How do I pursue a PhD?
October 10, 2019 9:11 AM Subscribe
I can't find any real guidance or documentation online re: PhD application processes -- there are just a lot of think pieces about why you shouldn't pursue a PhD. So I guess my question is: when considering a PhD, where do you start; do I need to have everything mapped out before I begin applying + requesting letters, or do I email professors my request and figure it out as I go?
I have dreams of becoming a professor. I think I have the chops: I love to research, teach, learn, spend hours and days and months on a single subject or trying to get to the core of a specific issue; I was very successful in an incredibly challenging undergrad environment; and I'm excited by the prospect of being in an academic setting: surrounded by intelligent, curious, driven students and colleagues who challenge me and my ideas.
I really feel like I don't know where to start, though. I have a lot of anxieties over whether or not I will be successful in completing my degree and even more anxieties over whether or not I will be able to be a successful professor -- will I definitely get a job? will I be paid well? will I be able to teach effectively?
The application deadline is in December. I have outlined a list professors from whom I can request letters of recommendation, I have an idea of what I want to study, I have a short list of schools that I'd like to apply, etc.
But I haven't started applying to any of these programs or asking for letters or making any real progress toward this goal. Largely, I think, for fear of failure or maybe it's imposter syndrome...
I can't find any real guidance or documentation online re: PhD application processes -- there are just a lot of think pieces about why you shouldn't pursue a PhD. So I guess my question is: when considering a PhD, where do you start; do I need to have everything mapped out before I begin applying + requesting letters, or do I email professors my request and figure it out as I go?
I have dreams of becoming a professor. I think I have the chops: I love to research, teach, learn, spend hours and days and months on a single subject or trying to get to the core of a specific issue; I was very successful in an incredibly challenging undergrad environment; and I'm excited by the prospect of being in an academic setting: surrounded by intelligent, curious, driven students and colleagues who challenge me and my ideas.
I really feel like I don't know where to start, though. I have a lot of anxieties over whether or not I will be successful in completing my degree and even more anxieties over whether or not I will be able to be a successful professor -- will I definitely get a job? will I be paid well? will I be able to teach effectively?
The application deadline is in December. I have outlined a list professors from whom I can request letters of recommendation, I have an idea of what I want to study, I have a short list of schools that I'd like to apply, etc.
But I haven't started applying to any of these programs or asking for letters or making any real progress toward this goal. Largely, I think, for fear of failure or maybe it's imposter syndrome...
I can't find any real guidance or documentation online re: PhD application processes -- there are just a lot of think pieces about why you shouldn't pursue a PhD. So I guess my question is: when considering a PhD, where do you start; do I need to have everything mapped out before I begin applying + requesting letters, or do I email professors my request and figure it out as I go?
Conditional on the decision to pursue a PhD: You should have a lot of ducks in a row before you apply, so that your applications are most likely to succeed.
A lot of advice is going to be field-specific (for instance, my understanding is in the physical sciences you contact PIs about lab openings. In economics, you just apply to programs). You should have an idea of what programs you want to apply to and look at their requirements; in general, you're probably going to need to take the GRE (and perhaps a subject test), submit past transcripts, and write some essays. You should contact your letter writers yesterday to talk to them about recommending you (they may say no), and run your plans by them (they may have connections to the institutions that may be helpful, insight about particular programs to avoid because of toxic cultures, etc). If you can get feedback from them about your essays, more the better.
posted by dismas at 9:29 AM on October 10, 2019 [2 favorites]
A lot of advice is going to be field-specific (for instance, my understanding is in the physical sciences you contact PIs about lab openings. In economics, you just apply to programs). You should have an idea of what programs you want to apply to and look at their requirements; in general, you're probably going to need to take the GRE (and perhaps a subject test), submit past transcripts, and write some essays. You should contact your letter writers yesterday to talk to them about recommending you (they may say no), and run your plans by them (they may have connections to the institutions that may be helpful, insight about particular programs to avoid because of toxic cultures, etc). If you can get feedback from them about your essays, more the better.
posted by dismas at 9:29 AM on October 10, 2019 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Sorry -- field of study would be helpful context!
