Irish applicant - Advice please!

[Waits]

Hi all, I'm currently beginning to plan applications to PhD programmes on both sides of the atlantic. As I'm sure you're aware, the process for applying to US universities is quite different to that for Ireland and the UK. I'm slaving away at a 3000 word PhD proposal for my UK applications which will have no bearing on US colleges, for one example! Anyhow, I have a few questions additional to the (very helpful!) information I've found here, I hope some of you have time to reply.

1) I'm a bit put off by US universities' reputation for placing a far greater emphasis on quantitative/empirical research than their European counterparts. Without starting a discussion on polsci methodology (another time!), I hope for some advice on which of the top-50 or so schools where this would not be the case. I am interested in post-structural political theory, radical democratic theory, post-foundational ethics, with a broad focus thematically on social justice issues, domestic and international. While all schools claim to be 'methodologically diverse' I presume some will be more so than others. Of course I understand that quantitiave methods study will be required, which I'm fine with, but are there higher ranking universities which have a reputation for being particularly strong in the "postie" side of things? I have of course been looking at faculty interests, but given the broader set of courses required by US universities

2) I'm at a bit of a loss as to my chances of being accepted into top universities, mostly because the whole issue of the quality of your university doesn't really translate to Ireland, where universities are more or less of an even quality (I think, at least!). I ranked in top 2% of Irish college entrance exams (A-level equivalent), and I did an undergrad (history and italian) and an MA (international politics), where I ranked in top 6% in both courses, with a 1:1/GPA in or around 4.0. The MA was quite research-heavy so I've a lot of writing experience, and training in methods and theory already. I'm certain nobody has heard of my universities, and they don't rank internationally (but I think international rankings are really only relevant to graduate study, since they are exclusively research-focused). Likewise my letters of reference would be great but again, from unheard of lecturers. I speak a lot of languages, and have since worked for a year with NGOs and a year with the UN. I'm aiming for above 700 in both GRE exams. But I suppose what I'm worried about is the lack of a "prestige" factor - is this enough for me to be doubtful about top25 or top 50 universities? Are international applicants' universities less significant?

3) This is a long shot, but are there schools where comprehensive exams consist of essays rather than examinations?

4) Is there any way to make use of that PhD proposal?!!!

I'm sure I'll have thousands more questions! But any help much appreciated.

Thanks!

[kaykaykay]

I recommend this thread: http://www.poliscijobrumors.com/topic.php?id=23034

It is hard to say what are your chances. It would be easier if you had GRE points.

[catchermiscount]

In terms of places with well-regarded training in qualitative work: Berkeley, Chicago, Cornell, Virginia, Emory, Johns Hopkins, and Syracuse come to mind off the top of my head. I know it's not what you're specifically interested in, but Ohio State, Minnesota, and George Washington are known for constructivist approaches in IR/comparative. Bear in mind, though, that if you're primarily interested in political theory, you'll be able to consider a far wider range of schools -- like, just about all of them. If you're planning on taking comparative as a first field and theory as a second field, you can still apply broadly, but will have to consider the availability of comparative faculty willing to chair qualitative dissertation committees.

In terms of getting in: many of us got into top 25s with worse credentials than you have (assuming you get any kind of GRE score). So, along with good letters (good letters from unkonwn people can be so much better than a form letter from somebody known) and a convincing statement of purpose, you're good. And think about ways to frame your proposal in a smaller way; it's a good chance to mention a targeted, interested research agenda in your statement of purpose in your apps here.

Comps: most places do these as essays in the substantive fields. As in: you'll have a certain number of questions and have a certain amount of time (anywhere from a day to a week) to write a certain number of pages. I consider those essays, but maybe you're viewing that as an exam.

That said, the comparative advantage of a PhD in the US is training, and you should keep your mind open should you decide to come here to study. I'm not telling you to convert; it's just that the best response to uncertainty is adaptability. Not all quantoids are created equal, and observe that you don't have to be empirical to be rigorous.

[curiousgeorge84]

Rutgers is very focused on qualitative. That's why I chose their program.

[tomorrows verse]

Northwestern would be a good place for theory and qualitative comparative.

[LordNorth]

Hey, I'm putting together my experiences of applying to US PhD programs from the UK; I'll be sure to PM you when I'm done. It won't all be applicable, but I'm positive it'll allay at least a few of your concerns!

[Tan]

OP, I'm a theory student as well - and interested in similar things as you.

For theorists, the divide really isn't about the schools' qualitative/quantitative reputation, which in most places will not impact theory students. Yes, US schools are more quantitative-heavy than European counterparts - but that's not why you'd be going to any department. For instance: Berkeley is known as being strong in qualitative (I believe), but it also has a strong political theory program alone the lines you're talking about (continental/critical theory) AND it requires no quantitative training of its theorists. On the other hand, universities that might have a very strong qualitative reputation might have absolutely no theory.

