fadeindreams

Michigan is most certainly not too domestic focused, either within the policy school or the business school. If you're using the bush league Foreign Policy rankings as a guide then you are being misled. It is true that the Ford school is well respected as a social policy school and that may tend towards a domestic slant, however, it is an ASPIA member and the quality of the international courses are top notch. Furthermore, the quality of the electives at Michigan, within other programs such as law or public health, is top tier and stands up to the best of them. Also, the Ross school of business is well regarded in the international sphere and I think that any combination of rankings would land it well ahead of all of the schools you are considering other than Columbia which would be considered a peer. I would strongly suggest Michigan. There are at least a dozen RPCV currently in the program (the program has around 200 total, ~80-90 per cohort with the remainder being dual degree). Many of them are dual degree students with Ross. Check out the research, interests and CVs of Susan Waltz, Robert Axelrod, Melvin Levitsky, John Ciociarri, Phillip Potter, Alan Deardorff, Susan Collins, etc. All of them regularly teach courses in the Ford School. Look at the IEDP (but ignore the ugly page). Lastly, consider that around 25% of all internships for Ford School students are based in other countries. Compare the quality of internships to those at Korbel and tell me they are even in the same league. At any rate, if you have any questions about the Ford School please feel free to PM me.

I'm going to pick on Korbel here, though I feel this applies to almost all private schools. I am just more familiar personally with Korbel as it was one of the final three schools I was choosing between. It's difficult to justify attending Korbel without funding. If they do not offer you funding with your admission offer, then you are looking at a full bill (I'm sure there are some exceptions, but for the sake of simplicity that's just take this as a given). On the other hand, public schools (Washington, Michigan, Maryland, Indiana, etc) have other avenues of funding available to continuing students such as assistantships. These positions exist across the university as a whole and are not limited to your program. I was very fortunate to obtain an assistantship that will continue for my full two years at Michigan. I am fully funded and I will leave here with ZERO debt. So, while you may think that a school like Korbel is a better fit for you (I was on the fence about fit, though Korbel was an attractive option due to it being in Denver, etc), if you don't receive funding when you are admitted, you may want to consider looking elsewhere. Even with PSLF, I am of the opinion that 100k in debt for a public affairs degree is untenable. Korbel might be great for those of you that fit their standards for automatic funding... Furthermore, attending an outstanding public school like Michigan allows you access to all of the other opportunities available across campus. These include electives in OTHER prestigious departments. The Ford School at Michigan allows 12 credits in electives. That's 1/4th of the degree that you can use to take classes through Michigan law, business, economics, political science, education, sociology, public health, etc etc etc. For an interdisciplinary degree like public affairs, this is an extraordinary boon. At the Ford School, many of the classes are cross listed. This means you can take an economics class, for example, without using up your elective credits. Take a look at US News and World Report's rankings of the programs I mentioned (at least top 20 for all). It's exposure to that sort of consistent academic excellence that makes Michigan a hard choice to pass up. In the end, I would recommend applying to 5+ programs that you would be comfortable attending. Once you receive admissions offers, rank them by the debt load you will have after graduation. If you didn't receive any funding, try to find info on funding available to continuing students. If a school, such as Korbel, is completely done dispensing funding, then I would not consider attending their program. Over 100k in debt is ridiculous. Period.

Most universities that I know of will ignore any self-reported GPA from international students. They will either have their own method of converting GPA or they simply will require you to submit a credential evaluation from an approved company. An example of an approved company would be WES. My recommendation is to contact the general graduate admissions of the schools to which you are applying.

You likely have a great chance of getting admission to many of those programs but a horrible chance at receiving funding. Korbel, for instance and I speak from experience, gives automatic funding based on GPA. I don't know how much funding plays into your attending a program, however, I'd recommend applying for many external fellowships in the coming months. Those deadlines are typically earlier than the program application deadlines.

In my opinion, taking it for a grade looks better. All the same, if you really want to show proficiency, and depending on how much time you have before applications, perhaps you should take a proficiency test? http://www.arabacademy.com/en/alpt

It shouldn't pull down your GPA, though it may very well affect the ad-com's perception of your application. As far as the way the GPA is tabulated, I'm fairly certain that all schools tabulate GPA based only on classes completed prior to first degree conferral.

I was five years out of undergrad and still able to get a good academic reference (or so I am assuming since I never read it...he did remember me very well though!). If you feel it's important to the strength of your application, and you are unable to obtain one from a previous professor, maybe you should register as a non-degree student at a local graduate school and take a grad level class or two. Good luck.

Some schools may consider your application incomplete if your MBA transcript is not present and the MBA has been referenced somewhere else on your application (say on your MA transcript). Some may even consider you academically dishonest if they admit you only to find out about your MBA later. Why avoid submitting it anyway?

