Looking for some guidance

Graduate School
1

<p>I'm looking at applying for PhD programs in the Fall (2012) in Political Science. I'm open to careers in teaching or working in the government.</p>

<p>I believe my credentials may be a bit lower than most, but I think I've got an interesting portfolio that might draw some attention. What do you think? Do I stand a chance at the higher spectrum of schools?</p>

<p>B.A. Near Eastern Studies
Accum GPA: 3.3 // Major GPA: 3.9
Specialization in Arabic</p>

<p>M.A. International Security
GPA: 4.0
Thesis on terrorism</p>

<p>GRE: 700V 650Q 5.5W</p>

<p>I've spent 3 years living in the Middle East.... fluent in Arabic and Kurdish, both speaking and reading/writing. I've been translating and teaching at the high school level for the last 3 years.</p>

<p>I'm interested in applying the following schools:</p>

<p>UCSD
Columbia
U of Chicago
University of Arizona
University of Washington
Johns Hopkins University
Georgetown University
George Washington University
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Tufts)
Arizona State University
Washington State University
University of Oregon</p>

2

<p>Do ANY of those schools have professors that match your research interests?</p>

3

<p>Yes, I’ve made sure that I found at least one professor who has some sort of specialty in terrorism or national security.</p>

4

<p>I guess after doing a lot of reading on this forum and on the web, I’m feeling like my application will definitely be outmatched at the higher end of universities. By higher end I mean top 10 to top 20.</p>