Ask AdmissionsConsultants

[hmacneill]

You will need to be prepared to explain why you left and provide the admissions committee with confidence that you are determined to complete the PhD program this time around. Yes, not finishing the program before will scare away a few programs – but from the sounds of it – you have some evidence and experience that will help start you with a competitive application.

[musicluva]

I have a very difficult upper-level class that requires a lot of papers. If I drop it after next week, it will be a W on my transcript. How would that affect my grad school applications? The course is not a prerequisite for graduation.

[hmacneill]

Thanks for your post. A W on your transcript can have a negative impact if your grades are below average overall or below what the program considers competitive. If you have more than 1 W or incomplete – that can also reflect poorly on you in the admissions process. In a competitive, well put together application – 1 W is not the end of the world.
Good luck with your studies.
Heather

[tmorrison92]

Hi Heather. This might be a silly question, but I’m starting to look at grad schools and wanted to know if I should expect any that moved up in the rankings to get more applications this fall and be harder to get into. Thanks!

[hmacneill]

Not a silly question at all. I think any time a school is getting positive publicity – it is reasonable to expect a bump in applications – and yes, a bit more competitive for applicants.
Heather

[Stephanie Sherman]

Hi Heather,

My school’s advisor told me I should gain some work experience before going to grad school. I want to get a masters in literature and possibly a Ph.D. afterwards. Will work experience really help in my case?

Thanks,

Stephanie

[hmacneill]

Thanks for your post. I think if you’re main objective is a PhD – work experience is not as critical. However, it never hurts to get a better understanding of the kinds of jobs/careers you could do if you ended with your Masters in Literature. I don’t think it’s worth delaying graduate school to get work experience – but volunteer/shadow opportunities are always good to have in your application.
Good luck with your studies.
Heather

[Pat Howser]

I’m looking to do a PhD in Economics. I’m a rising juior and have a 3.8 from a top liberal arts schools with an econ major. On practice GREs I’m struggling to get into the low 160s. What kind of options will I have with a GRE in this range and what other things can I do to improve my chances?

Thanks!

Pat

[hmacneill]

Thanks for your post. If your econ related grades are strong and you can get strong academic econ letters of reference to account for your aptitude, you should be fine with well-prepared applications.

If the GRE comes in lower, you might need to use additional application space such as the addendum.

Good luck with your studies.

Heather

[Steven Chu]

I’m a quant jock and I’m looking at a PhD in physics. Do I really need to spend any time on the verbal section of the GRE? It would be a huge time suck and I hear it’s overlooked for physics. Thanks.

[hmacneill]

Thanks for your post. You are correct, most of your efforts and time should go towards preparing for the Quantitative Section of the test and towards your research outline/essays, contact with professors etc. That said – I think the verbal is worth a review – you do want to show your verbal ability to some degree.
Good luck with your studies.
Heather

[Sally Radley]

I already have one withdrawal and am hoping to pursue a PhD at a top school. How many withdrawals will wreck my chances given good grades, GRE, etc?

[hmacneill]

Certainly a pattern of withdrawals on your college transcript can have a negative impact on your graduate school chances. However, there is no magic number of how many is too many. No matter the number – you will need to dedicate a portion of time explaining to the admissions committee why you needed to withdraw and how this does not adequately reflect your academic performance or potential. If you have a few Ws on your transcripts upon graduate – although not ideal – they can be mitigated with excellent Letters of recommendation, a great essay and good test scores.

[Joyce Wang]

Dear Admission Consultants:

I am trying to apply some of the top schools for public policy program. I graduated from state university in BA with Honors Program.

Major: Sociology; Minor: Environmental Studies; Cumulative GPA: 3.5; Major GPA: 3.7;

GRE: Verbal 158; Quant 156; Writing 4

I have a year and half law firm experience; two years non-profit volunteer experience; currently working on a research organization as a research analyst to support education program. I would like to apply the following schools:

Georgetown University; George Washington University; University of Washington, Chicago University and Maryland University.

Do I have a chance to get in any of the above schools? Any advises are greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much,

Joyce

[hmacneill]

Hi Joyce. Thanks for your post. It sounds like you’ve done a good job post undergraduate studies to prepare yourself for graduate study. It’s not clear how long you’ve been out of school – but I’m guessing you are applying to programs early in your career. Your grades are ok and I’m guessing your GRE scores are in a percentile that will be ok as well. What I can’t see is how/if you’ve completed courses such as Economics and Statistics – many MPP programs use these as benchmark courses and will want to see good grades in these kinds of courses.
Given the above – I think you are competitive enough to apply to the schools you have listed but it won’t be easy. You will need to really focus on your essays and communicating your passion and understanding for the field. You will also need to be thoughtful about your letters of recommendation – make sure you are selecting unique references that can shed light on any concern areas.
You might also consider adding 1 or 2 schools to your list as safety schools – assuming starting graduate school soon is a priority.
Good luck with your search.
Heather

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