elohelay

Hi there, Not sure if you're still taking questions, but I was wondering if you could provide a general profile of the "average" public diplomacy officer, based on the interactions (if any) that you may have had with them. This is the track I am most interested in and scored the highest on in the quizzes provided by State, so I am curious as to how well I fit the profile. Thanks!

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Large public state school in the South (think football = religion) Previous Degrees and GPAs: Journalism and French (3.32 collectively - too lazy to remember the specifics, sorry) GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 159 V, 151 Q, 5 AW Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 1 year teaching English in France, 2 years in online marketing, currently about 6 months into a communications-related position at a local university. Math/Econ Background: 1 intro macroecon course in undergrad. This was by far the weakest feature of my application. Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): BA in French with one summer study abroad and one year post-college teaching in France. I intend to apply this toward my regional concentration in European affairs. Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Global communications, technology, media strategy Long Term Professional Goals: Media consultant and/or public affairs officer for an embassy or large IGO/NGO Schools Applied to & Results: GWU Elliott for Global Comm. (accepted, $10k/year), American SIS for International Affairs (accepted, no funding), Denver Korbel for International Studies (accepted, no funding) Ultimate Decision & Why: GWU Elliott for Global Communications. As anyone reading this may have gathered, I was not the perfect student nor an aspiring academic; I much prefer working in a professional setting, and from my research, GW offers the most well-balanced program with professional skills courses and academic rigor. Though I won't lie - since it was the only school that provided some funding, it made the decision easier. Advice for Future Applicants: Stop doubting yourself. As prestigious and "glamorous" as Hopkins, Georgetown, and all of these schools sound, they are by no means impossible to get in; there are plenty of testimonies scattered around this forum of those who didn't fit the "mold" of IR professionals or academics, and they still got in. Quit comparing your stats with whatever you see on these forums and others and just apply! I almost didn't apply at all because I believed for the longest time that I didn't have as strong of a background in econ; I'd been out of college for too long; my resume goes all over the place; thinking, "if these people with 3.9 GPA and Peace Corps experience are worried about getting in, I should just quit"; it's all crap - if you are passionate about this field and get excited over the courses you read about, for goodness sake, just fill out that application! I honestly regret somewhat not applying to SAIS or Georgetown. And as obvious as this last piece of advice may sound, highlight your SOP, especially if you're insecure about your stats; you can't do anything about those, but you can write and explain why you're still a viable candidate. Just do it!

Accepted to the Global Communication program! Also waiting on funding. Was very surprised as well, my SOP could genuinely have been better. Congrats to all on their decisions!

Also got into SIS for International Communication! Likewise, have not heard on funding, but there is still time..

Haven't heard back yet, but I wonder if I'm in the wrong forum since I applied to the Global Communication program. Anyone else here apply for that as well?

Dual-majored in journalism and French. Worked in the creative department of an ad agency before switching to public relations/communications.

Accepted into Korbel at Denver! Waiting on American SIS and GWU. Congrats to everyone with acceptances!

I'm only applying to 3 - DU, American U, and GWU. Reaching for the stars? Definitely. I agree with Decaf - there's no point in applying to safeties when you can't imagine yourself at that school/city, no matter how prestigious.