ARealDowner Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 My plan B was a year long fellowship as an Illinois legislative researche aid, which would've paid 30k+ and benefits and been the perfect amount of time to let me try again for the cycle next year (I almost thought about taking a gap year and just doing this as a plan A and strengthening my file, but for more personal reasons I just wanted to jump into grad school without taking a break). I have a lot of respect for all you people who have been out for a while going back into schooling mode, it must be an adjustment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARealDowner Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 (edited) I am well aware what Methods consist of, thanks. Game Theory just makes the most sense to me. I on the other hand, while a quantitative oriented Americanist, am not quite a fan (despite what the username might lead you to believe!) Tough a bit dated, have you read Pathologies of Rational Choice by Green and Shapiro, Darth? One of the books that really opened me up to the potential downfalls of an excessively formal theoretic approach to political science. Edited January 28, 2015 by ARealDowner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 (edited) Tea leaves and entrails. At least we're all in the same boat. Do people have Plans B? Teaching English abroad is the only thing I can think of... Most internships that I have found within Inter. Affairs highly recommend a Master Degree, which I will never understand. I used to always want to do the Peace Corps thing. But, they have a no 'CIA bound-policy.'You can't join Peace Corps if you plan to work for the CIA or have been a part of it. I don't want to think about this though..grad school is something that I really want to get out the way. I will be a fresh graduate in May..and there's not much to expect from that unless you get a Masters. Edited January 28, 2015 by Guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fakeusername Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 (edited) Teaching English abroad is the only thing I can think of... Most internships that I have found within Inter. Affairs highly recommend a Master Degree, which I will never understand. I used to always want to do the Peace Corps thing. But, they have a no 'CIA bound-policy.'You can't join Peace Corps if you plan to work for the CIA or have been a part of it. I don't want to think about this though..grad school is something that I really want to get out the way. I will be a fresh graduate in May..and there's not much to expect from that unless you get a Masters. Although I haven't really looked into it (the horror . . .), I'm sure there's some worthy work-experience to be gained with a BA alone. I have actually done the teaching abroad thing a few times, and I personally don't recommend it for myriad reasons, and I especially can't see it helping much after getting a BA. That's an avenue that I think will close more doors than it opens. Edited January 28, 2015 by fakeusername Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esotericish Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Teaching English abroad is the only thing I can think of... Most internships that I have found within Inter. Affairs highly recommend a Master Degree, which I will never understand. I used to always want to do the Peace Corps thing. But, they have a no 'CIA bound-policy.'You can't join Peace Corps if you plan to work for the CIA or have been a part of it. I don't want to think about this though..grad school is something that I really want to get out the way. I will be a fresh graduate in May..and there's not much to expect from that unless you get a Masters. If you're looking for one in DC this is not true! You certainly do not need an MA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sartori Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 (edited) I on the other hand, while a quantitative oriented Americanist, am not quite a fan (despite what the username might lead you to believe!) Tough a bit dated, have you read Pathologies of Rational Choice by Green and Shapiro, Darth? One of the books that really opened me up to the potential downfalls of an excessively formal theoretic approach to political science. I'm English, and over here it's "politics", not polly-s'eye -- since it includes political philosophy, political history, and sociological theory (operationalized and otherwise). None of this scientistic discipline envy. I blame William Riker. Methodological pluralism FTW. But it's not the '70s anymore. Most departments are pretty catholic these days. Edited January 28, 2015 by Sartori Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Game Theory Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 I on the other hand, while a quantitative oriented Americanist, am not quite a fan (despite what the username might lead you to believe!) Tough a bit dated, have you read Pathologies of Rational Choice by Green and Shapiro, Darth? One of the books that really opened me up to the potential downfalls of an excessively formal theoretic approach to political science. RealDowner: not in its entirety, only an excerpt for a seminar on Rat Choice. As far as formal theory goes, I've always seen formal models as devices, tools that help communicate the questions/hypotheses in political science. Good scholarship still requires context, i.e., a well formulated hypothesis, or a fresh question. Just my two cents...I know Methods has a bad rep in Poli Sci circles... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wcsy Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Tea leaves and entrails. At least we're all in the same boat. Do people have Plans B? Applying directly out of undergrad so plan B maybe a gap year and apply again.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMLogan Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 I suppose plan B is to do some kind of (childcare/teaching) work abroad and try to pick up a new language if possible. I have worked in Cape Town in the past, and have affiliations with one of the university centers, so I could imagine applying for a last-minute masters degree there if possible, which would actually be totally wonderful in its own right. Does anyone else find it entirely impossible to think about at this point??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
