mauldin

Thank you so much for the the thoughtful response, I really appreciate it. As for the GRE practice exam, I do believe it's about as close to the real exam as you can get. Wasn't completely sure if it was an ETS one or not, but it administered by one of those test-prep companies. I'll start brushing up on my math as soon as possible. I graduated last summer. Unfortunately the job market has not been particularly kind to me. I've been searching while I intern, but I have yet to find something directly related to IR. If I could easily find a job in a related field I'd take it and work a year or two without a problem, however for most work I'd be interested in an MA is a prerequisite. I'm fairly concerned that not having any real work experience will put me out of the running for admissions. I'm certain I want to pursue an MA in IR, if just to better my job competitiveness and explore a field that truly interests me. I'm of the thinking that whilst in my program I'll discover a specialized area that I'm passionate about as I already love the discipline more broadly. Maybe I should adjust the schools I'm considering accordingly.

Programs & Schools: HKS (MPP); Princeton WWS; SAIS; Yale Jackson (MA); Columbia SIPA (MA); maybe Georgetown (Security Studies) Undergraduate Institution: 1. Top 50 private 2. Top 20 private 3. University of Florid Undergraduate Major: History and Political Science, Certificate in IR Undergraduate GPA: 1st University: 3.8 2nd University 3.71 3rd University (last two years) – 3.97 Note: Awarded Summa for the quality of a thesis (German history, original translations). Study Abroad Experience: Spent a summer in Berlin completing an intensive language course at the intermediate level and conducting research. When back with my thesis advisor for a week in Munich my senior year. GRE: I’ve completed a mock exam with other students in the room, I had little preparation: V: 170 Q: 155 Years of Work Experience: Basically none, I’ve been interning in a Congressional office fulltime since this January. Relevant Course Work: Tons of IR and history classes, too many to list. In terms of quant: Intro Micro + Macro, Stats Language: German (Intermediate at the time I was doing my thesis research – bit rusty now) SOP: Have not started on these yet, however I’m confident in my ability to craft a convincing statement. LORs: 1st from my thesis adviser, a very well-known professor of German history. We had an incredibly close relationship and he was a big fan of my work. 2nd will most likely be from the Congressional office. 3rd I have two tenured IR professors to choose from, one being a prominent feminist IR scholar, the other known more for his work on critiquing contemporary realism – I’d actually appreciate some help in determining which one I should choose. Concerns: A few things stand out to me. First, I’m not sure how schools will view me transferring universities so often. I can easily explain the reason for each, but I don’t think it’s worth wasting precious SOP space to provide an explanation. Next is obviously the work experience and the lack of experience. I’ve found getting a job has been very difficult since graduating, and therefore I lack direction. Lastly, is the Q on my GRE. Columbia SIPA is currently my #1 choice I believe. Any commentary would be extremely helpful. I’d actually love to take the time to explain my situation more fully and see advice over PMs. I will begin studying for the LSATs once my GRE is completed. Thanks so much for any advice, I really appreciate it.