Safety schools for a Public Administration PhD?

[Dragonstone]

I want to apply for a PhD in public policy/ public administration. I'm an average candidate, with average stats (1 year of work experience in a private sector/ multinational corporation, 310 on the GRE, MPA from Syracuse University Maxwell). What maybe boosts my application is being a girl from a developing country, and having a high graduate GPA (3.9). What would be some safety and super safety schools that might fully fund me? 

Edited July 20, 2017 by Dragonstone

[ExponentialDecay]

What maybe boosts my application is being a girl from a developing country, 

why would this boost your application?

Public policy PhDs that are full-time are fully funded upon acceptance to the program irrespective of your gender or national origin. What programs might be a good fit for you depends on your research interests and a bunch of other pertinent information that you don't include here. I'm wary of the existence of safeties as a concept in PhD admissions.

[MasterPublicPolicy]

On 7/22/2017 at 1:10 PM, ExponentialDecay said:

 

 

why would this boost your application?

Public policy PhDs that are full-time are fully funded upon acceptance to the program irrespective of your gender or national origin. What programs might be a good fit for you depends on your research interests and a bunch of other pertinent information that you don't include here. I'm wary of the existence of safeties as a concept in PhD admissions.

True -- "safety" in the context of PhD admissions doesn't really exist.

My advice: don't think of PhD admissions in the way you think of Masters or undergraduate admissions. Think of it as being more similar to applying to a job -- your "stats" certainly matter (GRE, GPA, transcript, etc.), but it's only a small piece of the puzzle. Just like with a job application, you definitely need to meet the minimum qualifications (and, for most PhD programs, it appears you already do). But once the minimums are met, the PhD process gets much more vague -- it moves into the realm of "fit." You'll meet with professors, and potentially even have an interview. They're trying to figure out if your interests align with theirs.

Don't underestimate the importance of networking for this process. PhD programs like to play themselves off as highly meritocratic, but again, I think the process is much more similar to applying to a job. If your advisor from grad schools knows a potential PhD advisor at another school (maybe they studied in grad school together themselves!), then your advisor can definitely give his/her friend a call, and it will help your application. Talk to some of your professors who will recommend you. See who they know and what they suggest you do.