testingtesting Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 I suppose plan B is to do some kind of (childcare/teaching) work abroad and try to pick up a new language if possible. I have worked in Cape Town in the past, and have affiliations with one of the university centers, so I could imagine applying for a last-minute masters degree there if possible, which would actually be totally wonderful in its own right. Does anyone else find it entirely impossible to think about at this point??? If you are serious about academia, find a job as close to academia as possible. Alternativrly, find something that is research heavy. You should use your time outside of academia to build valuable research skills. If you are serious about planning for that, cold call professors, use your academic network to find research assistant roles, whatever. Picking up a new language is only helpful if you're proposing research that would require it. Teaching English somewhere is not much better than taking math classes while bartending, and is perhaps less preferable. Focus on the question of whether your CV and history scream "researcher" or not. Also note that working in politics has very little to do with a PhD, unless you are doing intense research (not just serving as a Legislative correspondent on the hill, for example). Having worked in think tank, grassroots, legislative offices, lobbying orgs, regulatory agencies, etc. I can say that almost none of that went into my applications because the marginal amount of perspective it offers is not worth distracting from the fact that you are pursuing an academic career and not a policy or diplomat career. If you're not pursuing such a career, it's recommended to go for an applied econ, stats, public policy master's...even a 1 year MSc is enough to open the door! t.diniz and StillllllWaiting 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poli92 Posted January 29, 2015 Author Share Posted January 29, 2015 Just my two cents...I know Methods has a bad rep in Poli Sci circles... Wut? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleMac Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 I do love how applicable game theory is to...everything, really; as a Professor said to me: "Once you see...the game theoretical logic...life is all games and subgames, it is all strategy..." I'm hoping to use game theory and network analysis to look at the flow of information on social networks. Pretty hot topic these days, eh? Good luck to you too, Little Mac! Hey, all we need is for one to say 'yes,' right? Haha, that's pretty great - I had a Professor say nearly the exact same thing to me (and also something along the lines of "being able to take advantage of every interaction you have with your friends and family"). And ah, that sounds quite neat - I'd like to hear more about what that entails! Is anyone here finishing up their Bachelor's or Master's this semester? Also, somewhat off-topic question, but in case anyone knows... What's the difference between a B.S. and a B.A. in Political Science (or the social sciences in general)? I've gotten a lot of mixed answers from researching it, so I'm assuming there's no concrete answer... but thoughts are nice :S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARealDowner Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 I'm finishing up my Bachelor's...actually been able to remain surprisingly focused this semester this far despite all the grad school suspense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toucan Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Almost had a heart attack when I saw Duke on the results page... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMLogan Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 (edited) If you are serious about academia, find a job as close to academia as possible. Alternativrly, find something that is research heavy. You should use your time outside of academia to build valuable research skills. If you are serious about planning for that, cold call professors, use your academic network to find research assistant roles, whatever. Picking up a new language is only helpful if you're proposing research that would require it. Teaching English somewhere is not much better than taking math classes while bartending, and is perhaps less preferable. Focus on the question of whether your CV and history scream "researcher" or not. Also note that working in politics has very little to do with a PhD, unless you are doing intense research (not just serving as a Legislative correspondent on the hill, for example). Having worked in think tank, grassroots, legislative offices, lobbying orgs, regulatory agencies, etc. I can say that almost none of that went into my applications because the marginal amount of perspective it offers is not worth distracting from the fact that you are pursuing an academic career and not a policy or diplomat career. If you're not pursuing such a career, it's recommended to go for an applied econ, stats, public policy master's...even a 1 