SilencedWarrior

Thanks Decafe lol nice catch, almost forgot about that one. lol

Ok here I changed my SOP, hopefully this one is really good. I added in detail my research, and I changed my thesis to be more focused on one country, in a specific time. Anyways hope you guys like it. After I graduate with a degree in public affairs, my goal is to work as a Foreign Service officer in the State Department, or for an NGO organization, which might work in the Middle East or Asia, In order to promote of political and economical development. Such a position will not only help to advance America’s ideals about freedom and human rights through meaningful dialogue and diplomacy, but also help create relationships between other nations, and the United States. I have contemplated on management, and program analyst positions offered by Homeland Security, where some of my close friends work, but my primary focus after graduate school is to work abroad, and acquire more out of my studies, by being in the field, helping to improve human rights, and improve cooperation between the United States, and the regions of South Asia, and the Middle East. I do hope to start my thesis on how has the Arab Spring affected Iraq, including how it has disturbed the political, and social arena that was created by the American occupation. One of my researches in George Mason University was to discuss the discourse behind liberals and conservatives on gun laws. My hypothesis was that a persons viewpoint on guns was related to how conservative and liberal they are, and my research was conducted to find what kind of effects do some variables such as region, urban, suburban, or rural area might have on an individuals ideology. Other independent variables that I considered were the crime rate in a community. Also the notion that separates conservatives who feel it is the individuals who are likely to protect their family, or the liberals who seem to rely on the community to protect their family, which gave me some indicators as to their differences on gun permits. In the end my research provided that urban density, and it’s correlation to high crime rates was a factor in creating the perception that having more gun laws will curb crime. While in conservative areas, where gun laws are more lax, and fewer numbers of people, there was less support for more restrictions on guns. I also created graphs, and charts with formulas showing for instance the percentage of liberals and conservatives feelings on federal government making gun purchases more difficult. What was surprising to me was that majority of conservatives by about 54% didn’t want less gun restrictions by the federal government, but that the current laws remain in the status quo. My reason for applying to political management program is that it will help me acquire skills necessary to be successful in public relations, and politics. Being so close to DC will mean there are various internships available, which certainly will help create opportunities for me in the long run. I am positive that with many of the faculty having work in various governmental and private sectors will be an amazing moment for me to learn, and gain experience in both of these fields.

Thanks so much you guys, I will try to make my SOP more detail in terms of research. and will remove the part about my grade. I was just under impression that they might want to know why my GPA went down. Thanks again, espiously fuzzycat

My goals after my studies is to hopefully be hired as a Foreign Service officer in the State Department, or work with an NGO organization, which might work in the Middle East or Asia, for promotion of political and economical development. This position will help to not only advance America’s ideals about freedom and human rights through meaningful dialogue and diplomacy. But also help create relationships between other nations, and the United States. I have also given some thought on management, and program analyst positions offered by Homeland Security, where some of my close friends work. But my primary focus after graduate school is to work abroad, and acquire more out of my studies, by being in the field, helping to improve human rights, and improve cooperation between the United States, and the regions of South Asia, and the Middle East. I do hope to start my thesis on what effects has the Arab Spring meant for the people in Middle East, and the chances for viable democratic reforms in both political and social terms. During my time in George Mason University, I have done numerous research papers on various topics, and utilized in some cases software programs like SPSS. Where I graphed, and used various formulas as evidence to discuss the discourse behind liberals and conservatives on gun laws. Some other research papers of mine revolved around the effects of international mercenary companies in the international political and military arena. I have also written about international law in relation to economics, transnational crime, and how it affects states interactions, governmental relationships. One of my biggest regrets was that I let my GPA slip considerably by failing one course, which was Government 300, during one spring semester; I was under much pressure that revolved around some personal issues, and a work schedule that was overwhelming. My scores for the midterm, and final were also bad. At that point my GPA slipped to around 2.56. But I took the class again next semester, worked really hard, and dealt personal, and work issues. I got a B for the class, and improved my total GPA to 2.97. I am more then positive that if I had not been under so much stress during that semester, my overall GPA would have been above 3.0. I sincerely hope that this one failing grade, does not imply that I am not a hard working student. I had worked towards achieving a balanced time between work, and study. Many of my professors were really impressed by my research papers. My ambition has only increased towards achieving my goals. In George Mason University, many of the lectures in regards to international politics, diplomacy, international law, and international organizations really fascinated me. It is necessary to understand the importance of how all these intricate concepts influence the social, political and economic matters or countries around the world. I hope to continue to show increase my experience in George Washington University.

Hi I just found this cool forum today, and I hope I can get some answers from you guys about my Masters Application. So to begin I didn't do to well in the Math portion of the GRE. I have always been terrible at math for as long as I can remember, and I panicked with the whole 30 min time allocated for the test. The calculator in the screen annoyed me as well. I would rather have taken it in paper form. I am still very interested in doing my Masters program for Political Science in George Mason University. But the problem is my low score, I am worried they might not accept me because of my low math score. I have finished my BA in Government at George Mason University last Spring, will that help my chances? I have also done some searches and found that the Masters Public Policy Program (MPP) does not require my GRE scores for consideration. So the Question is should I apply for the MA Political Science Program, and risk being rejected or should I apply for the MA Public Policy Program? Or if I can, would it be possible to apply to both programs? Also during my searches I have found that George Washington University does not require the GRE for their Political Science or Government applicants if they have a GPA higher then 3.0 . Given that I am certainly going to try to apply at that school. Last but not least I have been tempted to either change my major by applying to journalism, as some schools do not require the GRE for some of their programs. I know this is a loaded first post, but until Oct 7, when I am planning to meet some reps of the programs mentioned at Mason, for perspective grad students. I really want to have some direction or advice on what I should do, or consider, since these things are stressing me out. :'( Thanks Again for anyone who will help My GPA is 3.2 GRE scores 150 Verbal, 143 Math, and Essay Portion 3.0