Looking for feedback and possible advices

[MissPixel]

Hello everyone!

 

I need information and advice concerning my application.

 

I am thinking of applying in the US for a PhD in political science for 2016-2017. I would therefore appreciate some feedback regarding my chances and the various opportunities that might be offered to me.

 

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My background

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I have completed a dual degree for which I was awarded two distinct diplomas. One was a license of Civil Law (LLL) (which in Quebec leads to bar school and a career as a lawyer). The other degree was a Bachelor of Social Science specialized in international development and globalization.

 

My undergrad grades are as follows:

 

LL.L. : GPA of 3.19/4 (cum laude)

B.Sc.Soc: GPA of 3.82/4 (magna cum laude)

Combined GPA of 3.42/4

 

I have also made it onto the Dean’s honors list.

 

I am currently finishing writing my LL.M (master of Law) thesis in International Law (GPA of 3.7/4).

 

I have strong letters of recommendation and will undertake the bar exam next year (spring 2016).

By then, I should have also completed my JD.

• I’ve participated in two seminars and have published an international law paper that was peer-reviewed.
• I have worked as a research assistant for the pas two years for two different law professors.

I still haven’t had the chance to take the GRE but I am planning on doing so by the end of Spring.

 

 

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I am aiming at an academic career. That said, I am not much of a competitive person and had never realized that I could try to attend a higher rank University. This is why I’m only now seeking advice.

 

I would like to complete a PhD in Political Science (still undecided on the subfield).

 

I would definitely need funding, so universities that do not offer funding at all, or do not offer funding to international students are basically out of reach.

 

What would be my chances in getting into a tier 1, 2 or 3 schools in the US?

I am mainly considering Yale, Harvard, Berkeley, Princeton, Stanford, Columbia, UCLA, NYU, Duke and Cornell.

If anything else comes to mind, don’t hesitate to bring it to my attention.

 

 

Thank you so much for your help!

 

Ps : sorry for the typo in the title!!

Edited January 12, 2015 by MissPixel

[cooperstreet]

I would like to complete a PhD in Political Science (still undecided on the subfield).

 

Why do you want a PhD in political science? 

[MissPixel]

Before applying for my LL.M, I was torn between applying in poltical science and law. I am mainly interested in the Rule of Law, transitions and transitional justice, conflict resolution, human rights, reconciliation, self determination, nationalism, political psychology and political theory. My thesis subject could be dealt with under both law and political science approaches. I chose to find a prof that was specialized in my field of interest and could guide me well through the masters process. The prof in question was an international law prof specialized in these questions. He has guided me well and was always open to a multidisciplinary approach. That being said, when the time came for me to organize my thoughts and start writing, political questions would more spontaneously come to mind and appeared more fundamental to me. It became frustrating because I could not explore those in my llm thesis. This is mainly why I am thinking of switching to political science for my PhD.

[AmericanQuant]

I'd suggest reading political science articles or books written by professors in your area of interest at the programs you're considering.  Do you want to read and write articles like what they write?  If so, then maybe a PhD in Political Science is for you.

 

Also, you should be aware that the job market for political science professors, and political theorists in particular, is pretty bad. Very few people get jobs in political theory.

Edited January 14, 2015 by AmericanQuant

[MissPixel]

My apologies. I should have specified that 3/4 of the classes I attended on international development and globalisation were in polisci (by choice). I am not throwing myself into unknown waters.

[AmericanQuant]

My apologies. I should have specified that 3/4 of the classes I attended on international development and globalisation were in polisci (by choice). I am not throwing myself into unknown waters.

 

Undergraduate-level political science and graduate and professional-level political science are pretty different.  Political Scientists writing in journals and for university presses use a lot more statistics, mathematical models and jargon than you'd see in an undergrad class.

 

You should look through any issue of the American Political Science Review to see what I mean.

Edited January 14, 2015 by AmericanQuant

[Bubandis]

Undergraduate-level political science and graduate and professional-level political science are pretty different.  Political Scientists writing in journals and for university presses use a lot more statistics, mathematical models and jargon than you'd see in an undergrad class.

