carpecc

I'd say take French. If you can speak French and Italian then it will pretty easy to pick up Spanish if you decide to take your career Latin. From what I hear French is harder to just pick up then Spanish, so having some formal training would be helpful. As twoedge says, this is the language of many intl organizations and is one of the official languages of the UN. I definitely wouldn't take something overly difficult (Chinese, Arabic) just for the hell of it. It might distract from your other classes and would be tough to gain proficiency in in two years. But it doesn't sound like your going that route anyways, I just thought I'd throw that out there.

Hyo, Follow the below link to download the ETS powerprep software. http://ntis01.ets.org/onyx/powerprepTestTakers.htm Check out the sample AWAs they have and also be sure to check out the COMMENTARIES they have for each essay. Seeing first hand the difference between a 3, 4 and 5 will probably help. Also, if the AWA is still a problem, draw attention to your high TOEFL writing score in you SOP. You might even include an extra (keep it short) letter addressing the low AWA score and let them know you scored very well on the TOEFL. I know that it is ok to include a letter like this to explain low grades or academic anomalies, no reason it wouldn't be ok for a situation like this too.

I would disagree with circumfession on this one. If he was a native English speaker than your advice would be spot on, but since this is an international student we're talking about, their application is subjected to different selection criteria. A low AWA score from an intl student might indeed raise some flags, and there might be concern that their SOP and sample are not indicative of their communication ability. Having lived in China for several years, I can say first hand that many people pay to have a SOP translated from Chinese (I've been asked to do so), edited and even hire professionals to help draft the content. Plagiarism is also very wide spread in the academic world here, and admissions people are aware of this. Besides, Since hyo has a good toefl score, he should no doubt be able to score at least a 4 (and likely a 5) on the GRE on the second time through with a little practice leading up to the test. With such stellar verbal and quant scores, he might as well take it again just to make sure the AWA doesn't raise any eyebrows.

One thing about the SOP and writing sample is that they can be translated, written by someone else, or have used a larger amount of preparation than would be realistic in a grad school setting. So admissions might keep these things in mind when seeing a low AWA. However since the rest of your application is so good, just take the GRE again, they'll only look at your highest score usually. They'll totally understand if you were nervous and flubbed the writing sample the first time, but get a 4 or 5 on another try. They'll just use the highest score in admissions. Admissions also receive a copy of your AWA if they want. So if you messed up and wrote a bad essay, they'll see that along with your other materials.

From the admissions people I talked to I would say that your AWA score would ring some alarms, especially since your major is English lit. But judging by your post it looks like you have a good handle on the English language so you should score better. Maybe your approach was wrong. How did you study for the AWA? Did you download the ETS software and see their sample essays? Those are very helpful. This might be a ridiculous question, but did you try to memorize some essays your wrote and then try to adapt them to the essay question/issue? I know that sounds silly, but I know some people who would try to approach the test this way and it will always fail. Make sure you write freely and not try to use any words or sentence structure that you don't feel comfortable with. The essay section was created in part because intl students were getting into programs, but were not ready for college level writing in English. They are just testing to see if you have a good handle of English and can express yourself clearly, not that you're the next James Joyce.The ETS has a list of all of the topics/issues on their website. Try responding to them as practice so that you feel comfortable with writing essays on the fly, then take it again.

You're not too old! For many Intl ralations programs the average is 25-27, which means you're just on the higher end of things. They prefer people who've got some work experience and a more focused perspective. You bring more to the table. I'm in my early 30's and plan to start a year from now. Part of me wishes I'd applied last fall but...

For many of the Intl Affairs programs, principles of macro and micro economics is specifically asked for as a prerequisite. I'm looking for some online or correspondence options for taking these courses. I've talked to a couple of schools about this, and they don't really care what school the courses comes from just that A) These courses have been taken and It comes from a school that's accredited (even if it's a community college) or the best option given your circumstances. I live abroad and would like to take these courses while working full time so online or correspondence is my best option. 1.) Have any past applicants take economic courses like this? If so from what schools? 2.) What schools offer online principles of econ courses? Right now I'm looking at the University of Phoenix, but am pretty early in my examination of their program. Any suggestions or thoughts are appreciated.

Luliov, I've been talking to admissions and faculty from a couple of schools (SAIS, SIPA, American, GW) and while some put more emphasis on different parts of the app, they all say the same thing: they look at the whole package and don't let a single factor disqualify. I'm assuming the other schools are similar. Since your GPA and everything else is strong, that will definitely pull up your app. I wouldn't worry about the GRE score that much. Good news for you: you've taken the GRE early and your quant score is the easiest to raise. Grab a math workbook and start studying, then take the GRE again in Nov. You can no doubt raise it by 100 points.

Thanks for the encouraging replies Conrell07 and Zourah, I appreciate it. I have been looking that the final results thread, very insightful. I'm looking forward to getting those apps in. My Top Choices: First choices Columbia - SIPA John Hopkins - SAIS Tufts - Fletcher Second Choices George Washington Berkeley American University Denver University Georgetown

I'm curious as to those of you experienced with the admissions process think. I'm applying for a MA oriented in International Development. My top choices are Columbia - SIPA, Johns Hopkins - SAIS, Georgetown - Walsh, George Washington - Elliott and Tufts - Fletcher. Also applying to University of Denver - Korbel, American University and possibly University of Maryland. I'm interested in programs that have a focus developing practitioners, not academics. Low GPA - 3.0 (major: psychology undergrad in US), haven't taken the GRE recently. Last time I took it was 7 years ago, got an OK score with minimal preparation, hoping to get a competitive score this time around. Work - have been working in the NGO sector in China for the past five years. Been lucky to work with some top NGOs in the fields of conservation, poverty alleviation, and corporate social responsibility. Worked as both PR, researcher, and project manager (set up project office for an NGO). Languages: near fluent mandarin (learned after college) I'm hoping that a good GRE score and smooth statement of purpose, coupled with some good recommendations and my work experience will help me overcome my poor undergrad GPA from 7 years ago. What do the rest of you think? Can good work experience and recommendations overcome a sub par GPA?