Quigley

Everybody does it. It's like saying 'have a great day!' to service providers or signing your email with '(warm) regards.' It's a polite communications convention. Trust me, you wouldn't like it if everyone signed the email with what they really think about you! Don't you think you're reading too much into this?

I fail to see the problem.

My quant score was an abysmal 153 and I still got accepted to programs ranked 20ish and I'm not even a theorist.
 
Just remember that the GRE scores are simply one part of your application and that you should spend time on improving other aspects of your application (like the SOP).
 
There's definitely hope for you!

Never to late too join the dark side!   

PS - For future reference, I think you will find that you will get more people willing to offer helpful advice here than when you post these types of questions on poliscirumors.com  

http://forum.thegradcafe.com/forum/68-gregmatetc/ A couple short tips: -Those vocab words really do show up on the test. -Time seems to go a lot faster when you're taking the actual test versus practice. -I blew off studying for writing the first time and got a 4.5 and then did a lot of practice with 30 min drills and 5 min outline drills and scored a 5.5 the second time. Many people say AW doesn't count for much with adcomms, though. Either way, all of the potential essay questions are listed on the ETS website for advance practice. -the Kaplan vocab flash cards were a great tool for me. -It has been demonstrated that longer essay length is directly correlated with higher scores.

PS - For future reference, I think you will find that you will get more people willing to offer helpful advice here than when you post these types of questions on poliscirumors.com  

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? 

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.

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.

It was (much) harder.  I pretty much thought I was hot feces---I had gotten all As in my methods classes at my first place and got 3 A-plusses at ICPSR in one semester and I pretty much thought taking another year of methods would be superfluous.  The DGS at my new places was like "oh, well, how's about you just give it a try and we'll see about it later."  Second class of the methods class, the prof walks in and is like "so what do you jokers know about sigma algebras?"  I didn't ask about skipping classes any more after that.
 
Note also that it wasn't just narrow-mindedness on my old department's place.  They weren't being narrow-minded at all.  When I emailed professors at other places prior to applying, many faculty said "look, you have a good reason here, but I don't want to be 'poaching' graduate students."
 
Again, none of this is to say that you ought not transfer if it's what's best.  I just think it's something only to be considered if necessary, though I am loyal to a fault.

It was (temporarily) dire because the only IR/conflict person on the faculty left for elsewhere.  So, nobody to work with at all, unless I wanted to become an Americanist.  As you might imagine, people were very understanding of my decision to leave...at least the faculty.  I lost a few friends, and had to rebuild some other relationships.  Then comes applying.  You say to yourself "self, if I try to apply to transfer and don't get in anywhere, then I am going to be coming back here with my tail between by legs."  And that's not fun.  So, you don't just apply to places "above" where you were.  You apply to peer institutions or better-fitting schools that might be ranked a bit lower.
 
And then after all that, you get to be a first year again.  And the whole "break them down so you can build them up" thing built into a first year---the thing that you're only supposed to go through once so that you come through humble but confident---is way worse the second time.
 
So, yeah.  I love where I am, and it's a much better professional fit for me, but I deeply regretting hurting friends and burning a few bridges with faculty, and the process itself was much more stressful than it was the first time around even though I was much better prepared for it.  And my experience was one of the smoother ones---I've heard my share of horror stories of people asking for letters of recommendation to transfer only to hear "why do you want to transfer when you can work with me?" in some (angry) incarnation.

To reiterate from previous comments: Apply to more than 5 schools (what Quigley said).  

Publications and prior experience with political science research (particularly if mentored by a poli sci professor) are generally positive signals.  As for your professional experience, etc, you'll need to explain how it shaped your research interests and/or how it fits with the schools where you are applying (you'll want to have better reasons than "it's not worth getting a PhD unless I get one from a reputable institution" - and perhaps you do have reasons for those schools in particular, but you'll want to express that in your SoP.  

Most important, have clearly defined research interests.  You should have questions you want to explore as a grad student.  
 
Have you considered getting a PhD in business or public policy?  With your background and interest it might be more appropriate and certainly would not rule out placement into tenure-track job in political science if that is your end game (or for that matter, if you wanted to teach/research international tax policy it would be much more lucrative to do so in a business school).  You might have a better chance at exploring these interests at a top school - something to consider.
 
Going back to what Quigley said, your GPA does not make you a lost cause for a poli sci PhD, more likely, you would just need to make a compelling case for why you want to study poli sci, describe how your background helped develop your research interests, articulate what those interests are and how they fit at the schools where you are applying.

As much as I get that you were looking for a therapeutic reassurance one way or the other - there is really only one way to find out what your chances are... (and even that doesn't always provide an accurate picture)
 

As others have said, it's really hard to gauge exactly what your chances are. The programs that you've listed are all extremely competitive and the admission's process in many cases turn out to be a lottery between many highly qualified applicants.
 
That said, I've seen applicants on here overcome relatively low GPAs by having strengths in other areas (which you apparently have).
 
I applied to seven programs, received admittance to two of them, and still wish that I would have cast an even broader net during the process. If you're really interested in getting a PhD in political science, preferably as soon as possible, I'd apply to more schools than the ones you've listed. Of course, some people want to either go to a top program or not go at all. Which is perfectly fine as well

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.

Remember that every school produces more graduates than it has job openings and this is going to cascade down. The top 25 cannot possibly absorb all the top 25 graduates so the graduates take the best job they can get. This makes things much tighter for a graduate of a top 75 type school like Houston or American who are hoping to work in a similar place.

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. 

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. 

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. 

Admissions are competitive, so you should consider applying to more schools in addition to the 5 you have listed here! Each admissions committee is different, so it would be impossible to say if they would like your stats/background or not, but I think it is worth a shot. 

This is ridiculously high. I had 324 and got into a top 5. You don’t need a GRE score >330 - even for the best schools! Just look at Princeton’s averages:
http://www.princeton.edu/pub/profile/admission/graduate/

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.

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.

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.