adaptations

This seems like a more appropriate questions for the administrative coordinator for the department or a professor. Given that curriculum can change year to year, exceptions can often be made, and the department and your adviser will be the ones determining what courses you need to take, I would just ask them.

They will automatically receive an email, but I still recommend keeping close tabs on who has submitted for you. It is easy for them to loose an email and then they just forget to do it. I had to resend notifications to a couple professors in the final weeks before letters were due.

My suggestions is to take a diagnostic test (ETS offers one on their website) and see where you are starting from. Some people need more time on verbal, others on math. You should be able to see fairly significant results in six weeks of studying if you really apply yourself. There are plenty of resources to help you study, from the previously mentioned books to Princeton Review etc. Best of luck.

It seems to me that a big question is whether you want to do an MA or a PhD. If you want to go the diplomatic rout, I don't really see how spending the next 5-6 years of your life working toward a PhD is going to help. Instead a well suited masters and passing the foreign service exam will get you there much quicker. So I guess my point is, if you narrow down your goals the school choices should fall into place. It looks like you are considering the right places, you just need to figure out what track you want to pursue. Good luck.

In general, once you are accepted the department and professors will be happy to accommodate such requests. That said, I am not surprised they declined your request at this point. If you have legitimate questions you want to know about the professors' research or departments, I would just email them.

I'm actually finding this thread helpful. Can we keep this going with a list of schools that have posted applications? I haven't actually started any of these applications, but from a preliminary check the following are available (correct me if I'm wrong): George Washington Georgetown Michigan U. of Washington UCLA UCSD Yale

I definitely wouldn't worry about your GRE at all. A 700v, 750q, and 6.0aw is great. Well done! I'd focus your time on other aspects of the application which will carry far more weight.

The Director of Graduate Studies (at least in my case) was specifically for the department. The DGS also confirmed with the Chair of the department. I think you can contact either one, preferably whomever you've already been in contact with.

As someone who previously deferred, I can only speak to my experience. In my situation I was guaranteed a spot and funding a year down the road. However, I was not obligated to attend and was free to apply to other programs. Prior to deciding to defer I outlined each of these criteria with the DGS who was more than willing to agree, and actually made me like their school even more. I suspect this could be handled differently by different schools, and may even be dependent on the specific situation or applicant.

Here's just a couple things to consider. First, given your indecisiveness I would not dive into a PhD. It's too big of a commitment to start without actually knowing what you want to study or whether academia is your long term goal. Given that you're focusing on masters, I'd say you're on the right track. That said, getting a variety of work experience can also be really useful for helping you figure out what you want to do, and often what you don't want to do. I imagine landing any position at a paper, journal, etc. would be really hard right now, but it might be an option to get to write, bring in a paycheck, and give you time to figure out your direction. As for masters, I can't say I am too familiar with your area, so I won't pretend to know. Best of luck!

I once submitted a part of my application that had an error. The application was in hard copy (rare these days), and when I contacted the administrative person who collected applications she just told me to send a corrected version. I imagine if the application is submitted electronically it will be more challenging to fix.

You may have better luck posting this in the Social Sciences - Political Science forum.

I can't speak to all your questions, but it may be helpful to know that deferrals are generally on a case by case basis and depend on the school. As someone who once deferred a fully funded PhD offer, I was surprised how accommodating the school was. That said, other schools report to not offer deferrals under any circumstances. I don't think it can hurt to contact the department and ask. Also, you may try to give them more options by saying you could defer for one semester, or until next fall. (Depending on the program, it may be challenging for them to have you start mid-year) Best of luck,

I would hardly call this a crisis. It sounds to me like you actually have some pretty good options. I think either the professor helping you with your SOP or the head of your department (assuming this is at the college/university level) would be a good choice.

I'm not a public health applicant, but a lot of my friends were last year, and some might be this year (but they haven't starting using gradcafe yet). My thought is that applying to nine schools is perfectly reasonable, especially since some are PhDs and some are masters (I think I'll be applying to 15). Given your credentials, I have no doubt that you'll be in the running at these schools, but it is hard to tell your chances at any given school, especially when only looking at your basic stats. Best of luck - and I'm sure your public health friends will join the forum soon - things always pic up in September/October.

