Tony's Back in Town: University Choice (Attention Whoring)

[retromike22]

Come to UCLA so you can go skiing, surfing, and Disneyland in one day!

[Torie]

If UCLA is all about game theory, that would certainly be out for me. I hate game theory!

Anyway, if it were me, it would be all about what place is the best springboard to securing employment after. Whatever few jobs there are that are open, in what field of Poli Sci are they looking for folks? In most of the social sciences, heavy duty mathematics is getting steadily more important for PhD's, and I suspect that will be key to finding employment. I might also visit the places that accepted you, and speak with the Profs you might work with, to see if you click with anyone. It the academic jungle, it is all about personal relationships, and getting some mentor to sponsor you as it were down the line. Just my thoughts.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I've been gathering various information in the past few days. I still haven't spoken to most professors, but scheduling for Skype conversations is on its way, and hopefully this will help me solve the last doubts (though probably not ). Anyway, here's a little summary of advantages and drawbacks for each option.


UCLA:
- Advantages: 1-The profs have expressed interest in my research. 2-Probably the city with the most stuff to do and see. 3-The weather is perfect.
- Drawbacks: 1-The city might be not very easy to navigate into, especially without a car. 2-It's really, really big and perhaps a bit impersonal.

Duke:
- Advantages: 1-Seems to be my best fit in terms of academic interests. 2-I like the original way in which its program is structured. 3-Most human-sized of the three.
- Drawbacks: 1-It's not Californiaaaaaaa 2-Not sure how it is in terms of culture.

UC Davis:
- Advantages: 1-Probably the nicest place to live in. 2-Probably my best fit in terms of campus culture. 3-Close to the Bay Area.
- Drawbacks: 1-Academic standing seems a bit lower, though I need to talk to people about that. 2-Financial support is much more limited.

Is that a fair assessment? What do you guys think?

[retromike22]

- Drawbacks: 1-The city might be not very easy to navigate into, especially without a car. 2-It's really, really big and perhaps a bit impersonal.

L.A. does have a decent public transportation system, despite what others may say. The Metro Rail isn't extensive, but it does go to further places like Santa Monica (starting this year), Long Beach, Pasadena, Hollywood, etc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Rail_%28Los_Angeles_County%29

But seeing how you'll be at UCLA., I'd imagine the Metro Rapid would be more useful:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Rapid

http://media.metro.net/riding_metro/maps/images/rapid_system.pdf

It's a bus system that has a bus every 20 min, Mon-Fri 5am to 9pm, and every 10 min during rush hour.

I visit the city of L.A. probably about once or twice a month, but I haven't actually driven into L.A. for almost 5 years. I just drive to a suburb east of L.A., park at a rail station, and take the Metro Rail or Metro Rapid everywhere. As long as you find a place near a Metro Rail or Metro Rapid station, you should be fine. Actually, you can benefit by not having a car since you won't have to pay for auto insurance or deal with demonic freeways.

Yes, L.A. is a big city, but I wouldn't say it's impersonal. There's a lot of individuals in your area who come from different places around the world, so it's very cosmopolitan. You'd actually be in a very good location, halfway between Santa Monica and downtown L.A.

Out of curiosity, have you been to any of these areas (L.A., UC Davis, Duke) before? I've been to Sacramento once back in 1993, and San Francisco a few times, but most of my northern California experience has been in the Sierra Nevada. I've driven in San Francisco, and that was a nightmare.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

But seriously... LA is a pit.

[retromike22]

But seriously... LA is a pit.

I love Los Angeles, and I love Hollywood. They're beautiful. Everybody's plastic, but I love plastic. I want to be plastic.

-Andy Warhol

Tip the world over on its side and everything loose will land in Los Angeles.

-Frank Lloyd Wright

[Antonio the Sixth]

L.A. does have a decent public transportation system, despite what others may say. The Metro Rail isn't extensive, but it does go to further places like Santa Monica (starting this year), Long Beach, Pasadena, Hollywood, etc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Rail_%28Los_Angeles_County%29

But seeing how you'll be at UCLA., I'd imagine the Metro Rapid would be more useful:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Rapid

http://media.metro.net/riding_metro/maps/images/rapid_system.pdf

It's a bus system that has a bus every 20 min, Mon-Fri 5am to 9pm, and every 10 min during rush hour.

I visit the city of L.A. probably about once or twice a month, but I haven't actually driven into L.A. for almost 5 years. I just drive to a suburb east of L.A., park at a rail station, and take the Metro Rail or Metro Rapid everywhere. As long as you find a place near a Metro Rail or Metro Rapid station, you should be fine. Actually, you can benefit by not having a car since you won't have to pay for auto insurance or deal with demonic freeways.

That's a bit relieving, thanks. Though I was used to having a bus every 5-10 minutes when I was in SF.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Unfortunately, no, my experience of the US so far is limited to the Bay Area (and a short visit in Atlanta). And SF is the best city ever, so I've no idea what you're talking about.

