Poli-sci PhD programs: Michigan or Columbia?

[minoxum]

Hello GradCafe!  

 

I'm a Fall 2017 applicant for U.S. political science PhD programs.  I really appreciate the camaraderie and kindness displayed in the applicant discussion forums, as well as the invaluable pieces of advice and information.  To that end, I'm here to ask for some more advice!

 

As the application cycle is wrapping up, my most likely options will be Michigan and Columbia.  I haven't made a decision yet, but one thing that holds me back from Michigan's otherwise outstanding program is their funding situation:  they have a so-called ten-term rule (http://lsa.umich.edu/lsa/faculty-staff/graduate-education/policies/the-ten-term-rule.html) that limits funding from the College General Fund for doctoral candidates to ten semesters.  Could any insiders provide some insight on:

 

1)  how realistic it is to get funding beyond the fifth year; and

2)  anything else about Michigan or Columbia that might help in making a decision.  For example, I'm wondering what the departmental culture is like at each institution.  I have heard that faculty at some top-ten departments overwork their students--as in this thread (http://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/86719-some-words-of-caution/#comment-1058436012), some students work 70+ hours every week and are told that they are "falling behind if they're not reading in the shower."  In contrast, another poster in that same thread states that a (well-focused) 9-to-5 work schedule was sufficient.  I of course understand that a PhD will not (and should not) be a picnic, but I'm trying to get a sense of whether the coursework component at either school is more like an excuse to torment students than an opportunity to prepare students for their dissertation phase.

3)  the relative strengths of the international relations departments in each school.

 

Thank you all very much in advance!

Edited February 18, 2017 by minoxum

[minoxum]

As I understand that current Ph.D. students may not visit GradCafe much, I'd also love to get secondhand advice from reliable sources.  There is always the option of asking the faculty and students at visiting days, but I am skeptical of their ability and willingness to give straightforward answers.

[Monody]

1) I can only partially speak for Columbia as it is the school I am going to, but it seems to me like funding after the fifth year is pretty certain given how regularly it is alluded to in the material they provide on the website.

2) I guess whether you feel overworked depends on what kind of person you are, how you work, and how fast and efficient you are at it and maybe less on the program. Personally, I wake up every morning at 6 and work from 8AM (10AM on the weekends) to 17:30+PM and then go to bed at 10 PM. Some would say that this is excessive (my grand-mother), others would consider it as normal. I would be bored if I wouldn't do it and if I were to only focus on the courses I am taking now, I would only do stuff on two days a week which would feel frustrating. In sum, in your place I would ask myself what kind of person I am and then contact current graduate students at the departments to ask about their experience to do some comparisons.

3) Given their rank, I would say that they may be both generally good. But again, it depends on what you are actually interested in. I do IR and for example didn't apply at Havard because they quasi-literally have nobody who is working in my field of interest. Columbia on the other hand is practically a dream come true.

[minoxum]

Thanks Monody.  Although I'm definitely interested in American politics and international relations, I'm still not certain as to which I want to major in, so I'd need to go to a school that is strong in both fields.

Edited February 18, 2017 by minoxum

[resDQ]

4 hours ago, minoxum said:

Thanks Monody.  Although I'm definitely interested in American politics and international relations, I'm still not certain as to which I want to major in, so I'd need to go to a school that is strong in both fields.

 

Grad school isn't undergrad and making switches between comparative and IR is not irregular, but confused between American and IR? No offense, it is a bit strange that you do not know what you are interested in. Unless you are an IR person examining something like the US role in the world....What did you write in your SOP? 

[CarefreeWritingsontheWall]

I can't say anything about the department culture of either, but I have spent time in both cities/on both campuses and the vibe is very different. Ann Arbor is a sprawling suburb, with the university's main campus blurring in with the main town centre. That said, there are a lot of stores, really unique restaurants and some great coffee shops. Certainly a large university town than most other university towns (and Zingerman's sandwiches are worth the walk!). UMich has a very large state school type vibe, school sports are a big deal (especially football...tour the stadium it's intense) and the greek life is massive. It's hard to find a house on campus that isn't owned by a fraternity or sorority. The cons are the non-existence of a large, cheap grocery store on campus. There are plenty that are driving distance away (Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Meijer amongst others) but big box retailer shopping certainly required a vehicle to get to. I was there in the summer and found local transit pretty crappy as well - we wound up stranded at a Target when two buses didn't show. It's probably better when school is in session, but this was just my experience. Also, considering it's a university town the rent is also surprisingly expensive. It felt like I was paying to live in a New York suburb...

Columbia, on the other hand, is the big city experience. Morningside Heights (the area surrounding Columbia) is nice, and away from the tourist hot zones in Manhattan but it's still Manhattan so the energy is there. I really fell in love with New York as a city. It has such a great array of parks and squares, restaurants and cafés. Transit is really accessible snd the coverage is great. I never had to wait more than a few minutes to catch a train (though it is expensive relative to some other cities). The benefit of being in New York is that you also have the ability to escape campus and take a breather without going very far - not hard to find a new part of the city to explore or a new coffee shop to work out of. Columbia does have subsidized housing for graduate students as well, and the apartments are quite nice from what I've heard (but no singles unless you're married or have children I think?). 

IR at both is comparable, though Columbia has lost a number of great professors in the last few years. They also didn't offer JU tenure, which means he'll be on the move. Michigan does sponsor ICPSR, so on top of their in house methods training they have a really powerful set of courses offered every year in the summer by faculty they bring in from all over the world. Re: post 5th year funding as well, there are ways to get it at different places if your department itself doesn't have it (Dean's fund, national level funding from SSRC, even your POI, research centres etc.) My sense is that with both of them, as with most top 10s, you won't have to worry.  

[Foxtrott]

Columbia is a fantastic school, but its seems clear that Michigan is the better program, especially if you're doing American. One of my good friends is a third year at Michigan and loves it--can't comment on Columbia but seems like the culture at Michigan is pretty good. In terms of funding, I agree with CarefreeWritingsontheWall, probably not an issue at either place. 

[minoxum]

Thank you all for your helpful input!  Good luck to current applicants as well as current PhD students.