<p>Hello,
I'm interested in pursuing graduate studies in Political Science and plan to apply to several Ph.D. Programs for next year's spring and fall term. I'm currently studying at a mid-ranked German University and will earn my Bachelor's degree this summer. I already took the GRE and Toefl and got a GRE Score of 1400 (Q: 780, V: 620) and Toefl Score of 114. In addition, I've got some high school teaching experience. I'm not sure how to appropriately convert my grades to the GPA format, but I'm approx. in the first 10% - 15% of my class. Unfortunately, my undergraduate major is in Management and Economics and most programs seem to require at least some PolSci undergraduate coursework.
I'm planning to apply mainly to mid-ranked and lower ranked programs. I intend to apply to 5 or 6 universities. Currently, I'm still reviewing all available programs, but some of my choices would probably include some of the following universities: Texas Tech, University of Florida, Florida State University, University of Mississippi, University of Alabama, Vanderbilt & University of Southern California. How would you rate my chances of getting into any of these? I'd also welcome any additional insights regarding the above mentioned universities or as to which universities might also be interesting for me.</p>
<p>I'm especially interested in American Politics. Might this affect my chances of admission, considering that I'm an international student and this might be viewed as a somewhat strange choice? Moreover, I'd like to know how beneficial you'd consider gaining a Master's degree in "Governance and Public Policy" before applying to a Ph.D. program in PolSci to be? I'd be really thankful for any advice. </p>
<p>Thank you a lot.</p>