so if you see me at grad school orientation or around campus, feel free to introduce yourself. This goes for anyone else also going to FSU or that I may run into at conferences in the future. I'm assuming there won't be any other Ammar's in the grad school at FSU, but who knows?

FSU? Who's coming with me, and who's up for flag football?

I'm considering going to Riverside for my PhD in Poli Sci, but I'm leaning heavily towards another program.

lol. I'm looking forward to reading my Harvard rejection, I've heard good things.

How about a predictions market where you take a cut on each share bought? Set up shop in Ireland with Intrade, or claim it's for "research" purposes like the Iowa market and get approval to run it without having to deal with SEC regulations.

No problem. Most of the paperwork is done right before school starts, so don't sweat it. If you need more loans, see if your state offers any help. I know New Jersey has a loan program that's pretty good, and I'm guessing other states have a similar program.

FAFSA is the way to go, BUT, I'm not sure if the deadline to apply for federal loans has passed. Also, some states have their own loan programs with good interest rates that can supplement your federal loans if they don't cover all of your expenses. Even if you don't plan on taking out the loans it's important to file a FAFSA so that you receive work-study aid (which makes it easier to find work as a TA or RA). http://www.fafsa.ed.gov

I didn't communicate with professors directly, but I've been invited by grad directors to visit.

I had one rejection that literally said, "we must limit the number of admissions to our program." I'm glad they informed me of that because I was under the impression that they just let everybody in. This same rejection also boasted about how highly selective their program is (it really isn't that selective). I found that classless, tasteless and rude. I don't mind the impersonal ones, and I had 1 that was 1 line saying that they can't offer me admission that I was fine with. In my opinion, a school should either just simply state that a person has been rejected in their letter, or if they choose to write more, word their letter in a way that is respectful to the applicant. I've noticed that the better the program, the more considerate and carefully worded their rejections are. I've also noticed the same thing with acceptances. Better schools have written about how much they want me to come to their program and discussed my research interests. Worse schools discussed how great their programs are more than their interest in having me join their program.

22. When you are finally accepted by a school with funding, you start to question that school's program because all of the other schools are still making you wait.

Thanks

I'm pretty sure the acceptances are real. But if they have a waitlist, some of us may still have hope.

I agree with flyingwalrus. Congrats, WUSTL has a great program.

Political Science. The contract says that I commit to working 20 hours per week.

Wow! At least for those of us going to schools 25-50, there are 241 schools to look down on. God, why would anyone ever go to 1 of those schools? Don't they know that they'll never be able to find academic placement anywhere?

I was wondering how much, on average, schools require you to work for your stipend. I remember seeing that a lot of schools require about 15 hours of work/week. My funding package requires 20 hours of work a week and I wanted to know if this is within a standard deviation of the norm. Also, for those of you who are in PhD programs, how much TA/RA work do you really end up doing? Are these hourly requirements just formalities where you mark down that you worked 15 or 20 hours but really worked much more?

In defense of the OP and some of the others who agree with him, nobody has said that if you are offerred a stipend at a school below the top 25 you shouldn't go. What people are saying is don't choose a school outside of the top 25 to go to a lower ranked school and don't pay to go to a lower ranked school. The OP was saying don't choose Florida State over UCSD because it's a better fit, or don't go $100,000 into debt to get a degree that probably won't land you a good job. You can find good jobs coming out of a school below the top 25, but the odds are stacked against you. I'm also going to 1 of those borderline schools, and I'm fine with that. I realize the odds are against me and others like me, but like I said before, anywhere in academia is better than the alternative for me. I'm gunning for a great placement, but I also realize that what he has said is correct. You shouldn't be depressed about going to a school outside the top 25, but you should also realize that competition for academic jobs is stiff, and there are fewer opportunities for those coming from schools that aren't in the top 25. By the way, are there really 300+ PhD granting poli sci programs in the US? That seems like a lot.