But seriously... LA is a pit.

Please elaborate.

[politicus]

I've been gathering various information in the past few days. I still haven't spoken to most professors, but scheduling for Skype conversations is on its way, and hopefully this will help me solve the last doubts (though probably not ). Anyway, here's a little summary of advantages and drawbacks for each option.


UCLA:
- Advantages: 1-The profs have expressed interest in my research. 2-Probably the city with the most stuff to do and see. 3-The weather is perfect.
- Drawbacks: 1-The city might be not very easy to navigate into, especially without a car. 2-It's really, really big and perhaps a bit impersonal.

Duke:
- Advantages: 1-Seems to be my best fit in terms of academic interests. 2-I like the original way in which its program is structured. 3-Most human-sized of the three.
- Drawbacks: 1-It's not Californiaaaaaaa 2-Not sure how it is in terms of culture.

UC Davis:
- Advantages: 1-Probably the nicest place to live in. 2-Probably my best fit in terms of campus culture. 3-Close to the Bay Area.
- Drawbacks: 1-Academic standing seems a bit lower, though I need to talk to people about that. 2-Financial support is much more limited.

Is that a fair assessment? What do you guys think?

Confirms the info I got and that you should go with Duke (if you are serious, which I know you are). The rest of the process will mostly be a matter of how long it takes you to drop the "California dreaming...

[politicus]

What is your research project?

[Antonio the Sixth]

What is your research project?

Right now, I'm working on the impact of voter turnout inequalities on US partisan competition since the 1970s. But I'm interested in a broad range of issues. Roughly speaking, I'd like to do research on electoral sociology in Western democracy.

I'll have to talk to more professors before I can choose between UCLA and Duke. At this point, they both seem pretty satisfactory academically.

[muon2]

What is your research project?

Right now, I'm working on the impact of voter turnout inequalities on US partisan competition since the 1970s. But I'm interested in a broad range of issues. Roughly speaking, I'd like to do research on electoral sociology in Western democracy.

I'll have to talk to more professors before I can choose between UCLA and Duke. At this point, they both seem pretty satisfactory academically.

I'm surprised you haven't looked to work with Dr. Michael McDonald (currently at U Florida) who is one of the leading experts on voter turnout and its impact on politics. On top of his main interest he has also worked on open redistricting processes.

[Antonio the Sixth]

What is your research project?

Right now, I'm working on the impact of voter turnout inequalities on US partisan competition since the 1970s. But I'm interested in a broad range of issues. Roughly speaking, I'd like to do research on electoral sociology in Western democracy.

I'll have to talk to more professors before I can choose between UCLA and Duke. At this point, they both seem pretty satisfactory academically.

I'm surprised you haven't looked to work with Dr. Michael McDonald (currently at U Florida) who is one of the leading experts on voter turnout and its impact on politics. On top of his main interest he has also worked on open redistricting processes.

I have! He's going to be cited a lot in my Master's Thesis, especially for giving us the best estimates of VEP turnout available. I just didn't think that was enough to make me consider U Florida, for a number of reasons.

[muon2]

What is your research project?

Right now, I'm working on the impact of voter turnout inequalities on US partisan competition since the 1970s. But I'm interested in a broad range of issues. Roughly speaking, I'd like to do research on electoral sociology in Western democracy.

I'll have to talk to more professors before I can choose between UCLA and Duke. At this point, they both seem pretty satisfactory academically.

I'm surprised you haven't looked to work with Dr. Michael McDonald (currently at U Florida) who is one of the leading experts on voter turnout and its impact on politics. On top of his main interest he has also worked on open redistricting processes.

I have! He's going to be cited a lot in my Master's Thesis, especially for giving us the best estimates of VEP turnout available. I just didn't think that was enough to make me consider U Florida, for a number of reasons.

Hopefully it wasn't just for location. As a graduate educator I can say that who and what are far more important criteria to select a graduate program on than where.

[Antonio the Sixth]

What is your research project?

Right now, I'm working on the impact of voter turnout inequalities on US partisan competition since the 1970s. But I'm interested in a broad range of issues. Roughly speaking, I'd like to do research on electoral sociology in Western democracy.

I'll have to talk to more professors before I can choose between UCLA and Duke. At this point, they both seem pretty satisfactory academically.

I'm surprised you haven't looked to work with Dr. Michael McDonald (currently at U Florida) who is one of the leading experts on voter turnout and its impact on politics. On top of his main interest he has also worked on open redistricting processes.

I have! He's going to be cited a lot in my Master's Thesis, especially for giving us the best estimates of VEP turnout available. I just didn't think that was enough to make me consider U Florida, for a number of reasons.

Hopefully it wasn't just for location. As a graduate educator I can say that who and what are far more important criteria to select a graduate program on than where.

It just didn't strike me as one of the universities I should apply to, in any particular respect. Maybe it flew under my radar, but I applied to 15 different universities already, so it was hard for me to expand the list further.

