fenderpete

Well now it looks like all five of the schools I've applied to have got my GRE results and references etc... Leaving me as the only person not to know my AWA score Now it really is just about waiting. At least I've got a scholarship interview in mid-January to keep my mind occupied for the next while.

I'm hoping once the Christmas break ends I'll be able to focus some of this nervous energy into my undergrad dissertation... Otherwise it'll be a long three months!

Staff do seem to be working on apps at the minute a bit though, Princeton and Penn updated to say that had my official GRE scores on Christmas eve! Good to see the USPS is still working too lol.

Not sure how my profile compares as an international but I'll post my UK results in case they make sense to people UK Undergrad (top 10 research uni): 74 in Politics and IR (First class honours, think that's the same as summa cum laude) GRE: 610 Quantitative 690 Verbal (Still haven't got my AWA from ETS thanks to the Xmas post!) Spent the summer working in a Palestinian refugee camp and travelling around Israel and Egypt. Prior to university I worked in freelance music journalism. Applied to: UPenn Princeton (WWS PhD in PP) Stanford Columbia Chicago Research wise very much the Middle East and conflict resolution so hopefully UPenn, Stanford or Princeton would be a good fit... I've got an interview for the Thouron Award in January, so hopefully that could help me with Penn! Nice GRE scores by the way guys, as a UK applicant it was all a bit foreign to me, I hadn't touched maths since I was 15!

Hi all, thanks for the replies. I want to pursue a career in the USA - which is what's motivating me to study there at the highest level I can. UK PhDs are even more academia focused and lead pretty much to professorship and nothing else. We also don't have the same atmosphere of policy influencing think-tanks like Brookings etc. The WWS program does have Public Policy and 'real world' applications, from reading around I think Penn and Stanford would not be dissimilar and all offer very good work placements. Basically most people I've spoken to have said that without a doctorate you'd potentially be capped in terms of career progression in later years. I love the look of all the programs you've mentioned convex but I can't help getting the impression that bigger 'name' institutions open more doors. Doing a Masters isn't really an option as I simply don't have the money to finance that. I basically want to get an intimate knowledge of my area of specialisation (security and the Middle East) during a PhD that I can then take to the work environment... Do you think my application is strong enough to get offers from the places I've applied to?

Any particular reason you say that and care to elaborate a little more? Most of the high ranking figures from the NSC and State Department over the last few decades have held a doctorate.

I'm interested primarily in conflict resolution, the Middle East, diplomacy/negotiation (and the making of foreign policy) and terrorism/counterinsurgency. The main thing holding me back from applying is how expensive it is. I've already spent about $800 on applications including the GRE. I want to go to a college where practice rather than theory is emphasised, as I want to go and work in foreign policy, rather than work as an academic. I would have loved the Georgetown MSFS program but I can't get funding for a Masters as an overseas student and the Johns Hopkins SAIS course is much the same and they don't offer a PhD to students unless you've already completed a Masters. If I can't get into the colleges I've applied to then I think I'd be better to pursue work experience and get my Arabic up to a high level as that may well stand me in better stead than a degree from a lesser institution. I could then reapply later. What do you guys think? There's a lack of professors in my university who can advise me on what the best route into a career in the practice of diplomacy is... Thanks a lot

I'm assuming they'll want to know pretty soon after they offer me it, which would be early February. I suppose if I get offered it I can ask the other schools I've applied to for some sort of indication of whether I'm likely to get it? What do you reckon about the rest of my profile for admission? (apologies for posting in the other thread, wasn't sure whether I should have posted there instead!)

