unknownscholar

I'm down, though I have no true methodology to how I figured out what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, which led me to the MPP. I can do this phone call over the weekend, when my minutes are free :-) Hit me on the pm for next steps.

personally, I wouldn't take money that I didn't need in this case. I'm thinking about Ph.D students who get no funding vs. me who has no extra costs. Maybe I'd have more incentive if it could be used as pocket change, but the principle of even that is something I'm glad I don't have to consider. In terms of qualification, I've heard it's somewhat common that one fellowship opens up the floodgates for more. Now, I don't know if that means that those who have fellowships are more qualified in some way, but one could assume that, like GPA is a signal, so are fellowships. I know someone who gets pretty much every fellowship she applies for, something in excess of 100K that she can't touch unless costs come up. Though she's finished all her grad work, she just picks up another disipline so she can use it instead of just telling them she doesn't need it. She even complained that they wouldn't just give her the balance. She can be greedy that way. But the bottom line is, unless it's stated, there is no way to tell what people will do with your app, but if knowing that you could have a nice chunk of change just to have in your pockets (as hard as good money is to come by) then go for it. I've never heard of this particular fellowship, so I'm not sure what the rules are, but if you have no additional costs, and you can only use this fellowship to cover such costs, then don't apply. Just as the woman I described above, you'd be just sitting on money that you can't have until you create costs for it. It should bein the hands of someone who had immediate need for it. Plus, as you mentioned, you're busy, and might not want to make yourself more busy to get the money (not on the front end but the back).

You don't just have a shot at those schools. Your numbers and years of work of experience represent exactly what the schools you listed are looking from a statistical standpoint. Those numbers are even above average for at least one of the schools you listed. I imagine that if you don't completely screw up your personal statement, your "chances" are as excellent as can be. If I were you, I'd take your least favorite of these schools you listed and replace it with an application at an ivy like Princeton WWS or Harvard KSG, or both. Or just add them both to the list if you can spare the cash. I'm sure they'd be impressed, too. Can't hurt, right? Did you happen to go to one of the 5 Cs? Just curious. Also, feel free to contact me if you'd like some perspective on social policy analysis. I've been working for a social policy firm for more than 2 years, and counting.

Well it's been a while since I started this post, but just want to followup for those who may be interested...getting through applications and trying to matriculate can be extremely cumbersome, so I'd like to shed as much light as I can for those who are all over the place, like I've been. Feel free to hit me up with questions. I finally moved into my new apartment in DC, and I've got to say, paying that extra month of rent was well worth it because the influx of students looking for off campus housing in DC is ridiculous right now, and rents are going up. While there are a few little well kept secret opportunities you may run across when moving to a new area and getting to know your fellow classmates through facebook and the like, if you have to go out onyour own and find something, do it early! You'll see how invaluable this is. I also met with me financial aid advisor and she was quite helpful in explaining the details about all these different loans and I felt very encouraged that gaining scholarship money after the second year was A LOT easier once you've matriculated and had a chance to produce and get to know faculty members. I don't feel so bad about this debt now. I also met with some of the head administrators in my program, who gave me a lot of good info about profs to take and law school courses, and I also received information about who vouched for me to be accepted off the wait list. Is it unreasonable to think that building a professional relationship with that person is advantageous? I'm going to work on establishing that.

500 isn't excellent, but it's not bad either for someone who isn't very strong in Math or simply doesn't like it much, which is the consensus. You'll only need to get 10 more questions right to get in the 600s, and I think you should aim for this. You don't want to have to wonder if one "less than admirable" score may cost you your first choice. Always aim for the median scores of the schools you're applying to, as a general rule. But anything in the 600s in Q is considered pretty solid at most schools, unless you're applying for a quantitative heavy curriculum, which you arent. With just a little practice in this section, perhaps over the next month, you can certainly improve to at least 550, and likely more. Good Luck

I think your work experience is excellent and that if any of these schools value work experience, as most professional master programs do, you'll be among the competitive group of applicants. I'm not too knowledgeable about the MA programs, but your work abroad should speak volumes to the adcoms at those schools. My numbers nor my work experience is as excellent and varied as yours, and the only MA program I applied to rejected me; my guess is that governmental affairs MAs may be a little more competitive, at least in international relations. Others will probably add more substantial insight into this. Your GPA isn't the highest, which is a major determinant of funding possibilities, but if you do excellently on the GRE, you should have a pretty good shot at any of these schools with at least a little funding. Great job! Good Luck!

