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hj2012

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Everything posted by hj2012

  1. It would surprise me if there was any discrimination in terms of admission for MPP programs, though I expect students in the top IR programs to lean liberal, so you may feel a bit ostracized every now and then, just as any minority would feel. But this is DEFINITELY not true for federal government jobs. Trust me, there are plenty of conservatives (and they outnumber liberals in certain sectors) in the federal government. I think there are fewer conservatives interested in IR careers in fields like development or becoming a FSO, though other fields (international security, military relations, conflict studies) you will find a healthy conservative contingent. Good luck#
  2. The schools you listed are generally considered to be 'professional' IR masters programs. An example of an academic MA would be the polisci MA at the University of Virginia, which is primarily geared toward helping students prepare for PhD programs. Most of these professional schools are pretty stingy with aid, but I know a few people who got generous offers from Maxwell.
  3. Is it not possible for you to revise one of the older research papers? That might be faster than starting something up from scratch.
  4. Oops! Yup, silly typo. And I agree that the higher the better, though the costs / benefits of studying for the GRE to inch it up a few more points will depend on the person. If you're looking at a low undergrad GPA, for example, I think the GRE takes on greater importance.
  5. You know, the choice isn't necessarily between teaching low-income students at a cc and working at Philip Morris. There are jobs that can offer both a stable income and a decent standard of living without forcing you to make huge moral compromises. You could look into education policy, education technology, communication jobs in a non-profit setting, corporate social responsibility, etc etc. You could get your Ed.D. and be a good administrator -- we have a serious lack of those -- while still making a decent paycheck. Anyway, just wanted to inject a note of optimism. There are still lots of opportunities for you, and we need people with your diverse experiences in all career fields!
  6. No problem! I did a Fulbright ETA grant year, and a number of folks in my cohort ended up at HGSE. They're all out in the "real world" now and doing very well for themselves. I've only heard positive things about the Ed Policy program at HGSE. You might also look at Stanford (Policy, Organization and Leadership Studies or the joint MA/MBA program) and U Penn. Penn has pretty good funding packages, too, if that is important to you.
  7. I can see that you are not a native English speaker, and I am making an assumption that you're not an American student. But a form rejection sent to everyone is a pretty common practice for American university admissions. But the sentence I bolded is ungrammatical, so I'm not 100% sure what you mean by it. If you did indeed receive a general rejection sent to everyone, then I don't think you have much of a case here. If you did not, I still don't think the school will refund your application fee, but I agree that it's a pretty shitty practice not to even notify applicants that they were rejected.
  8. Have you considered the Education Policy & Management program in HGSE? It's less competitive than HKS, but still offers the opportunities to network and work with some of the best professors in the field. There's nothing you can do about your GPA at this point, and it's not abysmally low considering your major, so I would recommend just doing as well as you can on the GRE (preferably 160+ on both sections). Good luck!
  9. Agreed -- if you go to a top tier school for your undergrad. But the majority of us who do not come out of Harvard, Yale, Stanford, etc or other traditionally "top tier" schools. I was specifically steered away from applying to my undergrad institution (a top public school, FWIW) for grad school, because "academic incest." I think it's good to be aware that this can be a real attitude among some of the older generation of academics.
  10. I have a number of friends pursuing grad degrees in South Korea, mostly through the Korean Government Scholarship Program. From their experiences, I would be very, very hesitant about recommending you to pursue a degree, even at Yonsei or SNU, unless your interests pertain to the Korean peninsula (NK rights, Korean history, etc). I understand the need for decent funding, though, and as a foreigner, you have a pretty good shot at winning scholarships and such in Korea. But I don't think you should expect a huge ROI with those degrees outside of a very narrow geographic region. Have you looked into IHEID in Geneva or University of Copenhagen (cheap tuition)? In Asia, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore (tends to be good with scholarships for international students) might have a slightly further reach...
  11. Seconded what geodude said. Not only is it normal for folks to go to different universities, but there is some bias toward students who do undergrad and postgrad at the same university. Just FYI.
  12. You can apply for tuition waivers for application fees at most universities. The process can be a pain, though, and I recommend starting on those as early as possible, because bureaucracy.
  13. This is an important point. Frankly, if you see the degree as a means to shift your career (as opposed to personal development), you might be best off going for the professional MPA/MPP, even if it means giving up some of the flexibility you might have in a regional studies program. However, if your primary reason for going back to school is personal (the opportunity to learn Persian and study issues that you are passionate about), then the regional studies programs make more sense. Perhaps Yale's Jackson Institute? I imagine all the big IR schools (Georgetown, SAIS, GW) offer Persian classes and the opportunity to specialize in the Middle East (though perhaps not concurrently with a specialization in SE Asia). Like another poster mentioned, I definitely would not assume that it would be easier to get financial aid at Chicago. You could try browsing the results search to get a sense of the kinds of funding packages students are offered. Good luck!
  14. Glad to be of help! This blog might be of help, since it's specifically geared toward Philosophy. http://schwitzsplinters.blogspot.kr/2007/09/applying-to-philosophy-phd-programs_20.html Good luck!
