PhD transfer?

[RabidRabbit]

Hey dudes.

I am in my second year in a PhD program in Political Science. My major in International Relations and my minor is Methodology. I do mostly quant conflict stuff, most of the stuff that I am working on now is civil war, but I am not restricted to just that.

At the end of last year, our IR program kind of imploded. We had one of our faculty members die, and our two best (both conflict) leave for other schools. I have been thinking about transferring (applying in the Fall of 2012) to a much higher ranked school. This is because I really want a good job at an R1 school, and I don't have much choice for a dissertation committee, and there is really only 1 tenured faculty member that I like left (who is not really that well connected).

I have a short list of schools I would apply to, which I will list below. Right now my GRE is 6 writing, 680ish verbal, 730 quant. I will retake it, and I think I can notably improve it. I have some grant money on my CV, some research awards, and I expect to have 1 publication, and another 2-3 in R&R by the time I apply. So I am wondering how feasible this plan actually is. I am right now at a school that is mid-50s rankings wise, but who know what we would look like after the faculty exodus.

Schools: Rochester NYU Univ. Michigan Univ. California San Diego Penn State Univ. Illinois CU

Other suggestions are welcome, as well as assessments of whether this is likely to work.

Edited October 18, 2011 by RabidRabbit

[Penelope Higgins]

The key will be the letters from your current department. What will they say about your ability to do graduate work both in the classroom and in research? You will need letters from there, not just the same ones you used to apply, for this to work for you. Given the reasons you give for leaving, these letters should not be hard to get.

[RabidRabbit]

The key will be the letters from your current department. What will they say about your ability to do graduate work both in the classroom and in research? You will need letters from there, not just the same ones you used to apply, for this to work for you. Given the reasons you give for leaving, these letters should not be hard to get.

They will be excellent I have no doubt. I won't use any of the people I used to apply initially. I have articles in progress with two of them, and have been an RA/data munger for the 3rd. I think they will all understand, so that won't be a problem I don't think.

[Penelope Higgins]

Given that and what you describe as your record, you should be competitive at the schools you list. Just to make sure, you should realize that nearly all of them will expect you to fulfill all the coursework requirements at the new institution - don't expect to transfer many credits (if any at all) upon moving.

Given your interests, I'm surprised Maryland is not on your list of schools. It isn't top-ranked, but it is (to a non-specialist) a strong place to do quant conflict work in IR.

[midwest513]

What might be helpful is (at least in my limited understanding), is that if you had done research with two of those profs who left try and see if they can take you to another institution as their 'student' (that is if you were close with them and they are your advisor), and you may be able to get out of the predicament that Penelope Higgins stated , of having to redo your coursework.

[RabidRabbit]

What might be helpful is (at least in my limited understanding), is that if you had done research with two of those profs who left try and see if they can take you to another institution as their 'student' (that is if you were close with them and they are your advisor), and you may be able to get out of the predicament that Penelope Higgins stated , of having to redo your coursework.

Yea I was just too inexperienced at the time to do that, and I don't really want to go to the schools they went to (UCol. and UNC).

Yea I realize that I will have to re-do a lot of course work (if not most of it), but I am ok with that. It will a. give me a stronger grasp of the material, b. give me more time to publish before going on the market. As long as I have a decent funding package I am okay. I will check out Maryland for sure. Thanks peeps!