Profile evaluation for a Ph.D. and suggestions for US

[licoddi]

Hello,

I'm starting this topic to ask you an evaluation of my profile and some suggestions for a Ph.D. in the US and Canada.

 

I have a Bachelor Degree in "Political Science and International Relations" at La Sapienza University of Rome, with full marks (110/110 cum laude). The university ranks in the 150-200 band for social sciences and politics and it's the largest European university, but it does not have any well renowned IR scholar. Also, I moved from La Sapienza from another university, with a considerable delay in my Graduation - five years instead of three. 

Then, I'm in the second year of a M.A. in International Relations, specializing in Security Studies, at the Free University of Brussels (ULB), taught in French. I've concluded my first year with the highest honors and an exceptional mention from the Faculty. I have one passionate recommendation letter, and one less passionate but still good from a renowned European scholar. Also, I spending my third term at Sciences Po Paris.

In November I'll join a workshop on transnational bureaucracies in the EU with my own research paper, to be published in the next months.

My professional background is rather limited: one-year internship at a large UN agency, dealing with Government's relations; and some months as a Parliamentary Assistant in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Italian Chamber. My extra-curricular activities include seven years of political activist in Italy's wider political organization, with organizational responsibilities in the local and regional level.

In the case I'll get a good GRE result, which university you'll recommend me for a Ph.D. programme, dealing with constructivist IR or critical security studies? More generally, how do people from non-Anglosaxon universities rank in American and Canadian establishments?

Thank you!

Edited September 15, 2015 by licoddi

[Espoir2015]

Generally, if you want to to critical security studies I would stay in Europe and go to a place like Copenhagen, LSE, , or some other UK school. As a rule of thumb, people with PhDs from US schools doing quant-type work can find jobs Europe, but few European constructivist IR scholars make it to the US.

[cooperstreet]

Do you want to do positivist constructivism or nonpositivist constructivism?