My chances?

[Garrison]

Hi everyone,

I'd appreciate any help; I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by the process, although I know that's hardly unusual. I'm entering my senior year as an undergrad and am trying to figure out the best graduate programs to apply to. I'd like to find a straight doctorate track program and pursue a doctorate in American Politics. I'd like to know if I have a shot at getting into top 10/20-type programs. I have yet to take the GRE, but I'm trying to gauge my strengths and weaknesses before concerning myself with those scores - I've always done very well on such tests.

Pros/things that I think might help me:

4.0 GPA in major (Political Science, Philosophy)

3.97 cumulative GPA

Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi inductee

Pi Sigma Alpha inductee (and chapter president)

pending publication of an academic paper

running for a position on local City Council

lots of volunteer political experience (state issue, national senate campaign, presidential campaign)

some teaching experience

many scholarships, including departmental awards

undergrad student government experience

great letters of recommendation

great statement of purpose/letter of intent

great writing sample

Cons/things that I think might hurt me:

attending a state university

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Zahar Berkut]

You have as good a chance as anyone, and your record certainly won't itself lock you out of any school of any ranking, but the two pieces of information you need to rank yourself are those GRE scores and the strength of your quantitative background (for American subfield, that is).

From there, it's all about "fit" and luck. I'm assuming your academic paper reflects a strong background in polisci research, too.