Chosing between masters and PhD program

[Marika8]

Hello everyone,

I have been reading this board for quite some time now, and thanks everyone for writing such helpful things!

I have a rather specific question(s), but maybe someone else has been in a similar situation, or just has some good advice to give me. I was recently admitted to two different programs. Neither of the two were my top choices (let’s just say I did awful on the GREs). The one is a full PhD program, while the other is a masters (no PhD program available at the school). Both are respectable schools, the one with the masters may be slightly more of a well known name than the other. They both offered me a similar financial aid package. If I chose the PhD program, I would probably retake the GREs and attempt to apply somewhere after the first two years. Neither of the schools are well known for their Poli Sci program. It has been made quite clear to me that if I want to be competitive in the job market, I need to go to a school that is better known for their Poli Sci program. How hard is it to leave a program after two years, it seems as if at some schools that is pretty common. Have any of you done that before, or thought about it? How did the professors take it at the school that you left?

But my main question is: what school should I pick?

[flyers29]

I would go with the master's if you're already sure you want to finish a Ph.D elsewhere. Much easier to make a clean break that way--I imagine that getting LORs etc for the next level won't be easy if you jump ship from one Ph.D program to the other.

[Marika8]

I would go with the master's if you're already sure you want to finish a Ph.D elsewhere. Much easier to make a clean break that way--I imagine that getting LORs etc for the next level won't be easy if you jump ship from one Ph.D program to the other.

Thanks, thats what i was leaning towards also. I guess im just scared to get rejected again from the other schools after I finish the MA. Do you think it is harder or easier to apply for a PhD program after your MA rather than your BA?

[oasis]

Hello everyone,

I have been reading this board for quite some time now, and thanks everyone for writing such helpful things!

I have a rather specific question(s), but maybe someone else has been in a similar situation, or just has some good advice to give me. I was recently admitted to two different programs. Neither of the two were my top choices (let’s just say I did awful on the GREs). The one is a full PhD program, while the other is a masters (no PhD program available at the school). Both are respectable schools, the one with the masters may be slightly more of a well known name than the other. They both offered me a similar financial aid package. If I chose the PhD program, I would probably retake the GREs and attempt to apply somewhere after the first two years. Neither of the schools are well known for their Poli Sci program. It has been made quite clear to me that if I want to be competitive in the job market, I need to go to a school that is better known for their Poli Sci program. How hard is it to leave a program after two years, it seems as if at some schools that is pretty common. Have any of you done that before, or thought about it? How did the professors take it at the school that you left?

But my main question is: what school should I pick?

I think you need to have an honest conversation with the phd program dgs about what your plans are, and whether they are supportive of that. This needs to happen right now. If you go there and spring this on them later, it might be better to have not gone there at all.