I set up an appointment with about 8 places and saw them all in one day and was able to make a decision immediately after. I found them all on craigslist. I don't think it will take you beyond a day or 2 to decide what you want. Depending on what you want, I'd be sure to make a decision on that trip or immediately after because you'll be met with the hassle of trying to get a place with the rest of the influx of students who are living off campus. But if you wait a little later, you may be able to find a good place from the many that will be become vacant after the summer intern season is over. If you want the people on CL to keep you in mind (given that you've begun your search much earlier than your move), be sure to stay in touch with them and/or offer something to sweeten the pot, like renting long term (over a year). This works well for many young professionals who are looking for a tenant because they don't have to worry about going through the process of finding a roommate all over again in another year. Also, beware of all the scammers on the DMV craigslist. If they are out of the country, it's a scam!

yes the 40K is for tuition.

Sorry...maybe I wasn't clear. The 40K is the amount of loans I have to take out for year 1. And I'm locked into a 4 yr lease because I arranged it that way. This is not really a huge concern, because my rent isn't that much. Like I said, as long as I'm employed at least part time, I'll be able to pay it. Im planning to live in DC, so this is actually a better deal for me. And the external scholarships, I think you're right that I'll have to research those on my own, but I was actually hoping that I'd be able to land an assistantship after the first year since you have one year's worth of graduate qualifications to lean on.

my best friend is.. for a masters in international relations, i believe.

So, I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm going to have about 40K in loans this year, but I really need a financial plan to be able to get through year 2, and potentially 3 and 4 (assuming I get into another program). My goal is to have minimal loans, if any, in the subsequent years. I emailed the financial aid office at my school to ask about getting a financial planner to help me budget and deal with debt repayment, but I'm not sure they have that available. Does anyone know any reputable companies or organizations who offer to help students figure out their total debt and provide budgeting advice? Basically what I'm looking for is not only the bottom line cost I'm incurring, but someone to use as a resource for finding funding opportunities to minimize my debt. I will be working fulltime and attending school fulltime this fall (fulltime work status will end at the end of the fall semester), and am locked into a lease for the next 4 years (fulltime job is related to the program). Beginning in 09, I will be working part-time and may also have an internship by then as well. I'll have enough money to pay rent as long as I'm working part-time, but it's more important to me to be able to work in an environment that will allow me to attend school at minimal costs (such as an in an assistantship) or an internship that pays a stipend and tuition costs. Any suggestions on who I may need to speak to regarding these matters?

No problem. And don't be discouraged. I never thought I could get in either. It takes a lot of hard work, but definitely not impossible. I only took the test once, and scored slightly better than your diagnostic. My diagnostic was around the same as yours. I know with devoted studying for just a little while, those numbers can skyrocket. That's not just talk either. I suck, to say the least, at standardized testing and this was the only one exam I've thought to be doable. You're definitely on the right track. Keep us posted on your progress. :-)

Your numbers are similar to mine, and I was accepted into pretty good institutions (see signature below). I do, however, have two years of relevant work experience. I think this was the sell point for my app because I had some trouble getting into NYU and GU. I think the work experience is what most programs are looking for, but for students who are coming straight out of undergrad (which I'm not--I graduated in '06), I think you would need a pretty stellar record to get into the programs with funding (which I'm assuming you'd want). My suggestion would be to use the summer to land a related job just to be able to put it on your resume and at the end of the year, just before the apps are due, ask your employer for a recommendation. You should also look into what area of the MPA most appeals to you. For example, the MPP at Vanderbilt isn't nationally ranked at all, probably because it's pretty new and only has the Educational Policy concentration, but their Peabody School (education in particular) is ranked 2nd or 3rd in the country. And their avg GREs for the program are one of the lowest I've seen for such a high caliber school. Look for these little clues when you do your research. And continue to study for the GREs. Odds are with even a month's worth of studying, you'll improve significantly. I had only studied a month before I took the test for the first time. If I decide to do a Ph.D. I'll devote probably 2.

it's hard for me to spend time doing stuff like that when I know I need to get into another program next fall and to get some funding. I'm really all over the place. But I think my best bet is to continue studying for the LSAT because a good score will pretty much solve the rest of my issues.

Went to ND undergrad, so I'm pretty familiar with the area, so feel free to ask me any questions :-)