2019-2020 Application Thread

[Theoryboi]

15 minutes ago, quebec said:

Is everyone here applying for PhD programs?

I'm applying for MA programs in Canada and in Europe.

I'd wager most people here are PhD applicants (as I am). Though I went the European master's route (x2) before reaching this point, so don't feel alone.

[emwa]

Are European Masters typically funded? And what are the benefits of going there vs in the US, desire to go to Europe aside? Any examples of the big/prominent schools there?

[Dwar]

15 hours ago, Theory007 said:

Good luck! I did see your posts last year and hoping it will work out for you this year.

Lol thanks. I am hoping it'll work out for me this year too. Last year I went into this totally unprepared and honestly lacking a lot of basic knowledge. My SOP and choice of schools suffered because of that. This year I really prioritized fit and applied to schools that I think I have a reasonable chance of admissions (minus the two reach ones because why the hell not). This forum and others like it had really opened my eyes and made my profile 10 times better. hoping it'll pay off! 

[uchenyy]

56 minutes ago, emwa said:

Are European Masters typically funded? And what are the benefits of going there vs in the US, desire to go to Europe aside? Any examples of the big/prominent schools there?

Not sure about whether they're funded. Some programs (e.g., those at the LSE) may carry weight. What're you interested in studying?

[Theory007]

1 hour ago, emwa said:

Are European Masters typically funded? And what are the benefits of going there vs in the US, desire to go to Europe aside? Any examples of the big/prominent schools there?

European Masters are almost never funded. The only benefit I can see is that they may make you more competitive as a phd applicant to US programs. But this is true for only a very limited number of programs including Oxford, Cambridge, and LSE in particular. I struggle to think of any other program in all of Europe that serves a similar function. There are in other countries MA programs that do this very well such as SNU in Seoul, Korea, that has probably the most impressive record anywhere of placing students in US (top) phd programs. 

[emwa]

I'm applying to US PhD programs but I'm just curious about my backup options if applications don't work out the greatest for me on my first cycle. The PhD would obviously be in Political Science but I know MAs work a bit differently so whatever type works best to translate to a PhD later if I have to- probably an MPP or MAIR? Had never really considered European ones but now I'm curious. 

[Theoryboi]

1 hour ago, emwa said:

I'm applying to US PhD programs but I'm just curious about my backup options if applications don't work out the greatest for me on my first cycle. The PhD would obviously be in Political Science but I know MAs work a bit differently so whatever type works best to translate to a PhD later if I have to- probably an MPP or MAIR? Had never really considered European ones but now I'm curious. 

My UK MSc was not funded. I went to one of "the big UK unis" and earned an MSc in IR. A big reason why I chose to go there was because at the time, I was very interested in regional integration theory (EU) and so I felt that Europe would be the prime place to study that, rather than here in the US. Also, the fact that I liked being in Europe was certainly an important factor. Additionally, given that I went to a very small (unheard of) US liberal arts college for UG, I wanted the big name school to augment my profile.

I am currently doing an MA in Continental Philosophy in Switzerland. I chose to do that because the U.S. is not a particularly great place to study that sort of theory and so I sought out something closer to the source. It's a bit of a less-traditional path to a Politics PhD, but its afforded me a wide swath of perspective that I don't think I would have gained otherwise.

I would say if your focus is on IR, Comp, or Theory then Europe could present some nice options for you if you have the means to move there. If you are an Americanist and/or do domestic policy then I can't see how Europe really makes sense. For me, being Theory/IR the wider world presents lots of options, though other subfields can be really dominated by US schools. If you are an American (as an example) and you went to Europe to study US politics, that might seems strange to an adcomm.

Also perhaps more Americanist-oriented folks will chime in, but I don't know that there is a lot of value in an MPP if your goal is a PhD in Politics. (Though if you want a PhD in Public Policy then it makes sense). My understanding is that an MPP is more of a Professional degree, whereas an MA/MS will be more academic-oriented and aligns better with a PhD. That's not to say that you couldn't make it work out, rather my perception is that an MPP/MPA is not on an equal level to an MA/MS. 

 

[uchenyy]

17 minutes ago, Theoryboi said:

My UK MSc was not funded. I went to one of "the big UK unis" and earned an MSc in IR. A big reason why I chose to go there was because at the time, I was very interested in regional integration theory (EU) and so I felt that Europe would be the prime place to study that, rather than here in the US. Also, the fact that I liked being in Europe was certainly an important factor. Additionally, given that I went to a very small (unheard of) US liberal arts college for UG, I wanted the big name school to augment my profile.

