Shelton

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Mid-Atlantic medium size state school, mid-tier Previous Degrees and GPAs: BA w/ Distinction in International Relations, BS in Economics; overall GPA 3.77 GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 158 V, 158 Q, 5.5 W Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): Applied directly out of undergrad, so no formal work experience. During the latter two years of undergraduate studies, I worked as an Get-Out-The-Vote/Operations Coordinator for a State Senator. Math/Econ Background: Plenty of economics courses due to degree; Calc I & II; and basic Statistics courses. Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Fluency (speaking only) in Mandarin, intermediate (reading/writing) in Spanish Intended Field of Study in Grad School: MPP- interest in the intersection between Economic Development policy and Human Rights (specifically women's & LGBT) policy. Long Term Professional Goals: Medium-term: Relocate abroad to find a position with an IGO or NGO that operates on the ground working with indigenous organizations in improving their infrastructure to better advocate for human rights reforms. Long-term: Management in larger organizations such as UN, USAID, etc. Schools Applied to & Results: Georgetown McCourt (accepted, no funding), Michigan Ford (accepted, 10k fellowship), Chicago Harris (accepted, half-tuition scholarship), London School of Economics (accepted- MSc Gender, Policy, & Inequalities), Harvard Kennedy (rejected), Berkeley Goldman (rejected) Ultimate Decision & Why: Will defer because I accepted an offer with Teach for America starting this summer. That being said, I will likely defer Chicago in the hopes that in two years I will receive a similar or better aid package. I plan on reapplying to Georgetown, Berkeley, and LSE in two cycles to see if I can gain admission/receive more aid the next time around. At the same time, the fact that my teaching experience with TFA might potentially change my career path isn't lost on me, so this could all change. Advice for Future Applicants: 1) Don't be afraid to go big when applying for graduate school. With no work experience, I was fully ready to receive only rejection letters from every school I applied to...and that didn't happen! 2) Have many, many, MANY people your Personal Statements. From friends to professors to advisors. You'll go through dozens of iterations of each statement-which is just another reason you need to start early. Be real, be direct, and be specific...there's no need to try to make everything into some monumental or moving story, sometimes you just need to tell it like it is. In the end, you do need a narrative or theme that ties your entire application together and drives home to those reading it, why you exactly you are applying for graduate school and what attending that specific program will do you help you achieve your career goals. 3) The GRE is absolutely beatable. Goes without saying that it's beneficial to start studying early. I did not take my advice and made a lackluster effort at studying which is reflected in my mediocre scores; but if you put in the time, you can certainly do very well. 4) School is not cheap. Don't rest your hopes solely on internal funding/scholarships from the schools you apply to. Look for external funding and scholarships! It takes a simple google search to find scholarships that you could qualify for due to ethnic, economic, etc. background. An example would be the Point Scholarship for LGBT applicants. Go to your department or advisor b/c they will certainly have some information on outside scholarships to apply for!

Oddly okay with my rejection as well. good luck everyone

Just received email from Chicago regarding another status update- they're now offering me a scholarship that covers half of tuition. Yesterday I had nothing so this is good news!

I just got an email- I'm admitted with 10k fellowship (5k/yr)! I was not contacted to be interviewed either.

Admitted (which was surprising) with no funding. So there goes that one...

Rejected. Suck it Berkeley.

I was also accepted a couple of weeks back- was wondering if anyone has heard anything back regarding scholarships yet? Do you think if you're someone who they're not going to offer a scholarship they would tell you?