Poli sci PhD, undergrad math major

Graduate School
1

<p>I am currently an undergraduate at Columbia majoring in math. I want to apply for a PhD in political science.</p>

<p>Background: </p>

<p>GPA: 3.8</p>

<p>GRE: (to be taken in July)</p>

<p>Letters of Rec: Very strong</p>

<p>PoliSci Courses:
completed 2 courses, Law and Society; Intro to IR (these were taken at UPenn, but the problem is this was in 2007)
planned (for fall 2011): Theories of IR (Jervis, 6000-level), Political Systems of S. Asia (Oldenburg, 4000-level)</p>

<p>Languages: I speak and read/write fluently in Hindi. I speak Punjabi fluently, but cannot write. I am taking Punjabi in the fall and anticipate that I will be fluent in reading/writing by the time I will graduate (this assumption is based off of what happened to me with regards Hindi in the previous year)</p>

<p>Jobs/Research: I have tutored calculus I-III for four semesters. Last summer I worked on a string theory research project from a NASA cosmology grant, and this summer I am working on a math research project from an REU-NSF grant. I am still, however, trying to see if I can get a poli sci-related internship..</p>

<p>My problem is that I was initially told that I had no shot at graduate admissions (by a Barnard professor) because I did not even have a minor in poli sci and it seemed as though my decision to go into poli sci seemed whimsical.( I actually began college as a poli sci, pre-med major but changed it soon thereafter)
I have heard vastly different things from professors here. One professor, who is a tenured, full-time faculty member, in the political science and economics department, said I should have no problem at being admitted to top programs. Another professor, who is also tenured and considered to be a prominent figure in his field, warned me of how competitive programs are and how difficult it is to gain admission. Yet another professor, who is an adjunct but well-respected in his field nonetheless, said I would likely do well in the program--provided that I was admitted.</p>

<p>I am scared and have no idea what to do because I am getting conflicting advice from almost everyone I ask. I am terrified that I will not get in anywhere, which is painful because this is what I want to do and the thought of not being able to do just that is despairing.</p>

<p>If anyone has any advice as to how I should approach this, it would be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>Thank you</p>

2

<p>phD is different than undergraduate, first you need to find a topic you are really passionate about and find a professor that you want to study under. Your math background should be useful being able to create models for voting patterns etc etc. Before you apply for a phD I’d suggest get some kind of experience, work for a think tank, a politician, an ngo, you don’t need to study poly sci to get a phD but having experience after college with buttress any doubts an Adcomm might have. I disagree with the professor that says you can’t get a phD. Some of the best articles I’ve read have used advanced mathematical models to prove their arguments. Since you are at Columbia I suggest trying to take a course or two at SIPA and perhaps try to get an internship at the UN.</p>

3

<p>PoliSci is a very broad field – what do you want to do research in?</p>

<p>If you’re into formal modeling/game theory, you should have no problem since the toughest part of that is the math/statistics</p>

<p>If you’re into political theory, comparative, international relations, government, etc., this may be a lot more difficult since you need to be very knowledgeable of the literature before you even begin applying (math plays a much smaller role compared to formal modeling)</p>

4

<p>Thank you for your input; I really appreciate it. </p>

<p>The advice that the both of you are providing, ie getting jobs, writing about wanting to work with a particular professor, is what I thought I was supposed to do–until a professor from the department told me not to.</p>

<p>He said that you should not specify a professor because that professor’s biggest critic may be on admissions and you won’t even know it. He also said it was not important to do research or an internship this summer–but he did not say why.</p>

<p>Oyama, sorry I did not specify this earlier. I want to do formal quantitative theory (for those departments who have such a program) or political theory with a methods concentration. (By theory I mean the quant. stuff, not classical political theory). I intend to write a person statement that ties my passion for political science into my appreciation for using math in the positivist study of many issues, particularly those concerning South Asian security and defense.</p>

5

<p>If your personal statement is moving with regards to your passions you should be fine. When you apply to programs look at their faculty and maybe suggest 3 or 4 professors or a defined specific subfield you would be interested in doing. Some programs online tell you to name professors, if it doesn’t specify name several persons who peek your interest.</p>

6

<p>With regards to your math degree, it is solid but not taking significant amounts of Poli Sci courses may cause top programs to reject you regardless of your academic achievement. They are looking for people commited to Poli Sci-your academic transcript does not show that yet. Apply to mid tier programs and they should pick you up with a greater likelihood-also try to get a 650 Verbal GRE or higher especially when applying to upper tier schools.</p>