I am currently doing an MA in Continental Philosophy in Switzerland. I chose to do that because the U.S. is not a particularly great place to study that sort of theory and so I sought out something closer to the source. It's a bit of a less-traditional path to a Politics PhD, but its afforded me a wide swath of perspective that I don't think I would have gained otherwise.

I would say if your focus is on IR, Comp, or Theory then Europe could present some nice options for you if you have the means to move there. If you are an Americanist and/or do domestic policy then I can't see how Europe really makes sense. For me, being Theory/IR the wider world presents lots of options, though other subfields can be really dominated by US schools. If you are an American (as an example) and you went to Europe to study US politics, that might seems strange to an adcomm.

Also perhaps more Americanist-oriented folks will chime in, but I don't know that there is a lot of value in an MPP if your goal is a PhD in Politics. (Though if you want a PhD in Public Policy then it makes sense). My understanding is that an MPP is more of a Professional degree, whereas an MA/MS will be more academic-oriented and aligns better with a PhD. That's not to say that you couldn't make it work out, rather my perception is that an MPP/MPA is not on an equal level to an MA/MS. 

 

Given your interests, which US institutions are you interested in attending?

[horololo]

10 hours ago, emwa said:

Are European Masters typically funded? And what are the benefits of going there vs in the US, desire to go to Europe aside? Any examples of the big/prominent schools there?

As far as I've heard, international students are usually not funded by the schools for masters, but they have government or political party funds. France and Germany have such scholarships, such as DAAD, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, or Blaise Pascal Scholarship.

One benefit of obtaining a master's degree from Europe is, I think, that you get to develop a network there.

Edited January 6, 2020 by horololo

[SeriousDiver]

I did not answer to the optional “please list any other schools you are applying to”. Was this a stupid choice?

[Dwar]

4 hours ago, SeriousDiver said:

I did not answer to the optional “please list any other schools you are applying to”. Was this a stupid choice?

Absolutely not 

[Richelieu]

Is Berkeley already giving out acceptances? I have seen couple of people posting on the results page.

Edited January 8, 2020 by kemalgider

[Dwar]

32 minutes ago, kemalgider said:

Is Berkeley already giving out acceptances? I have seen couple of people posting on the the results page.

They could be? But i would say probably not. In the past they've come out around late Jan early Feb. Plus from the looks of it they send all decisions out at once, so two random acceptances this early seem pretty fake. 

[Richelieu]

27 minutes ago, Dwar said:

They could be? But i would say probably not. In the past they've come out around late Jan early Feb. Plus from the looks of it they send all decisions out at once, so two random acceptances this early seem pretty fake. 

There are more than 2 I believe. Anyone in the forum that has got a call or an email yet?

[uchenyy]

1 hour ago, kemalgider said:

Is Berkeley already giving out acceptances? I have seen couple of people posting on the the results page.

It seems a little odd, but then again, who knows. 

[Dwar]

28 minutes ago, kemalgider said:

There are more than 2 I believe. Anyone in the forum that has got a call or an email yet?

Ooooohhhhhh. you right. More have populated. Guess they just decided to come out super early, which is nice. 

[uchenyy]

6 minutes ago, Dwar said:

Ooooohhhhhh. you right. More have populated. Guess they just decided to come out super early, which is nice. 

I still think we should err on the side of caution, though. Berkeley has never released decisions this early (at least as far back as the results page here goes). 

[SeriousDiver]

I will let you guys know if I get a decision or a phone call

Edited January 8, 2020 by SeriousDiver

[allben]

Also curious about Berkeley, I haven't heard anything back yet.

[SeriousDiver]

Either this is an anomalous year or someone is being a serious pain in the neck

[Richelieu]

More and more results are being shared. I'm pissing my pants at the moment LOL.

[SmokedSalmonGuy]

Same! I wonder if it's alphabetical.....my last name is towards the end of the alphabet 

[SeriousDiver]

Me too, because i applied extremely early and have not gotten anything

[SeriousDiver]

Something feels real about these results though. 

[SmokedSalmonGuy]

This would be the most epic troll effort ever, and they will have spoiled a day of work for me