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Thank you @Determinedandnervous. Apart from the GRE, do you think there is anything else that I can do to make my application stand out? I am regretting not immediately reworking my MA thesis for publication. I think it is too late now for me to rush and submit to a journal (and pray for a miracle that it gets an R&R somewhere by December 1). At the same time, I'm not sure if getting more non peer-reviewed pieces out there, which I could do, will help my application.

Hi everyone, My goal is to get into a top-10/15 political science PhD program in the United States, where I would like to focus on international relations and security. At the moment, I'm wondering if I have my priorities straight in terms of my application. Given my less-than-perfect grades, I know that I need to make sure that the rest of my application is up to snuff. At the moment, my plan is to polish my writing sample (my MA thesis) and my SOP. I am not sure if I should invest in taking the GRE again. I live outside the United States and the test is expensive--I'd rather put that money toward applying to two more schools. I will, however, re-take if the general sense is that getting to 160 Q from my current 158 Q will be a significant boost to my competitiveness. Could anyone tell me if I have a serious chance at schools like Princeton, MIT, or Chicago? If not, could someone advise what 'tier' I would be competitive for? Anything that I'm missing out on? PROFILE:Type of Undergrad Institution: Top university in my countryMajor(s)/Minor(s): Double degree, Social Sciences (Sociology) and Development StudiesGPA: 3.3 (Note: Although also on a 4-point scale, the grading system isn't the same as the US. The faculty voted me the best student in the program that year.) GRE: 168 V, 158 Q, 5.5 AWAny Special Courses: Research Methods, Qualitative Methods, Quantitative Methods (2-part sequence), Thesis using quantitative methods. My thesis was accepted at a regional conference where I was the sole undergraduate panelist. Type of Graduate Institution: Highly regarded US policy school, non-Ivy. Major(s)/Minor(s): Security Studies (terminal MA)GPA: 3.7Any Special Courses: Thesis using mixed methods, variety of IR/security coursework.Letters of Recommendation: (1) Director of Graduate Studies, who became a personal mentor. He liked my work enough to go the extra mile in finding me a job after graduation. (2) My MA advisor who supervised my thesis and is a name brand in his sub-field. (3) Toss-up between a third highly regarded MA professor, who offered me a research job (didn't/couldn't take for visa reasons) or my undergraduate thesis advisor, who has seen more of my research although it's been a while. All have written strong letters of recommendation for me in the past, but for research/teaching jobs and not for a PhD program. Research Experience: I am currently a researcher at a think tank in my home country, where I've produced a few reports (2 solo and 1 co-authored), all related to my field of study and using new data. No peer-reviewed publications yet, but one conference presentation. Teaching Experience: 2 semesters as a lecturer (instructor of record), teaching introductory political science, international relations, and US foreign policy. I have a few years under my belt training/advising students in various other capacities--usually in workshops or camps for undergrads. Subfield/Research Interests: International Relations and Comparative Politics, with more specific interests in alliance politics and East Asia. Awards: Undergrad award for best student in the Social Sciences, merit scholarships funded my MA, and a bunch of national/Asia championships in debating.Other: I've published a couple of short articles with good US think tanks. Two years of full-time experience (also writing reports) with an international organization before my MA. Two internships with other IOs and a third with our Embassy to the United States.

I don't work for one, but I've written a few short pieces for major DC thinktank blogs (CFR/Brookings-types) and other online outlets. Would it be worthwhile to include these in my CV? Would they be an asset to my application, or a waste of space/irrelevant? Thanks for any insight in advance!

Hola! I didn't actually have a tough time providing the connection. Most of my work experience, although in the humanitarian sector, deals with providing assistance (either emergency or development-type) to victims of armed conflict. I wrote about how military/security objectives around the world have an impact on delivering humanitarian services (access constraints, partiality to 'terrorist' groups or unsavory governments (whether actual or perceived) or 'Western' political agenda, etc). At the same time, certain humanitarian solutions play a role in assuring/compromising security in volatile areas: refugee camps, for example, have been identified as potential recruitment sites for armed groups. I basically just drew the links between the two fields in my statement of purpose to show why knowledge of the security landscape is invaluable in fulfilling humanitarian objectives. I don't think of studying security as a career shift from humanitarianism, and I tried to let that come out... as much as 500-750 words lets you do, anyway. I'm certain you could do the same with your energy background. There are courses on the relationship between energy needs and security that I've seen, although they don't solely deal with renewables (this one comes to mind http://courses.georgetown.edu/?CourseID=SEST-594). Nonetheless, it doesn't feel like a stretch of the imagination to link the two convincingly. I did a quick google and this came out: http://www.globalissues.org/article/595/energy-security; it looks like the sort of thing you could build a case on, especially if you can integrate lessons you've picked up personally from your work. Looks quite interesting actually... Hope this helps!

