Hi everyone,
I'm an international applicant willing to pursue a PhD in Political Science. My interests are focused on IPE and political economy of development. I'm considering to apply to a number of schools and I would like to get an idea about my chances of admission and which other schools I should apply. Here is my profile:
BSc in Economics, GPA: 3.54 (in the 5% of the class, with an upward trend in the last three semesters)
MA in International Relations, GPA: 3.69 (7th out of 10, would this create a problem? Should I even state it?)
GRE: Q800 V640 AW: -
TOEFL iBT: 106 (I had to take it again today due to 2 years limit, and I hopefully assume it to be around 100)
I'm currently writing my MA thesis very roughly on BRICs and certain other promising developing countries.
I will present a paper in the ISA conference in March 2011.
I have two years of TA and a year of RA experience.
Not sure about my recommendation letters, but I have a few respectable professors in mind whom I suppose will write a good letter.
The schools I am considering to apply are as follows:
UC Berkeley
USC
UPenn
Brown
Penn State
Cornell
NYU
Northwestern
UToronto
McGill
Do you think I have a shot at any of these schools? Or should I diversify the list with some lower-ranked schools as well? Would you recommend any other universities regarding my research interests?
Thank you in advance.