Georgetown, Maryland, and George Washington ...

[raptureonfire]

Hey all,

 

I've been puzzling for about a week now about how one should rank these three schools in the DC area.  These are the three schools in which I am most interested.  I had some good news from Maryland, and I'm hopeful for the other two.  I haven't heard back from them yet, but I thought I'd ask around for opinions anyway.

 

In terms of quality and strength of the department, research, and placements, how would you rank Maryland, Georgetown, and George Washington?  Different rankings (USNWR, NRC, Hix, Schmidt et al.) seem to be in contention, and rely on different criteria for rankings.

 

I know that Georgetown and George Washington are in the process of transitioning from identities as policy schools, whereas Maryland has traditionally been an academic school.  I'm a comparativist (or, plan to be!).

 

I'd love to hear your feedback.  How would you rank these schools?

[upam]

What do you want to do after the PhD program?

[jcross9]

What do you want to do after the PhD program?

 

I would second this question. Where you want to be and what you want to do post-PhD will really color this decision. I know people who have succeeded as PhDs from both Georgetown and Maryland (I know less about GWU, despite living in their dorms for a summer once!), but they are in the think tank world right now. If you like that option, then I would say all three are good choices. But, if you aren't certain whether you'd like to do government/think tank work (or you just want a larger range of options), then I would probably vote Maryland for political science. 

 

And just as a side note: from what I'm told, the US News and (to a lesser extent) the NRC rankings are really the only rankings that carry any sort of universally accepted weight. If you are considering rankings in your decision, I would stick to those two.

[goodluck]

I would second this question. Where you want to be and what you want to do post-PhD will really color this decision. I know people who have succeeded as PhDs from both Georgetown and Maryland (I know less about GWU, despite living in their dorms for a summer once!), but they are in the think tank world right now. If you like that option, then I would say all three are good choices. But, if you aren't certain whether you'd like to do government/think tank work (or you just want a larger range of options), then I would probably vote Maryland for political science. 

 

And just as a side note: from what I'm told, the US News and (to a lesser extent) the NRC rankings are really the only rankings that carry any sort of universally accepted weight. If you are considering rankings in your decision, I would stick to those two.

why are these three schools ranked do differently in US News and NRC?

[jcross9]

why are these three schools ranked do differently in US News and NRC?

 

This article explains it a lot better than I can: http://www.gradschoolheaven.com/rankings-of-graduate-schools.html . Basically, the NRC's rankings are a lot more rigorous. With that said, the NRC is less famous for college rankings than US News, which (once again, for better or worse) may or may carry some weight. 

 

Another reasons the rankings differ is due to NRC's reliance on data collected in 2005-2006. A LOT has changed in academia since then, which could account for some of the discrepancies. 

 

Hope this helps! Rankings are incredibly dizzing sometimes, I think!

[saudiwin]

Hi --

 

I did an M.A. at GW (not the Poli Sci school, although I had some Poli Sci profs). It is a gross over-simplification to call GW a "policy school". The PhDs there are trained in the same quantitative/qualititative/theoretical work as everyone else. GW does hire non-academic professors, but these will teach in their public policy programs, not in the Poli Sci department. Yes, professors there may have a stronger likelihood to be engaged and interested in the policy discussions inside the beltway. But there are many, many academic professors at schools in remote places like New Haven (*cough*) that relish any chance they can get to opine on USG policy. 

 

A good friend of mine is currently enrolled in GW's PhD program after also doing the M.A. with me. He has found the program to suit his needs very well. If you want his contact info, just send me a message.

 

Second, relationships matter. That is what GW and Georgetown have going for them. If you want to do research in US foreign policy or other USG bureaus and agencies, it is the place to be. If you want to work in a think tank then both schools are excellent starting points. Many think tanks are biased towards PhDs, even if they hire M.A.s and B.A.s for research assistant positions. The PhD gives them credibility (rightly or wrongly). I would say that the perception is that Georgetown is a more selective and higher quality school than GW, although often the professors and programs between the two schools are quite similar. Neither school of course would compare with the top 10 poli sci schools in terms of placement.

