<p>Dear all, I am a research scholar based in India and going to apply this year for a PhD programme in International Relations. since i have had little exposure to US system of education, i would be obliged if some of you could suggest me as to how good are my chances of getting into a good university.
i completed my graduation and Masters in Modern History from a top university in India with a GPA of 4 in both the cases. the school had national ranking of 2 and the cohort size of my undergrad batch was 8,500 [ya, dats true, trust me, many universities in India have such a mammoth cohort size for undergrads who are then dispersed over numerous colleges under the same university taking the same common exam at the end of the course!!), while the cohort size of my Masters class was 160.
my ranks: UG = 1/8500; PG = i/160.
i then went on to University of Sussex and finished a Masters in European Politics with a Distinction, and after that i completed my MPhil (masters+2yrs programme on UK-based model)in Security Studies with a GPA of 4. i have been working as a research analyst under the joint auspices of European Commission and Asia Europe Foundation for last 3 years, and also as a research fellow and a security analyst at the topmost think tank in India, under Ministry of Cultural Affairs and an advisor at International Africa Academy in Cairo. i have 4 monographs to my credit till this date and have some 18-19 single-authored publications in peer-reviewed international academic journals. i have also simultaneously worked as a freelancer and a photojournalist for last 4 years, and received awards of best human documentary from Indian government this year on my work on Madrassahs in Bangladesh as institutions of training for the radical jihadists and on the internally displaced people in North Afghanistan and their eventual absorption into the Haqqani-network of terror. i have mastery over 7 foreign languages [including Pahstu and Tajik]. my GRE score is Verbal = 800; Qnt = 670, writing = 5.5. i will be dispatching my applications very soon and am quite worried as i get to hear quite often that one needs to have quite an impressive record in extra-curriculars in order to get into the Ivy Leagues and other topmost institutions. i am fully aquainted with the European system and know that i have fair chances if i apply to any UK institution, but i have virtually little knowledge about US institutions. i would really appreciate if i get some honest feedback from you guys as to how good my chances are in getting into institutions like, say, Harvard, MIT, JHU, Chicago, Princeton etc. and if not, which institutions can be the safe shots for me to apply! thanks loads to all of u in advance and wish u all the very best in life!! :)</p>