Generally looking at International Relations, Political Science, or even History -- dependent on individual schools' program structure and academic interest of the professors in the program.
posted by mrk021 at 9:34 AM on October 10, 2019
Generally looking at International Relations, Political Science, or even History -- dependent on individual schools' program structure and academic interest of the professors in the program.
posted by mrk021 at 9:34 AM on October 10, 2019
And seconding madcaptenor: Although not every field is doom-and-gloom, you should really have a clear idea of what the modal outcome of a PhD is in your field. It may be directly-into-industry rather than professorship. It may be kicking around as an adjunct/visitor/postdoc for several years with some chance of getting a TT position. The job market for certain fields of the humanities is really quite bad, and it may be that the PhD does not aid your employment prospects.
I teach at a small liberal arts college, but I teach in economics, which continues to have a very healthy job market for PhDs. What struck me at my faculty orientation about my colleagues in other departments was how much more qualified they were than I was - some of that's my impostor syndrome, but many of them had several years of experience in teaching and established research networks before landing a TT job in rural-ish Minnesota. It's a great place to teach and I love it here, but the competition for these kinds of jobs can be quite fierce and depressingly luck-and-politics based.
posted by dismas at 9:35 AM on October 10, 2019 [5 favorites]
I teach at a small liberal arts college, but I teach in economics, which continues to have a very healthy job market for PhDs. What struck me at my faculty orientation about my colleagues in other departments was how much more qualified they were than I was - some of that's my impostor syndrome, but many of them had several years of experience in teaching and established research networks before landing a TT job in rural-ish Minnesota. It's a great place to teach and I love it here, but the competition for these kinds of jobs can be quite fierce and depressingly luck-and-politics based.
posted by dismas at 9:35 AM on October 10, 2019 [5 favorites]
If you're doing politics or history or even IR, there's an exceptionally High chance you won't land a tenure track position no matter how smart you are. Check out placement lists for your programs of interest before you apply. Everyone at good programs is very very smart and ambitious, and so much of the process is a crapshoot it's hard to predict in advance who will actually end up a professor. Keep that in mind as you apply.
Also, the best people to get advice from on applying to phds is your recommenders. Meet with them all if you can and ask about everything. Also, you can try meeting with department chairs in some fields before you even apply to their programs, though not all will be open to that
posted by shaademaan at 9:37 AM on October 10, 2019 [4 favorites]
Also, the best people to get advice from on applying to phds is your recommenders. Meet with them all if you can and ask about everything. Also, you can try meeting with department chairs in some fields before you even apply to their programs, though not all will be open to that
posted by shaademaan at 9:37 AM on October 10, 2019 [4 favorites]
This is just a link-dump of some articles I collected when I was going to make an "applying to grad school" handout for my undergrads, but didn't finish the project because the semester started and etc.
Graduate School Resources
Important College Application Deadlines You Can't Miss
When to Apply for Grad School: 4 Key Considerations
Timeline for Applying to Graduate School
posted by See you tomorrow, saguaro at 9:42 AM on October 10, 2019 [1 favorite]
Graduate School Resources
Important College Application Deadlines You Can't Miss
When to Apply for Grad School: 4 Key Considerations
Timeline for Applying to Graduate School
posted by See you tomorrow, saguaro at 9:42 AM on October 10, 2019 [1 favorite]
I don't doubt folks here will continue to have good feedback, but I'll also suggest r/gradadmissions as a place to find a steady stream of input. The top post there definitely resembles my experience and in its implications says a lot about factors you should be trying to manage when selecting schools, even though the point is to sympathize over factors beyond your control.
I don't know about International Relations / Poli Sci, but History is close enough to my field that I'd suppose your statement of purpose will matter a lot for matching you with faculty who can work with you--they may like to see a shared sense of how to approach a problem, including mention of what you've read and how it informs what you'd like to work on. Skimming papers/abstracts coming out of the department can help a lot with confirming you want to be there and with figuring out how to show you have shared concerns. So check the department website over pretty thoroughly and look people up on Google Scholar.
posted by Wobbuffet at 9:42 AM on October 10, 2019
I don't know about International Relations / Poli Sci, but History is close enough to my field that I'd suppose your statement of purpose will matter a lot for matching you with faculty who can work with you--they may like to see a shared sense of how to approach a problem, including mention of what you've read and how it informs what you'd like to work on. Skimming papers/abstracts coming out of the department can help a lot with confirming you want to be there and with figuring out how to show you have shared concerns. So check the department website over pretty thoroughly and look people up on Google Scholar.
posted by Wobbuffet at 9:42 AM on October 10, 2019
Remember that it's okay - assuming you can get some temp work and live cheaply and/or at your family's - to defer application until spring.
