Choosing Schools - So many questions!

[Rainbow0121]

I've been reading these forums for a while and so I thought I would finally take the plunge and get involved. I don't want this to be a generic "what are my chances" thread as reading through all of the past ones only brings about fear and loathing and I realise calculating "chances" is an exercise in futility!

 

I'm planning on having a go at this years cycle but am realistic about my chances and feel that next year my application will be stronger, however I think participating this year will give me a wealth of useable experience- and hey, you never know!

 

Anyway, I'm a UK student and so am evaluating my chances of success in US programs. I'm considering only applying to three programs (I know this dramatically decreases my chances but i'm a broke soon-to-be masters student so it can't be helped)

 

At the moment I'm looking at Georgetown and Berkeley and one other top 50-75 school - any suggestions???

 

A little about myself: High 2.i Degree from Cambridge University, MA from University of London, research experience in both UK and US Think tanks and a couple of published papers. I'm taking the GRE in July and aiming for (fingers crossed) 165+ in both and a 4.5+ in Essays.

 

My interests are primarily political communication, elections and campaigns and more broadly anything resembling UK/US comparative politics.

 

Thoughts/Suggestions/Past Experiences welcomed!

[PoliSwede]

My first impression is that you might be aiming a bit low if you are expecting your GRE scores to be 165+ for verbal and quantitative. especially considering your past experience. Now, I know nothing about how British applicants are viewed by admissions committes, so I can't speak to that.

[socioeconomist]

From my experience, it totally makes sense to borrow some cash from a friend and apply to a dozen of schools. If you are not completely confident in your application, it is a suicide to apply for less then 6 programs. 

[Rainbow0121]

Yeah from looking around the boards its obvious that the more the better. Having done some research I've found about 7 schools which I think would be a good fit.

 

 

What are the reputations of U of Washington and U of Colorado (Boulder) like? I'm finding it difficult to find anything beyond superficial rankings.

[IRToni]

U of Washington at Seattle? One of my profs recommended it to me as a solid Comparative Politics Department, though I don't know about US/UK comparative.

[ThisGuyRiteHere]

I second applying for a bunch of schools. I knew exactly where my apps would fly, so i aimed 50-70 on USNWR list. Needless to say. Applied for 7 schools, with drew one app, rejected by 3, accepted by 3, funded by 1. Wish I would have targeted my application better, but I am satisfied.

[PoliSwede]

What are the reputations of U of Washington and U of Colorado (Boulder) like? I'm finding it difficult to find anything beyond superficial rankings.

I think that it's hard to go wrong with University of Washington (Seattle) as long as you think it will be a good fit. It's a solid program with a good reputation. 

 

University of Colorado at Boulder probably has a slightly less competitive admissions' process than University of Washington, but it's still a decent school to graduate from. I know that Aydin and Tir are both good IR scholars at UC-Boulder, but I don't know much about the other subfields.

[upam]

I think that it's hard to go wrong with University of Washington (Seattle) as long as you think it will be a good fit. It's a solid program with a good reputation. 

 

University of Colorado at Boulder probably has a slightly less competitive admissions' process than University of Washington, but it's still a decent school to graduate from. I know that Aydin and Tir are both good IR scholars at UC-Boulder, but I don't know much about the other subfields.

 

Tir is fantastic.