<p>I am a Political Science major at a no-name university and am planning to enter graduate school in the fall of 2010. One day I'd like to become a professor, likely in political theory. I've been studying for the GRE all summer (Kaplan Course) and am trying to figure out what schools I should be looking into. My GPA is a 4.0 and my GRE scores fluctuate around 1200: My initial diagnostic was a 1080 (560 V 520 Q) and I've taken two practice CATs after periods of studying for which my verbal was a 600 both times while my quant was a 620 and 570 respectively. I'm going to continue to study and learn new vocab for the next month or so and hopefully I can raise my score some (or at least maintain it).</p>
<p>I realize that these scores will not land me into a top school but I would like to go to the best school I can for my MA and potentially work my way up; I just don't know which programs to check out. Another issue that plays a role in where I choose to apply is location: I do not drive and would prefer to go to a school in a city with at least some public transit. Is this going to be possible? It seems that the majority of schools in metro areas are either Ivy League or will cost me a pretty penny that I'll never be able to pay back.</p>
<p>Any help would be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>MA programs are expensive; there is no doubt. If you don’t want to pay a lot, look at state schools in the city/elsewhere.</p>
<p>It is not that I mind to pay: I realize that will almost be inevitable. But if there are two schools of equal quailty (one expensive city school and one cheaper option in the middle of nowhere) I might not be able to live in my top location. Optimally I’d like a decent city school that is not way more expensive than a school of equal quality in a rural area.</p>
<p>If you have to pay for your masters it would be my advice not to do it. If you can’t get funding from your institution then you probably ought to rethink graduate school. This may sound harsh, but the job outlook and the pay for Ph.D’s is not that great and to have to pay back loans for a M.A. is going to be rough. If you get into a number of schools, go the the highest ranked one that will fund you. Ranking is very important in higher education especially in regards to getting a decent job. Don’t worry about the transportation issue, that will sort itself out as not all college kids have cars.</p>
<p>Yes, I have given great thought to the funding problem. I would most certainly like to go to a school that would at least partially fund my endeavor, but I am unsure if any school would fund someone with my scores. Does anyone know of schools (preferably in a metro area) that fund scores such as mine?</p>
<p>I know that a degree from a low-ranking school is not optimal and will cause me great trouble getting into a good PhD program/finding a job, so I do desire funding. The way I see it, if I can get at least some funding I believe that I love the field enough to pursue the degree without exceptional job prospects. However, no funding wouldn’t completely keep me from my efforts.</p>
<p>Have you researched GRE scores and admission statistics for your target programs? Have you talked to your undergrad teachers in political science for their recommendations? Have you considered that if you can’t get the GRE scores to get admitted to a funded program that maybe you might have trouble with the work required? Lots of schools will be happy to take your money, but you might be doing yourself a big disservice by giving it to them. Your best bet would be to focus in on a few schools that you are interested in and talk to the graduate advisor in the department about funding chances. They will be able to give you a far better picture of the situation than we will. One of the biggest components of graduate work is research and it is time you got busy and did some! BTW, I have a Ph.D. in political science so I have some knowledge of how the system works.</p>
<p>Thank you for your honesty, Denquist. I’m glad to be getting advice from a Poli Sci PhD.</p>
<p>I have indeed spent many hours researching programs. The problem is, I have no idea which ones are actually of any quality aside from the clearly ranked schools. Also, I have had serious trouble finding reliable information on the GRE scores schools usually accept. I just thought that some people on this board might know (either first hand or from friends) a handful of schools to point me towards, at least to help my search.</p>
<p>If you, Denquist, are not familiar with any schools in my range off hand that is fine. Here’s to hoping someone does!</p>