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Life-planning advice for UG senior interested in applying for Fall 2012


TChandler

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Hello all - I am a current undergraduate senior double-majoring in English and International Relations at a top-50 liberal arts institution. I am on track to graduating with close to a 3.7 magna cum laude with an upward GPA trend. I have not yet taken the GRE's but have been scoring in the low-mid 700's on both quant and verbal on practice tests. I recently was accepted to present at a conference and am submitting for the MPSA conference this spring. Next semester I am potentially doing an independent study (equivalent of senior thesis as my school does not offer a program), taking a methods/SPSS course, and perhaps a GIS tutorial.

My main interests are comparative politics, political economy of development, and urban/regional development/global cities; regionally I am interested in China/East/SE Asia, the Middle East, and the Balkans. I am also interested in post-colonial studies and literary theory from my literature major.

I have three main questions:

1) How should I use a year or two off to increase my competitiveness for top-tier CP programs? I am applying (and believe I have a good shot for admission and/or funding) for an MPhil in Geography program at a top school in Asia - will that background make me an interesting candidate, or indicate a lack of academic focus (or somewhere in between)? I am also applying to IR-related as well as general entry-level analyst jobs, and also applied to the Fulbright ETA...

2) What are upcoming trends in CP? Will Chinese/East Asian Politics continue to grow in importance for the next 5-10 years? I know it's important to be interested in my field of research, but practically speaking, what subfields will be marketable when I complete my program (or is there a way to know?)

3) My GPA is not fantastic, and I am not published... Should I even be considering this? I have been recommended to look at Urban Planning. How does this field compare to academics/CP?

Thanks so much!

Edited by TChandler
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Political science departments won't know what to make of an MPhil from Asia. If you want to specialize in a region, spending a year or two and becoming fluent in the language will help, but getting academic training from a top Asian (and therefore probably 3rd-tier global) institution won't help. Your current range of regions spans a huge range that includes about a third of the world's population, so that doesn't really sound like an interest in a region, though. Post-colonial studies as studied in literature will not be very helpful in social sciences. Lately, East Asian politics has not been a growth area, but China studies has. If China continues to have a major role in the global economy, environment, and security environment it will probably be a safe bet to study, so make your own forecast on that one. Unless you are going to invest in language skills I wouldn't worry about anticipating what the trendy subfields will be by the time you get out of grad school.

Other than language study and in-country time (for an area emphasis), an MA in a top US or European program might help, since top-50 LAC with just an okay GPA is not a great starting point for applications. Then you'd have recs and grades from someplace that the admissions committee knows well.

Urban Planning is a good applied field. Do that if it better fits your interests.

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A 3.7 from a good institution is fine. With above average GREs you will be as competitive as anyone.

Common wisdom is that there is little work experience that adds to competitiveness. I agree with Charlie that some language training and time in area might be of marginal benefit. A Fulbright certainly looks nice. Study for your GREs. Hard. See if you can continue to work with a couple profs that might provide great recs; certainly stay in touch with them a little.

Publishing is also an at-the-margins thing from what I can tell. A few undergrads will publish something truly great and pegged as rock stars, but most of what people brag about publishing as an undergrad tends more to show that they can be pushy about gaining credentials.

I can't imagine what would have to happen for Americans to lose interest in Chinese and East Asian politics.

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A 3.7 from a good institution is fine. With above average GREs you will be as competitive as anyone.

Common wisdom is that there is little work experience that adds to competitiveness. I agree with Charlie that some language training and time in area might be of marginal benefit. A Fulbright certainly looks nice. Study for your GREs. Hard. See if you can continue to work with a couple profs that might provide great recs; certainly stay in touch with them a little.

Publishing is also an at-the-margins thing from what I can tell. A few undergrads will publish something truly great and pegged as rock stars, but most of what people brag about publishing as an undergrad tends more to show that they can be pushy about gaining credentials.

I can't imagine what would have to happen for Americans to lose interest in Chinese and East Asian politics.

Mostly agree-- I must add, having questioned what to do with gap years, that sorting out your personal business is the best thing you can do with the time. Try things out, see if you discover something that you actually enjoy doing, and especially NETWORK to get a better sense of what you could be doing outside academia (if that's a question for you still).

Mastering language skills will help-- especially Mandarin in your case-- and it would be even more helpful if you choose a different route than academia. It "could" be of more than marginal benefit-- IF your program is choosing amongst candidates interested in East Asia, and IF you can credibly claim to be able to conduct research in language early on, and IF you show yourself to be more capable or familiar... a lot of if's, all dependent on variables you probably won't be able to ascertain. So just know that it's at least marginally helpful. You should be competitive at least somewhere with a 3.70, and you might even be competitive at a top program if your GREs are up there.

When considering the Asian MPhil, think about opportunity costs-- what else could you be doing? And maybe it won't impress many programs greatly, but I can't see it hurting-- especially if you justify it as part of your growing interest in the region and as a means of gaining in-country experience, research interests, and language skills. In other words, I think you can present it well as part of your personal development, if others here correctly voice concerns that it won't mean much academically. But what you should consider is whether you can be doing something else that would let you earn money, or expose you to new opportunities or fields of work, or develop some skills or another. Beggers can't be choosers in this economy, but see what you can scrape up.

I know very few grad students who were published first-- it helps I'm sure, at least as far as it proves you've written something long and somebody thought it was not terrible. But don't put yourself down for it.

At the end of the day, just remind yourself that there's no rush to apply for the PhD (provided you can maintain your reading/analytical skills from your undergrad years, for your own good).

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Reading Zahar's response reminded me of something more specific with respect to getting your house in order.

Make some cash and get yourself set up a little better to spend a few years on a tight budget. Refreshing your wardrobe a little or getting a car decent enough to last five years can make a big difference. If you've got a hobby or something that particularly de-stresses you or makes you happy, splurge on something to facilitate it.

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