Education

Arizona State University

B.S., Political Science, Geology, English

1990

Arizona State University

M.S., Political Science

1992

University of Rochester

Ph.D., Political Science

1997

Podcasts

30:05

372: What It’s Like to be a Successful College Political Science Professor & Author w/ Lynn Vavreck, UCLA [Main T4C episode]

Professor Lynn Vavreck — is an award winning author and Marvin Hoffenberg professor of American politics and public policy at UCLA, where she’s been teaching courses on campaigns, elections and public opinion for almost 20 years. She’s also a contributing columnist to The Upshot at the New York Times and..

03:41

376: Why Failure Can Help You Learn to Define Yourself w/ Lynn Vavreck, UCLA [K-Cup SingleShot]

Career Path

Interview Highlights

“People have attitudes about politics and society living in the background of their day-to-day lives.”

Best Career Advice

“Practice, practice practice — there’s no substitute for having confidence in what you’re saying.”

Career Challenge

“I went to a very small program. It was competitive and prestigious. And the most difficult exam was in political methodology, which is like statistics. This program was known for this field and I took that exam and I failed it. So I did not pass my third qualifying exam in graduate school, it never dawned on me that this was even a possibility. I had pretty much gone through my whole academic career doing well. So it was a real shock.”

Skills

Political Science, Research, Politics, Government, Policy Analysis, Data Analysis, Statistics, Higher Education, Quantitative Research, Grant Writing, Program Evaluation, Social Sciences, Political Campaigns, Public Speaking, University Teaching, Fundraising

Professional Interests

University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, Berkeley, Arizona State University, TargetPoint Consulting, White House Advance Associates, ASU Leadership Scholarship Alumni, University of Rochester