mrgreen102

Fun DC parties? Lol. I guess you've never been to a hbs/wharton/kellogg/booth party. If you want to see real ballers, you gotta check out those parties, especially HBS. In my opinion, aside from celebrities, athletes, and insanely rich jetsetters, HBS students have the best social lives in America.

Here is my advice.  Take it for what it is worth since I am not on an admissions committee:
 
1) The GRE is a horrible test.  It is infuriating that you are required to learn about things like geometry and algebra in order to get into good public administration/policy programs.  I am studying for the test now and I sympathize with you.  But you need to take it and do reasonably well.  I don't know much about Ph.D programs in public affairs but you should try to boost both your Verbal score and your Math score by at least eight points each.  What was your Writing score?
 
2) Where did you go to graduate school?  What is a "newly ranked Tier 4" public administration program?
 
3) It sounds like you have substantial work experience in the field of education.  I think you should focus on that experience and education policy as you don't seem to have a public health policy background.

They do, but it's really difficult. Quite frankly, if you know you want to work for those firms, don't rely on getting recruited out of SAIS. Go to B School either instead or in addition as part of a formal dual degree agreement (Penn-Wharton, Stanford-GSB, INSEAD, Dartmouth-Tuck, UVa-Darden) or an informal one. According to the now former Dean of Student Affairs, they'd accept a dual degree arrangement with any "Top Ten" MBA program.

The thing is, the elite management consulting firms (McKinsey, Boston Consulting Group, and Bain) and "bulge bracket" financial firms (JP Morgan, Goldman, etc.) really focus on elite B Schools because those schools are selling products (students) they want to buy while SAIS isn't really. All of what those schools teach is applicable to what those firms do. Only a bit of the required curriculum is somewhat applicable and none of it is directly so. The students at those B Schools have the pre-grad school background those firms like because that's what the schools select for. SAIS simply does not, because it attracts a different group.

I have to say, I simply don't understand the thought processes of people who come to SAIS with the intention of working for these firms. With the exception of the people who are doing joint degrees, all of the people who have tried it have found it very tough going, including a few who had a previous finance background. Recruiting at those firms is incredibly stove-piped and focused on those elite B schools. If you've got the right background (student at an elite MBA program or undergrad), getting in is relatively easy. If you don't, it's going to be very difficult. The reason is that that's the way they've always done things and there is absolutely no incentive to broaden the pool and assume the risk and cost of actively recruiting different sorts of people.

People do get jobs, but they get them through networking and using alumni networks that were really strengthened during the boom years when those firms were willing to take risks because they needed more people. Some alumni do come on-campus to recruit. Also, more people get jobs in functions like risk management, which dovetail better with SAIS's education, than, say investment banking. Some boutique finance and consulting firms that focus on energy, which happens to be a specialty of SAIS's, recruit at SAIS.

Bottom-line-if you want those jobs, do not go to SAIS. It would be the equivalent of using a screwdriver as a hammer. Might get the job done, but certainly not the most efficient way to do it.

People don't like considering Tier 2 schools for professional programs because they are not as good and sometimes they are not worth the investment.  Most MPA master's degree holders don't make a lot of money (at least right away).  Why spend over $40,000 in a second-tier program that probably won't land you a job?
 
American University is a Tier 2 program so HomeGrown gave it a shot.
 
I think with the exception of his exceptionally low GPA and a low GRE Writing score, HomeGrown has a fairly competitive application.  He went to an Ivy League school has a great GRE Verbal score, a good GRE Math score (158 is around the top 75th percentile), and some work experience.

I agree that HappyGoLukky should get more real work experience before he applies for MPA/MPP programs.  Teach for America or AmeriCorps could be a good fit.
 
He has a fairly good GRE Math score for the programs that he is applying to but it is critical that he improves his GRE Verbal score.
 
I wouldn't list all of my club memberships like that but I disagree with invicta that you may clash with typical public policy professors.  I don't get that impression at all.
 
HappyGoLukky, have you taken any economics/quantitative courses in college?

People don't like considering Tier 2 schools for professional programs because they are not as good and sometimes they are not worth the investment.  Most MPA master's degree holders don't make a lot of money (at least right away).  Why spend over $40,000 in a second-tier program that probably won't land you a job?
 
American University is a Tier 2 program so HomeGrown gave it a shot.
 
I think with the exception of his exceptionally low GPA and a low GRE Writing score, HomeGrown has a fairly competitive application.  He went to an Ivy League school has a great GRE Verbal score, a good GRE Math score (158 is around the top 75th percentile), and some work experience.

I also doubt the veracity of your point on legacies.  Legacies are a big deal for colleges but they rarely matter for graduate school (unless your family is on the board of the university or has a building named after them).

Hey, 15 graduate school programs is a little much.  It would also get to be expensive in application fees alone.  Your best bet is to concentrate on a solid core of programs that you are truly interested in and programs that you have a realistic shot at getting into.

A graduate degree in IR is most likely not necessary for jobs in intelligence / diplomacy if you already have your foot in the door.  It is the same thing as people who are in finance who choose not to get MBAs.  Why get an MBA or any type of graduate degree if you are already working in a field that you enjoy and you can just work your way up?
 
I doubt that teaching experience would help you get a defense contractor job (unless you were a spy or something).  But it would help you stand out in applying to international relations graduate programs.
 
These types of professional programs won't qualify you for certain positions anymore than having work experience in the field.  However, they will give you invaluable networking opportunities.  You can then use those opportunities to find a job.

Lots of FSOs have lived and worked overseas before joining the Foreign Service, so it's not too unusual.  Living overseas or even a lot of places in the U.S. can complicate the security clearance process and make it take longer, but it's not necessarily a problem. 
 
