chels999

Hi everyone -- I had my doubts about posting in a forum like this, simply because I didn't want to fall down the rabbit hole and make myself any more nervous than I already am, but here goes. I'm applying to PhD programs in Political Science with an intention to concentrate on political theory and IR. My main concern is my undergraduate GPA -- I went to a top-25 school but graduated with only a 3.0. The low grades during my first two years were due to personal problems, and since I was 18-19 at the time (I'm now 28), I've been assured that my undergrad GPA won't keep me out of a doctoral program. I still can't help but worry. I have a 3.85 GPA at the Master's level, a 166 (97%) and 159 (82%) and 5.5 (96%) on the "revised" (after August 1st, 2011) GRE. I think I have a very strong resume (have worked as a congressional reporter at a prestigious publication and in the US Congress, with graduate-level internships at the OECD and UN headquarters). Worked as a research assistant and as editor-in-chief of the graduate academic journal while getting my Master's. My quantitative GRE score is obviously lower than I'd like, but since I want to do theory, I've been told my verbal will matter way more. I'm not applying to the "top" schools, but am terrified I won't get in anywhere -- I've applied to 11 places, including the University of Washington, Georgetown, GWU, Boston University, Maryland, Brown, Boston College, and NYU. Anyone have any feedback on my chances of getting in?