Chances at Political Science PhD

[leseuy]

Hey, so I know this is just another "What are my chances" thread but I was hoping you could help me out, at least for therapeutic purposes.

 

Schools applying: Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Yale, Stanford

3.55 GPA in Accounting from University of Florida (problem)

166 Quantitative GRE, 164 Verbal GRE

Have a BSc and a MAcc in Accounting from UF

Did a tax internship with a large accounting firm for a summer

Worked almost 40 hours per week for 4 years as an accounting intern for the University to completely support myself through college

My research interests lay, in very broad terms, in international tax policy and the applicability of nuclear deterrence theory and stability

I am a co-author on two articles on nuclear weapons stability published in very reputable political science journals

Helped write a mainstream International Relations textbook and was acknowledged and cited for my efforts (not an author but I did receive a citation)

Worked as a state-level operative for two presidential campaigns

 

I guess the overarching question is, "Is this enough". I know my GPA is low for the schools I am applying to (though I can probably chalk it up to my working hours...but no excuses!), but are my GRE scores and research/work experience enough to compensate to give me a fighting chance at at least one of these schools?

 

Thanks for reading yet another such post and your help is greatly appreciated!

[silver_lining]

Admissions are competitive, so you should consider applying to more schools in addition to the 5 you have listed here! Each admissions committee is different, so it would be impossible to say if they would like your stats/background or not, but I think it is worth a shot. 

[Quigley]

Being published should help, but I was told by adcom members at several schools that work/professional experience doesn't really matter.  Working on a campaign may help your teaching by giving you relevant life experiences to draw from, but it won't help your chances at getting into a program.  Schools are more interested in whether you can do the work and be a successful academic, not that you have an interesting professional background.

 

Your GPA makes these schools a long shot, but it's within the realm of possibility.  The huge pool of applicants for limited slots makes it a bit of a wild card, especially since you are only applying to the very top schools.  People with stats worse than yours have been accepted to these schools, but people with stats much more impressive than yours have also been shut out of the top-25 their first (or second) time around. 

Edited May 29, 2013 by Quigley

[eponine997]

To reiterate from previous comments: Apply to more than 5 schools (what Quigley said).  

Publications and prior experience with political science research (particularly if mentored by a poli sci professor) are generally positive signals.  As for your professional experience, etc, you'll need to explain how it shaped your research interests and/or how it fits with the schools where you are applying (you'll want to have better reasons than "it's not worth getting a PhD unless I get one from a reputable institution" - and perhaps you do have reasons for those schools in particular, but you'll want to express that in your SoP.  

Most important, have clearly defined research interests.  You should have questions you want to explore as a grad student.  

 

Have you considered getting a PhD in business or public policy?  With your background and interest it might be more appropriate and certainly would not rule out placement into tenure-track job in political science if that is your end game (or for that matter, if you wanted to teach/research international tax policy it would be much more lucrative to do so in a business school).  You might have a better chance at exploring these interests at a top school - something to consider.

 

Going back to what Quigley said, your GPA does not make you a lost cause for a poli sci PhD, more likely, you would just need to make a compelling case for why you want to study poli sci, describe how your background helped develop your research interests, articulate what those interests are and how they fit at the schools where you are applying.

As much as I get that you were looking for a therapeutic reassurance one way or the other - there is really only one way to find out what your chances are... (and even that doesn't always provide an accurate picture)
 

[ThisGuyRiteHere]

Business PhD's make good money. And you may still be able to research international tax policy. MUCH more tenure track jobs in business. Stipends are much higher too for TA/RA. My UG that was unranked in business had AP's pulling 80-100k their first year with a pretty laid back tenure requirements (from what i know/heard).

[PoliSwede]

As others have said, it's really hard to gauge exactly what your chances are. The programs that you've listed are all extremely competitive and the admission's process in many cases turn out to be a lottery between many highly qualified applicants.

 

That said, I've seen applicants on here overcome relatively low GPAs by having strengths in other areas (which you apparently have).

 

I applied to seven programs, received admittance to two of them, and still wish that I would have cast an even broader net during the process. If you're really interested in getting a PhD in political science, preferably as soon as possible, I'd apply to more schools than the ones you've listed. Of course, some people want to either go to a top program or not go at all. Which is perfectly fine as well

[Mnemonics2]

Define "very reputable political science journals" please!

[leseuy]

Thanks for your responses! I am definitely considering an accounting PhD as well, but I figured my experience in the political science arena may give me a leg up there and might make me less attractive to accounting programs. Still a thought process.

 

The journals I meant were International Security and Security Studies.

[jazzrap]

Thanks for your responses! I am definitely considering an accounting PhD as well, but I figured my experience in the political science arena may give me a leg up there and might make me less attractive to accounting programs. Still a thought process.

 

The journals I meant were International Security and Security Studies.

 Why would any program reject a student who has coauthored on these two top journals? It would be too stupid a thing to do. 

[Quigley]

I applied to 9 schools and was accepted by 2.  The 2 that offered me admission were the 2 that I added to my list at the last minute.

[Orlien]

I've heard that your GPA becomes less important the further you get away from undergrad.

[eponine997]

 Why would any program reject a student who has coauthored on these two top journals? It would be too stupid a thing to do. 

I know of others who have struck out, despite publications.  I've seen several rejections on the results board of people mentioning publications (and otherwise strong marks) in the comments.  

They are good subfield journals (easily falling within OP's description of "very reputable," but top journals would be APSR, AJPS, IO, Journal of Politics, World Politics.  Don't misunderstand me, publishing in International Studies and/or Security Studies is a strong signal and pretty darn impressive for someone who has not yet attended grad school, but by no means would it make you a "sure thing" for acceptance.  

[jazzrap]

I know of others who have struck out, despite publications.  I've seen several rejections on the results board of people mentioning publications (and otherwise strong marks) in the comments.  

They are good subfield journals (easily falling within OP's description of "very reputable," but top journals would be APSR, AJPS, IO, Journal of Politics, World Politics.  Don't misunderstand me, publishing in International Studies and/or Security Studies is a strong signal and pretty darn impressive for someone who has not yet attended grad school, but by no means would it make you a "sure thing" for acceptance.  

You are right. I understand that it is not a sure thing. But seriously, how many Harvard IR ABDs have two first tier coauthored articles on their resume? 

[catchermiscount]

Indeed, International Security is a very strong, very good signal, but it's also a very specific signal.  As the Rigor crowd and the Rigor Mortis crowd have established their detente, IS has kind of fallen off the map of folks that do "mainstream" IR scholarship.  So, for a place like MIT, it is a very, very strong signal that you are an excellent fit.  For a place like Rochester, it's still positive, but you'd need to show evidence that qualitative security studies aren't your intended bread and butter.

[PoliSwede]

Indeed, International Security is a very strong, very good signal, but it's also a very specific signal.  As the Rigor crowd and the Rigor Mortis crowd have established their detente, IS has kind of fallen off the map of folks that do "mainstream" IR scholarship.  So, for a place like MIT, it is a very, very strong signal that you are an excellent fit.  For a place like Rochester, it's still positive, but you'd need to show evidence that qualitative security studies aren't your intended bread and butter.

MIT and Chicago were the first two programs that immediately came to mind for me.

[upam]

Agree with the majority that you should expand the school list... you learn a lot more about schools making visits and may end up wanting to attend somewhere you didn't expect.

 

Also - one of the biggest aspects for you will be making your SOP strong and connecting why your unique background makes you more qualified than poli sci majors.