Also, talk to your professors about whether it would be worthwhile to wait a year or two and do life things/things related to your field. Sometimes not going straight from undergrad to a PhD program can strengthen or distinguish your candidacy, and (personal bias) IME of working with lots of PhD students, I think it strengthens you as a scholar.
posted by Frowner at 9:44 AM on October 10, 2019 [4 favorites]
Also, talk to your professors about whether it would be worthwhile to wait a year or two and do life things/things related to your field. Sometimes not going straight from undergrad to a PhD program can strengthen or distinguish your candidacy, and (personal bias) IME of working with lots of PhD students, I think it strengthens you as a scholar.
posted by Frowner at 9:44 AM on October 10, 2019 [4 favorites]
You should not be applying to history Ph.D. programs generally. You should already be in close contact with a professor in the specific field you want to study in and that professor should be telling you which programs you should be going to to work with a specific advisor in each one.
Don't know about politics/IR, though.
posted by praemunire at 9:53 AM on October 10, 2019 [14 favorites]
Don't know about politics/IR, though.
posted by praemunire at 9:53 AM on October 10, 2019 [14 favorites]
^^^ That's the correct answer. If you don't already have a faculty advisor giving you direction on where to apply, and faculty contacts at your target schools, you're not putting yourself in position to succeed. You may still get yourself accepted, but you might also hit the Powerball jackpot tonight too. Crossing your fingers and hoping something works isn't a strategy. (History and political science/IR are similar.)
Start contacting that list of recommendation writers now, and don't just ask for a letter. Ask for advice. Then reach out to some professors at the schools you're interested in, and ask for advice from them.
It's pretty late in the game for all this to happen by December. Perhaps consider sitting out this cycle and applying the next time around. If you can, try to use that time to work with a professor you know to conduct some original research. Every applicant has good GRE scores and letters of recommendation; research is how to make yourself stand out.
posted by kevinbelt at 10:07 AM on October 10, 2019 [8 favorites]
Start contacting that list of recommendation writers now, and don't just ask for a letter. Ask for advice. Then reach out to some professors at the schools you're interested in, and ask for advice from them.
It's pretty late in the game for all this to happen by December. Perhaps consider sitting out this cycle and applying the next time around. If you can, try to use that time to work with a professor you know to conduct some original research. Every applicant has good GRE scores and letters of recommendation; research is how to make yourself stand out.
posted by kevinbelt at 10:07 AM on October 10, 2019 [8 favorites]
will I definitely get a job?
The answer to this question, as phrased here, is no. If you need to be sure you'll get a job related to your PhD, then you shouldn't do this.
I think I have the chops: I love to research, teach, learn, spend hours and days and months on a single subject or trying to get to the core of a specific issue; I was very successful in an incredibly challenging undergrad environment; and I'm excited by the prospect of being in an academic setting: surrounded by intelligent, curious, driven students and colleagues who challenge me and my ideas.
Every single person who tried this route and failed thought exactly this.
There is a very good reason there are so many think pieces about why not to get a PhD. This is not to say you shouldn't do it, but it's an extremely hard road with no guarantee of success no matter how bright and motivated you are.
posted by FencingGal at 10:33 AM on October 10, 2019 [18 favorites]
The answer to this question, as phrased here, is no. If you need to be sure you'll get a job related to your PhD, then you shouldn't do this.
I think I have the chops: I love to research, teach, learn, spend hours and days and months on a single subject or trying to get to the core of a specific issue; I was very successful in an incredibly challenging undergrad environment; and I'm excited by the prospect of being in an academic setting: surrounded by intelligent, curious, driven students and colleagues who challenge me and my ideas.
Every single person who tried this route and failed thought exactly this.
There is a very good reason there are so many think pieces about why not to get a PhD. This is not to say you shouldn't do it, but it's an extremely hard road with no guarantee of success no matter how bright and motivated you are.
posted by FencingGal at 10:33 AM on October 10, 2019 [18 favorites]
You should only go to a PhD program if the job you want most requires a PhD. However, I think the points above point to an important thing: you should try to figure out (from demographic data) what fraction of PhD students in your field get the kind of job you want. And, perhaps more to the point, if they don't, would you also be happy with the kind of jobs the typical student gets? Not to be all doom and gloom, but International Relations / History / Political Science PhDs are going to leave you with significantly fewer options outside academia than a Economics or Computer Science or Physics PhD.
