polisci09

I have a horribly bad typo on my SOP, so I don't think I have a very good chance, but OSU is still my top choice. I'm starting to hate that app status website. What the hell is the difference between academic review and evaluation, anyway?

Anyone think we're going to hear from Ohio State this week?

I was accepted to UIUC last Thursday, and since then three professors have emailed me to congratulate me on my acceptance and talk about their interests, the department, etc. Illinois was already high on my list, but the personal attention is moving it up even higher (clearly I am more vain than I thought). I wonder if this is characteristic of other departments?

I'm in at MSU! stipend of 14 hundred a month, health insurance, tuition waiver, requires a 20 hour per week commitment to research/teaching etc.

I got my phone call at 7:15 Eastern time, so 6:15 there.

I got in to Illinois, funded for 4 years plus 18k! It's such a relief!

I'm applying to Pittsburgh. My sub field is American Politics--focusing on national institutions. There are 4 or 5 faculty whose research interests work with mine, and everyone I've contacted has been wonderful (not the case at some other schools). That being said, Pittsburgh is my safety.

Undergrad GPA- 3.97, Majored in Poli Sci and Philosophy (small state school) GRE: Verbal 710, Quantitative 740, Writing 6.0 (my life story is on the "good enough to get in?" page) Applying to: Ohio State Wisconsin-Madison Indiana-Bloomington Illinois- Urbana-Champaign Penn State Michigan State Pittsburgh

I decided to take Syracuse off my list and added Indiana and Illinois. Got my analytical writing score- 6.0!

In my personal statement (which I put in the mail for my top choice school yesterday) I mention how fascinated I was in high school by the Bush V. Gore 2004 decision...problem is...I was in seventh grade for the Bush v. Gore decision...and it was in 2000. Kicker: one of my research interests is judicial politics. and yes I have been having panic attacks since I realized this error last night.

I would certainly apply to UCSD if I thought I could get in there. Clearly my analytical skills are not PhD level if I have to ask this after scouring their website, but does UCSD not require a writing sample? Thanks again everyone.

Thanks for the responses everyone! My adviser agreed that being pre-law shouldn't hurt my chances of getting in, given that our pre-law curriculum is just a little different (more structured) than the general political science major, and all of the courses for it are political science. So now I'm trying to figure out where to apply, right now this is my list of schools, in no particular order except that they are in this order on my Excel worksheet: Ohio State, Wisconsin-Madison, Michigan State, Penn State, Pittsburgh and Syracuse. Are these unrealistic for me? I can't come up with a "safe" school that I wouldn't mind attending, suggestions? My numbers are above (still waiting on the Analytical Writing score), any input would be appreciated. I hope I can get into at least one, otherwise I am going to have to save up for a boob job to become a trophy wife.

Like a lot of other prospective grad students out there I'm doubting whether or not I can get in to a top 25 school. I went to an unknown undergraduate state university in Michigan that I love and have done very well at, and luckily, haven't paid a dime for. However, I doubt that the name of any member of our poli sci faculty will be recognized by an admissions committee at a top school. The department is not very active in research and does not extend research opportunities to undergraduates. Another thing I have been worrried about is that one of my undergraduate majors is Political Science with a pre-law concentration. I have a general political science minor. The truth is, I kept the pre-law concentration so that I could have a general poli sci minor and justifiably take more political science classes. I am now concerned that an admissions committee will think I'm flakey for applying to graduate school with my pre-law school background. My graduate school interest is American politics, focussing on legislative politics. Any advice/comments from other forum members would be appreciated. GPA- 3.97, 2 A-s (4.00 in political science major, 3.97 in philosophy major, 4.00 in political science minor) GRE- 740 Quantitative, 710 Verbal (haven't gotten writing scores back yet) 3 semesters teaching experience, 2 of which are in sophomore level political science classes. Helped create and now serve as editor for an undergraduate political journal, President of Model United Nations for three years, active in university life (judiciary boards, orientation staff, housing staff), paid specialized tutor in political science and philosophy, interned with a political news organization, slew of other extracurriculars.