Where should I apply?

[Njhasty]

I am applying to political science doctoral programs for the Fall 2013 semester. I want to get some insight into what schools to which I should apply based on my qualifications listed below. Currently I am taking a year off to work and pay off student loans. I still have a few months of time before admissions are due, so I have been working on applications to schools while studying to retest on the GRE. I would much appreciate recommendations and advice.

Graduated with BA in Poli Sci from a solid publi state school

Undergrad GPA: 3.78 (major gpa is 3.90)

GRE: 152V 141Q 4.5AW

Research Experience: two independent research courses about globalization

Teaching Experience: undergraduate TA for three different classes

Conferences: delegate representative at two undergraduate international foreign policy conferences at U.S. military academies

Volunteer: service-learning in Costa Rica and Belize

LoRs; one from notable tenured professor, one from young tenure track professor, one from tenured professor who was my academic advisor

Special Coursework: IR grad proseminar

Research interests: international security, international conflict, foreign policy decision-making- these are very flexible

Keep in mind I am retesting on the GRE to attain a higher score. I project a score in the 70th to 90th percentile the next time I retest.

Thanks!

[jazzrap]

I think you may have a decent shot at GW or Georgetown provided that you improve your GRE scores. You should try all the top schools of course. As far as I can see, you are more interested in the academic side of foreign policy than IR theories.

[Njhasty]

Really? Because I am thinking even if I improve my GRE scores marginally I will only have a shot a getting into mid-level programs.

Honestly I feel too daunted to even consider applying to a really good name brand school like GW or Georgetown. I feel like most well regarded programs simply use the GRE as a method of weeding out applicants and with my scores I won't stand a chance. Besides, with top schools there is a wildcard factor in certain applicants they accept that I just don't think I possess.

By the way, below are the schools to which I am applying:

George Mason SCAR

Iowa State University

University of Iowa

Texas A & M

University of Minnesota

University of Denver

University of Washington

Brandeis

Am I off the mark in terms of the schools for which I am applying?

[jazzrap]

Really? Because I am thinking even if I improve my GRE scores marginally I will only have a shot a getting into mid-level programs.

Honestly I feel too daunted to even consider applying to a really good name brand school like GW or Georgetown. I feel like most well regarded programs simply use the GRE as a method of weeding out applicants and with my scores I won't stand a chance. Besides, with top schools there is a wildcard factor in certain applicants they accept that I just don't think I possess.

By the way, below are the schools to which I am applying:

George Mason SCAR

Iowa State University

University of Iowa

Texas A & M

University of Minnesota

University of Denver

University of Washington

Brandeis

Am I off the mark in terms of the schools for which I am applying?

Well, GW and Georgetown are not like elite schools such as UCSD, Stanford or Harvard. I really think you should add these two in.

Are you looking to apply to MA programs? Academic terminal MAs

[Njhasty]

No, I am applying for doctorate programs. The only MA program i'm applying to is my alta mater and that's just because it doesn't even have a Ph.d program and I would switch to one later.

[Bdeniso]

Really? Because I am thinking even if I improve my GRE scores marginally I will only have a shot a getting into mid-level programs.

Honestly I feel too daunted to even consider applying to a really good name brand school like GW or Georgetown. I feel like most well regarded programs simply use the GRE as a method of weeding out applicants and with my scores I won't stand a chance. Besides, with top schools there is a wildcard factor in certain applicants they accept that I just don't think I possess.

By the way, below are the schools to which I am applying:

George Mason SCAR

Iowa State University

University of Iowa

Texas A & M

University of Minnesota

University of Denver

University of Washington

Brandeis

Am I off the mark in terms of the schools for which I am applying?

GT and GW would be good choices I agree. In terms of total poli sci many of those listed are rated over Georgetown. They are not elite schools for Poli Sci Phd like applying for undergrad would be. Do you have any idea what type of methodology you want to use? That would also determine some other places you may want to apply. For example you wouldnt apply to UCSD if you hated game theory and if you wanted to do game theory you wouldnt want to go to Brandeis. The key is to find what you want to do and schools that will help you with that.