As far as figuring out what to do, the very best thing you can do is to go talk to a professor at your undergraduate institution who has a PhD in the field you're interested in (or in a closely related field) about what is required. If you were interested in a PhD in Astronomy, I'd have a lot to tell you. I have no solid information on what the process is for other PhD programs. There are some general outlines, but talking to a professor you respect about the grad school process is the first step. If your undergraduate institution routinely sends people to graduate school, this should be a very familiar discussion for any faculty member you talk to.
posted by Betelgeuse at 10:47 AM on October 10, 2019 [2 favorites]
As far as figuring out what to do, the very best thing you can do is to go talk to a professor at your undergraduate institution who has a PhD in the field you're interested in (or in a closely related field) about what is required. If you were interested in a PhD in Astronomy, I'd have a lot to tell you. I have no solid information on what the process is for other PhD programs. There are some general outlines, but talking to a professor you respect about the grad school process is the first step. If your undergraduate institution routinely sends people to graduate school, this should be a very familiar discussion for any faculty member you talk to.
posted by Betelgeuse at 10:47 AM on October 10, 2019 [2 favorites]
I would recommend deferring until you have everything mapped out. Have a stronger sense of what exactly you would like to study, who exactly you would like to write you letters, with whom specifically you would like to work and on what, studying for and taking GREs (if your program requires), etc. Those fields, specifically, are very competitive and until you have a clear answer to all of those things, you won't be.
I have dreams of becoming a professor. I think I have the chops: I love to research, teach, learn, spend hours and days and months on a single subject or trying to get to the core of a specific issue; I was very successful in an incredibly challenging undergrad environment; and I'm excited by the prospect of being in an academic setting: surrounded by intelligent, curious, driven students and colleagues who challenge me and my ideas.
These are true of nearly everyone in graduate school. And nearly everyone who leaves grad school without a PhD. And nearly everyone who is adjuncting to scrape by. And people who are tenure track faculty spend hours doing administrative and service work. Be really honest with yourself about understanding exactly what the job prospects are before you commit to a PhD. There are no guarantees about whether or not you will be a successful professor, whether or not you will get a job, whether or not you will be an effective teacher, and whether or not you will get paid well. I say this affectionately on the other side of a PhD staring another year on a hostile and weak job market in the face and trying to figure out how to make it all work: enthusiasm, love of learning, love of discipline, hard work, etc. are not guarantees.
posted by ChuraChura at 11:08 AM on October 10, 2019 [10 favorites]
I have dreams of becoming a professor. I think I have the chops: I love to research, teach, learn, spend hours and days and months on a single subject or trying to get to the core of a specific issue; I was very successful in an incredibly challenging undergrad environment; and I'm excited by the prospect of being in an academic setting: surrounded by intelligent, curious, driven students and colleagues who challenge me and my ideas.
These are true of nearly everyone in graduate school. And nearly everyone who leaves grad school without a PhD. And nearly everyone who is adjuncting to scrape by. And people who are tenure track faculty spend hours doing administrative and service work. Be really honest with yourself about understanding exactly what the job prospects are before you commit to a PhD. There are no guarantees about whether or not you will be a successful professor, whether or not you will get a job, whether or not you will be an effective teacher, and whether or not you will get paid well. I say this affectionately on the other side of a PhD staring another year on a hostile and weak job market in the face and trying to figure out how to make it all work: enthusiasm, love of learning, love of discipline, hard work, etc. are not guarantees.
posted by ChuraChura at 11:08 AM on October 10, 2019 [10 favorites]
You should be in close contact with your current professors (the ones who could write you letters), and hopefully at least one of them would be more like a mentor/champion for you, who can guide you on some of this. For many graduate institutions, a high undergraduate GPA is very important, then the other application stuff (letters, test scores, etc.). You should provide at least one month notice to your letter writers. Some of them will also want you to give them a brief summary of your work &/or see copies of other things like your CV, transcript, or personal statement to remind them who you are and what you've done. If your undergraduate university has an office for graduate and professional schools (mine did) they may also be able to help with some of the basic info about how to apply to grad school.
You should also be in touch with the programs you're considering applying to. Talk to individual faculty and the graduate advisor (at my institution this is a staff person, not a faculty member, but that varies). In my opinion, one of the most important things to know about is funding. Will they fund PhD students (generally pay you a stipend + cover your tuition in exchange for teaching or research duties)? If they fund you, how many years is guaranteed? I would not recommend anyone pay for their own PhD, especially in a field like yours (and mine) where lucrative "industry" isn't as much of a thing. You should also ask questions about how long the program takes most full-time students (assuming you'll be full time), how advisors are matched (are you expected to be a go-getter and find someone who will work with you, or do they just distribute the incoming PhD students among the faculty), and where recent graduates have been hired. Hopefully you also have a specific topic or area of interest and you should ask about it/who at the institution is working on it.
