Education:

I have a BS in Economics and a BA in Political Science from Purdue University. My UGPA was 3.88, and my Pol Sci GPA was 4.00. I graduated "with distinction" (magna cum laude) and received honors in both Political Science and Economics. Additionally, I'm Phi Beta Kappa. Lastly, I scored 650V and 730Q on the GRE.

Work and extra circular:

I was Treasurer of Model UN at Purdue, an editor for the Pi Sigma Alpha Undergraduate Political Science Journal, and member of the Liberal Arts Student Council. Currently I work for a bank and plan to apply to Grad School this month to start in Fall 2008.

What are my chances at getting into some top Political Science programs? I'm not worried about geting in somewhere, but what are my chances at say Ohio State, Michigan, Cornell, NYU, Wisconsin, or Columbia (admittedly the best of this bunch)? I have a good academic record, but my GRE scores aren't stellar to match. I'm a pretty poor taker of standardized tests, so I won't retake. Other than that I know I need a heck of a personal statement.

What do you think?

I wouldn't worry about your GRE scores too much. They aren't terrible for any school, and your grades should overwhelm any implication that you are not academically suited. School-wise I think you've got the goods.

I had understood, however, that PhD programs particularly prefer work experience or uncommonly good research credentials. I can't tell how long you've worked, but if you're a recent grad your chances are going to suffer. If you apply to great programs and don't get the results you want, don't despair, get some good prof. exp. and try again.

Hmm...you've got a shot, and like Port said, don't worry about the GREs at all. A friend of mine who got into Princeton for Sociology said she's not met anyone who broke 1350 on the GREs there. I think that might be a bit on the low side, but generally, they don't really care once you cross that threshold.

The work experience - as I've heard at least - isn't going to count as much in many of the programs you're interested in. NYU, for example, is heavily quantitative (so much so that when I e-mailed one of their professors, he told me not to apply). In that case, they don't really care about work experience, because they're more interested in your theoretical/research capabilities. For Columbia, however, it'll hurt that you don't have a bit more under your belt (assuming you've got 1-2 years by the time you start).

But if you have any significant research experience, definitely highlight that. If you have time, consider trying to publish something.