looking_to_sea

Hi! fellow 2014 applicant here! This will be my second shot at getting in somewhere. I am looking at UT's LBJ School, plus two other smaller and more regional schools (UT San Antonio and UT Dallas) as safeties. I am unsure on a fourth choice, but am (at this stage) leaning towards Syracuse's Maxwell school. All the application deadlines are in January and February (as well as next June for the regional programs...wow!) but I would like to get everything out of the way. I am both going to begin asking for recommendations and signing up for the GRE next month.

Schools I'm interested in so far: UT-LBJ (first choice even if they offer me nothing), and though I am still unsure on the others, I am thinking UT Dallas EPPS (MPA), SPEA (MPA), and perhaps I will roll the dice and throw an app at Syracuse? suggestions would be appreciated. Undergraduate institution: 3rd highest ranked UT system school, 2nd if by name recognition Undergraduate GPA: Ouch. 2.64, originally a 2.7 which trended downward my final 2 semesters (i'll elaborate on this in a minute) Undergraduate Majors: B.A. Political Science, Minor in Public Administration and International Studies GRE Quantitative Score: 148 (yeah...if you thought the gpa was bad) GRE Verbal Score: 153 GRE AW Score: 4.5 (definitely planning to devote the summer to endless studying and a retake) Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 5 months, close to a year by application time Years of Work Experience: 1.5 years of employment, hoping to up that to 2 by app time, plus a few years of substantial volunteer work Describe Relevant Work Experience: just shy of 1.5 years working in everything from customer service to banal administrative positions to eventually concrete work organizing on grassroots local, state and federal political campaigns. In addition, I have been volunteering here and there throughout the community for the past 3 years or so. Languages: Spanish (intermediate), French (elementary), and I am perhaps looking to take up a third? Activities: rich history of extracirricular involvement, from co-founding and co-chairing the Young Democrats chapter to serving on student government's sustainability subcommittee, to organizing voter registration drives and staffing events featuring past gubernatorial candidates and even a former president (bubba!). I'm not sure it fits here, but I also recieved an award for a proposal on sustainability reforms that were eventually successfully implemented by the university's dining service, and completed a research design of original material focusing on public opinion of health care reform by income level. Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): One from my old supervisor who now works for UT as a coordinator within one of their research centers and with whom I had a very close connection with. She has a number of connections to LBJ faculty/staff. One from an Assistant Professor who knows me well and with whom I have excelled academically (well-respected Comparativist, PhD from Delaware). One from a Senior Lecturer fresh from UT's Government PhD whose class is one of the few where I managed to build a close relationship with the instructor; knows a number of Dep't of Gov't and LBJ School officials personally. All were (more in a second) quite enthusiastic about writing LORs and I hope that remains true this fall. Other: Here is my funny story. I applied last fall and was recommended for admission by LBJ and awarded a full tuition fellowship. About a month later, my status on bealonghorn changed to 'denied'. Prabhu led me to believe that I was still in, just conditionally (because of the GPA), and told me all was well. A month later, I recieve an email from the Associate Graduate Dean informing me that a poor record in my final semester (a D in an unrequired International Econ elective and a C in some low-division Geography elective) has prevented her from approving the school's recommendation for admission a day after I had sent my enrollment confirmation form. I also had some personal issues I had to deal with in undergrad (like poverty and drug addiction and depression) that kept my grades a bit stifled, but I did not mention that at all in my SOP as I thought it felt unprofessional. To say that I have had quite the month since would be an understatement. So basically, though academically my record seems to leave much to be desired, I have made my passion about this field clear through involvement and a nicely done SOP. It was enough to get in, though not enough to get final approval (I heard that the assoc. dean was quite unruly this year on a number of individuals for some reason) and I am just trying to regroup and get in somewhere next year. Any and all feedback is appreciated.

I am also applying in 2014 and planning to enter without much work experience myself, and (unfortunately) in the exact same situation re: employment. I know it may be difficult, but I have found that undertaking a good amount of volunteer experience (and perhaps some sellable certifications like say, registering as a notary or what have you) will not only help with short-term employment prospects, but is something else to fill your CV up and help make the case of your devotion. In addition, I would recommend starting to study for the GRE. You (well, the two of us) have only a few months before the fall application season is here and once it is, it will fly by (last cycle did, anyway...must have been all the fun of filling out those apps ). Taking classes at your CC is another thing I recommend. I'm trying to get that sorted on my end as well...perhaps some econ classes or a calc and/or linear? Language skills should not be overlooked either. Honestly, a good thing would be to also do some research on interesting/relevant faculty at each of these schools and see who's research interests coincide with yours or whom you would be excited to work with. I did this last cycle, and though I didn't email them, they recieved specific mention in my SOP. My efforts were successful, and it even turned out that one of the people I mentioned were on the admissions committee. That had to have been good! (fwiw, I was accepted to the program I applied to but had to turn it down due to personal reasons). Don't give up hope. Good luck!