I agree that you should get a PhD because the job you want the most requires it. It is also fairly unlikely you will get to follow your dream path immediately out of grad school with no detours, even if you're really good, so you must be open to plan B's and new opportunities as well.
posted by kochenta at 11:16 AM on October 10, 2019
You should also be in touch with the programs you're considering applying to. Talk to individual faculty and the graduate advisor (at my institution this is a staff person, not a faculty member, but that varies). In my opinion, one of the most important things to know about is funding. Will they fund PhD students (generally pay you a stipend + cover your tuition in exchange for teaching or research duties)? If they fund you, how many years is guaranteed? I would not recommend anyone pay for their own PhD, especially in a field like yours (and mine) where lucrative "industry" isn't as much of a thing. You should also ask questions about how long the program takes most full-time students (assuming you'll be full time), how advisors are matched (are you expected to be a go-getter and find someone who will work with you, or do they just distribute the incoming PhD students among the faculty), and where recent graduates have been hired. Hopefully you also have a specific topic or area of interest and you should ask about it/who at the institution is working on it.
I agree that you should get a PhD because the job you want the most requires it. It is also fairly unlikely you will get to follow your dream path immediately out of grad school with no detours, even if you're really good, so you must be open to plan B's and new opportunities as well.
posted by kochenta at 11:16 AM on October 10, 2019
will I definitely get a job? will I be paid well? will I be able to teach effectively?
No, no and nobody but you can say at this point. If your PhD doesn't have an alternate destination to academia in industry, there is no guaranteed return on your investment.
posted by DarlingBri at 11:43 AM on October 10, 2019 [5 favorites]
No, no and nobody but you can say at this point. If your PhD doesn't have an alternate destination to academia in industry, there is no guaranteed return on your investment.
posted by DarlingBri at 11:43 AM on October 10, 2019 [5 favorites]
About teaching: Leaving aside all questions about getting a job post-PhD, can you do some teaching now? It doesn't need to be capital-T teaching - can you organize and facilitate a book group that has successful discussions? Can you teach a community ed class? Believe me, learning to handle the mechanics of a class will free you tremendously in other ways.
posted by Frowner at 12:02 PM on October 10, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by Frowner at 12:02 PM on October 10, 2019 [3 favorites]
Find out if those departments at your current institution have hired anyone into faculty positions in the past 1-3 years. If they have, talk to the people who were hired and someone who was on (ideally the chair) of the search committee. They can give you a much more current understanding of the job market in their discipline.
If I were applying to doctoral programs right now and if I knew that I had everything else lined up - all the things mentioned by other posters - then I'd also be trying to figure out which programs will prepare me very well for the kinds of positions I'd like to have when I complete my degree. For example, just a few days ago I had a discussion with a post doc who was applying for faculty positions about the opportunities that he had been provided to develop his teaching skills and knowledge. Many grad programs and many universities still don't provide many grad students substantive opportunities to develop as teachers despite the fact that teaching is a huge part of most faculty positions. If I were interested in a faculty position, I'd be looking for programs that have specific and substantive teaching and teaching-related opportunities built into the program e.g., a required pedagogy course, guaranteed (paid!) opportunities to teach as an instructor-of-record, opportunities to pursue pedagogy courses or even certifications (e.g., CIRTL or something homebuilt).
I'd also be doing a lot of research in my selected discipline(s) to see if they are among the disciplines that only hire faculty from the top __ programs. If that is the case, then I'd know that I have to apply to and be accepted into one of those programs.
Finally, if I really liked teaching and I didn't feel as strongly about research then I'd also strongly consider full-time, non-tenure positions as a tenable career track. At some institutions, we treat our non-tenure track faculty colleagues very well. At those places, those faculty have nearly all of the privileges and status of tenured faculty with a much, much healthier work/life balance e.g., much less pressure to constantly apply for and receive grants, much less pressure to constantly publish.
posted by ElKevbo at 12:51 PM on October 10, 2019 [1 favorite]
If I were applying to doctoral programs right now and if I knew that I had everything else lined up - all the things mentioned by other posters - then I'd also be trying to figure out which programs will prepare me very well for the kinds of positions I'd like to have when I complete my degree. For example, just a few days ago I had a discussion with a post doc who was applying for faculty positions about the opportunities that he had been provided to develop his teaching skills and knowledge. Many grad programs and many universities still don't provide many grad students substantive opportunities to develop as teachers despite the fact that teaching is a huge part of most faculty positions. If I were interested in a faculty position, I'd be looking for programs that have specific and substantive teaching and teaching-related opportunities built into the program e.g., a required pedagogy course, guaranteed (paid!) opportunities to teach as an instructor-of-record, opportunities to pursue pedagogy courses or even certifications (e.g., CIRTL or something homebuilt).
