Welcome to the 2015-2016 Cycle!

[kaykaykay]

1 hour ago, PhilzatBerkely said:

Greetings, folks!

I was filling out online application for one of the universities, and it asked me about what other schools I'm applying to. And I think this is pretty weird question. Why do they need to know this?Here's my thought process: if I tell them that I have other options, they will look at it as I don't care for them that much, and they will get other students who REALLY want to go to this school. Or (scenario 2) if I tell them that I'm applying to them only, they'll see it as me being unambitious and without other choices, and will be less likely to accept me. 

Any thoughts...? Appreciate your comments.

I am not sure that the admission committee will see your list, school administration  wants to know which other schools are their "peers" for statistics.

This is said, when I got accepted the PI in each school asked me where did I apply and where did I get in. In this way when the decision was on my side they had an idea which programs are they competing against. So to answer your question I do not think your answer will factor in the admission decision in any way. If you have more than one admission in hand and those are from similar programs you might get a leverage when/ if you are negotiating funding (if those terms are negotiable).

Edited November 5, 2015 by kaykaykay

[IndEnth]

Hey guys,

 

woah, I'm so glad to hear that not everyone is already done with their SoP and just chillin' while I'm still totally struggling! I started this process so early - or at least so I thought - but now with less than four weeks to go I'm totally going nuts over the statement...

 

Also, yes, my profile is a patch work ;)

Profile:

Undergrad:

Journalism, Top journalism school in Germany

Economics, University of Cologne, GPA 4.0

Graduate:

PolSci, University of Mumbai, GPA 3.94

GRE: 166(v)/167(q)/5.5(a)

TOEFL: 118

Applying for:

Comparative politics, regional focus South Asia, 15 schools in the top 50

[IndEnth]

On 30/10/2015 02:34:32, MauBicara said:

Would anybody be willing to swap SOPs for feedback? I've managed to get a (I think) decent draft together, but I'd really like to get another pair of eyes to go over it, if anybody is willing. I'm more than happy to return the favour! 

I would be up for that! As I'm very new to this (and have been out of the academic loop for a couple of years, graduated in 2012) I wouldn't mind getting someone else's input too.

[cgfren08]

For interviews, do you usually have to do them in person? Not sure I have the time to drive 20 hours to any potential school. 

[Determinedandnervous]

1 minute ago, cgfren08 said:

For interviews, do you usually have to do them in person? Not sure I have the time to drive 20 hours to any potential school. 

They are able to do interviews over the phone and on skype.

[cooperstreet]

I don't know of any programs that do interviews

[smallworld]

I had interviews with two schools before being admitted, and they were both over the phone.

[Penelope Higgins]

I believe that Emory traditionally flies people in for interviews.

[Bubandis]

Stony Brook has conducted Skype interviews for the past couple of years. Majority of places do not interview, though.

All programs worth attending with fly you out to visit once accepted, however.

Edited November 7, 2015 by Bubandis

[IRTheoryNerd]

Friends: as the season for submitting applications draws near, I want to offer to answer any questions I can about the political science PhD program at Northwestern. If you intend to apply to Northwestern and have any questions, feel free to message me. Best of luck to you all. You all deserve it. 

[cooperstreet]

7 hours ago, Moofasa said:

I want to go into International Relations - specifically Asia studies.

I don't understand this. "Asia studies" would be something like comparative politics, which is regional. Most IR programs are not regionally focused.

[StyLeD]

16 hours ago, cooperstreet said:

I don't understand this. "Asia studies" would be something like comparative politics, which is regional. Most IR programs are not regionally focused.

I think the difference between the two is a matter of nuance. If you study Asia from a comparatist perspective you are looking at and contrasting domestic, political, and cultural institutions. If you study Asia from an IR perspective you are looking at the bilateral and multilateral relationships between the two countries and the rest of the world. They have a ton of overlap. 

@Moofasa Schools like Georgetown SFS and Columbia SIPA have excellent IR and Asia faculty. Georgetown offers free language courses below the advanced level; Columbia has the most Asia specialists; and SAIS has a Nanjing campus which is very well-known. Assuming you are applying for an MA program, your scores you should be competitive for most of these programs. Refer to this website for a list of rankings by IR academics.

I would take an especially close look at UCSD's School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (recently renamed the School of Global Policy and Strategy) for both MA and PhD. Even though they are switching to a more inclusive name and degree title, the program is still very unique and distinguished for its location and focus on the Asia Pacific. 

Edited November 15, 2015 by StyLeD

[cgfren08]

Program deadlines range from December 1 all the way to February. Does response have any relationship with deadline time or will most decisions not be made until spring?

[Moofasa]

What PhD programs am I capable of getting into that have several Asian scholars?

[cooperstreet]

18 hours ago, Moofasa said:

What PhD programs am I capable of getting into that have several Asian scholars?

For IR? There are only a handful of schools that have political scientists who specialize in Asia and study IR.

[cupofnimbus]

What is the group's sense about LORs? I'm 5 years out from my Master's program, 8 years out of my undergrad, and have had a heavily research-oriented career. I am applying to primarily policy-oriented programs.

