StrengthandHonor

Also for those of you wondering about UVA funding, I believe that the website specifies that it's $24k + health for 5 years.

Are all of the UVA decisions out? Does anyone know?

B.C. is mine.

Same. It was wonderful to hear back from a good program with an acceptance, so I know that this grad school thing can actually happen. Now I just have to patiently wait and try to figure out where I am actually going.

I don't know if it's relevant to anyone, but Boston College is apparently reading applications right now.

Congratulations. It's a great feeling, to know that you've got somewhere to go!

To all those worried about UNC, don't freak out! They haven't released all of their decisions yet. POI at UNC told me that they notify early their top candidates who are being nominated for additional university fellowships. You're not out of the running! also, it's possible that maybe my subfield professors just decided to contact immediately instead of waiting for the official packages to go out.

And, always, things like LORS, GRE, and GPA are a little harder for you to control. Your SOP and writing sample are areas where you determine exactly what is communicated. Devote your time to the things you can change.

I would second the advice of rewriting your GRE, to try to counter your average GPA. You have plenty of time--study hard and rewrite it. Even 2 points on your Q score would boost you 10+ percentile points. As someone else said, your core stats are fairly average. Good in-major GPA, which helps. You're getting an early start on the process, so devote lots of time to finding departments where you have exceptional fit, putting together a very strong writing sample, and making a solid SOP. Also, if you have the opportunity to publish or get a couple of conference presentations, by all means do that. Things like a good writing sample, SOP, and presentations or publications and make up for an average file in other concerns. Also, in this process, work hard and be critical of yourself, but don't drive yourself crazy. I tell you to re-write your GRE not because you have a bad score, but because your math training makes me think you can do better.

One of the UNC one's is mine--departmental letter saying that I have been accepted and offering an assistantship+health. Said that an official letter from the graduate school would shortly follow, and that a complete funding package wouldn't be confirmed until the graduate school finished their merit-based fellowship competition.

Yeah, one of the UNC results is mine. Departmental email/letter detailing a fully funded offer (assistantship+health). Obviously not a generic offer, as they went into detail about what professors I might be interested in working with, given my sample and SOP. Said that a letter from the graduate school would shortly follow. It completely took me by surprise--I didn't expect to hear anything back for weeks.

Well, now the waiting begins. I think I have a solid profile and applications: senior thesis, 3.99 GPA, 170/161/5.5, TA/RA job for three years, and good letters. I applied to 9 programs, including 4 top 10 programs in Political Theory. The only thing keeping me sane right now is reading stuff that doesn't relate to my thesis, working out, and wedding planning.

Not a B, but an A-. My school counts A- as a 3.7 (unfortunately, no bonus points for an A+). It was in a senior level seminar in Metaphysics & Epistemology that I took my sophomore year.

It probably wouldn't hurt to mention my interest in/love for teaching, though--to demonstrate that I'm someone who is both interested in, and has a proven track record, in teaching assistantships, right? I've heard from some profs that the research focus makes it maddeningly difficult to find competent TAs.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm just nervous about all of this. I'm trying to put a ton of work into my SOP right now. Is there any bias against students who are mostly interested in teaching positions in the long run? My dream career would involve teaching at a smallish liberal arts college, and maybe writing a book every few years. As I've built up some research and teaching experience, I've realized that I really love office hours, lecturing, and consultations far more than the research work. Is that inclination of mine (to not be a researcher in the long run) something I should keep fairly veiled?

Hey, Sounds like we have very similar stats--I'm a 3.99 GPA Poli Sci & Econ double major from a small lib arts school. Large senior honors thesis, great LOR, etc. I'm also looking at PT Ph.D. programs. I'd suggest taking the GRE again, if you get the chance. I did 168V, 158Q, 5.5AW my first time. Second time, I just pulled up a hand full of points (170V, 161Q, 5.5AW). Admittedly, PT programs usually don't emphasize the quants score, but the three points from 158 to 161 moves your score from 70th percentile to 80th. What schools are you looking at? Take a look at those programs and see what their median GRE scores for admitted students are. For most of my schools, medians were like 165V, 158Q. That boost might take your score from being "just below average" or "average" to being stronger, compared to your competition. For me, the slightly higher score gave me a lot more confidence in my file.

Hey all, I'm a long-time lurker, first time poster. I'm applying to Ph.D. programs in political science this fall. Unfortunately, my advisers/faculty mentors are mostly old-school guys who got into grad programs in the 70's--a very different environment. Tell me where my file looks strongest, where it looks weakest, and how I can improve! PROFILE:Type of Undergrad Institution: Small liberal arts college in the South. Major(s)/Minor(s): Political Science and Economics (double major) + Philosophy minor. Undergrad GPA: 3.99GRE: 170V, 161Q, 5.5AWAny Special Courses: Research Methods in Political Science, Methods in Economics (2 semester sequence with a capstone and econometrics), Methods in Labor Economics, Econ Statistics. Also, about to finish an 80+ page research paper/thesis in Political Science.Letters of Recommendation: 1. from my faculty mentor and professor I TAed for + PSC department chair. 2. from older professor (50 years teaching) who had me in 3 upper level classes, and I also worked as his TA. He says I was the best TA he ever had. 3. From faculty member who I've done research work with. Research Experience: 1 peer-reviewed paper published, coauthored with faculty member. Several papers that had a significant amount of statistical analysis. 5 Conference presentations. I've done research assistant work for the three professors in my department, though it's a pretty teaching-focused school. Teaching Experience: 1 semester as a TA for Econ Statistics and Microeconomics. 2 years as political science teaching assistant. So far, have TAed for sections of American Gov, Intro, Comparative Politics, and International Relations. I grade/review papers and written exams, advise students on their research projects, and occasionally teach lectures. Subfield/Research Interests: American Politics, Constitutional studies/law, and political theory. I know P.T. is a dying field. I want to get into a teaching-focused program, because I love teaching and want to do that in the long run. Awards: Received award as best Political Science student, award for best Political Science TA, a campus-wide recognition for academic performance, and an award from the philosophy department for excellence from a non-major. Other: Though I haven't had a ton of peer-reviewed work published, I've been published pretty widely in popular outlets (a good number of magazines, etc.) I've also had two internships (one as a policy intern for a public policy think tank, one as an editorial intern at a fairly well-known magazine), and a research fellowship at a public policy org.