It won't harm you, and if you don't necessarily want to be a lawyer, it might open up opportunities. But, when it comes down jobs in the law, it won't help at all. The thing about it is, they don't care if you have knowledge or know how to do things outside of the law (except accounting, finance, and technical knowledge). Many people at lower law schools do just fine as well because they get good grades their first year and make journal. What I'm talking about is strictly confined to people who want to be lawyers afterwards. I can't comment on the utility of a JD/MPP when lookin for jobs outside of the law. This is the way legal recruiting works: All of these people recruit the fall after your 1L year. They will offer summer associateships to the people they want, and generally will hire all or almost all of their summer associates. Also, I can't emphasize how important journal membership is. If you're on the main law journal for your school, you will find a good job. 1. A small number of highly selective law firms won't even look at you if you didn't graduate from a top 15, top 20 or top 25 law school. BUT this only a handful of law firms. 2. Many large law firms will look at students at any school in the first 2 tiers, but they will require very good GPAs and being on journal to get an interview. 3. Regional powerhouse law firms will recruit at every law school, regardless of tier (but they will mainly take students from the top law schools, and top students from the other law schools). Again, a high GPA is a must, and journal membership is huge. 4. Midsized and reputable boutique law firms will higher people using the same criteria, but will sometimes recruit your 3L year as well. Of course, the GPA recuirements are a little more relaxed for these law firms. 5. Small law firms usually recruit the next year and still value the criteria I listed, but obviously cannot be as selective. Getting a good government job is a little bit different. In most instances, they recruit at 1. US DA's office jobs usually require work experience in a prosecutor's office first, but a few super stars are taken immediately after law school. 2. Some are selective, some aren't as selective, but they all use the same criteria in evaluating applicants as the law firms. 3. There is one additional criteria they use: Do you have a demonstrated interest and understanding of the area of law you would like to practice? This does not mean that if you want to work for the EPA that they will care if you worked for Greenpeace collecting donations. They want to see that you've taken the right classes, joined the right organizations, and worked in this area in the summers prior to your applying for the job. They also don't want policy wonks, they just want peole who can do the job. They have people analyzing policy, they have economists working for them, they want you to be a lawyer and nothing more. So, anything unrelated to the law (again, the notable exceptions are people with technical, finance or accounting backgrounds) is useless to them. Anyways, I hope this helps.

Also, if you want to work for the government, you'd be better advised to do legal work in that area while you're in law school and show an interest in that area by taking classes that are related to that area. Thus, if you want to work for the EPA or a state EPA, be active in the Environmental Law Society, take a volunteer internship with the EPA, and take classes in environmental and regulatory law. If you really want to boost your credentials and don't mind spending extra time and cash, I'd suggest getting an LLM in the area you'd like to go into after finishing law school. Getting your LLM only takes a year, it's MUCH less competitive than JD admissions, and it'll look much more impressive to legal employers (because you've gained specialization in a field). Even the LLM isn't a gateway to a great job, the 4 factors I listed above are by far the most important criteria.

Just a note for those of you planning on doing a joint mpp/jd, if you plan on being a lawyer, the mpp literally won't matter whatsoever. And by literally, I mean if you were up against another person for a job and they couldn't decide between the 2 of you, the mpp wouldn't even be the 10th tiebreaker. So if you know you want to be a lawyer, save yourself a year and however much you were planning on spending on the program and just go to the best law school that accepts you. A joint mba/jd helps job prospects in certain situations, but the mpp has no value in the legal community. There are only 4 things that matter when it comes to legal job opportunities: 1) your school, 2) whether you are on journal, 3) your first year grades, and 4) your interviews. Nothing else really matters. I'm not disparaging or looking down on an mpp degree, but if you want to be a lawyer, don't do it.

1. Go to Harvard 2. Names mean a lot when adcoms don't have much info on you to go by besides those names 3. Having Harvard profs writing your recommendations while also possibly judging your app would probably give you a leg up at getting into their PhD program. 4. Loans will eventually be repaid 5. This is a decision that may affect the trajectory of your whole career, so you probably shouldn't think about the money so long as you can manage to pay for and complete the program 6. Good luck

The question I asked myself before applying to grad school was, "Would I rather be an Assistant Professor at Northeastern Idaho Tech or practicing law in some sweatshop in Chicago or New York?" My answer was a definitive yes. That's obviously not what I'm striving for, but if that's what I end up with, it's better than the alternative. I think I'll be able to find placement at a decent school afterwards, but if not, I'm ready to call Northeastern Idaho home.

Does anyone know if they have a waitlist?

Damn it, we need more venture capitalists running graduate admissions.