indyir Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Hi Fong Sai YUK, I am surpised that as an international you heard about the Bologna Campus so soon, i thought we were not allowed to put that option with the DC Campus and had to apply separately to Bologna . Their results are not till April right ? Previous Schools Europe Previous Degrees and GPA's: 3.1 B.A GRE Scores V510 Q680 AW3.5 (TOEFL 115) Previous Work Experience Military Service (2.5 years) Special Forces, NGO - Advocay (2 years), Internship EU Parliament (3 months) Math/Econ Background: none Foreign Language Background: German, French, Arabic, English, Hebrew Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International Affairs Long Term Professional Goals: International Bussiness / Conflict Resolution (Moral dilemma) Schools Applied to & Results: GWU, Hopkins SAIS, Georgetown MSFS, Columbia SIPA, AU SIS, Syracuse MPD, Chicago - Harris, NYU Wilf, Accepted: GWU (15k$), Georgetown MSFS ($?), Columbia SIPA (0$), Syracuse ($?) Waiting: Hopkins SAIS, AU SIS, Chicago Harris, NYU Wilf Rejected: NONE Ultimate Decision & Why: I am doubting between Georgetown MSFS and Columbia SIPA. As an international, Hopkins is not an option, because they want me to be the first year in Bologna. I want to work after in the states and prefer to spent the full two years there. Columbia has the name, but Georgetown MSFS apparantly has the program. I need to decide whether MSFS also allows you to go into the private bussiness, or educates you strictly to become a diplomat. I want to find out how well SIPA guides it's students into the job market. My ultimate goal is to become the first emperor of Mars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fong Sai Yuk Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Nehagg, you are right. I haven't heard from Hopkins-Bologna yet. It would make it easier when not accepted to decide though halfway april it is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejbutera Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Previous School Westminster College, Missouri Previous Degrees and GPA's: BA Political Science 4.0 major gpa; 3.92 overall gpa GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 590V, 670 Q, 4.5 AW Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): Student Gov, Korean Government Summer Exchange Program, summer internship at Meridian International Center, Intern at Legislative Consulting Firm in Missouri State Capitol Math/Econ Background: Statistics, Micro, Macro Foreign Language Background: German (expert), French (beginner), Korean (beginner) Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International Affairs/Security Studies Long Term Professional Goals: Work in intelligence community, both government agencies and private consulting firms Schools Applied to & Results:Accepted: GU Walsh SSP, Patterson Waitlisted: GW Elliot Ultimate Decision & Why: GU SSP- the short of it: location, network, prestige, internships, didn't get funding, but ultimately decided to take the risk and go to DC without funding. Decision would have been harder if GW had accepted me. Ultimately needed to get out of Missouri, and Kentucky didn't sound that appealing when I could go to DC and go to grad school where I intend to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAC16 Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 (edited) Previous Schools: Top tier international university Previous Degrees GPA's: B.A. Economics 3.96 GRE Scores : 650v/750q/4w Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 4 years in consulting Math/Econ Background: Calc I, Calc II, Calc III, up to intermediate Micro, up to intermediate Macro, various other courses in economics (i.e. game theory), linear algebra, diff. equations, 4 courses in statistics, econometrics I and II. Foreign Language Background: Arabic, Italian, Spanish Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International Relations Schools Applied to & Results: Accepted to all American ($$$) GW/Elliot ($$$) GSPIA ($$$) Korbel ($$$) Maxwell ($$$) SAIS ($) Stanford IPS (no $) Ultimate Decision & Why: Maxwell. SAIS was always my first choice, but a fellowship of 20K wasn't enough to make it viable. IPS was my second choice and since they gave me no money, it wasn't viable either. All the others gave me a full ride (apart from GW that gave me 7K/year short of that). From those, Maxwell is the best fit. Their faculty is the strongest in my area of interest, and their program is the best fit. Also, I believe they have the strongest network. Edited April 13, 2011 by JAC16 Turian27, JAC16 and IPE2011 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalSeeker Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Top 50 (University of California system) Previous Degrees and GPA's: BA in International Relations and Russian, 3.91 GPA GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 760V, 770 Q, 5.0 AW Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 4.5 years in trade consulting, undergrad research assistant Math/Econ Background: Basic calculus and stats, principles of micro and macro, international econ Foreign Language Background: Russian, basic Spanish Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International affairs (with strong focus on econ/trade) Schools Applied to & Results: