admissions into Political Science PhD? - low GPA, high GREs

[fp00]

i'm starting to get a little worried about where i applied - i looked for programs with really good fits w/ my research interests and professors i'd like to work with, and ended up w/ a ridiculous list that includes columbia, princeton, mit, and wustl, with american (SIS) and gwu as my "safety" schools - both really fit my interests as well, but are easier to get into. i'm worried because i can't really find many other schools lower than gw and au that are good fits, and while i did really good on the GREs (95% verbal, 91% quant, 87% analytical), my undergrad gpa was a little low - 3.35, from a top 30 school (though i did major in anatomy, which really knocked it down a notch). though i did manage to pull a 3.8 at a top-5 policy masters program, i know everyone gets a high gpa in masters programs. i feel like i have a really strong statement of purpose and letters of rec, plus i've worked in policy for 4 years (domestic, though - i want to study international politics). its just these programs are so freaking competitive, even though they all really seem like perfect fits for my research interests. am i being a little paranoid here, or should i take a quick look and find one or two more schools less selective than my safety's?

[jetlag]

i dont know much about your field, but i personally think you will have a good chance at those top programs. having a master's degree already gives you an advantage over people who just applied straight out of undergrad. it shows you know what graduate school is like and having a 3.8 gpa surely means you have what it takes to succeed. strong recommendations and really high gre scores are big plusses too. i dont know how admission committees judge these things but you would think that your graduate work is a better indicator of your potentials than your undergrad gpa right?

that's all i can say, if you're still not confident then try to apply to as many schools as you can.

[Canadianpolsci]

I think that your undergrad GPA will be an issue. A reviewer will want to know: why was it low? What changed that you got a 3.8 in the MA? If you can answer especially the second question directly or implicitly, that will take of the first question. I think the MA degree compensates for the BA marks -- but what is also key is just how strong letter(s) of recommendation are.

Unfortunately, I think that any serious weakness (undergrad GPA very low is one) means you will have a very hard time at hyper-competitive schools--the very top 5-6, such as Princeton. This is because with these schools, they have so many strong applications, they are forced to LOOK for ways to eliminate many good people. A major weakness gives them this chances, as does their view that a candidate with perfect stats doesn't "fit".

But for schools below this very top, you should be fine: at any rate, I doubt that, say, a 3.7 undergrad GPA, if you had it, would make much difference one way or the other, except at the very top schools.

[Minnesotan]

Yeah. A lot of programs I applied to (in the humanities/soc. sciences) had a minimum gpa of 3.5 for phd apps. I'm not sure if that means your most recent degree work, or in undergrad work, as well. Point being, if you have questions about how they'll view your grades, then they'll likely have questions about your grades. You should answer them in the statement of purpose - that's what it's there for.

Oh, and to answer the original question, I would look for a true safety school, if you don't feel the ones you have now are all that safe.