Hey everyone. I'm from South Asia applying to PhD programs in the US (economics and political science). The whole process feels so opaque compared to applications in my home country. Some specific questions: How important is the GRE really? I got 330 but idk if thats good enough for top programs Do US programs have bias against international applicants? Is it worth applying to 15+ programs or should I be more targeted? Any tips for the writing sample if English isnt your first language? Would really appreciate any advice from other intl students who went through this.