GW Elliott, Georgetown MSFS, SAIS, AU SIS (accepted to all) Ultimate Decision & Why: I will be going to GW, and am very excited about it. I knew I wanted a program in DC that was heavy on international econ, so GW and SAIS were my top choices. SAIS gave me a good fellowship offer, but it did not quite cover everything. At GW I have an external fellowship for full tuition. Also, the classes at GW are all in the evening, so I will be able to keep working while going to school. SAIS' reputation for international econ was very attractive, but the classes for my program at GW are probably even closer to my interests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Lux Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 (edited) Program Applied To: International Relations, MPA Schools Applied To: Georgetown MSFS, Syracuse (MPA/MAIR), GWU Elliott, American SIS, Monterey Institute (MPA), The New School GPIA, Rangel Fellowship, Pickering Fellowship Schools Admitted To: Georgetown MSFS (no $), Syracuse (MPA/MAIR, no $), American SIS (no $), Monterey Institute (MPA, $), New School GPIA ($) Schools Waitlisted: GWU Elliott Schools Rejected From: None! Rejected by the Rangel Fellowship and Pickering Fellowship, however. Attending: Georgetown MSFS Undergraduate institution: Rural public university Undergraduate GPA: 3.2 Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 3.57 (3.88 final year) Undergraduate Major: International Studies and Spanish, minor in International Political Economy GRE Quantitative Score: 760 GRE Verbal Score: 580 (This one hurt, I was getting 100 points higher on all the practice tests.) GRE AW Score: 5.0 Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 6 Years of Work Experience: 6 total, 2 quite relavent, 2-3 somewhat relevant. Describe Relevant Work Experience: Taught English in Japan on the JET Program for 2 years. Currently managing a tech support group and working with both domestic and international clients. Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I felt like I still had more to say when I hit the word limit on most of these essays. After sending them in, I was worried that I should have had a little less about my background and a few more specifics about the school/program. But I guess I must've done something right! Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): Two of them I'm sure were very good. My third was written by my former Japanese supervisor. I was worried that some ad committees may not find his non-native English particularly charming or helpful, but apparently those fears were unfounded. Other: Near fluent in Spanish, basic Japanese. Studied abroad in Spain. Traveled to 25 countries. Between my low undergrad GPA at a rural public university and my comparative lack of experience (internship? what's that?), I felt like I was at a disadvantage compared to most people on this board. I almost didn't even bother applying to Georgetown. I'm glad I did, though! It turns you CAN get into a top program even with mediocre grades from a mediocre school. Edited April 15, 2011 by D-Lux Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acuvue09 Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 (edited) Previous Schools: large urban Private University Previous Degrees GPA's: BA in International Relations; BA in Religion (World Religions); 3.8 GRE Scores : 660v/760q/4.5w Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): internships during school (research and admin.); interned abroad for a semester Math/Econ Background: APs took care of math in high school; Micro and Macro undergrad; International Econ undergrad Foreign Language Background: French (reading and writing excellent; speaking proficient) Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International Communications Long Term Professional Goals: State Department (Education and Culture); International Exchange programs Schools Applied to & Results: American/SIS- accepted (missed fellowships deadline, so no $) GW/Elliot- accepted (with some $) USC Annenberg (MA Public Diplomacy) - accepted (half tuition) Ultimate Decision & Why: GW Elliott School The offer of money (while not full by any means) makes it more affordable, and I love the Global Communications program there. Can't beat the location either. Excited! Edited April 16, 2011 by acuvue09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bblucy Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 (edited) Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): private university—top 130 or so in recent US News rankings Previous Degrees and GPA's: International Relations/Asian Studies; 3.87 GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 590/640/5.0 Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): four years working in China for a start-up plus summer internship with State Department while in undergrad Math/Econ Background: Stats, Micro/Macro, 3-4 other international economics-related courses Foreign Language Background: near fluency in Mandarin Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 4 Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): one from former professor, one from current boss, one from professional associate (had to be called on last-minute when another former professor bailed right before the first deadline) Schools Applied