I'd also be doing a lot of research in my selected discipline(s) to see if they are among the disciplines that only hire faculty from the top __ programs. If that is the case, then I'd know that I have to apply to and be accepted into one of those programs.
Finally, if I really liked teaching and I didn't feel as strongly about research then I'd also strongly consider full-time, non-tenure positions as a tenable career track. At some institutions, we treat our non-tenure track faculty colleagues very well. At those places, those faculty have nearly all of the privileges and status of tenured faculty with a much, much healthier work/life balance e.g., much less pressure to constantly apply for and receive grants, much less pressure to constantly publish.
posted by ElKevbo at 12:51 PM on October 10, 2019 [1 favorite]
I do political science but not IR. IR is part of polisci almost everywhere, though it's its own department or school in a few places.
In polisci, you just apply wherever and don't need to have placements or advisors sorted out ahead of time. The stuff spitbull is describing obviously will never hurt but is almost entirely unnecessary. Getting your ducks in a row in polisci will mean talking to people you trust about where to apply given your interests, practicing for the GRE and eventually taking it, and writing a draft statement of purpose. You want your SOP before asking for recommendations to ensure that your recommenders don't contradict your SOP.
A good statement of purpose in political science shows that you have a reasonable idea of what social science is and articulates some kind of project that's potentially do-able given the department's faculty and interesting. A good statement of purpose doesn't directly contradict the "nature" of the department you're applying to, like applying to Rochester saying how dumb rational choice work is.
But before you get your ducks in a row for polisci, figure out for yourself whether you want to do IR or history -- these don't go together and aren't allied disciplines. While there's still room in IR for qualitative approaches and IR doesn't seem to have the methodological wars that comparative has, going through a polisci phd means at least acquiring the skills to be a highly quantitative analyst, probably combined with the formal modeling skills of a second-rate economist. Even if you end up doing qualitative research, your career would be dead from day one if you could not engage with the work that quants and ratchoicers are doing.
As long as you are generating application material anyway, you also might as well apply for the NSF graduate research fellowship.
will I definitely get a job? will I be paid well? will I be able to teach effectively?
You won't definitely get a job. If you end up in a top 30-or-so program, are doing interesting work, and ideally have landed a publication somewhere, you can reasonably bet that you will get *a* tenure-track offer sometime in two or three years of searching. It will not necessarily be a job that meets your goals, and there is a strong chance it will be somewhere you don't particularly want to live.
Our phd program is *not* top-30-or-so. Our students regularly land tenure-track jobs, but in places like Missouri Southern in Joplin, Penn-State Bradford in rural NW PA, UNF in Jacksonville, St. Bonaventure in rural WNY, the *other* Monmouth in rural Iowa, and so on.
You will not be paid well given your skill-set but will likely get boring middle-class money. You will very probably face a real choice between working in academia or working in industry -- typically as some manner of quantitative analyst -- for a lot more money.
You will be able to teach effectively. You should not expect to be surrounded by intelligent, curious, driven students, and that's okay. One of the first things I suggest new instructors need to recognize is that most undergraduate students are Not. Like. You. Your average undergrad at a directional state u or unselective LAC is smart enough but not especially intelligent, not particularly curious or driven, and is looking at college as a means to a middle-class-employment end.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 4:12 PM on October 10, 2019 [8 favorites]
In polisci, you just apply wherever and don't need to have placements or advisors sorted out ahead of time. The stuff spitbull is describing obviously will never hurt but is almost entirely unnecessary. Getting your ducks in a row in polisci will mean talking to people you trust about where to apply given your interests, practicing for the GRE and eventually taking it, and writing a draft statement of purpose. You want your SOP before asking for recommendations to ensure that your recommenders don't contradict your SOP.
A good statement of purpose in political science shows that you have a reasonable idea of what social science is and articulates some kind of project that's potentially do-able given the department's faculty and interesting. A good statement of purpose doesn't directly contradict the "nature" of the department you're applying to, like applying to Rochester saying how dumb rational choice work is.
