Best route for me to get into a PhD program?

[ThrillHo]

So I’m about to graduate and would like to eventually pursue a doctorate in political science. I’m an economics major with a math minor who has taken exactly one polisci class.

my academic record is pretty uneven, due in part to long-lasting mental illness (anxiety/depression). I excelled in my junior and freshman year when I was in a good mindset and focused on my studies, but my sophomore and senior years have been pretty mediocre. I expect to graduate with an unremarkable GPA in the 3.3-3.4 range and no real research experience. To make matters worse, this final semester I expect to do poorly (C’s) in the two math classes I’ve taken. FWIW, I expect to do well on the GRE.

I realize that with my profile, my chances of getting into a decent PhD program are rather slim. Any advice on how to move forward and make myself competitive? I’ve been thinking about doing either a master’s in  econ or an MPA, thoughts on that route? I also plan on taking a year or two to work, which would give me time to retake classes I did less than stellar in. 

I’m particularly interested in political theory (philosophy is my real passion) and also American politics. I’d really appreciate any advice as I’m completely lost. At this point I’m considering abandoning my dream of becoming a scholar and just pursuing law school ?

[Mixedmethodsisa4letterword]

Tbh, I would advice you to think twice before pursuing a doctoral degree. 

1) PhD programs can put a lot of pressure on you and the job prospect is getting dimer every year, particularly for theorists. You need to make sure that the brutality of graduate school and job market(again, brutality is one dimension of it; grad school is also very fulfilling and exciting) will not exacerbate your mental issues. 

2) You need to know (by taking more poli sci classes, getting RA experiences...) what political science research actually is before rushing to invest 7 years of your life in a program. 

Law school makes more sense. But if you really have passion for the discipline, then you should do it. My point is that you have to make sure this is what you want. 

 

 

Edited April 27, 2019 by Mixedmethodsisa4letterword

[ThrillHo]

39 minutes ago, Mixedmethodsisa4letterword said:

Tbh, I would advice you to think twice before pursuing a doctoral degree. 

1) PhD programs can put a lot of pressure on you and the job prospect is getting dimer every year, particularly for theorists. You need to make sure that the brutality of graduate school and job market(again, brutality is one dimension of it; grad school is also very fulfilling and exciting) will not exacerbate your mental issues. 

2) You need to know (by taking more poli sci classes, getting RA experiences...) what political science research actually is before rushing to invest 7 years of your life in a program. 

 

Good points. I understand that the PhD process can be grueling (I have a friend pursuing a chemistry doctorate and I’ve seen firsthand the kind of toll it can take on a person),  but it still is an option I’d like to at least leave open. 

Supposing I do decide to ultimately bite the bullet, do you have any advice as to which path forward might be the best? I understand I have a lot of thinking to do before ultimately deciding, but that’s what my next two years will be for

[Mixedmethodsisa4letterword]

54 minutes ago, ThrillHo said:

Good points. I understand that the PhD process can be grueling (I have a friend pursuing a chemistry doctorate and I’ve seen firsthand the kind of toll it can take on a person),  but it still is an option I’d like to at least leave open. 

 Supposing I do decide to ultimately bite the bullet, do you have any advice as to which path forward might be the best? I understand I have a lot of thinking to do before ultimately deciding, but that’s what my next two years will be for

If I were you I would do MAPSS at UChicago. Good program if you want to see whether PhD is something for you. 

[ThrillHo]

9 hours ago, Mixedmethodsisa4letterword said:

If I were you I would do MAPSS at UChicago. Good program if you want to see whether PhD is something for you. 

I mean, given just how intensely competitive that program is, I doubt I’d ever get in. Worth a shot I guess

[Warelin]

I think there are a few things to acknowledge here.

1) Admission rates are tricky. Unfunded/underfunded programs might have more spots available but often need to recruit a much larger class in order to fill these spots if they're not offering a full tuition stipend + stipend. There is no college (that I am aware of) that is successful in obtaining a 100 percent yield rate. As a result, colleges have different ways of deciding how many offers to admit at once based on previous trends. 

2) Consider the living expenses. Paris, NYC, and Chicago are world-class cities but they're also expensive to live in. Are you comfortable taking out tens of thousands of dollars in loans if you decide to not work/can't find work? Are you comfortable working long hours in addition to going to school full time?

3) One year programs can be tricky. In a lot of cases, you'll end up spending an additional year doing something else. It's unlikely that you'll be able to obtain strong letters of recommendations during the first cycle because that would involve asking for letters during the first 2 months of your new university. Often, this might mean asking for letters before a major assignment is due.

4) There are likely funded Master's program in Political Science. Find them; find which ones interest you. The nice thing about doing a Master's is that they don't often expect you to have your research interests down. They are a wonderful way to figure out which specific areas you're interested in. They also allow you the opportunity to figure out whether or not you want to pursue a PhD.