Thanks MPPgal! :-) Didn't mention this, but all the GU and SFS grads I actually know are international students (Mexican, French, etc) - almost all of whom are working in big international humanitarian outfits now in Europe, with a couple in Africa. I don't know whether to attribute that to their career services or just to their hustle, but doors opened for them, and I don't need to work in the US in particular. Come to think of it, I've not actually spoken to an American SFS grad...

My stats aren't all that impressive. In a nutshell: University: International student from south-east Asia, 3.2 cumulative GPA, double degree at a school that's highly regarded where I am but doesn't break the top 100 internationally (Major GPA something like 3.6 for one and 3.7 for the other). GRE: 168 Verbal, 158 Quantitative, 5.5 Analytical Work experience: I'm getting into security from a humanitarian-type background. I've had two internships: one at the Save the Children regional office in Bangkok, and one at our country's embassy in DC. I've been working for over a year now at another major international humanitarian organization. Languages: English and the national language (both fluently), and French (C1-ish reading/oral comprehension; B2 writing/speaking). My French drastically improved while studying abroad at SciencesPo Paris. Much of my current work is in French since I focus on operations in francophone Africa although I'm based in Asia. Thanks guys, I really appreciate your input. I ultimately decided to go ahead with Georgetown. Don't want to knock Denver, but I feel that I'll get more stretched at GU than I would at Korbel - whether by the faculty, fellow students, or by the DC environment. Money-wise: I'm currently debt-free, my parents are willing to help (potentially the remaining half of my tuition), and with an RA-ship or other on-campus job my debt burden should be minimal. It's a risk, but I think it's a good one. :-) *Edit: Since I'm an international student, I need all the help I can get to build a strong profile to be able to work in DC and abroad. Realistically, I can't rely on the mileage of my undergraduate degree anywhere outside my own country. Georgetown fills that resumé gap a lot better than Korbel does.

We're in the same boat - I got the same last minute email on Thursday. My decision was between Korbel and Georgetown, and after a bunch of soul-searching (as much soul-searching that can be done with almost 0 time to consider) is to go ahead with Georgetown. A couple of things that I considered, that you didn't mention: 1. How strong is your cohort at Denver? I don't know about your background, but I'm a couple of years out of undergrad with little field experience. It strikes me as odd that I'd be a good choice for the Sié, which really made me second guess the quality of the other students attending. I don't need to be the biggest fish in a small pond, I need to be where I'm stretched the most. Georgetown fits that bill much better. 2. I don't intend to go on to my PhD, so with this being the last degree on my resumé this is my last chance to take advantage of any school's reputation to propel me forward career-wise. Going to Denver might not be a bad deal at all since this isn't the case for you: finish your MA, get some research under your belt, and then head on up to the Ivy League if you want to (I'm thinking Paula Broadwell here).

Hi all, I intend to take my masters in Security Studies/International Security. I applied to Georgetown SSP, GW's Elliott and Denver's Korbel. I got in to all three, but only have funding from Georgetown and Korbel. That strikes GW off the list entirely. Georgetown's offered me 50%, which is great (and honestly more than I expected). Korbel's amped up its offer (originally 15k renewable) to awarding me the Sié Fellowship - it's 100% tuition plus a guaranteed RA position (great for covering living expenses). Most people I ask seem to find this an obvious choice - but don't agree on what that choice is! Some say Georgetown's the better deal: great school, great location, decent funding, and I can make up the rest either by getting an RA-ship when I get there, completing the degree part-time and working, or simply loaning the rest. Basically from a long-view, it's not a bad investment. On the other hand, others think that Denver is the obvious choice. It's a good (although not top-tier) program, the location isn't terrible for employment if I'm RA-ing anyway (which gets me more experience and more facetime with the professors, network-wise), and funding is excellent. I'm torn. Georgetown was absolutely my first choice, but the Denver offer is incredibly sweet. Thoughts?

Hi. I didn't apply to all the same schools you did, but I've also been accepted at Korbel. I'm just curious about the 'prestige' that you mentioned, since I haven't seen a lot about them online apart from posts on this forum saying that they're a solid (if second-tier) school. I'm currently torn on the Denver location, actually - most people who've been vocal about their acceptance seem to love it, but I'm still concerned about employability afterward. Wish I could help you more on your questions, but perhaps you could weigh in on some of my thoughts? 36k doesn't sound like an absurd amount of money to me anymore though, but this might be because of the 40+ and 50+ estimates I'm seeing from some of the 'bigger' schools.