year MSc is enough to open the door! Thanks for your perspective; this is great advice. As for the thinking behind the language acquisition, it definitely has to do with my research path. Teaching is nice because it allows ample time to focus on independent research and writing, as well as ongoing work in collaboration with undergraduate professors, while also having a bit of breathing room (which, I must admit, across the board rejections would definitely render necessary!) I'm applying for theory, and so the masters in this case would be in post-colonial theory and humanities, which again has much to do with my research path! Edited January 29, 2015 by NMLogan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwitchInTime Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Anyone want to claim the Duke post on the results page? And give us some details? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedoctorphd Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Hi all - I posted the Duke info on the results page. I applied to the dual PhD program in public policy and political science; however, that is through the Sanford school of public policy, not the political science department. I heard from the Sanford school regarding my admission status a week ago -- apparently, the political science department does not have a say in joint admits. Since I am coming straight from my undergrad, Sanford wanted me to complete their MPP program and then reapply to their PhD program afterwards. Anyway, I ended up switching my application to the poli sci department this week, and they informed me that admission results should come out soon (I'm guessing within the next few weeks). I hope that puts you all at ease. Best of luck! NYCBluenose and wcsy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwitchInTime Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Thanks for the details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubandis Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Is anyone here finishing up their Bachelor's or Master's this semester? Also, somewhat off-topic question, but in case anyone knows... What's the difference between a B.S. and a B.A. in Political Science (or the social sciences in general)? I've gotten a lot of mixed answers from researching it, so I'm assuming there's no concrete answer... but thoughts are nice :S I am finishing up my MA this semester. Also, as I understand it, the difference between a BA and a BS is similar to that between a BA and a BFA. Simply put, as with a BFA, a BS entails more work in your specific major than a BA. Basically, a BA is a more traditional, well-rounded liberal arts degree where roughly one-third (I think?) of your course work is within your major, whereas up to two thirds of your course work will fall in your major for a BS degree. Surely someone will offer an alternate explanation on this, but this is the rough distinction that I recall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duvergerian Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Divurgerian: what programs are you looking at/what are you looking to do? I'm looking at quite a handful (you can see the list in my signature thingy). I'm hoping to do research in American politics, with a lot of quantitative influence. The extent to which I pursue methods will likely be dictated in large part by the ability to do so in addition to American politics. Is anyone here finishing up their Bachelor's or Master's this semester? I'm finishing up my Bachelor's this semester. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
testingtesting Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Not sure if result for Stanford is trolling or real. Someone want to claim it? "Email from someone on AdCom. Funding detail etc to follow later. Invited to visit weekend 5-7 April. Completely freaking out, cannot believe it." Toucan and watching11 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toucan Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 There's two Stanford results now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterbottle Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Not sure if result for Stanford is trolling or real. Someone want to claim it? "Email from someone on AdCom. Funding detail etc to follow later. Invited to visit weekend 5-7 April. Completely freaking out, cannot believe it." I can claim this first one. Long-time lurker, first time posting. It read like a fairly informal email so I wouldn't be surprised if there's more batches to come. I'm in Europe so saw the email when I woke up, I can honestly say I've never woken up so quickly (or with so much shouting). NMLogan, Duvergerian, ARealDowner and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sartori Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 I can claim this first one. Long-time lurker, first time posting. It read like a fairly informal email so I wouldn't be surprised if there's more batches to come. I'm in Europe so saw the email when I woke up, I can honestly say I've never woken up so quickly (or with so much shouting). Well this raises my blood pressure considerably. What's your background? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterbottle Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Well this raises my blood pressure considerably. What's your background? Subfield is IR, I've got a UK BA and MSc in relevant subjects, currently on a gap year doing relevant but not research-based work experience. I'd say my education/stats are strong, LoRs fine, research experience is a weak point, fit with Stanford fairly good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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