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makingmoves: your application will probably be considered as a whole package. I wouldn't worry too much about the GRE scores. Study abroad and experience with the language should certainly help you out.

Thank you for the information! I'm probably going to continue to stay signed up for 12 credit hours (9 graduate credit hrs, one 3-credit hour undergraduate language class) this semester. Fall semester I am probably going to take 13 credit hours including a 1-credit hour graduate colloquium (graded S/U). I was debating whether or not to take more per semester as I wanted to pursue a 15-credit hour graduate certificate in Emergency Management (as a follow-up to the undergraduate certificate I currently hold in the field) in addition to the required credits for my major.

I usually took about the required minimum 4 classes in undergrad and moved along at a snail's pace since the expected course load was five classes (maximum was 6). In undergrad I understand that 3 classes is considered full-time but would like to take 4-5 classes to complete more credit hours and take more classes relevant to my interests. I'm currently signed up for 4 classes right now - is anything more than that advisable?

There are a few potential answers to this: * A summer internship with an employer of interest relevant to one's field of study * Your full-time job if you have one * Summer classes * Your full-time job + summer classes Or the less productive option, take a semester off to visit family.

While there's no specifically structured regional specialization track within my program, I'm also looking to be a China specialist, with hopes of a possible career in either academia or diplomacy. Focusing mainly on history, politics and development related to China including China in an international relations context. Actually have a few books on the subject lined up to read over winter break, including David L. Shambaugh's China Goes Global: The Partial Power, Rana Mitter's Modern China: A Very Short Introduction, and Jeffrey Wasserstrom's China in the 21st Century. My program also includes some Middle Eastern studies courses and that is certainly a secondary interest of mine. Would love to learn Arabic as third language but will continue focusing primarily on studying as much Chinese as I can. I completely understand looking into a PhD in a different field, as Asian Studies is a fairly narrow specialization. Especially if one is considering a career in academia there are likely more teaching positions out there for someone with a PhD in History, Geography, Humanities or Political Science than someone whose doctoral work represents a very limited scope rather than a broader picture.

Hah, well I guess I'm alone in liking an unpopular restaurant. Forgot to mention some fun events in town. If you're on campus, international coffee hour on Friday is pretty cool (who doesn't like free coffee?) and the Student Life Center usually has film screenings (free for students) on the weekends and in the latter half of the week - occasionally this includes screenings of Rocky Horror close to Halloween, which are super fun. We also get some pretty decent guest speakers at FSU - have seen both George Takei and Spike Lee appear as guest speakers on campus, which was pretty cool. Off campus, check out the art walk in Railroad Square on the first Friday of each month. All Saints Cinema is great if you're into foreign/arthouse cinema. Also, if you're into video games/science fiction/anime/other nerdy stuff, Tallahassee has AltCon, FreeCon, and Gli*Expo - all of which are pretty small events but worth going to imo.

I already posted about this in the Political Science sub-forum, but I'm extremely curious about this program and am wondering if anyone here has any experience with it. I took a look at the curriculum posted on the program's/college's website and it seems extremely relevant to my interests. My only question regards the fact that an M.A. or M.S. in IR or Poli Sci is required for admission - if I applied to this program it would likely be as a follow-up to the M.A. in Asian Studies I'm working on (in which I'll probably end up taking plenty of the same courses, including required ones, as an International Affairs student). That said, does anyone know anything about this program or can tell me anything about it? It seems like a PhD program I would like to pursue at some point.

That wasn't me! I spent most weekdays of undergrad indoors studying… even with my relatively light major and lenient coursework. Might have to get back into the loop of doing that for grad school.

Just going to put in my two cents by saying that I really like that big black tower with the spikes that looks like it wouldn't be out of place in Mordor. The Cathedral of Learning is pretty cool too.

Have you applied to School for International Training? I understand their work and academics are heavily-development focused. I've met a few alumni who can vouch for it as a great source of training and education in development studies. Also, while not called a "development" degree, I recall looking into University of Oregon's International Studies graduate program, which basically seems to be mostly-development-focused.

This was posted a while back, but look into programs specifically focused on strategic intelligence or national/homeland security - less so if you're planning to take the FSOT and become an FSO rather than go the Intel Analyst route with your future career. Some training in foreign language or computer science could be helpful as well.

Just this one and Collegeconfidential. I have a few profs added on linkedin which is more for the sake of professional/academic references.

Going without a car is actually quite manageable but more so if you live close to campus or on a bus route near campus - the public transportation system is an inefficient mess with overly long and rambling routes… which is all right if you want the three-hour scenic tour of random parts of Tallahassee and are willing to wake up early to catch the bus at your best convenience. Too far north and you get more of a family area than a student area. Also, as per the Tallahassee thread the best bars and coffee shops are on or close to Gaines Street or Midtown.

It's one of my favorites but to each their own. Pho 7 has a limited menu but what they have is pretty good. Also, if one is into going to concerts, keep track of the show schedules for Club Downunder, The Side Bar, and Rehab in the off-chance that your favorite band miraculously decides to play a show in Tally one day.

I would love to explain materials to a room full of students - preferably as objectively but in-depth as possible to give them a solid background in the topic and allow them to determine what to do with the information themselves. The drawbacks would involve fielding bizarre, out-of-left-field or less than borderline-comprehensible questions from students (which is something an instructor should be careful to handle with tact). Surprisingly (or not) I have seen a lot of this in undergraduate psychology and political science classes that I have been in as a student.

How do you manage to make friends and have some degree of a social life in graduate school? I've heard it's fairly busy and less social than undergrad, and I've noticed that even the undergrads I've met who are more social or outgoing tend to have lower GPAs or take longer to graduate - I couldn't imagine the problems this would cause in graduate school (!) As a result I'm concerned about maintaining a schoolwork-social life balance in graduate school. Does anyone have any input on this topic?

So for my Master's program I have the option of either doing a thesis or an exam at the end of my studies. Both are fairly similar in that they involve a supervisory committee of three professors (with PhDs) that I've taken classes with. Exam might be easier, as I am pretty good at memorizing and repeating huge chunks of info and I have little idea of what a thesis might require or how to write one. However, I'm leaning towards the thesis track for a few reasons - partly out of a desire to prove myself and create original work based on research. I'm thinking thesis track is probably a better option, since 1. I'd have something to show off and 2. It would probably stand me in better stead if I eventually decided to go on to any kind of PhD program. What would others here suggest?

For future (post-degree) consideration: has anyone here done either of these certificate programs? (Analytics or Applications) If so, did you find them informative, and would you recommend them to someone with limited or no knowledge of the topic?

I'll be returning to FSU as a grad student (finished my undergrad there earlier this year) come this Spring 2014! My favorite events/things to do on campus are FreeCon and Rocky Horror screenings, as well as International Coffee Hour and weekend film screenings at the SLC. The student cinema BFA/MFA showcases aren't too bad either. Whether or not Tallahassee is rural depends on where you're from originally. First time I visited as a teen I was awed, being from Podunk, Nowhere. Having become a bit more worldly and seen real cities now and again, Tally is a pretty small town.

Thank you! I am looking forward!

Spent five years in undergrad due to a terrible first few semesters in community college - mostly my fault but also wasn't feeling that motivated at the time. Entered my major third year and it was all smooth sailing from there. Was initially going to earn a second major in Humanities but decided I didn't want to expand my undergrad career to 6 years.

Foreign Service Officer (would have to take the FSOT) Private Investigator (has little/nothing to do with my academic background - would require some training and experience beforehand) ESL instructor (actually qualified for this) Community college instructor (Master's degree required, Master's degree currently in progress) What about others here?