[Donerail]

Duke:
- Advantages: 1-Seems to be my best fit in terms of academic interests. 2-I like the original way in which its program is structured. 3-Most human-sized of the three.
- Drawbacks: 1-It's not Californiaaaaaaa 2-Not sure how it is in terms of culture.

I can't comment on Duke's PhD programs (I'm only looking undergrad for now), but I've been to a couple of summer camps at Duke and I have an aunt who lives in Durham. Duke's in a pretty nice area of the city, all else considered. I'm assuming you'll be working on West Campus and living nearby - it's pretty isolated from the rest of Durham and there's no rail or anything, but busses are available regularly to take you to the city's major attractions. A lot of work has been put into redeveloping the downtown area recently as well, with a lot of nice restaurants as the result (the Q Shack being my favorite BBQ place in the area - you'll also get access to regional restaurant chain Cook-Out, which serves large quantities of cheap, fairly good food. Other good spots near campus are Elmo's Diner and Cosmic Cantina). I've never been to the Performing Arts Center, but the arts scene is supposed to be pretty nice, and of course you can go to a Durham Bulls game (of Bull Durham fame - of course, you're already right next to Cameron Indoor). You're also within a bus ride of Chapel Hill and a short car trip of a state capital - the Research Triangle overall is a fantastic region (and a liberal and highly-educated pocket of NC).

[Хahar 🤔]

I haven't been to Durham, but I have spent time in Los Angeles and Davis, and I know people at all three schools, so I'll tell you what I can. Obviously I can't help with evaluating individual programs, since political science isn't my field.

Davis is a nice little town, with abundant public transportation and a strong cycling tradition if that interests you at all. I like it a lot (I would have strongly considered going there if they had accepted me as an undergraduate) and I think that you'd like the culture a lot, too. I should note that while it's reasonably close to the Bay Area, it's not the Bay Area; UC Davis was originally created as the agricultural campus of UC Berkeley, and there are certainly mornings in Davis where you can smell the cows from the farms that surround the city.

I don't love Los Angeles, and as a graduate student without a car transportation won't be great. The problem with Los Angeles isn't that there aren't interesting things there; for instance, when it comes to cheap and interesting ethnic food (something that matters a great deal to me), Los Angeles is probably the second-best city in the United States behind New York. The problem is that all the good things in the city are so far apart, and transportation isn't necessarily a simple task. That said, Westwood is a cool neighborhood, and I wouldn't hate to live there.

As for Duke, I have some resentment toward that university, but they're for reasons of basketball that I would imagine don't matter to you. Everyone I know who has been a student at Duke has liked it a lot. Duke is a private school and not a public school, which shouldn't make much difference, but it does explain the different relationship between the school and the surrounding community. As SJoyce mentions, Duke is isolated from Durham, not just geographically but also culturally. Durham the city has a large black and lower-income population, which is not like the area around the university at all. In general, though, while the Raleigh area has no single major city, it has a lot of universities, which ought to assuage some of your concerns regarding culture.

In general, I wouldn't worry about the size of the school. Most universities with substantial graduate programs will by their nature be very large. As a graduate student, you'll be dealing specifically with people in your department. I can say that I haven't regretted going to a large school as an undergraduate.

[Lincoln Republican]

Definitely Duke.

Then you could be an alumnus of the same university as Richard Nixon.


"And I always remember, that whatever I have done in the past, or may do in the future, Duke University is responsible in one way or another."


Richard M Nixon
August 17, 1960

[Sol]

Definitely Duke.

Then you could be an alumnus of the same university as Richard Nixon.


"And I always remember, that whatever I have done in the past, or may do in the future, Duke University is responsible in one way or another."


Richard M Nixon
August 17, 1960

Does that mean Duke is responsible for Watergate?

[retromike22]

Definitely Duke.
Then you could be an alumnus of the same university as Richard Nixon.

Why go to the same college as Richard Nixon when you can visit the house where Nixon was born?

[Antonio the Sixth]

At this point it will almost certainly be between UCLA and Duke. I've spoken with another UCLA professor today, and I really got the impression that the fit with my interests and the faculty's was very good. Apparently UCLA attaches more importance to social groups as actors that shape political (and, in my specific case, electoral) behavior and outcomes, whereas Duke is more prone to individualistic Median-Voter type analysis. Would anyone here be able to confirm that? It might make a major difference. Of course, I'm also going to talk with Duke professors over the course of next week, and I'll ask them about that as well.

[H. Ross Peron]

Regarding weather, you would find the climate around UCLA superior with Southern California's Mediterranean climate quite similar to that of Italy and southern France.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I want to come to a decision by tomorrow, but I'm still torn between all three. I spoke with people from each one and they all were very convincing... It's gonna be tough.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Still undecided... Though perhaps leaning toward UCLA.

[ilikeverin]

Good luck!  *hughughug*

[Antonio the Sixth]

UCLA it is. I'm not fully convinced that it's the best choice, but anyway, there was no bad choice.