Please help me choose MA and PhD programs!

Graduate School
1

<p>Hi everyone, </p>

<p>I need some help choosing programs to apply to for Fall 2008. I am looking at Masters programs in IR and public policy, as well as (possibly) PhD Programs in Political Science/Interdisciplinary degrees. Because of my unusual profile and specific interests, I really need some advice about where to apply. </p>

<p>Stats:
UGrad Honours BA in English, with Distinction - 3.5ish GPA
Grad MA in English, concentration in Modern Culture/Thought - "A-" equivalent GPA at top Euro school (I know, not so great for grad school)
GREs 640/640/5.5
I only have taken 2 courses (300 level) in Poli Sci and 1 in Econ, and these were my most recent courses. 1 "A", 2 "A+" grades (one of which was intro to micro). </p>

<p>Despite my academic concentration in Literature, my professional endeavors (internships and full-time) have all been in the human rights/international journalism/international development field. I'm currently working as a communications consultant for the UNDP in South East Asia. Most of my internships were with well-known, "prestigious" (god I hate that word-but I guess it matters in this context) organizations. </p>

<p>Academic interests: Transitional justice, democratization and development, particularly in SE Asia but my interests are comparative; international legal/political/security institutions; international policy; education policy. </p>

<p>I am looking for a diverse faculty, with at least some members who do not toe the proverbial line regarding international aid/development. I am a big believer in the self-determination of nations. Any departments with research that goes beyond the typical "we can make poverty history - and here's how" model would be of great interest to me. </p>

<p>I know MA programs would be my best bet, but I would still like to look into PhD programs, if only for future reference, since my ultimate goal is to be a professor. </p>

<p>I was accepted to AU SIS for Fall 2007 (MA in Intl Politics), but will continue working instead with the hopes of getting into a better program for my interests. </p>

<p>Sorry for the long post, guys. Any suggestions?</p>

2

<p>No takers?</p>

<p>Anyone know about Berkeley's PhD in Jurisprudence and Social Policy? I just found the program doing an online search, and it seems as though it might be a good fit for me.</p>

3

<p>JSP is a high quality program, but (my sense is that) it is very theory driven.</p>

<p>Not a lot of poli sci departments have a strong SE Asia program - maybe Emory, Chicago, and Yale might be decent places to explore?</p>

4

<p>You may want to take a look at the Maxwell School of Citizenship at Syracuse University. It offers both MA and PhD programs in IR, and has an excellent reputation in Public Policy/Administration.</p>

5

<p>Thanks for the replies! I will definitely check out the Maxwell School. </p>

<p>Yale would actually be ideal, because of the Cambodian Genocide project there, but I feel as though it would be a waste of money to apply, even to the M.A. program....I mean, I only have a 3.5 Ugrad GPA, a mediocre Grad GPA, and weak GRE scores....I mean, I assume the average admitted applicant has way higher numbers, no? </p>

<p>Not that I expect to get into Berkeley either....I was just curious about the program.</p>

6

<p>Your stats are actually fine for Yale, as far as I can tell. Poli Sci PhD programs care way more about fit and what you will bring to their program than they do about your grades. I'm sure Yale would prefer someone such as yourself who has good practical experience and a clear idea of what he (or she?) wants to study as opposed to some yahoo with a 4.0 GPA and no clue why he wants a PhD.</p>

7

<p>Thanks jmleadpipe! It's nice to hear some encouragement....of course, Yale only accepts 11% of PhD applicants, but I was reading their FAQ and it seems as though my GRE's are within their range. I guess it might be worth a try, I just hope my recommenders don't laugh at me when they see the schools I'm applying to!!!</p>

8

<p>Rory,</p>

<p>Yale is tough to get into and your lack of Poli Sci background might hurt you, despite the fact that your credentials are top notch. Have you considered doing an MA in Political Science then applying for a PhD? Maybe that is what you are planning and I just misread your posts.</p>

9

<p>The majority of my applications will be to Masters programs in IR/Poli Sci/Policy....as for those programs that are a perfect fit for my research and don't offer an MA, I will apply to their PhD programs.....without any expectation of actually being accepted, of course.......</p>

10

<p>Rory 123: IMO, you will greatly enhance your chances to get into a PhD program if you go to an IR MA program and do really well at one of these. The ones that spring to mind are:</p>

<p>Johns Hopkins SAIS (which has a dedicated SE Asia program)
Columbia SIPA
Tufts Fletcher
UCSD IRPS
Maybe Georgetown</p>

<p>These schools bill themselves as professional schools, but many of them graduate a lot of people into top-notch PhD programs. Eg., a classmate of mine at SAIS went: Admit to Harvard/Yale Reject Berkeley/Stanford in Asia-focused Poli Sci. Another Admit: Berkeley Reject Harvard in Economics etc., etc.</p>

<p>Why this kind of program would be good for you is that one of these programs if not all may accept you if you write a solid application. These schools weight the kind of experience you have heavily. Then you can "leg up" for the PhD program.</p>

<p>More academically focused MA programs like Berkeley or Yale in Asian Studies might serve the same purpose, but I think you'll be better off with one of the school's I mentioned. Having said that, perhaps Berkeley's Goldman School does have a cadre of policy-focused international students, I don't know.</p>

11

<p>I second what Incredulous said. With your work experience you will be in good shape for alot of the "professional" MA programs such as Tufts, SAIS, and SIPA. You may get dinged by a few, but i'm sure you will be accepted by a few too. From there you can look at the options for PhD's.</p>

<p>Consider also that Asian studies doesnt begin and end with Yale, Stanford, or Berkeley. Those are probably some of the best, but UCLA has a fairly good crop of scholars who focus on Asia as do several other West Coast schools such as Washington, if I'm not mistaken.</p>

12

<p>
[quote]
Consider also that Asian studies doesnt begin and end with Yale, Stanford, or Berkeley. Those are probably some of the best, but UCLA has a fairly good crop of scholars who focus on Asia as do several other West Coast schools such as Washington, if I'm not mistaken.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>jmleadpipe is right on this. I tend to take the anti-CC view that there are a lot of good programs that can serve one's purposes well. I think in your situation, you are aiming to build up some cachet and prestige to prepare for applying to a PhD program. In that case, I would take the best you can get into, in terms of prestige: Berkeley, Stanford, Harvard, Yale, and I believe Michigan have the really prestigious programs, I think. But UCLA, Princeton, U. Washington, and probably a host of others probably are mostly as good for an MA in Asian Studies. Also, though, consider which have an infrastructure for MA study. I don't know if Berkeley does. Stanford's MA in International Studies is broadly considered second tier to the others I named above. I have always been impressed with UCSD's IR/PS program as well as (mostly) the people coming out of there. [But mostly is what applies at pretty much any school.]</p>