Looking for some General Advice

[Certain_Entropy]

Hi so I'm new to these forums and the grad school application process in general. I'm a rising junior at the University of Rochester and was thinking about grad school. I'm looking into grad schools a little early because I'll be abroad next semester, so I thought I might do a little research this summer. I understand the basic procedure gre, letters of rec, etc. But I would like some help in finding programs that match my interest. So currently I'm a double major in Creative Writing and Critical Foundations of Political and Social Thought (a major I created juxtaposing postmodern philosophy with postive theory and a pinch of historical perspective). My interests lie in an interdisciplinary approach to international policies. In particular I'm interested in the effects of global policies (anywhere from U.S. foreign policy to corporate outsourcing) on subaltern communities (in particular Southeast Asia) and how these policies can be modified to be self reflexive in the spirit of collaboration while respecting local culture and practices. So safe to say my alma mater is out of the picture for grad school but does anyone know of any good programs.

Also I was thinking about Peace Corps before/after grad school because I hate the distance between academia and physical reality of subaltern communities (as much as I respect Said and others, isolation and no interaction seems more detrimental than good). Any suggestions on Peace corps as well?

Finally in terms of academic preparation, um so far I have a decent gpa (3.8ish) but I'm worried about GREs (I'm terrible at standardized testing) and I think I'll have strong letters of rec. Speaking of which, does all the academic letters have to be from political science as I have strong relationships with professors in various other departments, (Italian, English, etc). Also I have strong experience in programming (aborted CS major) so I'll play around with R this summer. Oh and how intense is the quantitative analysis/math requirement for and in grad school? I'm decent at math in general (have a calc/linear algebra background + Game Theory + and a little bit of stats ) but I'm terrible at pure math classes as I really can't contextualize most of the theories.

Thanks for your help.

[opal32496]

UR has a very distinct and strong poli sci program; their PhD graduates place very well, and their undergrad grads are looked at as strong candidates in PhD admissions. If you think you might want to do a Poli Sci PhD, I would suggest considering majoring in Poli Sci as opposed to an interdisciplinary major, or, if you do do the interdisciplinary major, play up the poli sci aspect and your experiences within the department (aka UR poli sci department is a brand/affiliation that will be a strong asset to be closely associated with).

For profs that are very well known in what you want to do (i.e. their recommendations would pull a lot of weight at other poli sci depts), if possible, take courses with Stone, Goemans, Powell, Signorino in IR/Comp/Methodology training, and Johnson for Poli Thry. (That said, these aren't the only people you should look to for recommendations - if you hit it off with a prof who is younger or less well known but can speak very highly and personally about you, that is better than a generic from someone in the list.) Also, take lots of methodology in both formal and statistics. Show interest to professors in order to be invited to complete a senior honors thesis.

In terms of going straight to grad school or going into the Peace Corps, I would do the following: 1) If you have a professor that you have a repoire with, set up time to speak with him/her and ask about the profession, how competitive you'll be as a candidate, and elicit his/her suggestions, etc.; 2) take the GREs and see how you do. If you don't do amazing, you'll probably be a more competitive candidate by distinguishing yourself through real world experience, whether it's in the Peace Corps or otherwise; 3) If your heart is set on doing the Peace Corps, do it, and then see if you still want to get a PhD. Once you start/finish your PhD, you won't have the option of doing it. Also, the experience will probably help you a) decide if you really want a PhD and help you clarify what your research interests are (sounds like you're already specific, but some varied experiences will either solidify it or change it).

Hope that helps...

[ordinonuovo]

You're right that your alma mater doesn't match your interests. If you're into IR, then I'm afraid that

there just aren't many programs that will offer even a rough match for your interests. If that is what

you really want to study, look at a few of the programs in the UK. Peruse through the journal Millenium,

and I'm sure you'll find a few articles that will grab a hold of you. In the US, maybe Minnesota, OSU,

Cornell(programs with varying degrees of constructivist tints) have faculty that could take you on, but

not in the region that you are interested in.

If you're just a junior though, take a bit slow. Go abroad and immerse yourself in that culture, take a

few more classes in comparative and IR, look through what specialists on South Asia have been

writing in the Polisci field. It won't be late even after you're done with your Peace Corps. I also

agree with the above post that a few basic political science courses, as well as stats/micro and macro

in economics would be a plus.

[Certain_Entropy]

Thanks everyone for the responses. I guess my first priority to articulate exactly what I want to study, which given my scattered mind will take some time. I'm still having problems searching for professors specializing in South East Asian / Asian culture and politics. Should I also be looking in Asian Studies departments. If thats the case, can I still pursue a phd in poli sci but work with professors from other departments?

Thanks again for everyone's help, its been real helpful.

[opal32496]

You might also want to look at UC San Diego's website - they have a special sub-department of poli sci called IR/PS (School of Intl Relations and Pacific Studies). IR/PS is an extention of, and its faculty are fully integrated with, the poli sci dept, and, as you can tell from the name, specializes in your region.

UCSD has a really strong general program, comparative dept, and Asian specialty... trifecta?!