Political Science

[Guest Nordberg]

I'm at Penn State right now. What's your area?

Hi MeggieB. My area is comparative politics. can u tell me something about thep place or about the department? thanks.

[Guest MeggieB]

Hi MeggieB. My area is comparative politics. can u tell me something about thep place or about the department? thanks.

The place: State College is located at the exact center of PA (there's even a big stone marker on campus to show the exact location, insert ooh and ahhh here), so if you've ever heard the phrase "Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Alabama in between," yeah, you're coming to Alabama. That being said, the town itself isn't so bad, mostly because its residents are mainly associated with the University. Outside of College Township? A little hick-ish. Rent is cheap, though, as is the overall cost of living, which is a definite plus and we're located close enough to cities like Philly, DC, and NYC that getting away is possible. As for the social scene, I'm sure our reputation as a party school precedes us. There are plenty of bars, but there are lots of other things to do as well. The local music scene is a little lacking (just my opinion), but some decent music acts come through on occasion. If you're into hiking and other outdoor activities, there are plenty of state parks nearby and some good hiking trails. Also, if you end up here, you need to go to at least one football game. Like at a lot of big state schools, football is a religion here, all hail Joe Paterno and all that good stuff.

The department: I should preface this with the fact that I'm an undergrad, who's deciding on grad school right now, but I'm really involved in the department and have a decent handle on what's what. The department as a whole tends to be IR and quantitative focused (We're the current home of the Correlates of War Project, but that's going to be leaving in the next year or two), so that's definitely something to think about. I wouldn't necessarily let that discourage you, though, because I know CP people who are perfectly happy with the department. The CP faculty tend to be focused on comparative institutions, several of them having interests Eastern Europe's transition from Communism, but you probably already know that. From my interactions with them, they're a very nice group, very enthusiastic about their work, and eager to work with students. Overall, the department is a pretty amiable environment, so no need to worry about big departmental rifts. As for reputation, we're decently ranked and I know we've had some decent placements in the past couple of years (at least in IR, which is my area) and many of the faculty are well-connected (which I've experienced in my grad school search).

Ok, that's about all I can think of right now. If you have any other specific questions, feel free to ask.

[Guest Tanya]

Hi, can someone tell me about the PhD program (political science) at University of Massachusettes? I noticed that they have many grad students. I'm thinking about going there, but is rather worried that since the class is so large, there won't be enough interaction with my advisors. Any info on the political science program at U Mass Amherst is extremely welcome. Thanx

[Guest MIK]

anyone heard anything?

[Guest Johnny boy]

MIK said:

anyone heard anything?

no, nothing.

[Guest greg]

They take a while. You might get some news as late as mid-April

[clg8w]

thanks for the info....

[Guest green]

Anyone heard from UIUC?? Can't find anything from application status site...

[Guest yanochka]

Anybody heard anything from UC Irvine yet??

I heard on March 7 via e-mail. Acceptance with four-year funding package.

[Guest undecided]

Any other poli sci folks facing a tough call between a quantitative school and one that's more qualitative? My research will need both (and I have taken 3 quant classes already), but professors keep telling me that the quantitative school will give me more options when I graduate because it is quantitative and that's "mainstream" poli sci nowadays. What do you think? Anyone else tired of this debate? Can I ignore it or do I have to choose sides?

[Manchild]

I think your prof's need to give their collective heads a shake. There is no "mainstream" poli sci... :roll: Damn number-crunchers think the world revolves around them. I'll have a whole lot more respect for you if you acknowledge the debate... and then point and laugh. :wink: Convergence is the answer, I tells ya'!

[Guest Anon]

I do believe there is a mainstream political science. Although that does not mean you cannot do something else and still be succesful if you produce interesting research. Nevertheless, the discipline is definetely moving towards a more rigorous direction and that is not likely to stop. The equivalent may be the oposition between analytical and continental philosophers. Also similarly, at the end people who can think in both directions will be very demanded. But those who can't will be comparatively better placed if they are in the quantitative spectrum. I know people might disagree, but it is just a thought.

[Manchild]

Define "rigor". Political science that is not rigorous is simply bad political science, whether its theory, comparative, IR, or policy.

[Guest Anon]

I agree that good political science is rigorous and question the idea that there is a "mainstream" in poli sci, but for the original poster, you might need to think about your subfield when choosing between a qual and quant school. I study American politics, and if I wasn't familar with statistics, that would be a huge disadvantage based simply on where American is right now. An Americanist unable to analyze quantitative research would be seriously handicapped. I don't know as much about the other subfields, but it's something to think about.