to & Results: Accepted: GW Elliott-Asian Studies, Fletcher, GSPIA, UW Jackson School (all with funding); Stanford IPS (no funding) Rejected: WWS Ultimate Decision & Why: GW Elliott-Asian Studies. It was a tough decision but, overall, I felt that GW’s program and location offered the best fit at the best price. I lurked these boards quite a bit back in the fall before beginning the application process and only more recently began posting. Some helpful advice that I found on here then and also learned throughout my experience is: -When trying to decide where to apply, don’t forget to pay attention to the cost of a program and try to get a feel for how scholarships and other aid are awarded. Some programs are shockingly expensive, while others are surprisingly less-expensive (GW, for example). Some only give aid to second year students; some don’t give out any aid to second year students who didn’t receive anything the first year. If your projected career path isn’t going to be high paying, you probably don’t want to become overburdened with loans. -It is virtually impossible to predict where one may be accepted. International experience/relevant work experience/clear goals for the future and demonstration of how a particular program will help one reach said goals (through the SOP) are as, if not more, important as good grades and GRE scores. Also, you never know how competitive the applicant pool may be from one year to the other. Prepare as early in advance as possible and apply to a variety of programs. -Give you LOR writers plenty of advanced notice and try to keep a back-up in mind in case something comes up (see above). Glad all the waiting is over—now I just have to find an apartment! Good luck to everyone! Edited April 27, 2011 by bblucy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palabared Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 Previous Schools: California State School Previous Degrees GPA's: B.S. Agricultural Business, minor Wine and Viticulture 2.7 (3.0 major) GRE Scores : 460v/720q/4w (not sure what happened on the V, was scoring 600s on all my practice tests) Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): study abroad in Thailand, a year of world travel/work in wine, 3 months volunteering for Habitat, 1 year as a field coordinator with an NGO in Guatemala, 4 months volunteer in Colombia for a coffee ngo Math/Econ Background: Intro to stats, business calc, agricultural econ I and II. Foreign Language Background: Spanish Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International development with an NGO Schools Applied to & Results: Rejected - Korbel MDP (didn't accept an incoming cohort for their MDP program for some reason) Waitlisted - UCSD IR/PS (had an interview in person with them in San Francisco, they were worried about my grades) Accepted - Maxwell MAIR and U of Florida MDP both w/o funding Ultimate Decision & Why: Maxwell. Went to the open house and really liked it. Very close nit cohort which will be great for networking, 16 month program (cheaper). Beautiful facilities and great professors, good internship programs abroad and in DC, and 25,000 alums! (but dreading the weather being from Cali) Afterthoughts? Many other people on this forum have posted their "to tell you the truth I didn't think I would get in anywhere" story (with huge GPAs and GRE scores), but for me this truly was the case. With a terrible GPA and a very low verbal GRE score I was scared shitless. Having known that schools weigh SOP and LORs more heavily (I think they helped me out a lot), I would have applied to more places. While I know there are more people like me that might be intimidated to post their info on this forum, I wanted to post it to let the people out there who didn't get amazing grades or scores know, it can be done. cunninlynguist 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mal83 Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Community college, The College of New Jersey Previous Degrees and GPA's: International Studies from CC: 3.95, BA in International Studies: 3.35 ( a C in one of my major courses really sucked, hated the professor), not sure what combined GPA is...or even if it mattered GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 1st round: disaster, 2nd round: V570, Q550, W4.5 Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 2 with the Peace Corps in Ukraine Math/Econ Background: Intro to Macro, pre-calculus Foreign Language Background: Russian 3.5 years in college, including semester in Moscow, then tested at Advanced High level at the end of PC service Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Global Affairs or ID, planning to concentrate in global governance Long Term Professional Goals: Anything that resembles international development Schools Applied to & Results: George Mason University (Global Affairs, MA) Accepted, George Washington University (ID) waitlisted, American (ID): rejected Ultimate Decision & Why: At this point of course it's George Mason, very happy about it, but holding out a sliver of hope for my dream school GW...should know within the next 3 weeks Feel free to add any more info that you feel would paint a better picture of your applicant profile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carthage Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Previous Schools: Big Ten school (large public university) Previous Degrees and GPA's: English with a 2.9 GPA, cumulative 3.0 over all university level schooling. Six years after graduating, I went back to school for a full semester to take an accelarated Econ course, as well as Stats, Introduction to IR, and an advanced Spanish class - I really think going back made my application MUCH more competitive and I'm glad I did so GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): V 700, Q 760, AW 4.5. These helped make up for the crap G.P.A. Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 3 years teaching English abroad, 5 years working at and eventually helping to run a very large sailing club (generally summers only). Math/Econ Background: Stats, an accelerated Econ course (Micro and Macro together) that I got a B-/C+ in. Foreign Language Background: Conversational Spanish - I passed a fourth semester Spanish course with a B during the semester I returned to school. Strength of SoP: Pretty strong. It wasn't AMAZING but I felt it did a very good job explaining my life experiences and why I should be considered despite a lackluster GPA. Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Security Long Term Professional Goals: Intelligence community, consulting, similar areas. Schools Applied to & Results: ACCEPTED: GWU, American U., Denver Korbel, Pittsburgh, Boston U, Syracuse Maxwell WAITLISTED: Johns Hopkins SAIS REJECTED: Tufts Ultimate Decision & Why: GW. I did the welcome day/weekend at Syracuse, American, and GW, and GW was definitely the most impressive. Most of American's class seemed fresh out of undergrad, and I wasn't super impressed by either the curriculum or the hiring statistics. Syracuse was impressive, more than I expected, and the cheaper price was very tempting, but the location hurt it quite a bit, both in terms of weather (hate winter) and the fact that I can hopefully have multiple internships in DC at GWU instead of the likely 1 at Syracuse. Syracuse was definitely my second choice, though. The other schools didn't seem to compare in terms of program strength, especially considering the cost at places like Korbel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterxrose Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Previous Schools: Johns Hopkins University Previous Degrees and GPA's: 3.94 in International Studies GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): V 700, Q 740, AW 4.5 Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): I'm entering grad school straight out of undergrad, but I work(ed) during the school year at an environmental nonprofit and have held various summer internships since high school, including researching international climate change policy, working for my state representative, and working for the government relations arm of a business conglomerate. Math/Econ Background: My major required Macro, Micro, and two international economics courses. I haven't done any serious math since high school (AP Calc BC). Foreign Language Background: 3 years of Arabic in college, plus studying Spanish on my own (with a bit of success). Strength of SoP: I believe it was good, despite writing it all in one night! I made sure to address the potential weakness of entering grad school without years of professional experience, and gave examples from my past showing my dedication to my studies and ability to succeed in graduate school. I gave specific examples of the focus that I wanted to pursue, the classes I wanted to take, and how those would relate to my future career. Strength of LOR: One was written by a supervisor, an executive in NASA Earth Science. Another supervisor, the VP of the business conglomerate. And a professor. Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Latin America + Environmental Studies Long Term Professional Goals: Creating/implementing adaptation strategies to the effects of climate change in Latin America Schools Applied to & Results: ACCEPTED: GWU Elliott, Georgetown, Hopkins SAIS WAITLISTED: none REJECTED: none Ultimate Decision & Why: SAIS. For a long time I was tempted by Georgetown's name and GWU's cheaper tuition, but SAIS has some advantages that the others do not. SAIS has a stellar alumni network with lots of grads working for places that I am interested in, the reputation for international econ, an exciting internship program in Latin America, professional development and leadership programs, and the opportunity to take trips abroad over breaks to meet very high level officials in other countries. I cannot wait for fall! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HandsomeNerd Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Previous Schools: University of Massachusetts Previous Degrees and GPA's: 3.95 Political Science, IR GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): V 620, Q 760, AW 4.5 Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): Five years in the Marine Corps Math/Econ Background: Micro, Macro, Calc I, Political Econ Foreign Language Background: Native Chinese speaker Strength of SoP: Average, at best. I procrastinated for months, with nothing to show for it but aborted attempts at unorthodox structure and cutesy narratives. I finally wrote each SOP the day applications were due, responding as directly to the prompts as possible. Strength of LORs: Great from three professors, who happened to be superstars in my department, each representing a different discipline: public policy, political theory and comparative IR. Average, from two other LOR writers for GWU (my thesis advisor), and Fletcher (my supervisor from an internship last summer who's a tenured professor there). Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Security studies, energy security Long Term Professional Goals: IC, regional analysis, think tank, consulting Schools Applied to & Results: ACCEPTED: Georgetown SSP ($), GWU Elliot, American SIS($$) WAITLISTED: Fletcher REJECTED: none Ultimate Decision & Why: Georgetown. It was my top choice from the start: coursework and location are perfect fits for my academic interests and professional objectives. School reputation, all-star faculty and half-tuition scholarship helped seal the deal. Advice/Stuff I Would Have Done Differently: I have a checkered academic history, so getting transcripts was a nightmare logistically. In fact I found out after the application deadlines that the undergraduate institution from which I'm graduating never even sent my transcripts. This actually led me to skip applications to a couple of other schools and programs I was considering (and wish I applied to in retrospect): SAIS and MSFS in particular. In hindsight, I would have requested multiple copies of all my transcripts earlier (Oct or Nov), had them all directly to my home address, compiled them, and shipped them to each school on my own. As far as my LORs, a quick overview of my LOR experiment for context: as a security studies applicant, I was worried about one of my LOR writers (brilliant and enthusiastic, but too young, too politically radical), so I hedged my bets at two schools. For GWU, I subbed her out for my thesis advisor (an old, curt, Middle Eastern man). 16 minutes after I sent the electronic notification to him as a recommender through GWU's application, I received another notification: <Thesis Advisor> has submitted your recommendation. /facepalm, /sigh. For Fletcher, I subbed her out for my boss at a think tank internship I did last summer. In retrospect, this was also a terrible idea-- the guy was hardly there during my internship, and I did more work for other people at the office than for him. However, he was the president of this think tank, as well as a tenured professor at Fletcher, so I figured I might as well cash that social capital check in for this recommendation. I had to hound him- through his secretary- in the last 48 hours before the recommendation was due, and he didn't even submit it until about a week later. So in hindsight, it seems no wonder that these two schools were the ones I had the least success with during this application process. If I could have redone my LORs, I would have never subbed young, brilliant, enthusiastic radical prof. out for these dodgy old conservative farts. Have faith in those who demonstrably show faith in you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mseto Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Previous Schools: Top 5 Japanese University Previous Degrees and GPA's: 3.6 Political Science, IR GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): V 600, Q 740, AW 4.0 Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 1.5 years at Consumer Electronics Company Math/Econ Background: very basic Micro, Macro classes Foreign Language Background: Japanese (native), some Spanish, little Mandarin Strength of SoP: Though my working experience was short and the work there did not help me write something nice is SoP, my experience outside Japan helped me write a convincing SoP. Also, I had a friend who helped me with all the editing (English is still hard for me....) which helped a lot! Strength of LORs: Two from professors and one from my former boss Intended Field of Study in Grad School: MA in International Trade and Investment Policy (Development Econ) Long Term Professional Goals: Micorfinance institutions, Development banks Schools Applied to & Results: ACCEPTED: SAIS (Bologna, $), GWU Elliott, GSPIA ($$), UMD ($$), Penn State ($) WAITLISTED: none REJECTED: Georgetown, American ID Ultimate Decision & Why: GWU Elliott! It was a tough decision between SAIS and GWU - SAIS had been my dream school, and their alumni network seemed awesome, but their higher tuition (why are they so expensive??) and the fact that I had to live one year in Italy was a downer for me. When I visited Elliott, I was very impressed by the faculty and the curriculum. And plus, the location and the internship opportunities added the points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzho Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 Previous Schools: Very Good Public University. Previous Degrees and GPA's: History B.A. with overall 2.92 GPA GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): V 730, Q 790, AW 4.0. I was very worried about the AW scored / considered taking it again, but ultimately didn't. Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 1.5 years as a Research Assistant, about 1 year overseas as an English teacher. Math/Econ Background: Multi-Variable Calculus, Statistical Physics, Linear Algebra. No Economics. Foreign Language Background: Fluent Chinese, Passable Russian Strength of SoP: I thought it was good. I was very concise about the things I wanted in a program and how it related both to my background and my future goals. I obviously had to account for my low GPA. Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International Relations Long Term Professional Goals: Foreign Service, Policy Analysis, Intelligence Schools Applied to & Results: ACCEPTED: NYU Politics MA-IR (applied for PhD), Syracuse MA-IR WAITLISTED: REJECTED: Ultimate Decision & Why: Syracuse. While NYU has always been a dream, I've found myself not wanting to live in the big city any more. I feel like Syracuse would have an atmosphere more conducive to me working hard and focusing on studies. I like that Syracuse's program is more policy/practice-oriented. NYU's Politics Department seems heavy on the pure academic and theoretical, and while I would have liked to done a Master's thesis, I can't take two years of writing papers non-stop. Syracuse also has some good Global Programs, and I feel that they have more resources and care to devote to their Master's students than NYU. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secdef Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Previous Schools: well-known large private university, consistently ranked in top 90 North American universities. Previous Degrees and GPA's: International Studies, Spanish minor, 3.93 cumulative and in major GPAs GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): V 680, Q 680, AW 5.0. Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 0, applied as a senior in undergrad. Math/Econ Background: Calculus, Principles of Macroeconomics, Principles of Microeconomics, quant-intensive intermediate Micro and Macro. Foreign Language Background: Fluent Spanish Strength of SoP: Very strong. Had many friends and professors read and provide feedback. Revised upwards of 20 times. Individual statement for each program I applied to (This was more work but I think they expect it now). Intended Field of Study in Grad School: security policy Long Term Professional Goals: Foreign Service, Intelligence, Analysis Schools Applied to & Results: ACCEPTED: University of Denver, Korbel; American University, SIS; George Washington University, Elliott School; WAITLISTED: 0 REJECTED: Columbia, SIPA (letter said I was one of the few they recommend reapply after a year or two of experience); Georgetown, SFS (no explanation... letter didn't even come from SFS); Yale, Jackson (letter was signed by some guy from the chemistry department?); Tufts, Fletcher School (generic letter with no explanation); Rangel Fellowship; and Pickering Fellowship Ultimate Decision & Why: Elliott School at GWU! Best location, best faculty, and best program. Thanks to external support, it's also the best price! Advice/Stuff I Would Have Done Differently: CALM DOWN! Yes, at the moment it SEEMS like the mistake is life-shattering, its consequences unavoidable, and your future destroyed, but in reality, it won't. Fact I did not know: Some schools accept revised essays and resumes after you submit them online. All it takes is an email or a telephone call. If you're nervous abut them knowing it was you who called, have a friend call for you. The admissions administrative staff was very nice and very understanding to me. Also, if you're thinking about applying right out of undergrad, as I did, I would probably recommend that you don't. On the one hand, most programs want you to have x amount of experience, and your not having it puts you at a disadvantage; even if you are lucky enough to get into the program, this disadvantage makes your chances for receiving funding much slimmer. On the other hand, it consumes your entire year, starting at least in the summer before you apply (researching schools and studying for the GRES). Understand that the application process is by no means over when you click submit during Christmas break (or whenever you apply). Finally, apply for as many things as you can find for which you are at least loosely qualified. I am talking jobs, internships, scholarships, fellowships, essay contests, and of course, graduate programs. It's worth the work to be able to have choices. troika and Damis 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aryousef Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Previous Schools: International School Previous Degrees and GPA's: 3.55 Engineering Management GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): not that good;( Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 7 years at Math/Econ Background: very basic Micro, Macro classes Foreign Language Background: Arabic Intended Field of Study in Grad School: PhD GSPIA/Development Studies and Public Policy Long Term Professional Goals: work with the Government Schools Applied to University of Pittsburgh PA GSPIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greendiplomat Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 I think you've dug up last year's thread there, Aryousef. The should be the one for this year (though nobody has results on that thread yet). Also, congrats if you're posting this here because you got into the PhD program at GSPIA! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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