<p>Hey y'all, I just joined and have a couple of questions. I am really interested in going to grad school at UNC...I was first wondering if it is a lot harder to get in the grad school compared to the difficulty applying as a freshman.</p>
<p>I am an out of state, white female. I currently attend Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. I have a 4.0 GPA and want to get my doctorate in Political Science from Chapel Hill. </p>
<p>Let me know what my chances are of getting it-if I even have any. </p>
<p>I grad school applications are more subjective than undergrad. </p>
<p>Do you have good letters of rec? What is your GRE? Are you published? Do you have any research experience in this field?</p>
<p>It also depends on this years applicant pool. You defiantly have the grades, but getting into grad school anywhere depends on a list of factors including the ones mentioned above. I would suggest getting in tight (which mean putting in the time) with 2 or 3 of your favorite professors at OD so they can write great letters for you.</p>
<p>Your GPA is fine, but is also depends on:
[ul][<em>]Good LORs. Professors need to be able to speak about your preparation for graduate school and your ability to do research.
[</em>]Coursework and preparation
[<em>]Research background and/or appropriate internships
[</em>]Decent GRE scores. Usually not a deciding factor, although they can be used to eliminate weak applicants and cull applicants for university fellowships.
[<em>]Writing sample. Extremely important. This demonstrates your ability to write and draw independent conclusions.
[</em>]Personal statement. Probably the single most important part of your application. It needs to include your background, what exactly it is you want to study, why you want to study political science, and why political science at UNC. If the admissions committee does not see a good fit between faculty interests and yours, they WILL reject you, even with an otherwise perfect application.[/ul]</p>
<p>Good luck! The graduate admissions process can be very stressful. I highly recommend wandering over to the [Grad</a> Cafe](<a href=“http://forum.thegradcafe.com/]Grad”>http://forum.thegradcafe.com/) once it gets a bit later in the year; they’re a helpful bunch.</p>
<p>Okay, thank y’all so much for the replies. I can definitely get several good letters of rec. including one from Creigh Deeds, the democratic candidate for governor in Virginia. I have interned with four political campaigns, and am an active member of Young Democrats in VA. My GRE scores are, V: 615 and Q: 675.</p>
<p>I read this thread with interest, as I recently applied to UNC’s PhD program in Poli Sci. I earned a 1430 (690 Verbal/ 96 percentile, 740/ Quantitative 80 percentile) on the GRE, with a 5 (81 percentile) on the Analytical Writing section. My overall undergrad GPA is 3.56. I earned most of my credit hours at the University of Alabama, and fulfilled the requirements of its Honors Program, which included a final thesis project with faculty supervision. The unique additional factors are two Masters degrees in fields unrelated to Poli Sci. My GPA was 3.72 and 3.76 for those two degrees. Also, I am 41. Anyone care to suggest my chances? I was surprised that my GRE was so much higher the scores listed above. Thanks.</p>
<p>I checked out the link above, and am left bewildered by what I saw. The avg. GRE scores of the applicants who were denied had higher GRE scores than those who were accepted. And the average GPA reflected the same trend. Can someone please explain this? Do they have the info backwards? Thanks.</p>
<p>I didn’t check out the link but it may have been the required 80%(ish) in-state. Though many of the oos applied with higherscore they had to meet the in-state requirement which yeilded lower scores. Though this is just a guess.</p>
<p>I don’t think the mandate that 82% of students be NC residents applies to graduate students, only undergrads. Or at least that was the case when I was in grad school in Chapel Hill back in the day :)</p>
<p>Is there anyone who can explain why the Poli Sci applicants who were denied had such a higher Quantitative score than those accepted, in 2009? They also had higher Verbal GRE and higher GPA.</p>
<p>I have no idea, but just guesses. Maybe someone can address this. Could it be “soft” factors—research done, who you know, minority status, work experience? Also, it is my understanding that the OOS/IS requirements do not apply at the graduate level.</p>