Hi - The information you provided really only provides a very generic outline of who you are and what you do. Certainly people with similar stats as you have gotten into top five programs, so based only on what you provided, yes, you have a shot at a top program. The truth is, the devil is in the details. All the little things from the grades in your most relevant courses to your statement of purpose, and of course the quality and strength of the LORs will make the difference. If those are all great and you fit well with the programs then you've got a shot.

pwnt - I'm not sure that there is a definite preference between "real world" experience vs being an RA. Often times "real world" internships are fairly administrative, whereas an RA may be more substantive. Of course, the opposite is also possible. Also, a big advantage of being an RA is that they pay you (even if it isn't much), and it is a great opportunity to build a close relationship with faculty, who will likely write a LOR for you. Quite honestly, I think you may be over-thinking this question. I doubt if an MPP or MPA program is going to care much what type of RA you were. As to your question regarding "consulting firms," they can be almost anything. It's a fairly generic term, especially in DC, of firms that advise other businesses, governments, and even non profits. I mention them because there are a lot of them, and they may provide another venue to look for internships that would have a research/analysis focus.

UCSD seems to be making a very strong effort to build/sustain their program. I've been quite impressed with how they've handled themselves, especially during hard economic times.

I think it is important to think about why you want to get a PhD in the first place. If you want to become a professor and spend your life in academia - enjoying the combination of research, teaching, advising, etc, then a PhD seems to be the right track. If you are looking to a get a PhD for other reasons, then I think there is more to consider. Many jobs outside of academia do not require a PhD, and thus you can work your way up without investing your time and money on earning your doctorate. I would hope you are committed and confident that you want to invest in getting your PhD, because it is certainly a major decision - and even bigger when you are paying your own way. I'd say this is something you should probably discuss with those who know you best, and do some serious introspection to see if this is the right path for you. Either way - best of luck.

It seems like you're already on the right track. In addition to gov't or non-profit internships you may consider working as a research assistant for a professor. Depending on where you live, there may also be opportunities to intern with lobbying firms, law firms, consultant firms, etc. If you are in DC, there are all sorts of national associations and member organizations (most of which are non-profits) that can give you research and policy experience. I hope this is helpful. Good luck.

I would definitely use the letter from the professor. A number of faculty on admissions committees told me they don't really care what non-academics have to say. They are mostly looking for an academic to give their opinion on your potential as a future academic, so I would strongly encourage you to use a letter from a professor. (FYI - this advice is specific to applying to PhD programs, not masters programs.

A lot of schools I applied to required having the original transcript from each school. My undergrad record includes three different schools, which all appear on my final transcript from the school from which I graduated, but of course it still meant sending three undergrad transcripts, plus the graduate one. I feel your pain, but it is probably better to be safe and send them all, unless they specifically tell you that you don't have to.

If you're in the top 10% of your class and get solid scores on the GRE, I think you'll stand a good chance at many of the schools. Your statement of purpose will be very important to explain your career shift. You'll certainly want to tighten up your story of why an MA in IR or public policy is now your goal and what you hope to do with it. I don't know enough about the specifics of each program, but if you apply to a number of programs that fit well with your goals, I think you've got a shot. Also, I'll issue my usual plug to check out U. of Chicago's CIR program. It is only one year (which saves money), has a strong reputation, and lets you take courses at the Harris school of public policy, in addition to a lot of other great departments. I don't know what it will be like this year, but in the past they've been able to offer some funding too. Good luck.

I would strongly support applying to top programs. Your stellar GPA at the undegrad and graduate level are a major strength, and assuming you can back it up with a strong SOP, writing sample, and LOR, I think you have a good chance. I would not be as worried as some of the other posters about your LORs being from less known schools - they may carry slightly less weight, but assuming most of them are from CUNY and highlight your abilities as a graduate student, they will be more than sufficient. All of that said, I strongly agree with the previous poster, that you should retake the GRE assuming you can get your Q score up in the 700s and maintain your V score. That is the only significant weakness in your application (and even with it I think you have a shot at good programs), but there is still time to fix it and retake the test in the next couple months. Best of luck!

I agree - take some deep breaths folks. It's not even September - far too early to get too worked up.