Worried about low GPA

[APGradApplicant]

Hey Guys- So I guess I'll vent some of nervousness about the fact that my GPA is well below what most schools on average accept. I applied to 17 programs (kind of afraid to name any because of admin officers trolling these sites) that range from top of the rankings to bottom of the rankings.

Anyhow, here is my basic profile.

Work: Graduated in May 2008 and have worked on two campaigns, one from 2008 and one from 2009 and completed a congressional internship.

Undergrad: Graduated a political science major from a USN research university ranked 15-20 in latest issue. GPA overall is 3.25, Poli Sci 3.49, Upper Division 3.51

GRE: 680V, 720Q, 5.0AW

Recs: Three strong ones from poli sci professors who know me both inside and outside the classroom

SOP: Very specific about areas of American Politics in which I am interested, very well-written, describes valid reasons for why I decided to shift from applied politics to becoming a poli sci instructor

Anyhow, like I said, I am applying to a whole range of programs, but just kind of curious what people think about chances.

Edited January 2, 2010 by APGradApplicant

[APGradApplicant]

The rest of your profile is very strong, so I'd say you have a decent shot at a top 30ish program. Your GPA will likely keep you out of the top 15-20, but you should see an acceptance from a solid school, assuming you chose your schools with the research interests of the faculty in mind. However, don't expect your work experience to make a difference; beyond highly prestigious think tank fellowships, perhaps, work experience doesn't matter. And I hate to burst your bubble, but a congressional internship isn't all that unusual. Regardless, you should be fine in this process.

With the work thing, that was to show that I hadn't done anything out of the ordinairy. Haha, trust me that I know what you're saying about the congressional internship. I've met some pretty dumb interns in my day. My thoughts pretty much matched up with yours in regards to where I will probably end up seeing acceptances. Thanks for the input and best of luck to you in your admissions process. I look forward to staying in touch with everyone here.