jujubea

No one responded! I don't know anything about book conservation, alas. Is it akin to book preservation?

Wow - well, first of all congratulations on the incredible acceptance record. But down to business: what do you plan to do after you graduate? And what would you like to focus on for the degree? Congrats again.

To be honest, the FS doesn't care at all where your degree is from, or even what you studied. We literally had a brain surgeon in my A-100 class, a fighter pilot, a couple lawyers, and even a pro-am poker player. My own undergrad degree is from a school nobody's ever heard of, with a degree akin to underwater basket-weaving. (Granted, I did learn Mandarin). The biggest thing you can do for yourself at this point is keep studying language(s). You will be able to go further in your career a little more quickly (not much more quickly, but a little), and it will help a little bit with where you get assigned (again, only a little). Also, get as many cross-cultural experiences as you can, volunteer or otherwise get involved with international groups where you are frequently interfacing with non-Americans, or very new Americans. They love to see that, and it gives you great material for when going through the several rounds of hiring hoops. Beyond that though, if money concerns you, if you plan to go right into the Foreign Service immediately following graduation, then taking the highest funding offer could potentially serve you well. If you get a moment, check out FS pay schedules (publicly available) and match them up with your credentials. They use a formula for determining your entry pay, based on highest degree earned, and time in work experience. If what you're making with your stipend (or other current salary) is higher than what their formula comes up with, they do their best to match your existing pay. I'm pretty sure in your case though, that the formula calculation will be higher regardless, because of your degree and combined work experience (how many months/years total?). All of your policy experience is going to make you nicely competitive for the political cone/track. It's all in how you spin your materials through the hiring process - basically, you get to focus on whatever you choose in your background, so focus on that, and you'll be golden. When you get closer to application time, let me know, and I can point you to some resources (I realize that won't be for a couple years... but I plan on being around GC for the next several years, at least ). I realize that doesn't help you make your decision between the three schools, at least not in terms of prepping for the FS. So, as for that, I'd choose somewhere you will be happiest, have the best lifestyle, and greater opportunities for international involvement. Remember, with the FS you could end up in some terrible places, so live it up while you can! edited to add: I just reread your post again and saw the Boren Fellowship. That is an excellent opportunity to get the kind of international involvement that can make you shine as a candidate.

When I get a moment I'll say more than this: I'm amazed at the simple act of your fitting your dilemma all into your thread title!

Ahhh - ok. Great. I understand. In my opinion, that she's getting married in a third country helps your case. If you are asked why you're applying in Canada and not at home, I'd definitely include that in the explanation: I already have another international trip to make this year for my sister's wedding, and I don't want to spend so much money on travel. Be careful not to say you "can't afford it" though... cuz that will open up a whole new can of worms for the Consular Officer to worry/wonder and doubt/ask you about. And you're definitely right that a previous B1/B2 with no misuse will help your case, too. Good luck!

If you almost exclusively have volunteer experience but very little work experience, then in my opinion that level of detail on volunteer positions is OK. But if you have significant (either in content or duration) work experience, such elucidation is not necessary, again in my opinion, unless very specifically relevant to what you're applying for (for example, Security Council President advanced training). I have two work positions within the same org, and I list them separately, and each with 3-4 bullet points, because they were very different positions (thinking accountant vs. marketing manager).

Oh man, I should've mentioned. My SO (who was a single father at the time) used to bring his two small children (<6) into a number of his classes with him, either as a teacher or a student. This was for a counseling psych program though, so perhaps there was more sympathy? One of his students did file a complaint about it though. Perhaps worth looking into? I can't imagine trying to do that ... but I guess you do what you have to.

Soooo what are your top choices?

Hi All - I'm quite late to this thread... Congratulations to everyone so far on their good news. So, I thought I would be rejected, or at least not funded, by UCSB, and all the other programs I applied to were Communication, so I've been hanging out on those forums. But turns out UCSB accepted me with a great package, so I'm likely going to be studying Daoism! However, it's a Religious Studies program, not an EAS program. My language skills aren't up to snuff for many EAS programs (I've long lost any Japanese proficiency, and really only have Chinese at a worthy level; no Korean or any other Asian languages), so I didn't apply to any. I'm also not very interested in politics, which a lot of the programs in my geographic area are focused on. Anyone have similar interests? I'll be learning Classical Chinese (no background, only modern Mandarin), and starting at the MA level, onto the PhD as a combined program. Also, I know several people on this thread are looking at Security Studies and Foreign Service type programs. I'm a former FSO that was assigned to EA and would be happy to provide any info if it helps! Best of luck to everyone!

