CYD

Fletcher also has a small cohort that starts in the spring semester.

Same here!

Sorry that this is more a stream of consciousness. On the quant side, I would definitely suggest working on that. But also have a think about what other experience you have that shows your quant skills. If you've been working for the past ten years you should have plenty of examples. SIPA and HKS both ask for quant resumés now and have examples online (the HKS example is available through the admission blog). Like you I am a career changer, having worked in my field for almost ten years and I have zero math courses post second level schooling (but the math included calculus and advanced statistics) so I put together the quant resume and included it in all my applications as additional information. Whether that is what made the difference or not, who knows but I don't think it harmed any of my applications. What other experience (look at SIPA and HKS example for quant doc) Re the LoRs - did any of the LoRs come from the work / volunteer environment? If not, I would suggest seeking LoRs from these people as they can hopefully speak to how you have developed over the years, your capacity for leadership - in particular if you have been volunteering with an organisation that works with refugees an LoR that also addresses your ability to interact with people from different cultures and how you have deepened your knowledge of their countries etc might help counterbalance the lack of overseas experience. Can the academic recommenders really speak to how your interests have changed over time and fit for the MGPS? IfI remember correctly the MGPS required three LoRs but I can't rememeber if LBJ is one of the schools that allows you to submit more than three? (As I mentioned I have been working for about ten years so I decided to only submit one academic reference. I am a very different person today to the person I was in my final year of undergrad.) Not knowing how you presented the SoP some of my comments are a stab in the dark. If you have concerns about the lack of oversears experience remember that you can have exposure to international matters at home, it is a matter of presenting your experience in the best light. Even looking to change career, you should be able to tie the interest in government and policy in with the experience in education and with refugees (I spent some time teaching, admittedly overseas, and it has actually been quite an important aspect of my SoP). Did you make it clear that you want to do the mgps because of the content / structure and how it will help you change career etc rather than location? Again, I have no idea if that would factor into a decision but you want that admission committee to feel that you want to do their course and that you don't feel stuck with it because of the location. I completely understand that it is hard to pin down exactly what one wants to do post grad school but the LBJ application does ask for career goals ("What kind of career would you like to pursue, and how would attending the LBJ School help you to fulfill your objectives? (Think in terms of a ten-year time horizon).") I don't think it is asking that you identify specific jobs but have you thought about the general sense of what it is you want to do? How are your language skills? Brush up on them - join a course or do some sort of language exchange. Granted I am luck as I grew up bilingual and speak two other languges fairly well but I have been learning another one informally through a language exchange with someone who is trying to learn English. Be clear about what you bring to the program - over ten years you've definitely gained experience that would be valuable on any program. Decision making, project management, people management etc. If you are still close to the academic recommender ask them to read your SOP (or anyone else in the policy field who also knows you well). They may spot gaps in the SOP and suggest you incorporate something that they think makes you stand out but you didn't think was important. Or it may be something that they feel shows your suitability for the program. Hope some of the above helps.