I've finally finished all of my applications (just waiting on a couple of recommendations) so I'd like to hear what people think about my chances!
Applying to: Keough School at Notre Dame (International Peace Studies), Jackson Institute at Yale, Kroc School at University of San Diego
Undergrad Institution: Large public (Big 10)
Undergrad GPA: 4.0
Undergrad Major: History and Middle Eastern Studies with minors in Political Science and Near Eastern Languages & Literatures
GRE: 168V / 162Q / 5.0
Work Experience: Fulbright ETA (1 year), Peace Corps (2 years), 1 year with an intercultural education nonprofit
Language: Strong Turkish and Georgian skills (not fluent), ~2 years living in each country
LORs: Pretty good, I hope. 2 from professors (1 I had a seminar with; other led a yearlong, small fellowship I was a part of), 1 from my supervisor in Peace Corps
SOP: Relatively happy with it, it improved at each school I applied to.
Thoughts: I'm worried about a) my lack of coursework in economics (hoping to take some courses in the summer prior to matriculation if I get in, or for next year's applications if I'm unsuccessful) and b) my lack of a super clear career plan. I think my intellectual interests are clear (studying the causes of ethnic conflict and ways to prevent it) and my studies/work experience combine well with it to paint a picture of who I am, what I want to study, and how I'm qualified to do so, but I wasn't super specific about a career path in my essays. I'm a bit worried that that will hurt me, but I'm hoping for the best! I only decided to apply to three programs as they all offer good funding and they were all a good fit for me: small cohorts and ability to focus on peace studies.