Jump to content

sengpatt

Members
  • Posts

    18
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Not Telling
  • Program
    International Affairs

Recent Profile Visitors

1,963 profile views

sengpatt's Achievements

Decaf

Decaf (2/10)

1

Reputation

  1. Have you considered working in DC and going to GW part-time? The people at GW that I've talked to have said that it's very easy administratively to shift between being a full-time and a part-time student. Given GW's flexibility, it might be worthwhile to try to study at GW and then pursue jobs in DC, as opposed to in Europe, where you say it's hard to find a job with just a bachelor's. The downside of going part-time is that you would graduate in 3 years instead of 2, which means extra tuition, but you would presmably be making some of it up with your work income. There would be some additional concerns about financial aid, as you can only receive fellowships if you're full-time, but it seems like you don't have to take those into consideration.
  2. Online confirmation sent and deposit ready to mail on Monday! (I don't know why they don't accept online payments...)
  3. Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Top 40 liberal arts college Previous Degrees and GPAs: B.A. French Language & Literature, 3.80 GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 167/163/4.0 Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): Straight out of undergrad; 1 year interning and tutoring during undergrad Math/Econ Background: Micro and macroecon (B, B+) Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): French, Mandarin Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International organizations, conflict resolution, human rights Long Term Professional Goals: US govt., international NGO Schools Applied to & Results: Accepted- American SIS, George Washington Elliott (10k/year), Seton Hall Whitehead, Syrcause Maxwell (21k/year), UCSD IR/PS, University of Denver Korbel (18k/year) Rejected- Georgetown SFS, Tufts Fletcher Ultimate Decision & Why: George Washington. Coming right out undergrad, I know it's important to not only get a good education but also to have solid work experience. I feel like going to school in D.C. and GW's generally strong reputation/connections can help me do both of those things, which, for me, justifies the extra cost. Advice for Future Applicants: While other members on GC will make the (reasonable) case for relevant work experience and spending time abroad before applying to IR programs, it is possible to get into many places as an newly-minted graduate. A strong GPA and high GRE scores will help, as will a succinct, focused statement of purpose. That said, for the "Ivy League" of IR schools (MSFS, SAIS, WWS, etc.) and/or big scholarship money, I would definitely say that a few years of relevant work can only help.
  4. I don't want to call it early, but all signs are pointing towards GW for me. I've gotten a little bit better funding from a couple lower-ranked, non-DC schools, but I'm thinking that it might be worth paying more for GW's location and generally strong reputation. I also won't be able to attend the open house, unfortunately. I would be in the International Affairs program, so I don't know how much overlap we would have in terms of classes, but I'm always happy to make a new friend!
  5. This is what I got. I'm having trouble figuring how this stacks up financially to other offers I've gotten from 2-year programs. Also, I'm a little confused as to what happens during the 3rd semester, when we're supposed to be on our "global" program. I'm assuming that since we won't be on campus, we'll lose the assistantship part of the deal, but hopefully they'll let us up keep the scholarship portion?
  6. I have a similar question regarding parents and events for admitted students. The town where my school is located is not near any major cities, and I will be unable to attend any open houses, alumni meet-up events etc. Incidentally though, one of the schools where I was accepted has invited me to attend an event in my hometown where there will be faculty and alumni. As I said, I won't be able to make it back for the event, but upon finding out about it, my parents have volunteered to go in my place. I think this a little weird, but my mother insists that they will just be there to "listen." Obviously I can't keep them from going if they want to, and since I can't go to any info sessions, it doesn't seem like a terrible idea. At the same time, it strikes me as rather unorthodox and slightly "helicopter"-y and may not ingratiate me to future collegues/professors. Thoughts?
  7. For people still waiting for fellowship info, I just got an email from IR/PS directing me to the Grad Apply website. No money for me, but I'm not super disappointed as I'm in-state and it's not one of my top choices. Good luck everyone!
  8. This won't be particularly helpful, but I've been told by someone in the Admissions Office is that they are indeed making funding decisions this week and next. Here's to hearing back sooner rather than later!
  9. Just received all of my decisions as well! This will probably be of particular use to those applying just out of undergrad. *** Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): IR Schools Applied To: American SIS, George Washington ESIA, Georgetown SFS, Seton Hall Whitehead, Syracuse Maxwell, Tufts Fletcher, UCSD IR/PS, University of Denver Korbel Schools Admitted To: American, George Washington, Seton Hall, Syracuse, UCSD, University of Denver Schools Rejected From: Georgetown, Tufts Still Waiting: none Undergraduate institution: Top 40 liberal arts college Undergraduate GPA: 3.80 (at time of application) Undergraduate Major: French Language and Literature (Chinese minor) Last 60 hours of undergraduate GPA: n/a Study abroad: France (1 semester), China (6 weeks) GRE Quantitative Score: 163 (88%) GRE Verbal Score: 167 (98%) GRE AW Score: 4.0 (48%) Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 0 Years of Work Experience: 0 Describe Relevant Work Experience: English teaching internship while abroad Languages: English (native), French (advanced), Mandarin Chinese (advanced) Quant: Intro to Macroeconomics , Intro to Microeconomics [b+] Strength of SOP: By my standards, written clearly and to the point (although not without typos, as I later discovered). Really tried to tie my primarily language-based studies and abroad experiences to what I wanted to pursue in grad school (minority rights, human rights interventions, and democratization). As good as I could make it in the limited time that I had for applications. Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): All letters from professors who knew me well and who came from different academic departments. Presumably good. Other: Frankly, coming straight out of undergrad, I didn't think I had much of a shot at any good IR programs. I definitely had the language preparation, and my GPA and GRE scores were competitive for a lot of places, but I didn't have a ton of quant/polisci background or the work experience I thought I needed to have a real strong chance. As a result, I ended up applying to places that were a little easier to get into as well as some more name-brand places. I was clearly rejected at Georgetown and Tufts (#1 and #5 in the most recent rankings), but that was to be expected, I think. The more important part is that I got into way more places than I was anticipating, and now I have some really great options for next year. As others have reiterated elsewhere in the forums, I think adcoms are really looking for focus and direction in an application. Obviously it's good to show that you have the ability to succeed at the graduate level (through college GPA and GRE scores), and foreign language skills are a plus, but it's really about the SOP and explaining how your background is closely linked to your grad school and career plans. I'm sure I could've benefited from a couple years abroad/working, but in my current situation, this is probably my best option, and now I have real, viable way to pursue what I want to do.
  10. Heard back from 2 schools today, which means all decisions are in! Here are the final results: Accepted: American, George Washington (10k/year), Seton Hall, Syracuse, UCSD IR/PS, University of Denver (18k/year) Rejected: Georgetown, Tufts While I haven't heard back about financial aid from a few schools yet, just looking at my acceptances has got me over the moon. I know it's not super impressive compared to a lot of the other posters in this forum, but I feel like I've done about as well as I could. As a someone from a humanities background coming straight out of undergrad, I didn't have high hopes going in. I thought I would get into maybe 3 programs, 4 tops. Now I just feel so lucky to have so many wonderful options. At the moment, I'm kind of leaning towards GW. I would be paying through the nose to go there, but I think it would be a great way to build up my resume, so that I'll not only have a degree, but also some interning/work experience when I graduate. I guess the big takeaway from this is that for new graduates: Don't count yourself out! Obviously having post-graduation work and life experience can only help, but if this is something you really want to do now, go for it. Really the worst thing that can happen is that you have to reapply in a couple years. And thanks to all you posters out there in the forum! I admit to being something of a creeper, but I really have gotten a lot out of these forums. P.S. I'll probably be posting my background on the Applicants thread, so that applicants in a similar position can assess their competitiveness etc.
  11. While I'm hoping they'll notify us soon, I'm also not holding my breath. Looking at results to other schools though, it seems like many people here have a good chance at admission and funding.
  12. Congratulations! I talked with a very nice person in the admissions office at Maxwell who confirmed that acceptances are awarded on a rolling basis, with committee review beginning this week. If I may ask, when did you submit your application? I sent my application in before the deadline as well, so it would be nice to know when to expect an email for them. Most other schools I have applied to (including Korbel and Elliott) have stated that they won't notify us till March, but it would be a relief to (hopefully) have an acceptance in hand before then.
  13. Hey all! I had a question related to the OP regarding SoP prompts which suggest word counts "about" or "around" a certain number. If the prompt says "about 500 words," for example, would it be appropriate to have it be closer to 600? Most of the have schools I'm applying have a variety of recommendations (about 500, 500-750, 600-800), and I would very much like to use the same basic essay for all of them (with appropriate modifications, of course). I was just wondering how flexible schools are when there isn't a discrete word limit.
  14. Does anyone have an idea if this system could be applied to scholarships as well? Some schools' websites are fairly explicit about funding policies, but many others are not. While I know loans are pretty much a given in my case, I don't think I could swing the sticker price of a lot of these programs without some additional help. I realize I'm at a disadvantage coming straight out of undergrad, but I feel like, with my GPA/GRE score/SoP/recommendations/etc., I'm otherwise fairly qualified. It would be nice to have a rough idea of how much financial aid to expect before putting the time, effort, and money into preparing an application.
  15. Hi everyone, I was on the Korbel website the other day, and I thought people might be interested in learning that they have updated their scholarships to includes score cutoffs for the Revised GRE. http://www.du.edu/korbel/admissions/financialaid/index.html It looks all of them require at least a 160 (or 600) on the GRE verbal and a minimum GPA of 3.25 for consideration. No quantitative requirement, though.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use