But before you get your ducks in a row for polisci, figure out for yourself whether you want to do IR or history -- these don't go together and aren't allied disciplines. While there's still room in IR for qualitative approaches and IR doesn't seem to have the methodological wars that comparative has, going through a polisci phd means at least acquiring the skills to be a highly quantitative analyst, probably combined with the formal modeling skills of a second-rate economist. Even if you end up doing qualitative research, your career would be dead from day one if you could not engage with the work that quants and ratchoicers are doing.
As long as you are generating application material anyway, you also might as well apply for the NSF graduate research fellowship.
will I definitely get a job? will I be paid well? will I be able to teach effectively?
You won't definitely get a job. If you end up in a top 30-or-so program, are doing interesting work, and ideally have landed a publication somewhere, you can reasonably bet that you will get *a* tenure-track offer sometime in two or three years of searching. It will not necessarily be a job that meets your goals, and there is a strong chance it will be somewhere you don't particularly want to live.
Our phd program is *not* top-30-or-so. Our students regularly land tenure-track jobs, but in places like Missouri Southern in Joplin, Penn-State Bradford in rural NW PA, UNF in Jacksonville, St. Bonaventure in rural WNY, the *other* Monmouth in rural Iowa, and so on.
You will not be paid well given your skill-set but will likely get boring middle-class money. You will very probably face a real choice between working in academia or working in industry -- typically as some manner of quantitative analyst -- for a lot more money.
You will be able to teach effectively. You should not expect to be surrounded by intelligent, curious, driven students, and that's okay. One of the first things I suggest new instructors need to recognize is that most undergraduate students are Not. Like. You. Your average undergrad at a directional state u or unselective LAC is smart enough but not especially intelligent, not particularly curious or driven, and is looking at college as a means to a middle-class-employment end.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 4:12 PM on October 10, 2019 [8 favorites]
Your best bet this late in the game is, as others have said, to have someone that knows you and your field mentoring you.
When applying for a PhD you are mostly looking for an advisor match. You might want to go to your field's annual conference to try to get some one-on-one time with people. It needs to be a fit in interest and personality. Second to the advisor's reputation is the department's reputation. University matters less than you'd think, although some "top" universities do have good departments.
In general it is assumed that you'll have Skype calls or something with faculty before applying.
Your applications materials (and reference letters) should be geared at arguing why you're a good fit.
All this is to say, there are almost no good jobs and few in places you might want to live. And if you have a partner or family they'll need to be on board too.
posted by k8t at 5:08 PM on October 10, 2019 [1 favorite]
When applying for a PhD you are mostly looking for an advisor match. You might want to go to your field's annual conference to try to get some one-on-one time with people. It needs to be a fit in interest and personality. Second to the advisor's reputation is the department's reputation. University matters less than you'd think, although some "top" universities do have good departments.
In general it is assumed that you'll have Skype calls or something with faculty before applying.
Your applications materials (and reference letters) should be geared at arguing why you're a good fit.
All this is to say, there are almost no good jobs and few in places you might want to live. And if you have a partner or family they'll need to be on board too.
posted by k8t at 5:08 PM on October 10, 2019 [1 favorite]
I would suggest you, as part of thinking about what you might want to research and why, look at non-professorial jobs in those fields. Look at the kind that PhD students who don't go into academia get, or that folks who drop out from the program get.
Two reasons:
1. You should try to get a degree in an area that has a decent fallback plan
2. You might be able to get one of those or a nearby job *now*, without the PhD, and then you can see if you like it enough to keep doing that kind of work, if you enjoy the field, and if you really even need the PhD.
A lot of folks want to become professors because it's the only intellectual job they have seen, and based on your self-description there are a lot of other careers out there that you might shine at and be inspired by too. Some of those will also require or be enhanced by having a PhD, and your application and success will be improved either way by knowing what you're working towards.
Also it would let you save a little money for a year or two before you have to live on a grad student stipend.
posted by Lady Li at 12:45 AM on October 11, 2019 [1 favorite]
Two reasons:
1. You should try to get a degree in an area that has a decent fallback plan
2. You might be able to get one of those or a nearby job *now*, without the PhD, and then you can see if you like it enough to keep doing that kind of work, if you enjoy the field, and if you really even need the PhD.
A lot of folks want to become professors because it's the only intellectual job they have seen, and based on your self-description there are a lot of other careers out there that you might shine at and be inspired by too. Some of those will also require or be enhanced by having a PhD, and your application and success will be improved either way by knowing what you're working towards.
