He’s applied to a couple of think tanks and a couple of municipalities over the past couple of weeks. His internships were in local government and he loves the area where his school is (Vermont). He has zero interest in business.
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What made him want to get a PhD in International Relations (rather than another area)? Just curious how his interest began…not trying to intrude.
My friend’s daughter majored in International Relations and got a job working for a very well known organization right out of school.
Jumping in at the suggestion of @tsbna44. To the question raised above, he should not try to pursue grad school at his undergrad institution (sounds like this is not a possibility, anyway). Academia and even many professions prefer intellectual cross-pollination, and it’s better to be exposed to new mentors at a new institution – better for professional networking, too. Yes, there are exceptions depending upon field and planned profession. But generally speaking, it’s better to broaden one’s horizons and go elsewhere.
I think grad admissions will be forgiving of weaker grades earlier on, especially during Covid-impacted years. Unlike law school and med school, most academic grad program admissions are done by both admissions departments and a committee in the intended academic department, so people in the field your son wants to enter will be assessing his application in context of his own education, the strengths of their department, and the demands of the discipline. So an upward trend is good, and strong grades in his major are good. Any work experiecne or other demonstrated commitment to his intended field would be good, too (which is one way in which taking time off might strengthen the application). Stats will come in when financial awards are being decided, so that might present more of a problem, but even then, departments and universities award fellowships and assistantships later, as well, so funding is not entirely decided upon admission.
I wholly support the idea of taking some time off, getting some work experience, and clarifying professional and academic goals. I did that, and I used the time to figure out what I wanted to do. Turned out that I still wanted to pursue a Ph.D., which I did, but with much better direction than I had just out of undergrad. But there are many ways to enter professions that don’t require a Ph.D., and your son can figure out what path is right for him. The academic job market is terrible right now (and will be for the foreseeable future), so it’s really important to understand what the possible career paths are that are related to his fields of interest and whether it’s really worth it to sacrifice 5-8 years of your life to pursue a Ph.D. for an uncertain professional future.
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Are PhDs in International Relations well funded? I know PhDs in some other fields are but I do not know if they all are.
Depends – there are some programs that will only admit students with funding, and others for which funding will be competitive, and some will be admitted without. But for Ph.D. programs, funding would likely work more like funding in other doctoral programs, and not like law or medicine or other purely professional programs, for which there is very little funding. Even for students who don’t get initial funding packages, there may be opportunities for fellowships and teaching or research assistantships later, but these might be competitive, and it’s a calculated risk.
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My kids advisor said “If you don’t get funded for a doctorate in the humanities or social sciences, consider it a gift and a message-- a gift because you won’t sacrifice umpteen dollars and years of your life, and a message FIND ANOTHER PATH.”
I see the struggles of the new PhDs right now- a fellowship followed by a post-doc followed by a “how bad could it be” series of adjunct roles. It’s just arithmetic- way too many candidates, way too few tenure track jobs, close to zero attrition among current faculty.
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My daughter’s department has an opening for a tenure track position (History). They had 150 applicants - all willing to work in Laramie Wyoming!
Usually that’s right. But I went to a Ph. D. program in relatively few students got significant initial funding. However, within a year or two in the program, more teaching assistantships and fellowships became available, and most students finished having the vast majority of their education funded. Of course, now, that same program admits a fraction of the number they used to, so I’m guessing they’re all funded.
Tenure track in Laramie beats grading papers in your car while double parked in Northern Virginia/DC because your morning adjunct job doesn’t provide you with an office, and your afternoon adjunct job doesn’t have a library close enough to your lecture hall for you to get to class on time.
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A tenure-track position in a flagship school? Yeah, that would be one of the top jobs in any given year.
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Laramie is actually a great place to live and raise a family. The big problem would be if you have a spouse that needs a particular job that can’t be done remotely.
It’s just that people from Florida or Southern California or India or England say ‘Where?!?’ I assume that of the 150 at least 100 were not what they were looking for at all, and of the remaining 50 I think 10 were invited to campus for an interview. It’s a small department so they don’t need people specializing in what they already have, but still want someone who can cover the core classes (hey, everyone has to teach History of Wyoming) and yet bring something new too.
They were trying to talk my daughter into going for a PhD and she was scared off by the ‘150 for 1 position’ issue, but they told her not to be (‘she’s special’, they kept telling me). They don’t have a PhD program so she’d have to go elsewhere, but she needs a break, and she’s really not looking to teach.
No, this is not how it would work. Of the 150 applicants (not an unusual number), my guess is that 10-20 are completely wrong for the job and have no idea what they’re applying for. I’m guessing 50 or so are not quite qualified (they just have an MA, or a degree in an adjacent discipline but not what the department is looking for or won’t get their degrees in time). Maybe another 40-50 are in the right discipline but not the right field and are sending out applications all over the place in the hopes that something might stick. That leaves – what? – 30-40 who are serious contenders? Totally depends on the discipline and the available applicant pool. 10-15 will get invited to first-round interviews (usually over Zoom these days, though sometimes at the AHA, which is the biggest national conference in the discipline and takes place during the first weekend after the new year). Then around 3, on average, get invited to campus.
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As a parent it would be hard (and stressful) for me to read these comments and figure out the best way to guide my child while also allowing them to make their own decision. Speaking with professors is a good idea.
Has he had an opportunity to speak with recent graduates with this degree? My daughter spent a lot of time doing this and found it to be very helpful (different degree).
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Speaking with recent grads is a great idea. Helps to get context on employment prospects for sure!
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It’s a lot to think about for sure, but everyone’s thoughts have been so helpful and have made me glad I posted. My sense is that he started thinking about adding grad school into the mix around Thanksgiving, and I’m not sure how much he’s connected with his profs or recent grads. While he has some preferences, it sounds like he needs to hear a little about the thoughts that have been shared here and then go from there.
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@shelby_balik This is so incredibly helpful—many, many thanks for the insights. I have him home for a few more weeks and hope to have some more conversations where I can share what I’ve learned from you and everyone else here. Lots to think about!
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If he just started thinking about grad school a few weeks ago, it might be too late for him to apply right now.
He may have to work first.
The school he’s most interested in has a March 15 deadline, but yes, the timing could limit his options.
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History is especially bad. This graph is from the 2020 AHA Job Report The 2020 AHA Jobs Report | Perspectives on History | AHA
It’s rebounded slightly since 2020, but it’s still terrible. When my students come to me for advising about grad school, I consider it my professional responsibility to steer them in any other direction than a Ph.D. in history.
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