Poli Sci Admissions Questions

[ac95]

Hi everyone.

I've been looking around this forum for awhile as I've been researching Ph.D. programs in political science, and I have a few questions regarding admissions. First, let me give you some background information on myself. I attend a decently ranked regional liberal arts college in the Northeast, and I have a 3.8 GPA. I'm majoring in history (3.93 GPA) and minoring in political science (4.0 GPA). I have not taken the GREs yet. I have, however, taken a practice test without studying to see where I need the most improvement, scoring a 152 V / 153 Q. I understand these scores are not great as I am not a strong standardized test taker. After a few months of preparation, I hope to score between 157 and 160 on both sections. I have zero publication experience and minimal research experience. I've presented research at two regional conferences and recently applied to present poli sci research at a third this November. Also, I've written a 40-page thesis paper (although it was a history paper). As for work experience, I've interned for political nonprofits and legislative offices and done archival work. I've heard that work experience doesn't matter much to admissions committees, though. I plan to apply to programs with exceptionally strong political behavior programs this fall. That being said, I have a few questions.

1. I'm worried about my GRE scores. Even though I haven't taken the official test yet, I can't see my score being above 315/320. I know various admissions websites claimed to look at the application as a whole, but I'm nervous that my application will be immediately scrapped. How influential are GRE scores in the overall decision?

2. What are some strong political behavior programs? As of right now, my list of schools include Duke, Columbia, UC San Diego, OSU, UC Davis, Minnesota, Northwestern, UVA, UFL, and UC Irvine.

3. While my current undergraduate institution is a decently ranked regional liberal arts college, I'm worried that it won't be prestigious enough to get into any of the schools listed above. Is this justified?

4. Because I go to a liberal arts college, it's difficult to find open research assistant positions. Is my minimal research and publication experience a large issue?

5. Like I said, I've heard that work experience doesn't count for much when applying to Ph.D. programs. Is this assumption correct?

If my GRE scores exceed my expectations, I think I could be considered a strong candidate. Regardless, I would appreciate any advice. Thanks!

Edited June 12, 2017 by ac95

[IR44]

1. I really don't think a 160 on each section is going to keep you out of top schools, though you should shoot as high as possible. The vast majority of the test is very learnable; give yourself time to prepare and you should be fine. 

2. I'm not in a great position to answer that. The best advice I can give is to find books/articles that are in your specific field and see which names keep popping up (publishing/being cited by others). This will also help you with SoPs. 

3. I go to a pretty low-ranked R1, and I'm planning to apply to most schools in the top 5. I may not get in, but I don't think my institution will hurt me *that* much. This is, though, an area where a very strong GRE performance can help level the playing field. 

4. Your experience doesn't seem all that minimal to me. I've done one RAship and published one paper (ugrad journal) in addition to a standard honors thesis. I don't think my experience is THAT limited compared to other undergrads, and I don't think yours sounds like it is either. 

5. There's an interesting book called "Inside Graduate Admissions" by Julie Posselt. In it, she mentions how admissions committees often speak of a "cool factor" for applicants with interesting work/abroad experience. If your experience fits this criteria, it may give you a minimal advantage. I don't generally think work experience is too important, especially for folks coming straight from undergrad. 

General advice that may be of use to you:

Based on your diction, it seems like maybe you're not as proud as you should be about your profile. I've been down this road as well. I'm a strong candidate who has spent a ton of time researching programs and preparing for my future. I may get 15 rejections early next year. If that happens, I won't  be surprised; the process is tough and a ton of incredibly qualified folks apply. Conversely, I won't be remotely surprised if I get into Columbia or Stanford. I worked hard, and I'm a strong applicant. Hope for the best, and recognize that failure doesn't mean you're an idiot. I hope some of this helps. 

[dagnabbit]

1. I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit here. After months of efficient studying, you should certainly be able to bring your score above 320. After all, your grades are exceptional and surely you've aced quite a few timed exams as an undergraduate. Check out this list of free studying resources. The unfortunate truth is that an exceptional GRE score is more or less necessary but not sufficient for admission to top programs; low scores might keep you off the short list. I would encourage you to browse through the results page on this website, and note the scores of applicants who were admitted to the programs to which you are applying. You should aim for the median score of the accepted students. Finally, be wary of "average admitted GRE scores" posted on department websites - these are inevitably brought down by students who have poor scores but are otherwise truly exceptional (rec letters from Gary King, etc). 

2. You have a pretty good list so far - I would add Vanderbilt and Stony Brook. 

3. No, I don't think that's justified. Look at grad student profiles at the programs that you're considering, read their CVs, see where they did their BAs. Personally, I attended a research university ranked >130 and am heading to a T20 PhD program this fall. 

4. Nobody will expect you to have published anything, so don't worry about that. I think that your challenge as a history major is to sell yourself as somebody who knows what political science research entails; your letter writers can help attest to this, but a strong SOP and your conference presentation should be good signals.

5. I basically agree with @IR44 on this one. I have heard that it's a big plus for comparativists to have lived/worked/studied in the region that they plan to research, but this isn't applicable to your case.

[csantamir]

On 6/12/2017 at 11:38 AM, IR44 said:

5. There's an interesting book called "Inside Graduate Admissions" by Julie Posselt. In it, she mentions how admissions committees often speak of a "cool factor" for applicants with interesting work/abroad experience. If your experience fits this criteria, it may give you a minimal advantage. I don't generally think work experience is too important, especially for folks coming straight from undergrad. 

I have 10+ years experience working abroad as a regional correspondent and editor in Southeast Asia. Is that 'cool' enough?

[IR44]

On 6/19/2017 at 7:33 PM, csantamir said:

I have 10+ years experience working abroad as a regional correspondent and editor in Southeast Asia. Is that 'cool' enough?

Sounds pretty cool to me, but I'm not on an admissions committee. 

[csantamir]

55 minutes ago, IR44 said:

Sounds pretty cool to me, but I'm not on an admissions committee. 

hehehe thanks

[polsgoals]

I wouldn't worry too much about your GRE scores. The GRE is more of a game than anything. Once you figure out how to play the game you're home free. The ETS website also has a lot of free resources you can use to help you prepare. Just keep at it! If you spend some time working at it, I see no reason that you couldn't raise your score. 

Good luck!