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As you may have also noticed, many schools' online app systems allow applicants to provide more than three recommendations (though optional), I am not sure if submitting additional recommendations would help me at all. Currently all my three recommenders are from my MA program, which is in polisci/IR. I did not do anything strongly related to polisci at undergraduate level (I did mostly humanties back then), but I am pretty sure that I can get decent letters from my undergrad professors who taught me in humanties disciplines. In my situation, should I submit additional letters from professors at my undergrad school? Would they be looked at by the admissions committees at all? any advice appreciated!

Recently I wrote an email inquiring about research interest to a professor in one of the schools I have interest in. In the reply the prof asked me if I wanted to talk and left me the phone number. I am kind of overwhelmed by that since I am not sure what sort of conversation that is going to be. Do you guys have any experience like this (i.e. talking/discussing with a prof on the phone)? is it going to be just like normal inquiry which you would do in email, or will you be asked questions by the prof to test your knowledge/understanding in the discipline, etc? please give me some tips if possible:)

thanks SO MUCH for all the suggestions! sorry I should have stated it more clearly. I have got one prof in polisci and one prof in public policy who are quite likely to write me decent letters, as I did my thesis under the polisci prof and he gave me honors, and the public policy prof replied to my email request for recommendation with words like "i think you did quite well in the class project and have the scholarly potential" etc. as for the last one to write me letter, I have choice of a TA in polisci (his field of teaching is about the same as my intended field and to whom I am an RA now), a prof in sociology (in his class I got A in a grad level independent research, but he is a young assistant prof now), and a prof in history (head of the history department, famous guy, and I did a seminar with him but I dont think I did better in his class than in the sociology prof's class) so after summing up your suggestions and thinking it over again, now I am more inclined to get the sociology prof to write the last letter over the other two. still, if you have any further comments, more than welcomed.

Hey guys...I have got a few questions about recommendation. 1. is choosing a TA to write one of the letters necessarily not as good as asking a professor to write it? (i am thinking about getting two professors and one TA to write as for now) 2. I am applying to polisci, but I dont think I will be able to get all the three letters from professors/TAs in the polisci department (for various reasons). is it okay to get a professor who is not in polisci but in whose class I exceled (I think that professor would write me a good letter if discipline is not considered)? Becasue I heard some rumor (could be true but I am not entirely sure) that getting a professor within the discipline to write the letter is by all means better than someone who isnt in this subject, even if you did really well in that professor (non-polisci)'s class... Can someone enlighten me a bit please? Thanks lots

Anything is welcome...please:)

I am new here...so greetings from me to everyone and thanks in advance for your advice So if possible I would like to know more about my chances to get into a top 30 PhD program for the coming admission season (with Dec 2010 deadline), given my background (my potential interest is the political economy of development, with a likely focus on urban development/political economy): - did undergrad in an Ivy school and graduated with two degrees in 2009, one in a humanities subject (which actually has quite a bit to do with my potential regional focus in polisci) and the other fairly irrelevant to polisci/social sciences. overall cumulative GPA wasnt too satisfactory (~3.3), mainly due to the downward drag of the irrelevant major (~3.2). But the one in humanitities has a much more decent major GPA, which is above 3.7 and that let me gain a distinction in that major/degree. Also I did a minor in math in the meantime, in which most courses were graded satisfactorily except a C+ in statistical inference and a C in linear algebra. - currently doing a MA program in international relations/international political economy in an institution whose polisci program (phd level) is ranked top 10 in the country. expected to graduate with something like 3.4 (3.3 in the worst case scenario, as calculated). among the courses I took there are two in polisci, and I got A- for both (both are phd level courses). will complete MA thesis in August this year, which is also directly related to my research focus/direction. -GRE: planning to retake in August/September this year. quant will be 800 almost for sure, verbal wise tryinghard to get over 600, or at least not lower than 550, writing wise trying to get sth over 4.5 - research experiences: got a couple of call for papers conferences, invited to submit papers and as speaker. of those one is directly related to my future focus area in polisci. On top of that, I have submited abstract (also related to my researc focus) for another conference, and is in the process of consideration. I am also doing RA work for a posdoc instructor here and may co-author an article with him in the following months. I have published a couple of articles primarily in school publications, but currently all those were done when I was an ungergrad, so the topics arent quite relevant to polisci (actually in humanities). - professional experiences (dont know how much these weigh, just providing them for reference): once worked in a financial institution (did sth like banking), and a macroeconomic research institute (which is a sub-division of a larger financial institution) during past summers. I will do a one-year public service internship in urban planning/development in the city government of one of the largest metropolis in this country, starting from June this year. - others: did a study abroad in a country where my future research focus will likely to be on, language preparation is sufficient. currently serving as treasurer for a club related to IR and development in the school and won a grant of $10000 recently, and some other positions in other clubs. anthying from feedback, critique to suggestion on improvement are welcome. Thank you!