I have a strong reference from my graduate program, but due to the structure of the school (dozens of faculty, many adjuncts or visiting professors), never had the chance to build up strong working relationships with any other faculty. I can seek out another reference there, but it won't be as strong as the other. Would programs look down on a LOR from an undergraduate professor (who personally and academically mentored me, for whom I did undergrad TAships, is extremely familiar with my research, work habits, and whom I have stayed in contact with) I haven't had a class with in 8 years? Or should I ask for another professional reference who can speak to my more recent research?

[gradphil]

Hi all! I am from Asia and nuclear security intrigues me the most. I have studied law and International relations--both at master's level and written two dissertations which focus on nuclear security--particularly the latest wave of nuclear proliferation and nuclear disarmament. In addition, I have spoken at thee international conferences (Two at U.K universities and one at a top security think-tank in the U.S.). My MS. study was funded by the British government (tuition fees-stipend etc.) at a top-ranking university in the UK and I was also able to secure a bunch of travel grants from other organisations including the United Nations to participate in a couple of short courses on nuclear and cyber security.

I know the theory, academics whose work inspire me and more importantly what I want to do. However, I am at a serious disadvantage when it comes to GRE scores (V-157; Q-161; AW-Awaiting) and less than appreciable grades in the MS. dissertation. These are the only Achilles heels which I feel will militate against my odds of acceptance at top and second tier programs in IR. 

GRE is very much a learn-able exam, at least this is what I have learnt from people and out of my own experience. But the only dilemma I had I did not have time beyond two weeks to prepare and take the exam given the little time I was left with after the submission of MS. Dissertation.  Had I had invested a reasonable time— say a month or so — I believe, I would have fared far better in verbal than I currently have. Now the applications deadlines at my favorite programs are only one-two weeks away, and I am afraid retake is simply not possible or helpful in the current application cycle.

A similar predicament goes with the dissertation. Though I started it much earlier, at least three months before the deadline but given the scope of the project--involving a set of histories and tedious fact checking-- and somewhat delay in feedback on research proposal, I almost ran out of time and had to submit the unedited and un-proofread draft which I later found out, and was rightly identified in the official feedback, had structural flaws—implicit and sometimes wanting argument. This inevitably led my otherwise distinction level score to much lower than what I had expected. I am wondering, against the backdrop of two inauspicious events, do I stand a chance to be on board at these program — Columbia, Stanford, MIT, Georgetown, GW, Duke, Cornell, OSU and SAIS, John Hopkins — or should I go further down the ranking to consider lesser known programs to be on safe side?

For a more nuanced and deep insight a snapshot of my profile is listed below:

Undergrad Institution: A lesser known institute in Asia but nonetheless reputable.

Major: Law

GPA: (3.4/4 as per WES)

Grad Institution: Same as undergrad.

Degree: LLM

 

GPA: (4.00/4.00 as calculated by WES)

Grad Institution: Top-10 in U.K and top-100 in the world.

Major: International Relations

GPA: (3.4/4.00 as per WES equivalence)

GRE: V-157, Q-161, AW- Awaiting but I guess somewhere between 3.5 to 5.5

Quant Prep. Linear Algebra (A); Calculus up to multivariable (A), Statistics (A+) Macroeconomics (B+).

Letter of Recommendation: All from Grad school. Hopefully positive J

Research/related experience: LLM Thesis, 73% (70% is a 4.0 by conversion) and MS. Thesis Less than 60%.

Teaching Experience: Teaching law at my grad institution to undergrad students. 

Research Interests: IR theory, democratization, civil-military relations and nuclear (in)security with regional focus on South Asia and Middle East. 

Publication: Co-authored one paper at an international publishing house. Master’s thesis along with couple of term papers are in line for publication.

[mb712]

On 11/15/2015, 12:02:07, cgfren08 said:

Program deadlines range from December 1 all the way to February. Does response have any relationship with deadline time or will most decisions not be made until spring?

I heard from my January 15th deadline school by February 1st, and my February 1st deadline school by Valentine's Day. I didn't hear from December 1-15th deadline schools until the end of February. But, n=1 (and 75% of my applications were to psychology programs, 25% to political science). I have no idea if this is typical or not.

[Determinedandnervous]

I have submitted my applications for 5 of the schools I'm applying to. My god, I feel so nervous already. How's everyone else on their applications?

Edited November 26, 2015 by Determinedandnervous

[CarefreeWritingsontheWall]

What's the average number of programs people are applying to? I'm looking at 7 right now, which seems like a lot.

[terefere]

5 minutes ago, CarefreeWritingsontheWall said:

What's the average number of programs people are applying to? I'm looking at 7 right now, which seems like a lot.

I am applying to 15 programs, but not just political science.

[Determinedandnervous]

I am also applying to 15 programs.

[MauBicara]

I'm sending off to 7-- the first of which are going out Sunday evening.  

[terefere]

Well, if you've chosen your programs well, 7 should be enough. In the end, you just need one acceptance. One of the reasons I have 15 is also because of a two-body problem. Another is that I expect a lot of variation in my results, so having more schools is probably a good idea.

[CarefreeWritingsontheWall]

I'm applying to 7 largely because expanding beyond that is hard for me to afford. I don't qualify for fee waivers as an international applicant. I expect my results to vary just the same but it is what it is. I think I would prefer to do 10 but then I also feel like I'm stretching fit.