<p>I know I am getting ahead of myself (I'm a second-semester freshman credit-wise), but I would like to know so I have a long-term plan.</p>
<p>What are the expectations for Harvard's D.Phil (or Ph.D. if you wish) program in Government - GPA-wise, extra-curriculars, and GRE-wise? How much weight is placed on reference letters? Is it a good idea to have a senior Honours research project under your belt (I'm in the Honours program at my school, which requires you to write a research thesis or do creative work if you're an English major)?</p>
<p>I'm a double major in English and Government - considering a minor in math/econ to help with grad school prospects - at my school, Gallaudet University. I was accepted with a full scholarship and very strong references (and let's clear this up real fast - I am hard-of-hearing, but slowly losing more as I get older).</p>
<p>I have heard that applying to the law school is a matter of numbers. Is this true? If so, is it also applicable to the graduate school? If so, what numbers are needed?</p>
<p>I would like to apply for a joint JD/D.Phil program in political science, if that helps. I don't really want to be a BigLaw lawyer, but I do want to help write public policy, and a background in law would really help in my career. Also, file this one under "dream school, but wants to know what it takes."</p>
<p>Thanks. Sorry for the poor writing. English is in fact my mother tongue; I am just really tired tonight. I'm also new here! Hi, everybody! You may call me Tom.</p>
<p>JDs have no say in how policy is written. A PhD would be much better suited towards your interests. Never get a JD unless you plan on actually becoming a lawyer (or, at worst, a law professor); it is never worth it.</p>
<p>“If you want to write public policy, you don’t need a PhD, or a JD for that matter.”</p>
<p>There are a lot of people in Congress with JDs and a few with D.Phils. I’m not running for anything (ever…ever, I refuse). They certainly write public policy, unless I missed something on the legislative branch.</p>
<p>I am a research-oriented person and ideally, I would like to work at a university (so a D.Phil would be most beneficial). But I am also OK with working for a think tank or the government, and I may be naive, but wouldn’t a JD help with that?</p>
<p>I am the last person to work for BigLaw. Indeed, I am more interested in the law itself and how people interact with it than the actual practise of law. My dad went to UC Law, then a top tier law school, and has been an attorney for almost 30 years, so I have seen how much work law demands. There are MANY aspects of legal work I find fascinating, like writing briefs, researching law and cases, document review, and with all that, client advocacy. I could see myself doing legal work, part-time and pro-bono. I would only do legal work if I couldn’t find a research/teaching job. Both fields are having a very difficult time right now, with law being even more competitive and oversaturated, and higher ed. just being lots of adjuncts.</p>
<p>But still… I like research and teaching, and to a point, I like the law and like a few aspects of legal work.</p>
<p>What are these “qualitative-wise” aspects you’re talking about? Do you mean personal qualities?</p>
<p>The government department at Harvard accepts about 5% of applicants into the PhD program each year. If you have great GRE scores (700+ in math, high scores in verbal) and a strong GPA, they will look at your letters and personal statement. Essentially nothing else matters: extracurriculars, for example, are irrelevant for graduate admissions. The letters will help you more (1) if they come from people that the faculty have heard of - you only have so much control over this - and (2) if they reflect your intellectual performance and abilities, referring to your written work and research. The personal statement will make or break your chances. One issue is fit with the department: will the faculty on the admissions committee believe that your interests can be advised by a sufficiently large contingent of the faculty? But perhaps a bigger issue is whether you can present a clear intellectual agenda for research in political science. Do not talk about your interest in practicing law or writing policy. You need to sell your research. </p>
<p>There is not (as far as I am aware) a joint JD/PhD program at Harvard - you must gain separate admission to the Government Department and the Law School.</p>
<p>It is true that many politicians have JDs, but not because they got it as a prerequisite to creating policy. Before those individuals were politicians, they had “regular jobs” in which those degrees were used. Similarly, there are former teachers who are politicians, but their masters in education is not a pre-requisite to writing policy.</p>
<p>If your sole goal is to write policy (general, not specific such as education or budgetary) they you will need experience and contacts rather than an advanced degree. If you are looking to research and write specific policy (in a focused area), then a PhD would serve you best. PhD preparation includes research and quantitative analysis work (such as survey work, statistics, etc.). As noted above, letters of recommendation will play some part in acceptances, as well.</p>