oglethorpe

Thank you for the feedback Jel. In your opinion, would I perhaps be competitive for a second tier program like SIS or Korbel?

Hey all. I would greatly appreciate any input/feedback on my stats. Program: International Relations Interests: East Asia, Southeast Asia, Political Risk Schools Applying To: From scanning admissions sites, Korbel, Elliott, and Seton Hall look like the best bets given my profile but I’m unsure. Dream option would be SAIS but that looks unfeasible Undergrad Institution: Top 25 Public University Undergraduate GPA: 2.929 (I know) Undergraduate Major: History, Minor in Japanese GRE: 165 V 155 Q 5 W Quant: Statistics (A-), Micro (B+), taking Macro now at community college Years of Work Experience: 2 (including post-graduation internships) Languages: 3 years of college-level Japanese Work Experience: Internships at two international development NGOs, an internship at an IR advocacy NGO, and an internship at a major DC think tank; I’ve been a volunteer editor at a small think tank since February; about six months of unrelated professional work LORs: I'm looking to ask a couple of old professors and possibly my supervisor from an internship Main Concerns: 1. Low GPA (My GPA in my major is about 3.5. I actually had to leave school briefly during my junior year, which dramatically hurt my grades that semester; as such looking only at my final two years won’t actually help). 2. Lack of work experience. I think my internships are quite good, but I don’t have much in the way of full-time job experience. As far as I can tell my GRE scores are adequate but I imagine my GPA seriously weighs down my profile. Are there any solid programs that don’t value GPA as heavily? Is it even worth applying to any top programs? Much Obliged