<p>Hi everyone! </p>
<p>I am a political Science major at Suny-Binghamton.
As the title says, I was wondering about the possibility of applying to a phd program right after undergrad studies. </p>
<p>To introduce a little bit about myself, I am a Korean who lived in a Latin American country for almost 10 years so I am fluent in Spanish and Korean.
Because of my Spanish/Korean skills, I also had the chance to interpret in high profile government meetings (A business meeting between a Korean investor and the president of a South American country). I have also won an award (by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Korea) for winning the grand prize at a debate competition. </p>
<p>However, there are a few things that cause me concern. My mother was diagnosed as having terminal illness when I was a Junior in highschool and I could not concentrate on my studies during my Freshman year in college. She passed away after my Freshman year, I took a year off, and I am finally back in track emotionally and physically (taking care of a person with a terminal illness can make you sick too as you don’t care about your health anymore). So I just finished my second year of college, and my gpa is around 3.5 (major gpa 3.7). I know it is not a bad gpa, but I am worried it could be the cause of rejection from top phd programs…</p>
<p>My second concern is that I do not have any research experience. I am doing my best to become closer to my professors and try to get one before I graduate but I am not sure if I will be able to. </p>
<p>The reason I am planning on applying to a phd program right away is that I love political science but I do not have any money for further studies. My professors told me that
I should skip M.A. and jump right into phd because of the funding opportunity. Any comment/advice will be appreciated! </p>
<p>Have a great day.</p>