  15. Yep, I'm for real. It was a thing at my high school for kids to feel like they were "too good" for our local state schools, and would therefore prefer to pay ridiculous sums of money to go a fancy private school. I think many of the parents were so proud of their child for getting into said name-brand school, and they didn't really think about the consequences. I graduated from high school in 2006, when the economy seemed great, but by the time I graduated from college, the economy was REALLY bad, so even qualified students had a hard time getting jobs that would help them stay on top of their loans. I also have friends who will probably have about that much debt to graduate from no-name law schools....which is insane.
  16. Depending on your cultural context, this may or may not work in your country. But in the country where I work as an admissions consultant (in East Asia), we usually have the students make a "packet" of relevant info for their professors. This includes a description of the schools and programs that the student is applying to, as well as an explanation of what kind of information the letter of recommendation should contain. The student also types up a "press release" of sorts, which describes his/her main accomplishments and qualities that should be highlighted in the letter. Depending on how comfortable the student feels about this, we also give "sample" LORs for professors to look at. We have our own in-house samples, but feel free to use Google to find examples of good LORs to give to your professors. For example, https://www.press.umich.edu/pdf/9780472031887-appendixg.pdf. If there is a language barrier, you could also have the professor write in your native language and get it certified/translated. But this would also cost you money and time! Hope this helps! Good luck!
  17. I'm surprised that you include Chicago, which has similar tuition levels to the DC schools. If there is a school in DC that you think is a good fit, I would apply regardless -- you never know if you'll get some financial aid or merit scholarships that bring the costs to acceptable levels. UVA graduates tend to do well in DC government jobs, partially because of the number of alumni there who promote the school in their own networks, partially because of geographic proximity. But, all things being equal (cost, for example), I would definitely not put UVA's grad program at the same caliber of, say, Georgetown. Good luck!
  18. A quick glance at the websites for the programs you listed show that you will be below the average scores for applicants (looks like ~70 percentile for both V and Q for Pitt and Alabama, slightly lower for VCU). Of course, GRE scores aren't everything, but since there's still a good amount of time before applications are due, I would retake the GRE if you have the time and money to do so.
  19. Not in your field, but I do some work in admissions consulting and we get asked these questions pretty frequently, so here are my $.02. 1. It is possible, but difficult. In general, you will have a much easier time finding funded programs in the U.S. than in the UK. 2. Most UK PhD programs prefer (and some require!) you to complete your MA before admitting you into a PhD program. 3. What is your eventual goal? Work in industry? Teach in the States? Frankly, you probably WILL be hurting yourself if you eventually want to find a research or faculty position in the States. If you're simply looking for the experience of living (or studying) abroad, why not apply to programs like Fulbright or Erasmus Mundus, or take a gap year in order to travel? If you're looking to live long-term in the U.S., I think doing a PhD here will ultimately be to your benefit.
  20. I applied with a stated interest in ethnic literatures, transnationalism/diaspora and racial identity. I'm really interested in the gendered dynamics of diasporic experience, but my primary lens is race/ethnicity. Others may chime in here to the contrary, but I've heard that interdisciplinary PhD programs are usually a disadvantage on the market *unless* you take great care to prove that you could also teach in a traditional field. In the program I'm starting in Fall, we must choose an allied field and take core classes and take core classes in that field in order to give ourselves a better chance on the job market. So that's something to keep in mind! It does sound like you could pursue your project in a number of different departments, so I would consider applying to places where your favorite scholars located, regardless of which department they are in. Good luck!
  21. I see. For whatever reason, I was just thinking about undergrad loans. Regardless, I still think it's best to be cautious about this plan for the reasons themmases mentioned. I really wouldn't trust the government on this issue.
  22. If you're going in with funding, then yes, it probably won't look very good to turn them down this late in the game. That said, you need to do what is best for you at this time. At the same time, I would expect the school to do the same, which probably means that you'll have a harder time getting in with the same scholarship, unless you have extreme extenuating circumstances.
  23. Another thing to keep in mind is that federal loan limits are (relatively) low, so students probably do not have 100K in loans that would be eligible to be discharged under the Pay As You Earn system. Seeing some of my friends and acquaintances suffer under the ridiculous burden of student debt makes me question if private schools - even ivy league caliber -- are ever worth sticker price. One of my best friends from high school would probably be an amazing PhD program following her dream if she had not racked up nearly 200K in debt to graduate from Columbia University. Instead, she's stuck in a soul-sucking job, fighting to stay on top of her loans. We've talked multiple times about how she wishes she just attended a state university, as that would have given her so many more opportunities to do what she wanted with her life. It's tough.
  24. From what I understand, the reason this doesn't always work out is that this only applies to certain federal loans, not private loans. Most of my friends who are really struggling under the burden of students loans are doing so because they took out private loans (with ABSURD interest rates) when they were stupid 18-year-olds, and now do not have the income to support the burden of their loans. However, others with more knowledge should chime in.
  25. Basically all the decent PhD programs in clinical psychology should be fully funded and have a heavy emphasis on research (minus a few outliers). I know USNWR is not the be-all, end-all, but it might make sense to just start from the top of the list and check out the webpages for each school, looking for faculty who fit your interest. You might also consider asking a trusted adviser or professor for school recommendations; they'd be the most knowledgeable about which schools are best regarded in your (sub)field.
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