Arren

Hi, Dr-H: Thank you for the advice. It's very helpful. I will put more focus on the program alignment rather than school ranking when looking for my PhD program.

Hi everyone! I am planning on applying for Phd programs in PoliSci next or next next year. I am aiming at Top 10 PhD programs in the fields of political science, especially in party and voting behavior studies (universities like Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc.). I have several questions about what improvement I can make on my current academic backgrounds to increase the chance of getting in a top program, or are they simply good enough? I understand this is not a question that can be clearly answered and I do not expect anyone to accurately predict the outcome of my applications. However, I would still want to get some opinions/suggestions on my current progress to know on which part I can make better. Undergraduate university: National Taiwan University (rank 66 in QS) Overall GPA: 3.9/4.0 Standardized tests: GRE: 337/340 (V167 Q170 AW4.0) Toefl: 112/120 (R30 L30 S26 W26) Research experience: research assistant for a professor at my uni: 1y3m (ongoing) research assistant for a professor at a Top academic institution of Taiwan (Academia Sinica): 1y3m (ongoing) a research program funded by Ministry of Science and Technology, ROC Taiwan Publications: none Awards: many, including one from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC Taiwan All kinds of suggestions are welcome. I'd really appreciate them!