Hi all, I've applied to Princeton, Harvard, UPenn, Stanford, Columbia and Chicago for a PhD in Political Science for Fall 2009 entry. I've also applied for a couple of scholarships which will probably give me a decision by the beginning of February after an interview for it in mid-Jan. I'll need to know what schools have accepted me by then to know whether to accept the scholarship or not if I get offered it (particularly the Thouron Award which is specific to UPenn). On the GRE I ended up with Q610, V690 - I didn't do quite as well on the Quantitative as I had on one of my practices but I'm happy enough with my performance given the fact I only had 3 weeks to prepare and had a 4000 word essay due in as well. I'd done better on Quants in practice (I got a 680 on the first powerprep practice) but that's my highest Verbal. As it turns out the Princeton review practice test was pretty spot on, which predicted me Q610, V650... Do you think those will be good enough to get my application considered by the big unis for a PhD in Political Science? LOR wise I've got two from extremely well respected professors - the main one of which I did research work for over the summer, and he's appeared on numerous news channels as a commentator on conflict resolution etc. The other professor is well known in the field of terrorism and counterterrorism. My third reference came from my (now ex) head of department and was basically able to shore up all the extracurriculars I did within my department. The only potential problem is that they won't be as well known in the USA. Grades wise I won a prize for the top marks in my year last year, and have kept that average up this year. I'm currently on a 73 - which at an English university is the equivalent of summa cum laude, and should hopefully keep me near the top of my year. I should, all being well, graduate with a first class honours degree. Not sure if the fact it's not a GPA format will count against me, but I've included an explanatory note with my transcripts... Extracurriculars wise... Last year I was president of the university Politics Society, took the society from a position of considerable debt and won four awards at the university wide society awards (including individual contribution award and most improved society). I was also Assistant Editor of the student run newspaper and this year I'm the Student Union council representative for my department. I've also played football for the society team and helped arrange a trip to DC and NYC for the Easter break. I spent the summer teaching in a high school and then worked in a refugee camp in Palestine for two weeks over the summer and I've since started learning Arabic. I'd be interested in hearing what you guys think, as the downtime between applying and hearing gives me a lot of spare time (that I should probably be devoting to my dissertation lol)! Thanks!

Sorry, apologies for my initial lack of specificity! LOR wise I've got two from extremely well respected professors - the main one of which I did research work for over the summer, and he's appeared on numerous news channels as a commentator on conflict resolution etc. The other professor is well known in the field of terrorism and counterterrorism. My third reference came from my (now ex) head of department and was basically able to shore up all the extracurriculars I did within my department. The only potential problem is that they won't be as well known in the USA. Grades wise I won a prize for the top marks in my year last year, and have kept that average up this year. I'm currently on a 73 - which at an English university is the equivalent of summa cum laude, and should hopefully keep me near the top of my year. I should, all being well, graduate with a first class honours degree. Extracurriculars wise... Last year I was president of the university Politics Society, took the society from a position of considerable debt and won four awards at the university wide society awards (including individual contribution award and most improved society). I was also Assistant Editor of the student run newspaper and this year I'm the Student Union council representative for my department. I've also played football for the society team and helped arrange a trip to DC and NYC for the Easter break. I spent the summer teaching in a high school and then worked in a refugee camp in Palestine for two weeks over the summer and I've since started learning Arabic. In terms of applying to other universities, I'd rather wait a year and reapply than go to a lesser university. If I don't get a position at one of my top six choices I'm planning to apply for an internship with NATO or failing that go back out to the Middle East for six months to get my Arabic up to a higher standard. Anything else you'd need to know to give me a reasonable idea of my chances? Thanks!

Hi all... I've applied to Princeton, Harvard, UPenn, Stanford, Columbia and Chicago for a PhD in Political Science for Fall 2009 entry. I've also applied for a couple of scholarships which will probably give me a decision by the beginning of February. I'll need to know what schools have accepted me by then to know whether to accept the scholarship or not if I get offered it (particularly the Thouron Award which is specific to UPenn). On the GRE I ended up with Q610, V690 - I didn't do quite as well on the Quantitative as I had on one of my practices but I'm happy enough with my performance given the fact I only had 3 weeks to prepare and had a 4000 word essay due in as well. I'd done better on Quants in practice (I got a 680 on the first powerprep on Monday) but that's my highest Verbal. As it turns out the Princeton review practice test was pretty spot on, which predicted me Q610, V650... Out of interest, do you think those will be good enough to get my application considered by the big unis for a PhD in Political Science? I've applied to Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, UPenn, Columbia and Chicago. My extracurriculars are very strong as is the rest of my app and references, I'm just worried the GRE Quants isn't quite good enough... Do you know when I'll be likely to get a decision from the universities I've applied to? How would you rate my chances? Thanks!