UCSB?

[splicanin]

What are some general thoughts? I'm comparative, and I know it is not as prestigious as most of the schools mentioned here, but I am just looking for some general feedback. The one thing I do know, is that Santa Barbara is awesome, so no need to include info on the city!

Thanks!

[Strong Flat White]

  On 2/19/2010 at 6:04 PM, splicanin said:

What are some general thoughts? I'm comparative, and I know it is not as prestigious as most of the schools mentioned here, but I am just looking for some general feedback. The one thing I do know, is that Santa Barbara is awesome, so no need to include info on the city!

Thanks!

I was attracted to UCSB, too, but am starting small (1 app this year) and then going big next year. If I don't get my 1 accept this year, UCSB is at the top of the list simply because it's in Santa Barbara... and isn't San Diego (the impossible school for polisci/IR -- they require a 720 quant, no idea why unless you're trying to turn polisci fully "behavioral," I think some people who aren't hard scientists really really want to be hard scientists). But no, I don't have any meaningful input about the program itself, I've only seen the website..

[POLPSY]

UCSB's placement history is not impressive, they do not have any well-known faculty members other than Jennings, and usually fall way outside the top 50 in most rankings. I have been around some of the graduate students there as well and some of them do not take their schooling very seriously.

[Keller65]

  On 2/19/2010 at 7:30 PM, POLPSY said:

UCSB's placement history is not impressive, they do not have any well-known faculty members other than Jennings, and usually fall way outside the top 50 in most rankings. I have been around some of the graduate students there as well and some of them do not take their schooling very seriously.

Perhaps, but really who can blame them -- the roar of the ocean has a lulling effect on running regressions.

[splicanin]

So if it is the one place you got into with funding ...

Can I hope for any job when I graduate? Think tank, DoD, intelligence, consulting, (academia being a long shot)....I know much of this depends on my performance, but just trying to get as much info as I can.

[SuddenlyParanoid]

According to their website some do reach academia but they don't give numbers of those who fail too. You could probably write to the DGS and ask directly about placement.

http://www.polsci.ucsb.edu/content/view/223/188/

[SBL]

  On 2/19/2010 at 8:03 PM, splicanin said:

So if it is the one place you got into with funding ...

Can I hope for any job when I graduate? Think tank, DoD, intelligence, consulting, (academia being a long shot)....I know much of this depends on my performance, but just trying to get as much info as I can.

Shouldn't have any problem landing DoD or intel if your research is on something relevant to them. - i.e. strong country expertise or terrorism analysis etc. There is a prof there, Jerger-something (sorry bad with names) who has done quite a bit on terrorism. Should speak with him and see what the government prospects are like.

[anony_mous]

  On 2/19/2010 at 9:21 PM, SBL said:

Shouldn't have any problem landing DoD or intel if your research is on something relevant to them. - i.e. strong country expertise or terrorism analysis etc. There is a prof there, Jerger-something (sorry bad with names) who has done quite a bit on terrorism. Should speak with him and see what the government prospects are like.

It's also worth mentioning that Mark Jurgensmeyer is not in the political science department; he is actually in global studies.

[gravityflyer]

  On 2/20/2010 at 10:09 PM, anony_mous said:

It's also worth mentioning that Mark Jurgensmeyer is not in the political science department; he is actually in global studies.

Meanwhile, the poly sci department has lost IR security folks. Most recently Belkin and McDermott.

[splicanin]

Where did Belkin go? I thought he was only gone for the upcoming academic year?

[gravityflyer]

  On 2/21/2010 at 1:55 PM, splicanin said:

Where did Belkin go? I thought he was only gone for the upcoming academic year?

Sorry, I don't know the details with Belkin. When checking out UCSB this past Fall I received a note from Rauchhaus that said "we have lost both Belkin and McDermott to other schools." I did confirm with McDermott who is now at Brown. Since I applied to UCSB I hope you're right and Belkin is only gone temporarily!

[slacktivist]

Belkin is at San Francisco State University.