[Profile Eval Poli Sci PhD]

Thank you for the advice! I will certainly try to retake my GRE!

[Profile Eval Poli Sci PhD]

Hi all,

 

I am applying for PhDs next year, and I wanted to see where my stats place me. Interested in doing Comparative with a methodological bent. 

Major: Comp Sci and Poli Sci, decent private school (non-ivy though)

GPA: 3.65 (4.00 in Poli Sci)

GRE: 163V 159Q (what I'm really worried about)

Letters: Asking 3 Profs I've had classes with, one is pretty well known. All Poli Sci.

Quant Classes: Through Calc 2; a lot of CS classes including a few classes in Machine Learning and some econ including econometrics 

Research: 2 semesters of research experience in Econ. I've also worked as a programmer. 

 

Would like to know how I would stand among the top 10, top 20, and a few select schools in the top 25. Not really keen on going anywhere outside a T20. I'm also thinking about doing a masters so let me know your thoughts on that.

[Double Major Applying to PhD Programs]

Hello everyone,

I am new and to tell you a little about myself I'm currently a Junior in my undergrad program at BU. I am a double major between Computer Science (my primary major) and Political Science. I'd like to apply to political science PhD programs, and I'm trying to narrow down on the programs I want to focus on. I am planning on taking my GRE very soon, and I'm currently applying for a research grant with a professor. My overall GPA is a 3.6, though I hope to make that a little higher after this semester. However, my CS GPA (3.4ish) is much lower than my Poli Sci GPA (it's a 4.0). I am primarily interested in Comparative Politics, with a focus on political economy, and tech policy. 

My primary question is should I expect PhD programs to focus on my overall GPA or will they only really care about my Poli Sci GPA. Based on this which programs do you think I should look at? Also how will grad schools look at my double major in general? Also I expect to have good recommendations from my professors, I keep up with almost all my Poli Sci profs. Should I reach out to them about Grad school and possibly setting me up with professors at other schools, a few of them went to pretty prestigious programs like MIT, and UCB. In other words should I reach out to professors at other schools about applying - i've heard mixed answers so far? Finally, I've spent my last two summers doing a CS internship (before this I did research assistantship at my school), this summer I'm looking for something more policy/research related. I've applied to public policy positions, think tanks, and such. Is there anything else I should look at? What advice would you have for someone in this stage of the process, what should I be focused on now, and what can I do to stand out at this point?

 

Thanks for all your help! Any advice is much appreciated!