Welcome to the 2014-15 Cycle

[esotericish]

Ah I see what you're saying. Thanks for the feedback.

 

Since you're answering questions...do you have any general advice on how to talk about non-school related work? I've been working full-time since finishing my master's degree, some of it's relevant (internships, Hill experience...well this isn't really relevant) some is not (communications-type work). Is there a good way to phrase this so it comes across as "hey, I've done stuff outside of academia, it's prepared me for the rigorous process of completing a PhD and I know it's what I want to be doing"?

[cooperstreet]

I want study variance can I go to osu

[BFB]

Ah I see what you're saying. Thanks for the feedback.

 

Since you're answering questions...do you have any general advice on how to talk about non-school related work? I've been working full-time since finishing my master's degree, some of it's relevant (internships, Hill experience...well this isn't really relevant) some is not (communications-type work). Is there a good way to phrase this so it comes across as "hey, I've done stuff outside of academia, it's prepared me for the rigorous process of completing a PhD and I know it's what I want to be doing"?

 

Sure. Focus on how what you've done is relevant to what you're proposing to do, and be as specific as possible. "Taught me a lot about how the Hill actually works" would be good, and specific examples of what you learned would be better. Something more vague, like "helped me maintain professional materials for utilizing high-quality information and networking the best technology," would not be as helpful.

 

I want study variance can I go to osu

 

It's not a bad start 

[cooperstreet]

FWIW I didn't mention any of my non school related work, which amounted to a decade. However, I didn't do anything interesting, just had a job that paid the bills and gave me flexibility while I fed my addiction (academia). In my program now there people who have done some cool things before their PhD, like been in the army or did fieldwork abroad or whatever.

[Petri]

Hi everyone! I just discovered this site a couple of days ago. I am seeking a Masters in International Affairs/Relations. I was wondering if anyone would be able to suggest schools/help me set up expectations. First, a little infro about myself.

 

B.S. in International Affairs from a widely recognized southern state school.

GPA: 2.782

Senior Year GPA: 3.4

 

So my overall is a huge problem. I graduated in 3 years and spent my first two as an Engineering major. Things were not going well (causing my GPA to plummet) and I switched to something International Affairs. My GPA steadily improved each semester after switching majors. My senior year GPA would have been closer to a 3.75 but a very close friend passed halfway through my last semester. I had to take a week off and could not recover from that grade wise.

 

I am taking the GRE this week and I'm expecting high scores. At least 162 on the Verbal and high 150s/low 160s on the Quantitative Reasoning.

 

I have two good letters of recomendation lined up, and I am working on getting a third, all from professors. My dedication and committment to this field and my goals are extremely high. I believe that will show in my Personal Statements. My family is ethnically diverse, exposing me to a wide range of differing cultures and beliefs, many of which clash. My extracurriculars are lacking except for leading an English Conversation Club for international students at my university.

 

My goal, like many other IA students, is to become a Foreign Service Officer. More specifically, a Public Diplomacy Officer. I am interested in conflict resolution and using communication, education, and improving relations with people at a local level to combat extremism and prevent conflicts.

 

Questions:

1) Taking all this into account, which schools do you think would be a good fit for me, which are a reach, and which schools I have relatively no shot at getting in?

2) My motivations for pursuing a career in diplomacy are a little personal, as I have immediate family members that have been stuck in a certain civil war since 2011. How should I approach this in my Personal Statments?

3) How should I mention my GPA in my Personal Statement? I do not want to make excuses, but I want to show that my first two years are not an accurate reflection of my abilities.

 

I would appreciate any advice and opinions. Thanks!

Edited November 5, 2014 by Petri

[cooperstreet]

you probably need to go to a different forum. This is for political science graduate school. the international/govt affairs are a different forum on grad cafe.

[esotericish]

FWIW I didn't mention any of my non school related work, which amounted to a decade. However, I didn't do anything interesting, just had a job that paid the bills and gave me flexibility while I fed my addiction (academia). In my program now there people who have done some cool things before their PhD, like been in the army or did fieldwork abroad or whatever.

Interesting. Did you bring it up at all? I'm in a more or less similar position although with fewer years of work. I'm currently doing something just to pay the bills. Did you say anything like "Hey I did this stuff for years but I'm really committed to getting/finishing a PhD because of it"

 

[AuldReekie]

Looking up some more reading for POIs and have seen some immensely long CVs. Longest I've seen (so far) is 32 pages. I feel almost spoiled if they have a Google Scholar account 

[That Beijing Kid]

Hi guys. Just dropping in.

Applying to Polisci Ph.D from undergraduate.

I'm graduating from Michigan with a gpa of 3.74 and a major GPA of 3.9.

However, since I'm graduating in 3 years, I do not have much in the way of a thesis or too much research.

I'm hoping to study Comparative Politics, specifically immigration and ethnic politics in Japan.

In my undergraduate experience, I focused on Eastern European and Russian politics. I can read Russian, and am fluent in Chinese and Japanese.

My recs will be pretty good, one old, well known professor, one rising professor in Japanese politics, and a visiting professor in law. 

