Bachelors vs. Masters

[nivy25]

So I am an undergraduate student applying for a PhD which I aim to begin as soon as I’m done with my Bachelors degree.

Most university websites generally say, “we accept both undergraduate students, and graduate students who have completed their Masters”, and they don’t openly admit to preferring one over the other.

I was just wondering if there are any disadvantages to being an applicant who’s applying straight outta school?

I also was wondering how many of the people here are students applying after Masters/Bachelors/or after a break?

[ovejal]

I'm applying straight out of undergrad. FWIW, my advisors told me to go this route instead of going through a Masters program first, but I wouldn't say that necessarily connotes an advantage in PhD admissions. 

[guest789]

I also don't think having a Masters matters much. So long as you can signal that you know what political science research is and you have some good ideas, you should be fine. Some people can do this right out of undergrad, maybe other people undertake a Masters degree in a related field (e.g. public policy, statistics, comp sci, etc.). Others work - I did and I don't regret it. It's nice to earn $$$, save up, learn valuable project management skills (and in my case, valuable stats and computing skills as I work in data science). Of course, you may never go back and get a PhD if you go into industry first - but that's not a bad thing, is it? The opportunity cost of leaving well-paid work (especially right now) is huge and it's one that I am thinking very seriously about... So pros and cons for both sides, I think. 

Edited January 16, 2021 by timeseries

[icemanyeo]

3 hours ago, nivy25 said:

So I am an undergraduate student applying for a PhD which I aim to begin as soon as I’m done with my Bachelors degree.

Most university websites generally say, “we accept both undergraduate students, and graduate students who have completed their Masters”, and they don’t openly admit to preferring one over the other.

I was just wondering if there are any disadvantages to being an applicant who’s applying straight outta school?

I also was wondering how many of the people here are students applying after Masters/Bachelors/or after a break?

I'm assuming you're speaking of American programs specifically, so I'll go based off of that.

I don't think they prefer one over the other, but I think most programs try to build a diverse cohort across ages and experiences. I have two family members who went through US PhD programs in other fields and their experience has been of cohorts where you have 23 year old straight out of undergrad people to 35 year old married individuals with children, maybe a master's or a lot of work experience.

It's all anecdotal of course, but I don't think there are any dis/advantages to being straight out of school as long as you can demonstrate the requisite knowledge, skills and drive. 

Personally, I went straight from undergrad to a policy master's degree to now applying to PhDs while finishing up my master's degree. I don't regret doing a master's first because of the networking opportunities and additional quantitative preparation I got/am getting since most of my research and classes in undergrad focused on qualitative work. 

[polisci_gal]

This is an interesting thread.

I am like @icemanyeoin that i went into a masters straight out of undergrad and am currently in the process of completing it while applying to PhD programs. I will say that even though I had some research experience and relevant employment experience during my undergraduate degree, my masters has kind of made me feel like I was even more ready (and capable) to pursue a PhD. For example, I have had the opportunity of working with more relevant figures in the subfield that i'm interested in because of the school I'm currently attending, and was able to obtain LOR from both undegrad + grad profs who could speak to my growth, potential and suitability for the programs. For my case too, getting an MA was a necessary step in this process and I think that my undergraduate profile alone wouldn't have made me a very competitive candidate.

One thing I will say that I have heard is that having a masters degree over just an undergraduate degree when applying to PhD programs could help is that both your LOR writers and your success in your graduate courses can demonstrate your ability to thrive (or not) in graduate studies - which is ultimately what a lot of admissions committees are looking for (i.e., will you actually be able to succeed here).

All in all, I think a lot of this depends on you and your individual profile as a candidate. Everyone goes through different things in their life and I feel like the timeline of being ready to pursue a PhD could vary for everyone. Just remember to be confident in yourself and try not to compare yourself to others too much - we' are all different but all of us will bring a lot to the table, regardless of what our journey was to get here. You've got this! 

edit: my masters degree is in political science and I majored in political science in my bachelors too

Edited January 16, 2021 by polisci_gal

[nivy25]

On 1/15/2021 at 8:57 PM, ovejal said:

I'm applying straight out of undergrad. FWIW, my advisors told me to go this route instead of going through a Masters program first, but I wouldn't say that necessarily connotes an advantage in PhD admissions. 

What school are you graduating from? 

[nivy25]

On 1/16/2021 at 8:49 AM, polisci_gal said:

This is an interesting thread.

I am like @icemanyeoin that i went into a masters straight out of undergrad and am currently in the process of completing it while applying to PhD programs. I will say that even though I had some research experience and relevant employment experience during my undergraduate degree, my masters has kind of made me feel like I was even more ready (and capable) to pursue a PhD. For example, I have had the opportunity of working with more relevant figures in the subfield that i'm interested in because of the school I'm currently attending, and was able to obtain LOR from both undegrad + grad profs who could speak to my growth, potential and suitability for the programs. For my case too, getting an MA was a necessary step in this process and I think that my undergraduate profile alone wouldn't have made me a very competitive candidate.

One thing I will say that I have heard is that having a masters degree over just an undergraduate degree when applying to PhD programs could help is that both your LOR writers and your success in your graduate courses can demonstrate your ability to thrive (or not) in graduate studies - which is ultimately what a lot of admissions committees are looking for (i.e., will you actually be able to succeed here).

All in all, I think a lot of this depends on you and your individual profile as a candidate. Everyone goes through different things in their life and I feel like the timeline of being ready to pursue a PhD could vary for everyone. Just remember to be confident in yourself and try not to compare yourself to others too much - we' are all different but all of us will bring a lot to the table, regardless of what our journey was to get here. You've got this! 

edit: my masters degree is in political science and I majored in political science in my bachelors too

I was wondering if you’d mind sharing which school you got your Masters from? I’m trying to explore some Masters programs as back ups if I don’t get into a PhD program!