So it seems to me that you might confusing things a bit, and perhaps not realizing that "political science" is a vast amorphous and arguably ill-defined discipline whose fault lines are different from subfield to subfield. In short: forget about asking which schools are strong in quantitative or qualitative - and look which schools (1) have strong political theory, (2) have strong theory in your field ("post-structural theory, radical democratic theory, post-foundational ethics").

Based on those interests (and my presumption that it means you're interested in schools that are strong in continental thought broadly-speaking), the schools you should apply to are: Berkeley, Chicago, Northwestern (particularly strong in democratic theory), Johns Hopkins, Cornell, UVA, Notre Dame, Yale, UCLA. Columbia and Duke are strong programs, but they might or might not best suit your interests, so you should look into them. I'm sure I'm forgetting some programs that are good fits, but that's definitely the main list of schools that are strong in the areas of theory you mention. (If you're more interested in analytic approaches or liberal thought, they'd be many other great schools to consider.)

(Your post makes it sound like you might also be interested in comparative politics? In that case your considerations would be different. But since your primary interests definitely seem to be political theory, I think that should dictate your choice.)

I went through the same questions this past year, so you can message me if you have more questions. You could also take this to the political theory advice board (https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=21008160&postID=2543568182467160248) and also read past threads there, they're at times useful.

Edited April 28, 2010 by Tan

[readeatsleep]

tan is right on - the programs strong in the kind of political theory you are talking about are chicago, northwestern, johns hopkins, berkeley, and cornell. i think that most of these programs also slant towards qualitative analysis of political phenomena (i know berkeley, chicago, and northwestern do).

happily, you have lots of time to research. it seems that the programs that are geared towards the kind of radical/continental political theory you mention also tend to be geared towards the quantitative aspect of political analysis. however, i suggest that if you are going to make theory your primary focus, you should concentrate your efforts on finding the theory faculty that best matches your interests, since this subfield is more likely to have a smaller and more focused faculty. the divide in theory isn't so much between qualitative and quantitative approaches, but actually much more complicated, and requires looking into the actual work of potential advisors.

with regard to your question on exams, most programs these days require essays (i think?). also, theorists are northwestern don't need to take quantitative analysis classes (yes!).

Edited April 28, 2010 by readeatsleep

[Waits]

Thanks all for the advice, much appreciated!

Yes, you're right, "qualitative" isn't quite what I was going for, it was more shorthand for "not focused exclusively on empirical work no matter what"!

All those responses pretty much supports my own research - my own preferences at this stage would be Cornell, Northwestern and Chicago and Berkeley, with UCLA and Johns Hopkins as possibilities.

What I've realised though is that (for theory at least) these are the more competitive schools, and I don't feel I could bank on any of them. I'm at a bit of a loss as to what sort of "safety" school I could add to that list. Any thoughts? Again, I've so little idea of my chances, I don't want to end up totally over-shooting!

Thanks a million again!

[The Realist]

Yes, you're right, "qualitative" isn't quite what I was going for, it was more shorthand for "not focused exclusively on empirical work no matter what"!

If that's what you want, then any school that has a program in normative political theory will fit. (Just about every school does.)

But the type of political theory that you seem to be interested in does indeed fit well at Cornell, Chicago, Northwestern, and Berkeley. Also Hopkins. For a lower ranked school think the schools in NY that are not Columbia or NYU (CUNY, New School, etc.).

[Tan]

The New School obviously should be on the list; I did not mention it because it typically does not give PhD funding.

As I said above, you really shouldn't worry that much about whether a school is focused on empirical research or not: As long as it has a strong theory program, it simply won't matter that much whether IR/Comp/American are empirical-heavy or theory-heavy. It might matter down-the-line for when you decide where to go and you might want to look whether faculty in other subfields interest you, but it really shouldn't be something you think about when deciding where to apply. Look at the theory subfield primarily, not the rest - so forget about theory/empirical or quantitative/qualitative divides. You'll have enough to think about in terms of which programs are strong in continental/poststructuralism/radical democratic theory and which have little of that.

Any school has a theory program, but many schools are not good fits for the type of theory the OP is talking about. Hard to know what school where you could study these things would be considered a "safety" school. Your best bet is to cast as wide a net as possible. I'm the only one who mentioned UVA, Notre Dame and Duke, for instance: While they might not be the first places that come to mind to study post-structuralism and radical democratic theory, they're still all places that have the reputation of being friendly to continental thought, which means you could do good work along the lines you're looking for there. And based on your interests you really couldn't go wrong with any of the places that the past few people have mentioned.

Plus, as readeratsleep said, you have a lot of time to figure out where exactly you're applying. I didn't put my final list together till late October. Take the GREs first, do more research on schools that we haven't mentioned, and then figure it out.

Edited April 29, 2010 by Tan