Chances of Top PhD Program in Poli Sci?

Graduate School
1

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>My goal is to get into MIT's political science PhD program, focusing on security studies (of course, I will apply to others as well, but this is my top choice). My main concern is that the last time I took the GRE (about 3.5 years ago) I only made it to about the 55% in Verbal and Quant as I did not prepare at all for it (audacious, I know, and I paid for it). I have been preparing intermittently for the past three years, and just began a vigorous study schedule - as I have set my test date for the end of August. Based on my previous failure, I was interested in what you think my chances are in regards to being admitted into MIT given my qualifications listed below. How high of a score must I get to still be considered? I appreciate any and all input.</p>

<p>My Qualifications:</p>

<p>Education:
B.A. with honors in history from a state university
M.A. in international policy with 3 years of Modern Standard Arabic</p>

<p>Publications:
two peer reviewed full-length publications
one short publication in a niche journal
was recently asked to co-author a textbook</p>

<p>Work Experience:
Co-founded a research project which has gained national attention
Worked two semesters as a lecturer at a state university teaching political science</p>

2

<p>Nobody can chance you for graduate school, and your GRE scores will be only a trivial part of your application package. That is, 55% will probably keep you out but even 90% doesn’t guarantee anything.</p>

3

<p>You are correct and I apologize for being unclear. I know that no one can tell me whether or not I will get admitted into a top school. A better way to phrase my question is whether my application package (without considering GRE) would be the norm, or if it would stand out with the experience/publications compared to most other applicants.</p>