average of those who are from the UK system?

[titioh]

Hi, I'm preparing my applications for a US phd in CP.

 

I did my masters in the UK and am wondering whether my scores are competitive.

 

I have a average of 65. 

 

Do you think I'll suffer from this score when making applications to T15 schools?

 

It would be immensely helpful of those graduated from the UK system can share their average! 

[AuldReekie]

Hi, I'm preparing my applications for a US phd in CP.

 

I did my masters in the UK and am wondering whether my scores are competitive.

 

I have a average of 65. 

 

Do you think I'll suffer from this score when making applications to T15 schools?

 

It would be immensely helpful of those graduated from the UK system can share their average! 

 

Most Universities use different grading systems for their Masters degrees. 65% at some universities is a Merit, below a Merit at others and some don't award Merit/Distinction at all. 

 

I'm assuming you'll be getting letters of recommendation from some of the faculty at the institution where you did your MA? They're best placed to tell you how you compared to your fellow students and to get that across in their letters for you.

 

Sorry that this isn't really an answer, but I don't think many US universities require a masters anyway, so it should be of some benefit to you. 

[gibbom]

I'm also applying to top-15 colleges for CP, so this thread is of interest to me, too. My UG wasn't stellar (65%, no idea how that translates into GPA) but I have just finished an MSc at UCL and ended up with a 75% average. I'm applying to schools with a strong Latin American focus - what about you? 

 

On a semi-related note, does anyone have any information on how publications work for prospective grad student applications? I was advised by my supervisor to try to get my dissertation published, and I'm looking at editing it into a working form so as to expedite the process (from what I gather, journal articles, justifiably, take some time to be reviewed, so it doesn't really make sense for me to go down this route if my applications are due in December). I guess what I'm really asking is whether a publication in a working paper series (accepting, of course, that not all working papers are equal) would really bolster my application, or would it really be of only marginal benefit? The dissertation itself is closely aligned with the research interests of certain faculty at MIT (my number one choice) as it focuses on the interplay between institutional configurations and policy outcomes in a broadly 'developmentalist' sense and makes use of quantitative methodology, so in many ways I figure it would be a good way to prove my research 'chops', so to speak. Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Edited October 6, 2014 by gibbom

[titioh]

Thanks RLemkin for the reply. I graduated with merits but didn't know that schools had different grade cuts for awarding distinctions/merits. But right, I should definitely check with the professors. 

 

Gibbom, I think you have an excellent scores for your masters.

My school rewarded distinctions to those who averaged over 70, so perhaps that'll make up for your UG score?

I'm applying to schools with a focus on east asia, and my interest overlaps with PE, so I've decided on schools who have strength in PE as well. I'm not applying for MIT, but good luck!