I am definitely more on the MPA side of this forum and cannot speak much to IR, but that would be a no-brainer for me. Perhaps it is just the 30k in undergrad debt I have, but the fully funded offer seems incredibly ideal, even if it means you have to network harder if you want to end up in DC or abroad.

So for a number of personal reasons, I have decided that LBJ wouldn't be the most convenient thing at a time like this. Unfortunately for me, they do not to deferrals of admission, so I am stuck reapplying next cycle. I was unanimously recommended for acception by the grad committee and awarded full tuition fellowship which has got to count for something, but I am a little uneasy whether I will make it next year because I am unsure whether this was just a fluke or wherther I have almost nothing to worry about. A results search submission that stated that LBJ rejected a previously accepted individual after they took a year off to get more experience isn't helping to assuage concerns. My stats: I had a 2.6 gpa (yeah...) from a UT system school and horrendous GREs (think 1100 on the old scale) but had astounding recommenders with personal connections to LBJ and about 3 years doing quite notable and successful grassroots organizing, as well as solid campaign work with some of the most notable campaigns in the country...tons of leadership in those orgs as well as in academic extracirriculars...all that and my SOP probably saved me. I'm hoping another few months of work in the field, maybe some Calc classes and Linear Alg at a CC, and retaking the GRE will help serve as some application insurance? Finally, I am trying to narrow a list of schools. It seems that most of the chatter here revolves around DC schools and like, Goldman etc. I wouldn't mind a city, but am open to more suburban and even rural expanses too. I think I have settled on LBJ, UT Dallas(?), and SPEA. Can anyone suggest a program (hoping to specialize in public management/finance) that isn't bottom-tier and that won't put me much too much further in debt? Oh, and that won't die from laughing once they see the GPA?

make one! or see if there is one in the works to be made soon! I would definitely join that in a heartbeat.

not taking the GRE a second time, not applying to Syracuse (though it is unlikely I would have decided to attend without major funding), and definitely not studying more for my final semester of undergrad during application time

Oh, how I envy you! The neighborhood I have my heart set on for a 1br is looking more like 800-900! I'm trying a few options that may be cheaper, but unfortunately I am limited b/c I want to be near a) campus, grocery options, and c) the capitol/downtown/the city center.....definitely not having the most fun time looking, especially with such little time.

This thread has been a huge help so far. I am hoping to be settled in by the first week of June and finding a place that is financially manageable and close to stuff (not bringing a car) is proving to be quite frustrating.

I have fulfilled the stats component at LBJ, but never took Calc. Thankfully there are options in place, and if worst comes to worst, I suppose I will just have to enroll in the summer course they offer (and pay out of pocket), but I was wondering if there was anyone on here that could possibly point me to a reasonable online/accredited calc program or speak of their experience with such a course? Any other admits facing a similar dilemma?

beginning the MPAff program at LBJ in June! Reason it is so early is that I never took Calc, so I am enrolling in the summer I quant course to meet the requirement. Kind of racking my brain trying to get so much done (like find an apartment) within the next few weeks...

I think staff is off until Monday? or so I've been led to believe. I'm definitely calling in a bit, though. Honestly, I am pretty suspicious. Didn't someone on here say that they were told there were a bunch of new people entering the decisions manually? And why would some who have gotten good news from Goldman and really good news from Duke get pinged at LBJ? Hmmm....

Not quite sure what to make of this, but.... Though I recieved an email from Prabhu last week congratulating me on my admittance and containing my acceptance letter in PDF form informing me of a full tuiton fellowship I have been selected to recieve, the mystatus portal was updated this morning to show that my application has been denied....Way to make my Spring Break a little more nervewracking guys. I am hoping this is just a simple administrative error.

I had a significant amount of relevant work on political campaigns (including some very big ones), some interesting undergrad research on health policy, a number of leadership positions held in years past, etc. Honestly though, I am thinking it must have been my awesome SOP I wrote (if I may be so humble), and my recommenders that all had a connection, one way or the other, to LBJ.

UT must be very generous this year, because I applied straight from undergrad, with a 2.7 gpa and awful GRE scores....