jinjin

Rejected from George Washington...and got into Georgetown. Georgetown was my first choice anyway. Applied to George Washington's Security Policy Studies and Georgetown's Security Studies Program. Will be starting in the spring. Yippee doo da.

What do they ask you to write about for their statement of interest and which bureaus are you applying to? I participated in a DOS internship back in Spring 2010 in Europe. I love to travel and meet people, so it was a lot of fun for me. I wish I'd discovered the opportunity sooner (was supposed to graduate in the spring, but deferred graduation to the winter to do this internship -- do not regret it at all.). Let me know and I will definitely try to help you.

I applied to grad programs for Spring 2013 and wanted to know my chances of getting in because I'm afraid my GPA will hold me back. Any advice/comments would be greatly appreciated, even the negative ones. Schools Applied To: Georgetown SSP (concentration in Intelligence); George Washington SPS (concentration in Intelligence). I applied only to these two because I want to stay in the DC area for work. Undergraduate institution: University of Maryland Undergraduate GPA: 3.1 something overall GPA (ALMOST hitting the 3.2 mark...cry). Major GPA is very good. I switched from pre-dental to Criminology in my sophomore year. Extreme upward trend in grades, but it wasn't enough to bring up my horrible GPA from those science courses...you can see why I am very, very worried. Undergraduate Major: Criminology and Criminal Justice Study Abroad: Winter study abroad to Europe for course on Counterterrorism; Internship for State Department in Europe; Have traveled to more than thirteen different countries in Europe and Asia. I travel to Asia very frequently to visit family. GRE Quantitative Score: 155 (69%) GRE Verbal Score: 160 (86%) GRE AW Score: 4.5 (72%) Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 2 Years of Relevant Work Experience: 5 Describe Relevant Work Experience: Multiple on-campus internships conducting research on terrorist groups and dynamics; State Department internship in Europe; one summer and one semester internship with Administrative Office of U.S. Courts; currently working for federal government (straight out of undergrad) Languages: English; Chinese (Speaking: Fluent; Writing: Limited; Reading: Working knowledge). Quant: I'll be honest -- I hate math. I've taken calc, macroecon, and statistics, all with not stellar, but passing grades (Whew! Glad that's over). Strength of SOP: I emphasized my desire to work in the intelligence field and applying my knowledge to work with human trafficking issues as well as victims. I didn't bother to explain my very low GPA -- I figured there's no point trying to BS my way around this because frankly, I just didn't study hard enough for those science courses. Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): Very strong recs. Two recs from former U.S. Attorneys, one rec from department head of Criminology program at UMD, and one rec from my supervisor when I interned with the State Department. Other: I've attended various trainings and conferences in my current job that I've highlighted on my resume. Aside from my internships during the school semester, I also worked part-time at restaurants throughout my college years. Sigh. My GPA gives me no confidence.