 

Currently my application list are mostly extreme reaches:

Harvard

Princeton

Stanford 

UC Berkeley

Columbia

MIT

UCSD

UCLA

Chicago

Wisconsin Madison

Upenn

Johns Hopkins

 

I have a feeling I will get into none of those 12 programs.

Does anyone have any suggestions for additional schools?

I would prefer not to do an MA, but I will apply to Monbusho scholarship to study and research in Japan in March if I am not accepted.

Thanks so much!

[ARealDowner]

Wow, that seems like a lot of schools, particularly if you think those are all reaches...if you're pretty unsure, I would take a few of those off the list and include a few schools that might not be quite as competitive to get into. Then again, if you have the additional time and money it would take to apply to those schools (and willing LOR writers!) no reason not to go for it I suppose. 

[That Beijing Kid]

I recently applied to Washington and WUSTL, per advisor suggestions as well.

My LOR writers are okay with doing 14, which is god-like.

 

If I get accepted nowhere, I will move on, but I will give it my best shot!

[testingtesting]

 

Hi guys. Just dropping in.

Applying to Polisci Ph.D from undergraduate.

I'm graduating from Michigan with a gpa of 3.74 and a major GPA of 3.9.

However, since I'm graduating in 3 years, I do not have much in the way of a thesis or too much research.

I'm hoping to study Comparative Politics, specifically immigration and ethnic politics in Japan.

In my undergraduate experience, I focused on Eastern European and Russian politics. I can read Russian, and am fluent in Chinese and Japanese.

My recs will be pretty good, one old, well known professor, one rising professor in Japanese politics, and a visiting professor in law. 

 

Currently my application list are mostly extreme reaches:

Harvard

Princeton

Stanford 

UC Berkeley

Columbia

MIT

UCSD

UCLA

Chicago

Wisconsin Madison

Upenn

Johns Hopkins

 

I have a feeling I will get into none of those 12 programs.

Does anyone have any suggestions for additional schools?

I would prefer not to do an MA, but I will apply to Monbusho scholarship to study and research in Japan in March if I am not accepted.

Thanks so much!

 

 

FYI, I am applying to 14 programs.  It's completely reasonable, if you find faculty fit.  Some programs will have only 2 faculty or so you may be interested in, but if you're comfortable with that, go for it. 

[IRTheoryNerd]

If anyone has any questions about Northwestern University, feel free to send me a personal message. I went through the cycle last year and am happy to help with any advice you might find useful. 

 

Warmest regards, 

IRTheoryNerd

[AuldReekie]

First application in. I think... 

[NYCBluenose]

Me too. Terrifying! The first one's the hardest, though.

Edited November 25, 2014 by NYCBluenose

[AuldReekie]

Me too. Terrifying! The first one's the hardest, though.

 

Definite. Although they had need given I'm applying to 15 places. Bound to spot some hideous typo in statement #15 that is in them all..

 

Oh well!

 

Edited November 26, 2014 by AuldReekie

[gradphil]

Hi folks, 

 

As the deadlines are fast approaching or some are already at hand, I am applying to PHD IR stream especially with focus on nuclear and WMD (non)proliferation. However given my low GRE scores (V-I57; Q-158; AW- expecting past 3.5) and ambitious program selection (MIT, Stanford, Princeton, UC Berkeley, Chicago, Georgetown) I am daunted by the fact, if it's worth investing time and money to turn in the applications.

 

I have LLM with pretty good GPA i.e. 4.00/4.00 and currently availing commonwealth scholarship to study MSc. International Relations at one of top ten UK Universities. Besides, I have quantitative preparation in Macroeconomics, Calculus up to Multivariable, Linear Algebra and Statistics (all As and Statistics A+). I am curious if someone can give an insight if it's wise to send applications this fall or improve the GRE scores and avail the next session.

 

Any comments would be highly appreciated!

[AuldReekie]

Hi folks, 

 

As the deadlines are fast approaching or some are already at hand, I am applying to PHD IR stream especially with focus on nuclear and WMD (non)proliferation. However given my low GRE scores (V-I57; Q-158; AW- expecting past 3.5) and ambitious program selection (MIT, Stanford, Princeton, UC Berkeley, Chicago, Georgetown) I am daunted by the fact, if it's worth investing time and money to turn in the applications.

 

I have LLM with pretty good GPA i.e. 4.00/4.00 and currently availing commonwealth scholarship to study MSc. International Relations at one of top ten UK Universities. Besides, I have quantitative preparation in Macroeconomics, Calculus up to Multivariable, Linear Algebra and Statistics (all As and Statistics A+). I am curious if someone can give an insight if it's wise to send applications this fall or improve the GRE scores and avail the next session.

 

Any comments would be highly appreciated!

 

I fear our US contingent is off somewhere gorging themselves on turkey, so I fear you'll have to make do with another aspiring PhD student for the moment!

 

First off...

 

Are you able to write a good personal statement, get referees and polish your writing sample within the next 5 days for Stanford or two and a half weeks for the rest? I think that would be very difficult given how late you've left it.

