Jump to content

urbanac

Members
  • Posts

    7
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Profile Information

  • Location
    MA
  • Application Season
    2014 Spring
  • Program
    Political Science

Recent Profile Visitors

992 profile views

urbanac's Achievements

Decaf

Decaf (2/10)

0

Reputation

  1. Hi all-- thanks in advance for this: 167 V (97 percentile) 161 Q (80 percentile) GPA: 3.8 from state school majoring in social science 6 years of work experience I know a lot comes down to my actual application (essays, fit, etc) -- but im wondering if i should cross off the standardized test from my list of items to worry about. I'm applying to Wharton (Penn), Haas, Darden, Yale, Olin (WUSTL), Mendoza. Should i take gmat and try to score 720+ or should I apply with those gre scores? Any thoughts are appreciated.
  2. I'm interested in applying for political science (particularly poli theory, or IR) programs at the end of next year. I'm really aiming for a top 5 program- if I'm going to spend 5-7 years somewhere, I want it to be the best program I can get into. Just took the GRE and scores were: 159(quant) 168 (verbal) All I want to know (and I realize "know" is a tough word here) is it worth retaking the GRE to bring that quant score up? I know the GRE doesn't necessarily qualify you for schools like the LSAT does, but would that quant score hurt my chances at a top program? Thoughts are greatly appreciated.
  3. Thank you..."how it and other opportunities gave you a unique perspective"-- that helps a lot. Does anyone else have any experience with this kind of thing or are there any other materials about what's considered too fluffy for a writing sample?
  4. Wow...thanks for the feedback guys..really helpful stuff. juilletmercredi Absolutely was being facetious, but point noted. My concern about the MA is that it's expensive...already in a ton of debt...but again that's my problem and I welcome any advice but won't burden you guys with the question. Last "thing"- I see there's a lot of anxiety around the writing sample, especially with people who consider creating a new one...wonder if there are current resources or even a forum/board specifically for people who want to start writing samples anew. I also wonder if I could/should create a small cohort of people online who are invested in creating a writing sample for a future application and want to work together for support and advice?
  5. Hi all, I majored in poli sci/english and have worked in education for about 4 years. I want to get serious about applying to grad school next year (apply next year, admit 2015). I'm most likely going to be applying to a bunch of political science MA and/or PhD programs in poli sci-specifically interested in political theory (how much of a cliche am I ?!) In my senior year of undergrad, I received a fellowship for legal theory (what I really want to study) under which I produced a thesis paper. It was a 50 page paper that essentially took the work of a legal theorist named Robert Cover and applied it to The Wire (yes, the TV show) to examine institutions of authority/power and morality. Assuming it's a well written paper (grammar, clarity of ideas), what are your thoughts around submitting this paper for top tier political science programs. My big concern is that there's a lack of quantitative analysis/ research and grad programs will think it's fluffy/not important. Thoughts?
  6. Ok, long story short, I took a few cool jobs after college and postponed my grad school plans, but have always had the desire to go back for intellectual enlightenment/finding the meaning of life. Finally getting serious about setting up grad school applications to start applying NEXT fall. Have some anxiety about how smart I'm not- I want to study legal theory (majored in poli sci and english) and realize that my choices are yale law, oxford, or a top tier political theory program (please do correct me if I'm wrong- my understanding is legal theory/philosophy is not generally offered at most places here) I apologize in advance for general ignorance of life and things. Here are my major questions: 1) Great GRE scores won't promise me anything; but low GRE scores may disqualify me...correct? 2) Have been out of academics for about 4 years- can definitely awkwardly manage to contact 2 professors I was close with, but what happens to that last rec I need? Former boss, girlfriend, one of you guys? No seriously, how much does a non-academic rec hurt, keeping in mind I've been working for about 4 years. 3) What do you do to generally prepare for applying to a specific program? Look up publications, essays, and books, read them, and then try to think of one specific thing you want to study in the field? How reasonable of an approach is this with little to no guidance from academic people? 4) How reasonable is it to say, "I'm going to research my own topic and create a writing sample NOW because I'm not 100% satisfied with any of my writing samples from college. I realize I have a full time job and no academic mentoring from anyone currently, but I will still research and write a paper that shows my intelligence and commitment." I totally get that there are no right answers; that's why I'm applying to grad school ! (i think)..all I'm looking for is some reasonable advice or meaningful experience. If you're first reaction is "Wow dude this is a really dumb plan" let me know- that's valuable feedback for me (and yes, hurtful as well, but the value is worth it). Thanks!
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use