 

You should look through any issue of the American Political Science Review to see what I mean.

I'll second this.

[victorydance]

I am mainly interested in the Rule of Law, transitions and transitional justice, conflict resolution, human rights, reconciliation, self determination, nationalism, political psychology and political theory. My thesis subject could be dealt with under both law and political science approaches. 

 

This is extremely broad. You need to narrow down your interests before you set out on the task of finding political science programs to apply to. 

[MissPixel]

Thanks for the advice.

From the feedback I am getting, I am starting to wonder if my legal background would undermine my admission. I have the feeling that I am being labeled as a law student who has no understanding of what political science is and is about. I have identified a specific subject for a thesis. I have also identified professors I would like to work with after having read articles they have published in academic journals. I have studied many thinkers, including some using math formulas (such as Dixon’s “Democracy and the Peaceful Settlement of International Conflict”). If this does not represent what you meant when underlining the use of math in polisci, I am rather interested in reading suggestions. I read polisci journals regularly and have even used many articles as research material for my llm thesis (e.g., Rama Mani). From what I am getting here, this seems to be quite unusual.

Therefore, here are my questions:

1. Will my legal background be considered a “problem” for an eventual polisci PhD admission?
2. Do I have any chance in getting admitted into a high ranked school based on the information I have provided in my original post (either in International Relations or Comparative Politics) ?
3. If not, do you believe an M.A. in polisci would increase my chances?

Thank you so much for your feedback!

Edited January 18, 2015 by MissPixel

[AmericanQuant]

Most successful political scientists do sustained work on one or a few related topics over their careers.  You listing a lot of weakly related topics is just setting off a lot of alarm bells, since most successful graduate students and faculty members do not and cannot sustain research in such a wide range of areas.

 

It's hard to say whether you should get a PhD and where you should do it without a particular area of current research in mind.  Political Psychology and Political Theory are both huge research areas, and schools will have many people doing different strands of work in those areas.  The other topics are also areas of research in their own right, though it's unlikely that any program would be able to serve you well in all of them.  

 

I'd suggest picking out some research in the areas you're interested in recent top journals (APSR, AJPS, JOP, WP, IO) or top university presses and seeing who wrote them and who they're responding to.  That'll help give you some guidance on who's working on those subjects.

 

If you are a plausible candidate for a top-6 school, you should also look through their faculties and pick out 3 people that you'd be happy working with at each place.  If you can't find 3 such people, don't bother applying to those places and go looking further down the list.  In general, you want to go to a top program or the place where you'd have the best advisor.  Start from the top and work your way down the list.

[cooperstreet]

Thanks for the advice.

From the feedback I am getting, I am starting to wonder if my legal background would undermine my admission. 

No this is not what is happening. People aren't viewing you as someone who doesn't know what political science research is like because of your JD. Its that your research interests are overly broad as to be vacuous. Its that you are unsure what subfield you want to study. Anyway, American Quant said it better than me and with much more grace, so do what they say.

[makeitstopalready]

Please don't let the first-years and MA students here be too discouraging. 

What is more important than picking some narrow specialty at this point is identifying a personal reason for wanting to pursue the PhD, and then allowing that to guide your decisions. Human rights, transitional justice, and all the other things you list are FINE as research interests, and you could go pretty far saying those things. What you have to figure out is what animates your desire to do research, find a place and people that would be supportive of that, and proceed from that point. You can easily narrow down schools that have faculty and facilities that would make that possible.

Your legal background will actually be a strength if you were to pursue a PhD in this or a cognate field. You can credibly claim to have experiences that sharpen your interests.

And don't listen to the advice to pick up the nearest copy of American Political Science Review, which is in no way, shape, or form the top journal for the kinds of things you're interested in. Pick up a copy of International Organizations or International Studies Quarterly, which are much closer to where you'd be aiming yourself in future in any case.

 

Good luck, and I hope you find the proper path for you.