Do I have a shot--HPT?

[Jonhecht89]

Edited:

Basically, my GPA is middling (mid 3 range), my GREs are high (over 1500), I'm fixing up a second R&R for a top journal in HPT (ranked A* by one of those australian studies and it's a solo paper), but I have no polisci background. My BA is in philosophy and I'll be getting an MA in philosophy starting the fall. If it helps, I was offered a research Fulbright. I am going to be applying to philosophy PhD programs but figure that if I get into a top 10 polisci program, then I may do that. So the question is whether I have a shot at a top ten program. I figure that my only shot would be thanks to probably having a pub forthcoming in a top journal, but I see from a lot of posts on here that many people have multiple pubs and get shut out. I don't really know much about polisci, so are pubs just common?

Best,

Jonathan

Edited March 31, 2011 by Jonhecht89

[Ziz]

Publications for people coming out of undergrad are not common. What I mean by that are 'real' publications like you are talking about. Publications in actual peer-reviewed, top-tier journals where you are competing against tenured academics to publish. However, low-tiered and undergrad journal publications abound, but I have been told by some profs that those don't hold much water anyway. So I think if your publication is a 'real' publication, it would be very impressive for an undergrad and would help you stand out.

As for philosophy vs. politics, I'm assuming you're applying to political theory. As long as you can show that your interests are in the realm of political theroy and not metaphysics or something like that, and make a good case for why you would prefer to pursue your interests in a politics department and not a philosophy department, you should be all right. Some of this will also have to do with what kind of philosophy courses you took - was it all Metaphysics, Logic and Epistemology or did you focus more on ethics, political philosophy, etc. When I applied to PhD programs I was in the reverse situation, having done almost all political theory and little philosophy wanting to get into a philosophy program. I did end up getting accepted and that direction is generally considered harder - ie the philosophy people are less liketly to accept a non-philosophy major than politics departments are. I think in my case I was able to make a good case for it and also to show that despite the fact that my courses were all called "POLS###" I actually did a lot of philosophy work. If you can do that, I don' tthink you'[ll have any problem .

[adaptations]

I'd say you have a shot, but it will take a very clear statement of purpose along with the other intangibles such as LORs.

I'm curious what is HPT? Home Pregnancy Test? Heartland Poker Tour? Human Performance Technology? Oh... History of Political Thought... I'm glad I googled that one.