My favorites from here!: That, plus "First class master" Bahahahaha. Yessss Yessss

As a former FSO, I can tell you (completely unofficially) that it is usually a little suspicious if people are applying in third countries for pretty much any type of visa. Just because it's "only Canada" doesn't make it any less suspicious. Also, as others have already said, this is not a renewal, but an application for a whole new visa. However, you have a couple things going for you: 1. You've already had an F-1 visa and have not abused it. 2. You will have left when you were supposed to have. 3. You will have gotten the degree you intended to initially. 4. You have a legitimate reason to be and even stay in Canada (you have family there). A couple negatives against you: 1. You have a close relative getting married in the U.S. (indicates a possible intention on your part/your family's part to immigrate to the US permanently, not just study there; if you hide the fact of your relative's wedding and reveal it later, this will only make you look worse. My number one advice for visa applications and interviews is BE HONEST.) 2. You are mid-schooling in the U.S., meaning you likely have less ties to your home country than you do to the US now (indicates same as above) 3. You have family in Canada, raising suspicion that you may be attempting to immigrate there, also. Think of the $1.5k airfare as insurance, or even assurance: You are assuring the consular officer in your country that you are not up to anything nefarious, and just want to keep studying and taking advantage of education abroad. May I ask what country you are from? This unofficially changes things, too.

How interesting...! In a world where grade inflation seems to reign across the board (from my limited knowledge anyway)...! I'll be interested to read any insights on this.

Although I only hit 158 in quant, for a verbal-heavy field, and nobody seemed to have batted an eye. Got in as a top candidate at all 3 schools I applied to. I barely broke 160 for verbal.

Did you list all of the non-academic pros and cons you're considering?

Decision making was by far the hardest part of the whole process for me...

Congratulations

Unless you want to be a high-flyer, high-visibility politician-type government employee, they frankly do not care what school your degree(s) is/are from. Speaking from experience. They care about your skills and motivation for the type of work, and integrity. Good luck!

Agreed!

What kind of work do you want to do afterwards?

hmmm... I'm not sure you're entirely prepared for grad school.....

Certainly not. But having moved several times as a child, and having come out quite successful, I wouldn't worry too much about relocating when your children are older. In my opinion, ONE move while they're very aware of things is OK. You can add an additional move when they're in kindergarten, maybe first grade, without screwing them up. In my opinion I was out of school for 7 years before applying this year, and I got in everywhere I applied to. Just kick butt with your non-school time, and take up jobs that are relevant to your field, and teach you skills along the way. If you're growing and not stagnating, you can definitely make a compelling application. We are in the same boat financially. Relocating our kids at end of middle school/beginning of high school. The hardest thing is finding good schools for them in neighborhoods we can afford. We're basically breaking the bank and borrowing from family in order to make it happen, but, a PhD is my dream, and the kids need to get out of the school district they're in, so, it's worth it for us.

I've worked as a civilian for both sides of the field. With your background, I'd recommend you work in DoD rather than State, largely because State won't be able to use all of your skills. They really are all diplomats. (I'm a former FSO). If you're not concerned about utilizing all your skills, then keep considering it. You're definitely not too old to be an FSO. I had people in my A-100 class who were in their 50's, right around the cutoff age. We had several in their mid 30's, and many in their late 20's. I was the second youngest in my class at 25 or 26. We also had several military veterans in my class. You are definitely qualified for DoD work, especially analysis, it sounds like. And in areas sorely needed. State almost doesn't care what your background is, although foreign language in a critical language like Mandarin will literally give you points and rank you higher on the hiring list. Beyond that though, you most likely won't use your Mandarin for more than a couple tours total. Instead, they'll teach you something else. For State, you have to be able to show that you are a flexible, open-minded, value-driven, and calm person of integrity who can get along with anyone, including your own "interesting" colleagues. Having come from DoD into State was a little difficult. The cultures are extremely different. The priorities are different. And in my brief time in each, I found that, although both Departments make fun of the other Department... People in DoD seemed a lot more willing to actually put aside those differences and collaborate, at least on the surface. People in State did not seem to be too excited about interagency collab, even when DoD was picking up DOS slack in areas like public affairs, outreach, and culture (granted, State is sorely underfunded, given its mission). (It's DoD and DOS, btw, they even have different editing/formatting conventions!). In any case, if you have more specific questions, I'd be more than happy to share more. I recommend leaving out as many details as you can though, considering your potential trajectories. Feel free to PM me also.

If I were you, I'd wait until your new baby is a few years old. Nothing splits a relationship apart faster than a seemingly-absent parent and a newborn child. Grad school alone has a high divorce rate, so I hear.

Ni hao fasthall!