jasonkowk

Stanford ranking 3rd?

I am hundred percent sure that Duke is done with admits and sent 20 offers and 19 waitlits for 2013 Fall.

So excited to get offers from NYU and Duke almost at the same moment ! Wish every one good luck!

For those who have received the mail, has the application status in your My UW changed from pending to any decision?

Hi all, I just have a problem with my LoRs. Yesterday Stanford emailed me that all application materials must be received by Friday, December 14th and the review process will begin December 19th. Does it mean if my LoR can not be submitted by that date, I will automatically be kicked out?

Hi everyone, I have a problem regarding GRE scores. I have taken GRE twice. The scores are 162v+169q+3aw for the first time, and 155v+165v+4aw (a bit weird that my V and Q are worse than the previous one) for the second time. Should I send both or just pick the one with higher verbal and quantitative scores? Do you guys have any ideas about how gradschool review multiple GRE scores? I checked information of many programs and not much useful information was found.

Hi all, Is anyone using Interfolio now to request recommendation letters and send them to grad schools? Two disadvantages I've heard about the service of Interfolio: 1) Interfolio is not set up to collect any institution-specific information, such as rating forms; 2) Since the Interfolio recommendation letter is used for applying to all the schools, it is impossible for professors to write how specifically you match each program. What do you guys think?

Hi all, I am an international student now as a second year master's student at a top-10 school and I am rushing for my PhD application at this moment. The problem of my GRE AWA score plagues me, Verbal and Quant scores are 162 (89%) and 169 (98%), respectively, whereas a sad 3 in AWA (11%). The AWA score definitely does not represent my writing ability (some unexpected things happened during my writing section the day I took GRE), but it is the score I have to use to apply to graduate school!!!! I was aiming at top-20 schools with a concentration in comparative political economy in authoritarian countries, but I don't know if this score would eliminate the possibilities that I could get into these programs. Can good SoP and writing sample hedge the influence of the bad score in AWA on my prospect? Especially, if I am going to follow the approach of formal modeling, how much do the formal-modeling-predominant programs like Rochester or NYU care about AWA score? Thanks!

Thank you for your advice. I think I will move on and focus on my SoP and Writing Sample

Hi everyone, I am currently in a small-scale political science master program at a T-10 university. What plagues me is my GRE AW score is quite low as a polisci student and my verbal is not that good, at least below verbal score average of admitted students in some top programs: I just got my full GRE score, Verbal 162 (89%), Quant 169(98%), AW 4.5 (73%). And my TOFEL score is 115. Since there are only one and a half months left before 2013 fall application is closed, is it really meaningful to retake GRE to get scores like 165+165+5.5 or should I just emphasize on my SoP and WS? I heard that staff would throw an application into basket if the applicant fails to show a good standardized test score, especially for an international student. Is it really the case? Thanks.

I just received admission letter from Department of Political Science at Duke and the degree I applied for is M.A. degree. I have limited information about this program at Duke and I am concerning two things. The first one is was the acceptance rate high of this M.A. program's graduates to top doctoral programs in recent years. The second one is that is it possible to directly transfer to PhD track from M.A track in the second year. It will be very grateful if someone can tell me some information about this program.