Honestly, off the top of my head Ohio State would be a good place as they are doing some great stuff on foreign policy decision making, also if you are interested in security studies Notre Dame would be a great place to go as well. As for A&M, if you want to do qualitative, it would be a bad choice, but if you like quant and game theory, it would be good, but they don't do much in security studies per se. The rest of the schools you listed I have no idea about because they did not have a security studies program I was interested in when applying.

Hope that helps.

[jazzrap]

GT and GW would be good choices I agree. In terms of total poli sci many of those listed are rated over Georgetown. They are not elite schools for Poli Sci Phd like applying for undergrad would be. Do you have any idea what type of methodology you want to use? That would also determine some other places you may want to apply. For example you wouldnt apply to UCSD if you hated game theory and if you wanted to do game theory you wouldnt want to go to Brandeis. The key is to find what you want to do and schools that will help you with that.

Honestly, off the top of my head Ohio State would be a good place as they are doing some great stuff on foreign policy decision making, also if you are interested in security studies Notre Dame would be a great place to go as well. As for A&M, if you want to do qualitative, it would be a bad choice, but if you like quant and game theory, it would be good, but they don't do much in security studies per se. The rest of the schools you listed I have no idea about because they did not have a security studies program I was interested in when applying.

Hope that helps.

Oh, I forgot ND. I think the OP should definitely try ND, which has great faculty in both security studies and theories. I believe ND is also a good place to do qualitative research.

[Njhasty]

You recent posters have me convinced about Notre Dame.

To be honest I am not sure what I want to do in terms of methodology. In my undergrad I took basic statistics and an empirical research class but I am not sure how comfortable I am with numbers. What I mean is I love data analysis but when it comes to performing statistical operations with numbers I feel like a bull in a China shop.

On the other hand I am VERY comfortable with qualitative research since for a while in my undergrad I was actually a history major. Plus writing is second nature to me, while using numbers does not quite feel at home.

[Bdeniso]

I think it is important for you to decide what you would like to do and move from there. Honestly, I think the best Sec Studies work is done with mixed methods, but all departments are different. And don't let what you think of as good rankings sway you. For example, some departments have high or low total rankings, but specifically in sec studies or latin america comparative etc... they are very good. Unless you know that there is someone there who would help and encourage you at that school, it is not worth going. Don't just apply to schools based on tiers but ones you know you could do the work you want to do and have faculty who would be open to it.

Of those you list, Brandeis sounds good for what you want but A&M I am not sure about for your interests. For the others I know nothing about them. Do your research and then make a list!

[adaptations]

Njhasty:

If I were in your shoes, I would start by taking a broader look at programs that matched my research interests (and not being afraid of considering specific schools because of their ranking or prestige). If you're willing to spend the next 5-7 years of your life studying politics, you should be willing to spend the next two months researching politics programs until you know exactly which ones you want to apply to. Then I would bust my butt and get the best darned GRE score I could. From there, I would apply to schools that have very good research matches, meaning they have a number of faculty working in your area of interest, and you think you would be able to receive the training and mentorship to succeed in your work.

You have a strong gpa, and with a great SOP, LORs, and writing sample, anything can happen (particularly if you can get the GRE up to your projected range). I think you have a good range of schools, but I would also be willing to include higher ranked schools if they match well with your interests (once you get your GRE scores up).

In addition to thinking about where you can get in, you should think about what your prospects on the job market will be in 5-7 years when you finish your PhD. If you're exclusively looking to be an academic, look very closely at placement records and consider whether the school places enough of its graduates in jobs that you would want. You should weigh your time invested in the PhD against the expected payoff at completion. Unless you think you're likely to get the type of job you want from a program you are considering, you probably shouldn't be going there (there are more productive ways to spend 5 years of your life, and other ways to improve your credentials and get into a program with a higher chance of becoming a professor, if that's your goal).

I wish you the best of luck.

-adapt

[Njhasty]

Update-

I retested on the GRE today and raised my verbal score from 152 to 159 and quantitative from 141 to 146. Of course I am still waiting on my awa score but i'm expecting that to raise from a 4.5 to hopefully a 5.0 or 5.5.

Until I get my official scores in the mail I'll be finishing up my applications and emailing my recommenders.

Thanks everyone.