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Paula's Assorted Questions and Myths re Political Science and graduate Programs
Should I take time off or can I before going onto graduate school of any sort?
This is absolutely your call. If you are not absolutely sure you want to be in a graduate program, need a break from school, want a normal life etc, then you should take some time off. It won't hurt your prospects for admissions. My personal take is to relax and be a young adult for a while before going. It's certainly better to take time off before rather than during graduate school.
How important are the GREs?
Testing well on your GREs is important, (esp. analytic and verbal) but an excellent GRE score won't get you into a top program unless you know what you want to study and can show you know what you're talking about.
How important are good grades?
Important, but a mediocre record can be balance out by research experience.
Do I need to major in political science to go to graduate school in it?
No. Lots of people have undergraduate majors that are not political science.
What kind of graduate programs exist if I'm not interested in being a political science Ph. D?
Masters in Public Policy, Public Administration, Masters in Political Science, Masters in International Affairs..
Are certain programs better ranked than others?
Yes, both masters and Ph.D. programs have rankings, but they are less important than finding one which matches what you want.
If I get into Harvard, should I go?
Only if the faculty and program foci match your interests.
What should I pay attention to when looking at grad. programs?
Foci on specific schools and faculty who are there even for masters in policy programs...not weather or geography.
Is there more to the field than what I can take at UMM?
Yes. We are a small department which actually offers a heck of a lot of course variety but we just scratch the surface of the areas of research pol. sci. as a field has.