Also it would let you save a little money for a year or two before you have to live on a grad student stipend.
posted by Lady Li at 12:45 AM on October 11, 2019 [1 favorite]
First time I applied for a Phd, I didn't have a mentor. One of the professors on the committee called me and asked why not, since I would certainly have been accepted if I had. Then he offered to mentor me, and helped me make a few small changes to my application that I sent in the next year and I was accepted. TBH, I don't think it was the changes in the application that made the difference, but his sponsorship.
Now, unfortunately he died while I was in the middle of my studies, and thus the career-plan he had helped me make was broken. Since then, my career has been more of a fight than a struggle, and I am one of the people who will advise you to think long and hard over what you want to achieve, my own experience being that something that looked like a perfect trajectory ended with a freak heart attack.
Now, at 56, I'm starting over for the third time, in a new university and a new field. I love teaching and I love the research, but everything else about being an academic is overwhelming. And "everything else" is at least 50% of my time, if not more.
Where I live, PolSci/IR PhDs are not as competitive as humanities, because people can get much higher pay (and maybe also more interesting jobs) outside academia. Even those who do a Phd tend to go out into some form of practice (government, diplomacy or think tank) after graduating and before returning to the universities. I don't know enough to say if this is required or just a habit. But you could ask that mentor you need about it.
posted by mumimor at 2:20 AM on October 11, 2019
Now, unfortunately he died while I was in the middle of my studies, and thus the career-plan he had helped me make was broken. Since then, my career has been more of a fight than a struggle, and I am one of the people who will advise you to think long and hard over what you want to achieve, my own experience being that something that looked like a perfect trajectory ended with a freak heart attack.
Now, at 56, I'm starting over for the third time, in a new university and a new field. I love teaching and I love the research, but everything else about being an academic is overwhelming. And "everything else" is at least 50% of my time, if not more.
Where I live, PolSci/IR PhDs are not as competitive as humanities, because people can get much higher pay (and maybe also more interesting jobs) outside academia. Even those who do a Phd tend to go out into some form of practice (government, diplomacy or think tank) after graduating and before returning to the universities. I don't know enough to say if this is required or just a habit. But you could ask that mentor you need about it.
posted by mumimor at 2:20 AM on October 11, 2019
Others have given excellent advice. I'll just add a book recommendation: "Getting What You Came For." I found it a very helpful book when I was trying to figure out the whole grad school process, and once you do get accepted, it will also help you get through the program.
posted by acridrabbit at 2:01 PM on October 11, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by acridrabbit at 2:01 PM on October 11, 2019 [1 favorite]
What I forgot to mention: the years I spent as a PhD student were maybe the happiest of my life, and I haven't ever regretted it. My actual dissertation suffered from the lack of supervision caused by my mentor's untimely death, but what I learnt during the process was invaluable and in spite of the problems in my dissertation, all of the committee have quoted my work in their subsequent studies. I've had amazing career opportunities afterwards alongside with the extremely difficult situations I mentioned above. I'm moving from humanities to STEM, and it turns out the basic research skills I learnt are adaptable.
I absolutely recommend doing a PhD if you have a research question you really want to explore. But again, you need to want to do this for the right reasons. And you need a team of mentors.
posted by mumimor at 2:23 PM on October 11, 2019
I absolutely recommend doing a PhD if you have a research question you really want to explore. But again, you need to want to do this for the right reasons. And you need a team of mentors.
posted by mumimor at 2:23 PM on October 11, 2019
Two things I read before starting which were helpful were "How to Get a PhD: a handbook for students and their supervisors" by Estelle Phillips and Derek S. Pugh and Philip Guo's "The PhD Grind" at: http://pgbovine.net/PhD-memoir.htm
FWIW being in a PhD program has been an endlessly punishing and frustrating process, so definitely go into it expecting it to be a long, unforgiving, solitary slog.
posted by sindark at 6:19 PM on October 11, 2019
FWIW being in a PhD program has been an endlessly punishing and frustrating process, so definitely go into it expecting it to be a long, unforgiving, solitary slog.
posted by sindark at 6:19 PM on October 11, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
Also talk to those potential recommenders about how the process works, the state of the academic job market in those areas (which can vary from "eh, it's okay" to "don't touch it with a ten-foot pole"). They want to see you succeed.
One thing to bear in mind is that you are unlikely to get that job as a professor; so what's your plan B? (This is one place where your professors are not necessarily good sources because they have jobs as professors.)
posted by madcaptenor at 9:25 AM on October 10, 2019 [10 favorites]