Jump to content

2017-2018 Application Cycle


IR44

Recommended Posts

36 minutes ago, tigerlilies said:

Haven't been to any yet but extremely curious why so??

I think there are two reasons. The first is that departments are generally pretty good at selling themselves, so whatever attractive aspects led to one applying to a school are magnified during the visits. The second is that putting an actual face to a name makes things more difficult. Meeting professors and graduate students at the programs makes the possibility of attending the schools feel real. Instead of abstract thoughts about taking classes and performing research, it becomes more realistic to imagine oneself there. Instead of just a name that you've emailed with or a campus seen through photo's, the visits humanize the process, at least for me.

Edited by Hamb
grammar
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As an update: Pitt rejected my PHD offer but offered me a second masters in Security & Intelligence Studies...but the first year is unfunded.

Thoughts? I would love another masters especially since this one is so different from my current masters program (European Union Studies). 

But the thought of taking on another $30k in loans kills my little old heart. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

47 minutes ago, katieb93 said:

As an update: Pitt rejected my PHD offer but offered me a second masters in Security & Intelligence Studies...but the first year is unfunded.

Thoughts? I would love another masters especially since this one is so different from my current masters program (European Union Studies). 

But the thought of taking on another $30k in loans kills my little old heart. 

Since you already have a Masters, I think it's a bad idea to get into any debt to get another one. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

katieb93, i wouldn't. what's your end goal for the PhD - academia? If so, multiple thousands in loans isn't a good move. the market is tight and it will take forever to pay off (not sure how grand Pitt's placement record is either?) 

if you're interested in security studies generally, i'd really recommend working at a D.C. think tank. you get the equivalent research/writing experience to a second masters, but with the benefit of publishing in unique places. and! you get paid. :) ISW tends to to cycle through russia experts with relative speed - maybe worth a look?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, katieb93 said:

As an update: Pitt rejected my PHD offer but offered me a second masters in Security & Intelligence Studies...but the first year is unfunded.

Thoughts? I would love another masters especially since this one is so different from my current masters program (European Union Studies). 

But the thought of taking on another $30k in loans kills my little old heart. 

Try to publish something in a peer-reviewed journal and apply for an internship. They will help you more than an additional master's degree. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Sheldon2017 said:

You don't have to really publish it. Even if you get a revise and resubmit request, it still is better than doing a second master for 30k

I turned my MA thesis into a paper, submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. Got an R&R, resubmitted and got accepted. Unfortunately, the acceptance came a couple of months too late for my PhD applications...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Asaid said:

How's this possible in a year?

It's definitely possible. I published a research seminar article of mine in 9 months. Submitted in late August, got a R&R in October, re-submitted after a week from the R&R prompt and was accepted in early December. Of course, it's not in a top-notch journal like APSR or AJPS, but I'd say it did boost my CV.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, dr.strange said:

It's definitely possible. I published a research seminar article of mine in 9 months. Submitted in late August, got a R&R in October, re-submitted after a week from the R&R prompt and was accepted in early December. Of course, it's not in a top-notch journal like APSR or AJPS, but I'd say it did boost my CV.

how do you do this if you are not affiliated with an academic institution (i.e. you've been out of school for a year or so)?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

53 minutes ago, Neo_Institutionalist said:

how do you do this if you are not affiliated with an academic institution (i.e. you've been out of school for a year or so)?

As your work will go through blinded peer-review, anyone with a good piece of work *theoretically* should be able to publish. Of course, being out of school means that you might not be able to receive feedback from professors/ lecturers , but that per se should not bar you from publishing. 

Edited by dr.strange
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, politicalScience said:

Same here. My application cycle is now officially over.

Same. I feel a bit weird because I applied to their MA before and was rejected. To me it's a bit unfair to the master applicants because they might have to compete with the PhD applicants for a place in the MA.
Anyway, this short rant aside, my cycle on the US side is over. Waiting on funding decisions from some UK schools before I can wrap this cycle up..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, CandyCanes said:

Has anyone else not heard back from Chicago yet? I'm guessing I got rejected from their PhD program, but I'm wondering why they're taking so long to tell me.

Yup!  I got into MAPSS (I posted earlier, but panic-hid the post when no one else posted, and only then realized "hide" = "delete" on these forums...)

But it was an email, so you might still have hope :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

25 minutes ago, Ayerbender said:

Yup!  I got into MAPSS (I posted earlier, but panic-hid the post when no one else posted, and only then realized "hide" = "delete" on these forums...)

But it was an email, so you might still have hope :)

Did you mean you didn't hear back from their PhD program and only recently heard back for MAPSS?

Why did you panic hide when nobody else posted?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use