(IR) Best fit and chances of acceptance

[War_And_Peace]

Hi everybody,

 

Thanks for taking the time to read and respond. I'm applying to 12 Ph.D. programs this fall to study IR, especially conflict and development. My GPA is 3.9 from a large public school, typically ranked between 35-50 for public research universities depending on the metric. I am double-majoring in Economics and Political Science. GRE is 161V, 164Q, 5.0AW. I also wrote an honors thesis last semester which I submitted as my writing sample. I spent about six months as a research assistant as well.

 

I applied to (in no particular order here), Emory, Ohio State, Duke, UNC, Maryland, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Indiana, Colorado, Florida State, Penn State, and Illinois.

 

Am I likely to be admitted to any of the top 3-4 programs on my list? Which programs should I look at most seriously, and which should I avoid? I have heard about faculty attrition at FSU and Vandy, but I don't know the specifics, any word on these schools?

 

Right now, Duke, Emory, UNC, Ohio State, Maryland, and Penn State are probably my top picks, both for faculty fit and reputation.

 

Thanks for the help

[cooperstreet]

You want to study conflict and aren't applying to Columbia? Stanford?

[War_And_Peace]

You want to study conflict and aren't applying to Columbia? Stanford?

There are probably a few other places I should have applied, but I have personal reasons for staying vaguely east coast. I honestly didn't think it would be worth my time to apply to the top 5 schools based on what my advisors told me. Rochester would be a good fit too I think, but I don't like the idea of looking south towards Canada.

[CarefreeWritingsontheWall]

From your stats, you certainly fall within the ideal statistical class of students applying to those schools. I think you need to ask yourself more about "fit" in terms of research interests. Do you have a specific topic or interest within conflict and development, and does this line up well with scholars within any of those programs? Can you attest to this in your personal statement well, given how short it has to be? And can your LOR writers attest to your passion and knowledge of this subject? I can't speak for attrition rates at the schools you mentioned, but programs tend to see people drop of PhD's most frequently after their comps - when they have to decide what they're going to write their dissertation on. By all means, no subject needs to be set in stone, but specific interest is going to need to be there for some of schools you listed there. You should also be conscientious of the viewpoint you frequently take in your work - not only what puzzles you like to investigate but how you answer them. That will also show admissions committees that you may be more suited to working with specific faculty members.

Edited January 2, 2015 by CarefreeWritingsontheWall