[Disappointing dissertation grades: Are PHD admission chances doomed?]

7 hours ago, fuzzylogician said:

- Admissions committees look at application files as a whole, so this grade will be looked at in the context of your other grades, etc. The thesis is a larger project and therefore all things being equal I would expect it to be a reasonable reflection of the potential of a student to succeed in similar and larger-sized projects in the future. Conference presentations are another such indication. Yet another consideration is the opinion your professors express about your potential in their LORs. So an important question is what led to this lower grade. 

- Concentrate on the things you can change. At this point, assuming your deadlines are coming up in a month or two, that is probably your SOP and writing sample. 

- That is something you need to consult with your advisors about. You need to understand why you only got a pass, and how you can improve. It's possible that there are parts that are very strong and maybe one of them can be used as a writing sample, and it's possible that your grade indicates that the entire piece is weak. We can't know which of those options it correct, or if it's something else that led to the lower grade. 

Thank you "fuzzylogician" for the comprehensive and insightful feedback. I have requested my school to provide me (official) feedback as to what went wrong with the piece of writing and once I get it, it will be clear where it needs improvement and how that can effectively be addressed. I am pretty sure, I will be getting strong LORs from other professors in whose modules I performed relatively better and this among other strong components of the application might assuage the dissertation nightmare. Still, as you suggested, I am on the lookout to identify and address what caused the lower grade in the first place.

Thank you once again for the insightful comments. 

[Disappointing dissertation grades: Are PHD admission chances doomed?]

I studied Master's in International relations at a reputed English University and performed quite well in term papers (averaged distinction) but the dissertation which I had expected would fetch marks at least at "merit" level has left me disappointed. It's only pass. While my GPA still averages equivalent to 3.38/4.00 (According to WES grades conversion) I am daunted by the fact the admission committee might have reservations as to my research potential. I have two conference presentations across the Atlantic, GRE scores in the 80s percentile and a decent SOP. Before grading, I was considering top-ranking political science programs such as MIT, Stanford, Princeton and OSU among others. However, after receiving dismal grades I am confused if I should still go for these programs, apply to mid- and-lower-ranking programs or simply renounce the idea of doing doctoral research? Out of this muddle, therefore, answers to the following questions would be helpful.

Does the admission Committee really take dissertation marks quite seriously, despite a stellar record in term-papers?

If yes, is there any way I can compensate for the apparent discrepancy?

And, would it be advisable to send dissertation (after editing and proofreading in line with supervisor's feedback) as a writing sample?

Any insights would be appreciated.