 

Third, I think GW's and Georgetown's biggest weaknesses are the lack of good student housing and a high cost of living. You will be competing for housing with lawyers, consultants, lobbyists, and a horde of others. It is one of the hottest real estate markets in the country. In my mind, that would make UMD slightly more attractive as a grad student because you could live a ways out from the city.

 

That's my $0.02, take it or leave it.

[MyUSofWhatever]

I applied to GWU and considered applying to Georgetown as well. As someone who grew up around DC and lives there now, I'd second the point that its biggest drawback is that it is a very expensive area to live. The only way to not get killed on rent is to live pretty far out in the 'burbs, and in that case you'll have to have a car and fight DC traffic. Even College Park is not dramatically less expensive. Still, all three programs you mentioned have good faculty, including in comparative, and offer a lot of opportunities not available elsewhere due to their location.

[raptureonfire]

Hey all,

 

Phew!  What a great host of responses - thank you!

 

I'm hoping to become an academic, which is why I'm really considering this question of ranking.  I currently work in the policy world, and while it's interesting, it just doesn't 'grab' me the way that academia does.

 

Maryland is ranked significantly better in US News and World Report than either Georgetown or George Washington, but when I look at academic placement, the picture becomes a bit muddier.  Both Georgetown and Maryland have pretty nice placement records.  From my understanding, Georgetown's name is better recognized, even if its department isn't as well ranked as Maryland.  I would love to hear from current faculty about their thoughts on these programs.

 

Thank you all for your insight.

[Mnemonics2]

Hey all,

 

Phew!  What a great host of responses - thank you!

 

I'm hoping to become an academic, which is why I'm really considering this question of ranking.  I currently work in the policy world, and while it's interesting, it just doesn't 'grab' me the way that academia does.

 

Maryland is ranked significantly better in US News and World Report than either Georgetown or George Washington, but when I look at academic placement, the picture becomes a bit muddier.  Both Georgetown and Maryland have pretty nice placement records.  From my understanding, Georgetown's name is better recognized, even if its department isn't as well ranked as Maryland.  I would love to hear from current faculty about their thoughts on these programs.

 

Thank you all for your insight.

 

I think we've talked...right? I'm in the think tank policy world as well, but I want to go the academic route and I applied to GWU. Trying to figure out what placement looks like from that program. Their site gives placement stats that are good enough (they place people for sure) but necessarily in the most quality institutions most of the time.

[midwest513]

I think we've talked...right? I'm in the think tank policy world as well, but I want to go the academic route and I applied to GWU. Trying to figure out what placement looks like from that program. Their site gives placement stats that are good enough (they place people for sure) but necessarily in the most quality institutions most of the time.

I did my undergrad at GW. Placement looks odd because they are on such a lag from when they really started revamping up the political science program. Expect the new grads to be doing decently on the job market. Depends on specialization obviously.

[raptureonfire]

I think we've talked...right? I'm in the think tank policy world as well, but I want to go the academic route and I applied to GWU. Trying to figure out what placement looks like from that program. Their site gives placement stats that are good enough (they place people for sure) but necessarily in the most quality institutions most of the time.

 

Yep - we have.  I think we're both on a similar track - moving from policy to academia.  Both GT and GWU have a lag in their placement data, which is frustrating; but you can call and ask, and most programs will be eager to tell you where they've placed recent PhDs.

[upam]

Do you want quantitative methods or not?

 

If you want quant, go to UMD. Georgetown doesn't have it right now. Also, if you want to go into academia, UMD is stronger period right now. Unless you want to end up at a policy school then maybe Georgetown.

 

But if you have the choice, Maryland is stronger than Georgetown for most aiming to go into academia in the current market.

[raptureonfire]

Do you want quantitative methods or not?

 

If you want quant, go to UMD. Georgetown doesn't have it right now. Also, if you want to go into academia, UMD is stronger period right now. Unless you want to end up at a policy school then maybe Georgetown.

 

But if you have the choice, Maryland is stronger than Georgetown for most aiming to go into academia in the current market.

 

upam,

 

Thank you very much for your input.  I had been thinking this, and I was looking to crowdsource some confidence from the GC forums.  Mission accomplished!

 

Thank you again.