AuldReekie

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=old+gre+score+to+new+score&l=1

No, you need to buy one of their other books for that. Isn't this almost verging on spam?

I suggest you have a look at the graduate handbook for your school. A quick google: http://polisci.utk.edu/pdf/ghandbook1314.pdf 'All funded students must maintain at least a 3.5 GPA. Any student who falls below that level for one semester will receive a warning. If the GPA remains below a 3.5 for two consecutive semesters, the student will have funding terminated'

David Siegel from USC has just put up an online course on math for Political Science with ~30 hours of lectures on Youtube + practice sets & answers. I've only just started it, but it looks like it might be useful for you? I gather that it's modelled on the 'Math Camps' that some universities have. http://people.duke.edu/~das76/MooSieBook.html

I think the rule is whichever University you get into..

Try asking this again in Government Affairs forum as this one deals more with the academic study of Political Science. A quick word about Paris though, have you thought about renting a room instead of a whole apartment? You'll save money, meet more people and sidestep the guarantor issue.

Many people might argue against this. I would personally only look at MRes courses if you were to come over to the UK as they're effectively the first year of a UK PhD with the methods & research training component. It's probably not an optimal route, but perhaps worth considering if grades/finances preclude one of the the US Political Sciece/Methods Masters that seem to operate as a good route for many, although I can only think of Chicago/Columbia QMSS etc?

Alternatively look at programs like Chicago's QMSS (Quant Methods in Social Science) which would allow you to take more relevant research methods courses and work with Political Science professors who will be far better placed to write you references later.

This isn't really the correct forum for this question, try reposting this in Government Affairs.

Make sure your referees put your institutions grading system into context, the onus is on you to make sure that they get this information. As has been said by others B's seem to be mighty rare at many Masters programs in Political Science.

In political science it is rare for even Masters students to come in with peer reviewed publications. If you're only applying to Canadian universities then applying to 10 makes no sense, because you're not going to have a good research fit with 10 of them! Although for the US it is true that applying to 5-12 seems to be recommended!

This is the wrong forum, you'll get a better response (and won't annoy people) by posting this in the Political Science forum. Suffice to say your GPA will most likely not rule you out of any university, is your publication in peer-reviewed journal? If so, that's a big plus. PhD admissions are dictated by a whole range of factors and GPA is just one of them . Head over to the polisci forum and have a search for past topics on the issue, there are quite a few threads on admissions to Canadian universities, although not as many as for US institutions.

First and foremost what do you want to do? If it's working for the Foreign Service, think-tank or an NGO then a PhD is not normally considered necessary. A professional 1-2 year Masters degree will be just as good/better preparation for the careers you've mentioned as opposed to spending 5+ years in a PhD program training to be an academic. I see you also posted this in the Gov. Affairs forum, that's probably the place where you'll get the best feedback for your intended career

Some tips here by:- Drezner - http://www.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/03/18/so_you_want_to_get_into_a_political_science_phd_program_part_one Monteiro - http://www.nunomonteiro.org/advice/grad-admissions 'The Realist' - A few more scholars have posted their thoughts on graduate admissions over at the Duck of Minerva Check out the Faculty Perspectives sticky and you'll be able to glean more of an idea from the likes of BFB and 'Penelope Higgins' who have kindly commented greatly around the forum. EDIT: Don't assume you'll be able to fly through the GRE. Read up on the format of the test and use PowerPrep II by ETS (free) to take a practice exam which will give you an indication of where you're starting from.

As I said, I wouldn't do it, but I can certainly see why some people might try. I wouldn't apply anywhere that didn't have reasonable job prospects in the first place.

I'm sure many of us have taken a job while harbouring the intention of applying elsewhere..

I'm not sure how many students enrol in a PhD program with the aim of jumping ship to a better ranked program, but can it really be that high a number? And to all that many even manage to move up to a substantially better ranked program? If you're a DGS I could see it being bloody frustrating (if you lose funding/student place as a result), but for the rest of the faculty? At the end of the day if that person doesn't want to be there it's best that they leave. As was pointed out graduate school is a business relationship and with lower ranked programs you're more likely to be working 20 hrs a week for the privilege. You're on probation for the first several years and perhaps the department is too? Everyone knows the job market is fiendishly difficult and I'm not sure how much I blame someone for trying to reach their goals this way. Especially if it could mean the difference between life as an adjunct or a TT position. Although do bear in mind the Coach's mantra and don't be a jerk!

Unfortunately I don't believe it does - http://gradlsu.gs.lsu.edu/Financial%20Assistance/Awards/item11960.html - but if you have any doubts you should call/email them and ask about how likely it is that any assistantships will become available/other options.

Thanks, some interesting things in there.

Well done, that's fantastic! Say hello to the Cathedral for me .

I've seen this with with a few lower end SLACs, but not sure if it's really a factor at research intensive institutions.

In short: no, variation is perfectly normal. If you want to assuage your fears further have a look at this page to see people's practice & real GRE scores.

Good luck, I went to a great graduate recruitment day at GSPIA (they have their own PhD program - but I've never looked into it) a few years back. Perhaps as a slightly homesick undergrad meeting faculty who had taught at my home university and finding the university crest in the Scottish room probably swayed my opinions a bit . I do really like Pittsburgh and they've got some good academics. Although they truly seemed football mad.. Good luck and I really hope you get off the waitlist.

I see from PSR that they are asking scholars to be discussants for the poster section with each taking on 4-5, so you can at least be guaranteed some feedback

I don't think so, last years deadline was ~June. Although like you said the website is bad, but I think they've simply not uploaded the information for 2014.