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bigcaesarfromheyarnold

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  • Location
    United States
  • Application Season
    2016 Fall
  • Program
    Masters of Public Policy

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  1. Currently a senior at a non-flagship UMass (think Umass-Dartmouth/Lowell). 3.7 GPA, 3.85 Major GPA--studying for GRE Thought I wanted to exclusively look at MPP programs last year, but the more involved I get in academic research, the more academia really appeals to me. My application will have a problem however: I went to a small state school right out of high school in 2008, and was unready and immature--not at all able or willing to take on a full-time school workload. So I stayed for two years, and accumulated a 1.3 GPA before leaving in 2010. After working 2+ years in various menial jobs, I got back into school in January 2013 at a local community college, thanks to the encouragement and support of my former boss, with whom I still keep in touch, and I feel I've turned the corner academically. Last year (spring 2014) I transferred once again to a large public university, and since I've been back in school, including CC, my semesters have been 3.4, 3.2, 3.4, 3.7, and most recently, 3.9 So, one question I have is, how will this be handled by PhD programs? My cumulative GPA is likely horrible, but I've heard that there is some degree of emphasis placed on the last 60 credit hours--is this true? I have also heard that for academic jobs, schools prefer candidates who have been educated in different places--so, should I be looking to go outside of my home area? And is there a rule of thumb regarding the programs which produce the largest number of TT faculty?--that is, should I be looking top 10, top 15 programs? Etc. What GRE score should I be shooting for insofar as admissions are concerned? And ultimately, what can be done, at this point, to make my application more competitive? I know my application is currently nothing special so I would love to bolster it in any way possible. My greatest research interest is American Politics--more specifically, elections and voter behavior/public opinion Poli Sci major, Econ Minor Quant Coursework: Quantitative Reasoning (A-)Quant research methods in Poli Sci (A), Principles of Macro(A-) and Micro (A), Macro Theory (will take this semester) Econ of Less Developed Countries (will take this semester) Language: Four semesters Spanish, intermediate speaker Research Assisting Experience with an assistant professor at my university, with whom I have taken multiple classes, who will provide one letter. Also will get one from tenured prof. with whom I took Electoral Politics and Survey Research. Submitting a paper for journal publication, but it is not in my desired research area. I've asked quite a few questions here, so thanks for any input anyone can provide. Would be happy to talk via PM also.
  2. Thanks for the GRE advice--that's something I know I'll have to crush. I've begun to study for the GRE, but I have a long way before I'm ready to take the exam. If I were aiming for a school like American SPA or GW Trachtenberg, what kind of score should I be shooting for? I know law schools are much more straightforward in terms of disclosure of stats like median LSAT/GPA, scholarship stats, etc. But I haven't seen that at all when it comes to policy schools--are admissions really that much more holistic?
  3. Thanks for everyone's thoughts-- If taken in total my GPA definitely falls below that 3.0 threshold--but if calculated using only credits that will go toward graduation, I'm around a 3.2. Hopefully AdComs will look at the decisive upward trend favorably, despite the aggregate numbers being so-so. Insofar as quant classes are concerned, I'm taking a quantitative research methods course this semester, which is looking like an A, and I took Micro last semester and got an A. Should I take stats as an elective, or maybe Macro? I've never been a math person but since I've been introduced to its use in the social sciences like Econ I've really begun to enjoy it.
  4. Very little actually-- I have several writing seminars within my political science degree but that's about it, apart from a few film projects I have done for fun. My interest within poli comm is mostly in the area of campaign management, along with public opinion research. Should I look at different programs for these fields?
  5. Hi, all. Longtime lurker, first time poster here. I'm rather early in the process of looking at government grad programs--I'm a second semester junior in college, and I'm trying to set myself up to be competitive in grad admissions, and studying for the GRE. I have a black mark on my future application. I went to a small state school right out of high school in 2008, and was unready and immature--not at all able or willing to take on a full-time school workload. So I stayed for two years, and accumulated a 1.3 GPA before leaving in 2010. After working 2+ years in various menial jobs, I got back into school in January 2013 at a local community college, thanks to the encouragement and support of my former boss, with whom I still keep in touch, and I feel I've turned the corner academically. Last year (spring 2014) I transferred once again to a large public university, and since I've been back in school my semesters have been 3.4, 3.2, 3.4, and most recently, 3.7. So, one question I have is, how will this be handled by government affairs programs? My cumulative GPA is likely horrible, but I've heard that there is some degree of emphasis placed on the last 60 credit hours--is this true? If so I think I could keep up my grades and prove my ability to succeed in a rigorous academic setting. Additionally, I have a keene interest in working in DC, though from all I hear, there are far more people in Washington who want to work there in Public Affairs, than there are such jobs. I am especially interested in Public Affairs/policy, and Political Communication. I am not really interested in the international affairs side of things. Does it make sense for me to go to grad school? If so, where should I be aiming, knowing that I want to work in Washington? How much debt, do you think is too much for my goals? Sorry--I know I've presented a number of questions here--any help would be much appreciated. Happy to answer more questions via pm. Thanks in advance.
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