Quigley

Honestly, I'd wait to visit until you've been accepted. I almost visited a couple of schools more than 2,000 miles away and I'm glad I didn't because I wasn't accepted to either one. I love the program that I'll be attending but I waited to visit until they made me an offer of admission. Your post doesn't say what kind of program you're applying to, but one way to look for a good fit is to find professors in a given department that share your research interests and will be good mentors during your grad program. This can be done by looking at the faculty listings on the department websites, reading their CVs, and skimming their recent publications that might align with your interests and allow for opportunities to co-author. Your application essay will likely need to have a section that explains why you want to study at this particular school, including which professors you would like to work with in your research. If you do visit, it is definitely helpful to meet with students and professors who might potentially be your advisors. I visited the two schools that accepted me and learned the most from informal conversations with current students. What I learned from these conversations with students were a huge factor in my final decision. When you do meet with students, helpful questions for me were things like - why did you choose X school? What do you like about attending here? What would you change? Are faculty generally helpful and welcoming? What is the climate like among students -- competitive? Supportive? Cooperative? Are there opportunities to get published while you're here? Are your peers finding jobs when they graduate? Where are they finding jobs? What opportunities are there during the summer months for TAships or funding? Before making my two visits, I honestly had no idea where I'd go. I liked the first place well enough and thought I could be happy there. Then after just a few hours on my second visit, I knew that school #2 was the place for me. I loved everything about it and I just felt at home there. Good luck!

contraception mistake

Stolpher (or others currently attending) -- Could you please share a bit about your average daily routine and what patterns you've established that have made you a successful grad student?

I don't do political theory but I'm thinking expectations may vary depending on the program. I was accepted to two programs and visited both. One required theory students to take the full methods sequence and the other only required them to take part of the sequence. Regardless, I know of someone (doing IR, not theory) who scored roughly at or below 157 in math and was accepted at a top-5 and 2 top-10s.

I applied to 9 schools and was accepted by 2. The 2 that offered me admission were the 2 that I added to my list at the last minute.

I agree with anxiousphd regarding magoosh - the videos were very helpful and the hard/very hard questions were actually harder than the math questions on both tests that I took, which actually messed with my head and hurt my confidence. I used magoosh daily for 6 weeks prior to taking the GRE a second time, focusing primarily on math, and my math score stayed the same.

Being published should help, but I was told by adcom members at several schools that work/professional experience doesn't really matter. Working on a campaign may help your teaching by giving you relevant life experiences to draw from, but it won't help your chances at getting into a program. Schools are more interested in whether you can do the work and be a successful academic, not that you have an interesting professional background. Your GPA makes these schools a long shot, but it's within the realm of possibility. The huge pool of applicants for limited slots makes it a bit of a wild card, especially since you are only applying to the very top schools. People with stats worse than yours have been accepted to these schools, but people with stats much more impressive than yours have also been shut out of the top-25 their first (or second) time around.

I spent about 3 weeks revising my undergrad thesis before submitting it with my applications.

I agree with chaetzli. In my case, I had respectable scores and in retrospect, a weak SOP. Finding a strong research fit and making a compelling case for yourself will be a lot more important for your application (and a much more effective use of your time) than trying to get an extra couple of points on your GREs. I'm very happy with the top-15 that I'll be attending, but I was rejected by all five top-10 programs that I applied to and my combined score was 165v/162q/5.5. Certainly not mind-blowing scores, but good enough not to keep me out if the other factors lined up in my favor.

If it's possible to change your test date, I highly recommend taking the test in July so that you could have plenty of time to re-take if necessary without overlapping your test prep and school application prep.

It's one of those days at work where I think if I hadn't been accepted anywhere, I would be having a mental breakdown right now. July 31 can not come soon enough.

Confirm now that they are willing to write the letter, then follow up as soon as you know which programs you are applying to and give them the list with their associated deadlines. I asked mine in July or August for December deadlines but now isn't too early at all. Obviously it will also be helpful for them if you include an informal resume that includes a short list of highlights from your undergrad, the writing sample that you'll submit with your application, a paper that you wrote for that professor's class, and a copy of your transcript. Once you know which schools you'll be applying to, start your electronic application file as early as you can so you can log in and enter your recommenders' information. This will send them an automated e-mail with a link to your application. I did this in very early September for December deadlines (many applications aren't available until September, anyways). One of my recommenders submitted his letters at the end of September, one did his in October, and the last one did his the night before they were due.

