state theory: which grad schools?

[mln]

Hi!

I am considering applying for a phd in political science. I come from europe so applying to US universities is

probably even more of a jungle to me; anyway, I'm completely lost in evaluating

which school would fit and where I would have a shot.

I was hoping you guys could help me out here....

do I need to include an outline for a doctoral thesis in my application? i haven't found any information on that on any of the school's webpages.

I would want to focus on state theory; at the moment I am specifically interested in state theory of developing states, so I would probably pick comparative politics combined with area studies as a subfield. does anyone happen to know which schools I should target? plus, do I need to include information that specific in my application?

almost all schools I have looked at want a writing sample - would a part of my thesis be a good idea for that? the topic is not exactly state theory - the subfield is international politics/international institutions. still my thesis is probably the best paper I have written yet. i have never published anything, is that an absolute prerequisite? because if so, I can immediately stop even considering applying.

i guess the university system in europe is pretty different - huge universities, very low professor: student - ratios. getting strong LOR is very hard given that its very hard to even get to know professors well enough for them to remember your name

i have a diploma in political science which in europe is considered the equivalent of a bachelor and masters degree. if i were accepted at a grad school, i would not be able to immediately start a phd since a european masters is not considered the equivalent of an american one. still, i went to university for six years including a foreign semester in cuba (btw: would that be an obstacle?) and got an A on my thesis.

if anyone who took the time to read through this could evaluate how suited I am for a phd, i would greatly appreciate it.

a lot of questions, i know..I would be extremely grateful for help!!

m.

[Penelope Higgins]

your writing sample should be the best thing you've written that is relevant to political science. A part of your thesis (not the literature review!) would be fine.

For US schools you do not need to include an outline of your doctoral thesis, since you will be spending the first two years taking courses and developing a proposal for the thesis.

And a semester in Cuba would certainly not hurt you.

As for schools to consider (though without more information we have no sense of how strong your application will be), Harvard, University of Chicago, University of Washington, Berkeley, and Brown come to mind as schools with faculty who work on the state in the developing world. You don't mention a geographic region of interest, so it is hard to be more specific.

Hi!

I am considering applying for a phd in political science. I come from europe so applying to US universities is

probably even more of a jungle to me; anyway, I'm completely lost in evaluating

which school would fit and where I would have a shot.

I was hoping you guys could help me out here....

do I need to include an outline for a doctoral thesis in my application? i haven't found any information on that on any of the school's webpages.

I would want to focus on state theory; at the moment I am specifically interested in state theory of developing states, so I would probably pick comparative politics combined with area studies as a subfield. does anyone happen to know which schools I should target? plus, do I need to include information that specific in my application?

almost all schools I have looked at want a writing sample - would a part of my thesis be a good idea for that? the topic is not exactly state theory - the subfield is international politics/international institutions. still my thesis is probably the best paper I have written yet. i have never published anything, is that an absolute prerequisite? because if so, I can immediately stop even considering applying.

i guess the university system in europe is pretty different - huge universities, very low professor: student - ratios. getting strong LOR is very hard given that its very hard to even get to know professors well enough for them to remember your name

i have a diploma in political science which in europe is considered the equivalent of a bachelor and masters degree. if i were accepted at a grad school, i would not be able to immediately start a phd since a european masters is not considered the equivalent of an american one. still, i went to university for six years including a foreign semester in cuba (btw: would that be an obstacle?) and got an A on my thesis.

if anyone who took the time to read through this could evaluate how suited I am for a phd, i would greatly appreciate it.

a lot of questions, i know..I would be extremely grateful for help!!

m.