<p>I have applied to nine PhD programs in political science this application cycle: Yale, Stanford, Columbia, NYU, Princeton, Michigan, Duke, Rochester, and MIT. Needless to say, all of these programs are very competitive, and I'm concerned I won't get into any of them. </p>
<p>Please help me gauge (based on the info below) whether it's necessary for me to apply to a few less competitive programs in addition to the programs to which I have already applied. In particular, I'm thinking about applying to Penn State, Ohio State, and/or Florida State as well. These schools have strong quantitative programs, but don't have professors who share my specific research interests. I would prefer to save some money and not apply to them at all. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. </p>
<ul>
<li>Research interests: Comparative politics (ethnic conflict and immigration) as well as formal and quantitative methods</li>
<li>UGPA: 4.0, summa cum laude (from average private institution)</li>
<li>GRE scores: 800 (quantitative), 660 (verbal), 4.5 (AW)</li>
<li>One research paper submitted for review to top 10 political science journal (this was recommended by my thesis adviser)</li>
<li>Strong letters of recommendation</li>
<li>Favorable (or so I've been told) statement of purpose</li>
<li>A competitive national award (which provides a $10,000 grant for graduate studies)</li>
</ul>