Admission to a top 20 political science PhD program after law school

Graduate School
1

<p>I am about to graduate from law school, and am interested in getting a PhD in political science in the nearish future to assist in becoming a law and/or political science researcher and professor down the road. I have a BA in international affairs from a top 20 public research university with mediocre grades overall (3.02/4.00), but a good international affairs GPA (3.71). I expect to graduate law school in the top third(ish) of my class. My law school is a Tier 2, top 100 law school. It's decent, but definitely not one of the top law schools.</p>

<p>I have not taken the GRE yet. But I got a 1340 on the 1600 scale of the SAT without any preparation. I've heard that scores are generally similar on the GRE (taking the new scaling into account). I also believe that with some preparation I could boost my math and verbal scores quite a bit.</p>

<p>I am planning to take a volunteer public interest position with an LGBTQ legal services organization after I pass the bar with the strong potential for it to turn into a full-time paid gig. I have worked at this organization before as well as spending a summer at a large LGBTQ advocacy group working on civil rights litigation and public policy. I have also written a pretty niche research paper that I am hoping to publish (which is generally not hard in legal academia with all the journals out there). I am also planning to apply for a Fulbright research fellowship either for next year or the year after that.</p>

<p>I know that there are a lot of hypotheticals above. But if most of the above goes well, would I have a shot at getting into a top-20 program? Anyone who has any knowledge or suggestions, I would greatly appreciate advice. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Do you have any political science research experience? Were you a political science major in undergrad, and if so, what did your grades look like in those classes? The research paper you hope to publish, is it on an issue of interest to political scientists? Do you have a political scientist or two who is willing to write you a letter of recommendation?</p>

<p>These things will be more important than your GRE scores. Your volunteer work won’t really matter. Your work experience may matter a little bit, particularly if you are doing research on issues germane to the topic area, but not a whole lot.</p>

3

<p>I was an international affairs undergrad, a subfield of political science (the subfield that I would want to pursue as a graduate student). My grades were mostly A’s in my international affairs courses (3.71 major GPA). I went to law school afterward, and I’m hoping to combine these two experiences: specifically, applying human rights standards in domestic law, and more specifically, with a focus on issues of sexuality.</p>

<p>Most of my work experience has been in LGBTQ law. Further, my paper is a law and policy paper on the likely implications of the Affordable Care Act on transgender Americans and their access to health care. There is a big public policy component to the paper. I plan to write more over the next several years, and will hopefully be able to do some political science research abroad if I get a Fulbright or similar fellowship.</p>

<p>With that clarification, do you believe I might have a shot at a top program?</p>