The Kaplan flash cards were helpful for me. Of the 500, there were probably 380 or so that I didn't know. I carried a small stack in my pocket wherever learned 10 per day. If there were 1 or 2 that I had difficulty remembering, I added them to my stack for the following day. I scored a 165 on verbal. Both times I took the test, there were definitely several words from the cards, but I would recommend using other sources as well.

Another vote for Magoosh. The math practice is much more difficult than the Kaplan and is closer aligned with what you'll actually see on the test.

I think phdhope2013 is referencing this post: http://www.poliscirumors.com/topic/hot-topics-in-ir

strap on

Oh, well thanks for letting me know what you heard! Given the sheer number of applications they receive I know that mistakes are bound to happen, but I feel like with the time, effort, and expense we all put into this process, a simple e-mail with an official verdict is not too much to ask.

Anyone else just never hear from UCLA at all? Most people heard one way or another in February. When I called in March I was told I was on a wait list and never heard anything else. I assume it's a no by now, and I've long since accepted an offer at another program that I'm very happy with so it doesn't really matter, but I'm unimpressed that they couldn't at least send me the same lousy form e-mail that everyone else got.

Don't be daunted. This is a huge decision and you should take your time and make sure you're choosing the best places for you. I worked on my list on and off for well over a year. When I finally narrowed my "short list" of 15 or so down to 7, I decided I wanted a couple more options and researched some other programs that I hadn't given a close enough look. In October, I added two more schools at what I considered to be the last minute, for a total of 9 schools. Guess which two schools I got into and which 7 rejected me??? Life works in strange ways sometimes. Point being -- don't overlook anyplace. Be thorough, deliberate, and keep an open mind. Good luck!

Honestly, it sounds like you know the pros and cons already, and that the next step is really for you to determine your career objective. If you aren't going into academia, I think the "prestige" factor is less important. GW might not be a top-20 Political Science grad program, but it is a well-respected school. Outside academia, I have serious doubt that your prospective employer is going to care whether you went to Duke, UCLA, or GW for your terminal masters. The main factor here is how important is it to you that you find work in the US when you're done? In DC? In Europe? Two years at GW without funding is a huge debt burden for you to accept if you ultimately go to academica/pursue a PhD and end up getting a second masters along the way. You will need to decide ASAP what route you want to take and why you want to do this. I think once you know what you want, the answer will be pretty clear.

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I wasn't offended Plus I think nobody would blame you for the intense anxiety and stress that I'm sure you're feeling in your situation. I formally declined my other offer three weeks ago, but a few other prospectives at the visits I attended had last-minute recruitment weekends.

I'm sure for some, it's a matter of being paralyzed in the face of a major decision or waiting on the possibility that they'll get off the wait list at their top choice. Some schools (e.g. Wisconsin), however, just held their visitations last weekend, which slows down the decision process for all of the other schools where their prospectives were accepted. It seems strange to me to hold the visitation more than 2 months after students were accepted, especially considering that so many of us just want to have closure and start planning the next 5-6 years of our lives by this point in the process. I guess it's really important to the faculty at Madison that prospectives see the campus when the temperature is in the high 30s instead of the mid 30s.

Red lipstick

Finishing graduate school without a massive debt burden hanging over you for the next 10, or 20 years would be a tremendous gift. You only have a few days left to decide, but I also don't think anybody would fault you for taking the risk of possibly accepting 3 years of debt for a top-15 degree from Ohio State, either. Make sure to explore all of your options before you decide so that you don't get a couple years (or even a few days) down the road and realize you made the wrong decision. And as another poster noted above, you can always apply to transfer after the two years of your Fulbright funding are up if there truly is no funding available. An MA from Ohio State and a stronger, better-focused research statement in two years will likely strengthen your application next time around. Alternatively, in-state tuition at Ohio State is $12,000 per year (plus living expenses, of course). Assuming your goal is an academic job, and supposing a degree from Ohio State gets you a job in your first cycle instead of your second (or third), and hypothetically helps you get hired for a better position, then the risk may be worth at least considering and exploring between now and the April 15 deadline. At the end of the day, only you can know what the best decision for your personal situation will be. Good luck!