SAIS Analytical Essay

[nic2017]

I'm a little stuck on what to write about for the JHU SAIS Analytical Essay. It's only about 2 pages about an issue of "national or international importance and its concern to you." I studied Burma/Myanmar in college and wrote my undergrad thesis about its political system, but I mention this somewhat at length in my personal statement. Would it behoove me to write about a completely different part of the world to demonstrate a more general field of interest, or would it do that much harm just to write about a human rights situation in Burma?

Any input as to what y'all are writing about?

[mapiau]

I don't think there's any reason to write about a completely different part of the world, particularly if you have a professional interest in Burma. The content and tone of the analytical essay is different from your personal statement, so even if both discuss the same region or issue they shouldn't end up too similar.

When I applied to SAIS last year I talked about my interest in energy issues and Latin America and experience with both in my personal statement, and wrote my analytical essay on electricity generation in Brazil. Since my personal statement basically just explained why I was interested in these issues it didn't overlap with a more focused essay discussing a specific issue. Additionally, I think my overall application benefited from the subject of my essay being related to my professional interests, since it not only demonstrated my research and writing skills but also showed that I had a clearly-defined professional interest that I was knowledge about.

Edited January 5, 2017 by mapiau
Added final sentence.