 

Do have a good idea of your research interests and people you want to work with?

 

It looks like you'd probably have a reasonable/good chance with your background, but from watching the last cycle it would appear that nothing should be taken for granted when applying for a PhD. Others will be able to offer better advice, but I would be wary of investing so much money and then rushing through the applications in two weeks. 

 

Good luck with your decision

Edited November 28, 2014 by AuldReekie

[gradphil]

I fear our US contingent is off somewhere gorging themselves on turkey, so I fear you'll have to make do with another aspiring PhD student for the moment!

 

First off...

 

Are you able to write a good personal statement, get referees and polish your writing sample within the next 5 days for Stanford or two and a half weeks for the rest? I think that would be very difficult given how late you've left it.

 

Do have a good idea of your research interests and people you want to work with?

 

It looks like you'd probably have a reasonable/good chance with your background, but from watching the last cycle it would appear that nothing should be taken for granted when applying for a PhD. Others will be able to offer better advice, but I would be wary of investing so much money and then rushing through the applications in two weeks. 

 

Good luck with your decision

 

Thanks AuldReekie for truly insightful comments. By the way, I have a statement of purpose already written (only needs little bit customization as per the programs and faculty interests), LORs are lined up too and have a brilliant degree of understanding of what I want to do and with whom. However, if there is any caveat that's my writing sample which is not complete yet and I am toiling over to fine tune it. If I am able to make it make sense, I would send applications to some programs if not all at least. 

[AuldReekie]

Thanks AuldReekie for truly insightful comments. By the way, I have a statement of purpose already written (only needs little bit customization as per the programs and faculty interests), LORs are lined up too and have a brilliant degree of understanding of what I want to do and with whom. However, if there is any caveat that's my writing sample which is not complete yet and I am toiling over to fine tune it. If I am able to make it make sense, I would send applications to some programs if not all at least. 

 

One quick thing - do you need/have you done the TOEFL test?

 

If it's all fine then by all means go for it and get those GRE scores sent off pronto.

[gradphil]

Yup. As an International student I need to submit valid TOEFL score which I have with 106 score overall. I guess it does the job.

[cooperstreet]

Your GREs are low. You would be well-served to re-take and get them higher if you can for next year.

[joesephsci]

Hi folks, 

 

As the deadlines are fast approaching or some are already at hand, I am applying to PHD IR stream especially with focus on nuclear and WMD (non)proliferation. However given my low GRE scores (V-I57; Q-158; AW- expecting past 3.5) and ambitious program selection (MIT, Stanford, Princeton, UC Berkeley, Chicago, Georgetown) I am daunted by the fact, if it's worth investing time and money to turn in the applications.

 

I have LLM with pretty good GPA i.e. 4.00/4.00 and currently availing commonwealth scholarship to study MSc. International Relations at one of top ten UK Universities. Besides, I have quantitative preparation in Macroeconomics, Calculus up to Multivariable, Linear Algebra and Statistics (all As and Statistics A+). I am curious if someone can give an insight if it's wise to send applications this fall or improve the GRE scores and avail the next session.

 

Any comments would be highly appreciated!

Although applications are quite expensive, the payoff if you get in is high, so I would encourage you not to let the cost of applications deter you from applying this cycle. Of course it's no guarantee that you get in this cycle, but the same goes for next cycle even if you substantially improve your scores. There are just too many factors at play, like who the programs that you are applying to are looking for this year, how competitive the files of people you are competing against look, etc. With that being said, I would encourage you to apply this year, and if nothing else you will have most things ready for next cycle. Best of luck!

[gradphil]

Although applications are quite expensive, the payoff if you get in is high, so I would encourage you not to let the cost of applications deter you from applying this cycle. Of course it's no guarantee that you get in this cycle, but the same goes for next cycle even if you substantially improve your scores. There are just too many factors at play, like who the programs that you are applying to are looking for this year, how competitive the files of people you are competing against look, etc. With that being said, I would encourage you to apply this year, and if nothing else you will have most things ready for next cycle. Best of luck!

 

I concur with you Joesephsci on the wagering. The GRE Scores are low but I expect and hope the other elements in the dossier may compensate for the GRE.  

 

Your GREs are low. You would be well-served to re-take and get them higher if you can for next year.

 

And though I aver what cooperstreet maintains, good GRE scores solely do not raise the chances of being admitted. Nevertheless, at the end I would feel esteemed at least to have participated in the application cycle and be better prepared to take advantage of the next cycle if the circumstances so warrant. Thank you both for the feedback. 

[AuldReekie]

I concur with you Joesephsci on the wagering. The GRE Scores are low but I expect and hope the other elements in the dossier may compensate for the GRE.  

 

 

And though I aver what cooperstreet maintains, good GRE scores solely do not raise the chances of being admitted. Nevertheless, at the end I would feel esteemed at least to have participated in the application cycle and be better prepared to take advantage of the next cycle if the circumstances so warrant. Thank you both for the feedback. 

 

Good luck