Honestly, for better or for worse, the State Department tends to care very little about what you did before the Foreign Service, so most people won't spend much time thinking about where you went to grad school. 

Disregarding the above negativity...I think you could get into a good school if you are able to clearly explain why you are interested in a policy degree. Might I ask? If I read your post correctly you're getting an MBA currently? Have you found it's not giving you the skills/background you'd want to pursue your interests in policy?
 
Also, I'd advise you to find a program that fits your interest more than the prestige level. While there are certainly some schools that have the Ivy League name behind them and others that are very renowned in policy and have higher prestige than others, not choosing a school based more on fit and interests will make your time in that program not as worthwhile.

It really depends on the post and person.  There aren't many restrictions on who you can socialize with and so it's up to you to decide who you want to befriend, whether local citizens, American citizens, and/or expats from another country.  Many FSOs have foreign national friends, significant others, spouses, etc.  Others stick mainly to the expat population in their country of assignment.  It just depends on the person's preferences, who they see socially (ie parents of kids' school friends, neighbors, etc), language barriers, security situation, etc. 
 
You do have to report "close and continuing" foreign contacts to the Regional Security Officer (RSO) and on your security clearance paperwork, but there's no formal definition of "close and continuing" laid out.  Sometimes, if the RSO has adverse info on the person, they'll let you know and you'll talk about whether or not to continue the friendship/relationship.  Not everyone is who they say they are and not everyone who wants to be your friend has altruistic motives for being your friend.  Some countries have no problem exploiting friendships and romantic relationships for intelligence purposes. 
 
In one of my assignments, it was harder to make local friends because of the security situation and being unsure who was trustworthy or not, though I did make some good friends from the local staff at post.  In another assignment, there were very few security concerns and it was a lot easier to make local friends without having concerns about their motives in the back of my mind. 

I registered for and took the FSOT in July, heard back from the QEP in August (at the time, you submitted your QEP answers when you registered for the test), took the OA in February, was medically and security cleared in June, added to the register in June, got an A-100 offer in July, then started A-100 in September.

The bio section is tricky because it's not something where there's clearly a right or wrong answer, and I don't have any insider knowledge of what they're really looking for.  However, what I tried to do was to think of myself in terms of the general public as opposed to grad school classmates/college classmates/etc.  For example, I may not be the best traveled person in my grad program, but I'm probably a lot better traveled than the general public. 
 
I would also take a look at the 13 dimensions that they use in the hiring process.  You can find them on the careers.state.gov website.  Those are the qualities that they're looking for in prospective FSOs and answering the bio questions in ways that demonstrate those 13 dimensions couldn't hurt.

1) I'm in the Economic track and chose it because of previous work in export promotion. 
 
2) The ability to write concisely.  Previously, I'd written lengthy academic papers and a variety of work-related written products, but hadn't been introduced to concise policy memo writing.  I don't really write memos the same way I did in grad school, but the writing habits I learned have come in handy in writing cables, briefing materials, etc.
 
3) Not at all.  Plenty of people come in to the Foreign Service with no graduate degree or a graduate degree in another field like law, business, regional studies, etc.  For better or for worse, the Foreign Service really only cares what you've done in the Foreign Service and previous education and work experience doesn't really help you get ahead unless you developed specific skills that are helpful in the Foreign Service, like the writing example I mentioned earlier.
 
Edited to add:
 
2.1)  Sorry, I missed the second part of that question.  I don't really see that people from "top programs" have a noticeable advantage.  There certainly are plenty of SAIS, Georgetown, HYP, etc. alums running around in the FS but there are plenty from other programs, too, and it's not nearly as skewed toward the elite schools as one might think.  Promotions are based off of evaluations and they can't mention where you went to school.  Assignments are based on luck and who you know, which is as much a function of who you've worked for in the Foreign Service as anything.  If you meet Assistant Secretary X at an alumni mixer, that can be helpful, but having actually worked for Assistant Secretary X will allow them to give you a much more complete recommendation when you're bidding.  So, anecdotally, the "prestige" of the program you attend doesn't have as much of an impact on your career as your assignments and promotions do.

I'm a Department of State Foreign Service Officer currently based in DC after overseas assignments.  Before entering the Foreign Service, I got an MPP.  I'm happy to answer questions about the Foreign Service, the hiring process, graduate school and the Foreign Service, Wikileaks, etc.  I won't tell you where I went to school or where I've served since I'd prefer to try to preserve some sense of anonymity, but almost anything else is fair game.  So, if you'd like to ask questions, go ahead.
 
As usual, any responses are my own and do not/not necessarily reflect the views, policies, etc. of the Department of State.

International relations and government is like a lot of other fields.  You don't need to go to graduate school to work in either international relations or government.  I know people who got jobs at the Council on Foreign Relations and the Brookings Institution straight out of college.  But they were lucky and probably had connections.  Graduate school will help you take the next step and make those connections.  And many companies/government institutions require you to be a student in order to intern for them.
 
I think most people would agree with me that D.C. is the ideal place if your goal is to work for a politician.
 
I would also recommend choosing a couple of issues (security, arms control, international development, etc.) or regions (Asia, Latin America, etc.) that you want to focus on.  It is good to have a specialty as it will help you stand out from the crowd.

Congratulations Dani!  Good luck.

Again, you will get in the issue is that how to compare you with an international with 5 years work experience abroad and who does not have english as a first language, the only way they can is with quant gre's, thus why they matter so much. Honestly the best way to not run out of time is to practice A LOT. Send me a PM and I can email you some great GRE paper exams that are great to improve your speed.