Previous School Top 5 public university
Previous Degrees and GPAs BA Political Science /GPA 3.97
GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing) 166/158/5.0
Previous Work Experience (Years, Type)
4.5 years – Working on legislation and policy for a state legislature
0.5 years - International travel (some volunteer work)
Studied Abroad in Argentina during undergrad Math/Econ Background College level precalculus, calculus (just one semester), lower division econ (micro & macro)
Foreign Language Background Spanish
Intended Field of Study in Grad School MPA, International development, advanced analytical skills
Long Term Professional Goals International elections monitoring, democratization, development policy, etc.
Schools Applied to & Results JHU SAIS (accepted $), Georgetown MPP (accepted $$), Duke MPP (accepted $$$$), USC MPA (accepted $$$$), Brown MPA ($$$), Harvard Kennedy School (accepted $0), Princeton WWS ($$$$+$).
Ultimate Decision & Why
Princeton WWS. The funding and the program. I like the small and mighty cohort, and it was my favorite program all along. I like the intimacy - and they have a great program for my specific specialization/area of interest.
Advice for Future Applicants:
For the GRE - I recommend Magoosh + Manhattan series. I took my quant score from low 140s to upper 150s using those resources (all self-study). For the SOPs, have a trusted source give you feedback, and don't have too many people look at it, as it could get watered down or off-message. Be direct about what you want to do with the degree and why it's necessary for where you want to go professionally. Consider getting professional feedback on your essays. I have a recommendation if you're interested (pm me). Don't be ruled by fear - I almost didn't apply to graduate school because I didn't think I could afford it - then I got a full ride to my dream program!