Applying to Different Programs

[LittleWing]

Hi all,

 

I have planned for some time to apply to PhD programs in economics a year from now after I finish a two-year RA stint. I’ve recently been debating, however, if I should also look into applying to political science PhDs. I’m primarily interested in political economy, so I believe that I would enjoy doing either program (although I realize that there are trade-offs in choosing one program over the other).

 

I know that it’s not uncommon for econ applicants to also apply to PPOL PhDs, but I rarely hear of them also applying to political science programs. My question then is this - would it look bad in anyway to apply to both programs potentially at the same school(s)? I don’t want to give off the impression that I’m not serious/committed enough to one particular field, but it’d be nice to keep my options open and learn more thoroughly about the pros/cons specific to each department.

 

Thanks for any advice!

[laborsabre]

Hi all,

 

I have planned for some time to apply to PhD programs in economics a year from now after I finish a two-year RA stint. I’ve recently been debating, however, if I should also look into applying to political science PhDs. I’m primarily interested in political economy, so I believe that I would enjoy doing either program (although I realize that there are trade-offs in choosing one program over the other).

 

I know that it’s not uncommon for econ applicants to also apply to PPOL PhDs, but I rarely hear of them also applying to political science programs. My question then is this - would it look bad in anyway to apply to both programs potentially at the same school(s)? I don’t want to give off the impression that I’m not serious/committed enough to one particular field, but it’d be nice to keep my options open and learn more thoroughly about the pros/cons specific to each department.

 

Thanks for any advice!

 

Don't take this as absolute truth, but I went to undergrad at the school I am now getting a PhD. I was a double major in Poli sci and econ, and my experience was that there was not too much cross-communication between departments. So I don't even know if they'd know you applied to other programs outside the department (the school uses a centralized portal, but decisions are department specific I think). It's also decently common for econ PhD applicants to send in apps to Poli sci programs. I definitely considered it, and I didn't get the sense that this looks bad.

[LittleWing]

@laborsabre that makes sense - thank you for the reply, it was definitely helpful!