thejole

Hi everyone, I just gave the GRE for the first time and am contemplating how my scores affect my application shortlist. I also would appreciate advice on whether to give it again (which I probably will) and if so, how much energy to invest. PROFILE: Type of Undergrad Institution: German, global top 50 Major(s)/Minor(s): Political Science/History Undergrad GPA: The approx. equivalent of a 3.9 (top 2% of my cohort of around 350 people) Type of Grad: MSc with a focus on Comparative at a global top 10 institution Grad GPA: The equivalent of a 4.0 (top of cohort of around 60 people) GRE: 159q/163v/AW not out yet Research interests: The interaction between ethnic intrastate conflict and regional autonomy/federalism/decentralization. I want to use mixed methods. Any Special Courses: I took several quantitative methods courses which I excelled at. I also took qualitative methods courses during my Graduate studies and would say that my training was quite (mixed) methods heavy. Letters of Recommendation: Full professor from my undergrad whom I worked for and which supervised my BA thesis, also two associate professors from my Graduate institution (one of them my thesis supervisor there). Possibly another full professor from my undergrad who knows me quite well, although he does theory (I would put him only in programs which I expect to be friendly towards "interdisciplinary" approaches involving Comparative and Theory). I am confident that all of the letters will be very strong. Teaching/Research Experience: 1x TA on a quantitative methods course, 2x TA on a Political System course, both at my undergrad institution. RA for 2.5 years at my undergrad institution. Scholarships: I received around 18.000€ in scholarship money over the course of my studies (keep in mind this is Europe, so no substantial fees to cover), as well as a substantial contribution to fees for my Graduate studies. I hope I can use this to signal that I have the ability to bring money on board. Publications: One peer-reviewed publication earlier this year which I co-authored; the journal's impact factor is 3.1. Writing Samples: I have multiple Writing Samples which I believe highlight my abilities to combine quant and qual methods, my ability to work with large datasets, to theoretically frame research in an innovative way and which are pertinent to my research interests. I will probably submit my MSc thesis for most programs. Other: Took an extracurricular at my Graduate institution which involved a three month research project. I am mainly concerned about my GRE quant score - although I reckon that I will be able to get it over 160 when retaking the GRE after some more studying, any more substantial improvements seem difficult as I am working a full time job. I would be thankful on your thoughts on the following: Which tiers should I aim at with my profile? Are there any levers through which I could efficiently improve my application before December 2025 deadlines? Do any particular programs come to mind that you think would fit my interests and profile well? Many thanks to everyone contributing