Work experience, especially "quality" (subjective, I know) work experience can let those evaluating applications determine: Perception of peers in the field - simply making it through a competitive hiring process to land an impressive job can be indicative of a positive perception of those actually working in the field. Not a catch all but certainly better than those who are in their last semester of an undergraduate program. Remember trhat for professional programs "placement rate" is critically important.Focus - If the applicant has a clear career focus demonstrated by their resume, ideally with jobs that are progressively more challenging.Ability - If you can demonstrate on your resume that you were able to complete a relevant project while IN the field you name dropped in your SOP, then good for you. You've earned a couple of points. For example, I think it probably helped me when applying to internationally focused policy programs that I worked in Japan for two years and have since traveled to multiple countries for work purposes. Anyway, these are not academic programs, in the traditional sense, they are professional programs and they require a certain amount of professional exposure from successful applicants. If you want to get a similar degree right out of undergrad, may I suggest Political Science, Economics or International Relations?

I had no problems getting into competitive MPP/MPA programs this past cycle using a LOR from a former supervisor I had while I lived and worked in Japan on the JET program. If they are able to be a good advocate for you, then why would you not use them?

It's not so black and white, in either direction. Schools are looking for balanced candidates. These are PROFESSIONAL programs after all and of course they are going to prefer incoming students that aren't coming straight out of undergrad. I wouldn't have been able to offer anything out of undergrad except an unearned cockiness and a lot of subjective views on things I knew nothing about. Now, while true I've only been out of school for 5 years, I feel that I have a much more reserved opinion on the way that organizations work and how to be a good worker within the public sphere. Of course I'm one of those who got accepted into a top tier program with a sub-3.0 GPA so I'm inclined to defend their admissions standards.

So you met three supervisors who anecdotally said they were prejudging all "Ivy League" grads? Good on you...? Of course there's the flip side, I'm certain, where someone will come back and say they know someone who burns all resumes from state school grads. Meh. Go to the best school for you. The one that offers you the best education at the best price point. OP it's probably not worth you "breaking the bank" to attend a marquee school. Get a good balance of location, curriculum, and cost.

I don't understand why anyone would be excited about the change. Maybe you will get a better raw score because the test is more tuned to your abilities, however, in the end the most important score is your percentile. Percentile is a measure of how you compare to others who took the same test as you. Again, I don't get the excitement. All the same, yeah, the test sounds potentially easier.

I vote all three that you outlined with priority going in this order: GRE retake (>75 percentile in each section is key, I think), non-matriculated/non-degree classes (even undergrad level can help if you do not have basic ECON or STAT from your first degree; Calculus and advanced mathematics also could aid you), volunteering. Lastly, go ahead and start writing that SOP now. Write it, put it aside and revisit it periodically over the next few months. Make a real effort to turn in an impressive application. Line up your recommendations and provide them with your resume. There's no reason you can't be finished with your application by the time the universities post them.

Not all states count stipends as income. It's worth asking your state's agency whether or not you qualify.

Matcha's (mmm...green tea) advice is sound. If you don't have the resources or time to visit all schools, then it makes sense to visit those that you feel you have a reasonable shot at. Of course, you could also do as I did and just apply to your dream programs and then be pleasantly surprised when a majority say they want you to attend. In January, after I submitted all of the applications, I was certain that I wouldn't be attending school this fall. I thought I'd just wasted hundreds of dollars and hours on a process I'd have to repeat again a year later. Luckily, I was wrong! So if you have a year to take an ambitious shot, I'd say give it a go! For IR, I recommend checking out University of Denver's Korbel School if you haven't already. They have a great reputation in the field AND they are in Denver.

I currently work in the International Admissions office at a major public. Trust me, this is NOT the case for all publics. Maybe UC's, sure. They have had budget problems for the better part of a decade. The recession simply made their problems more visible. You should always feel free to call the international admissions office at any institution you are applying to. Often the admissions offices are active as advocates for the international students that apply. You can get some good information from them about funding outcomes for their international students.

I agree with this 100%. You need to focus on what you can still control. Your cumulative GPA is tabulated using only the credit hours you completed PRIOR to your degree being conferred, so new classes don't affect it and it is set. Knock out your GRE with at least a >75th percentile score in each section. Take courses at your local university or through correspondence that are relevant to a MPP - Micro, Macro, Stat and advanced math are great options. Write a stellar SOP and get immaculate references. Take control of every facet of your application that you can still control.

At the university I work at it's 1100+ to even be considered; 1200+ to be at all competitive. I made nearly a 1300 on mine and I don't think it was too difficult. In fact, the only thing that brought me down was my ugly verbal score (AW was a 5.0, not bad). Shoot for the upper quartile with your percentiles. The raw score matters only insofar as whether or not they will consider you application. Percentile controls how competitive your application is within the applicant pool.

Nothing to say about your funding situation, sorry. Though I can say that Akita is BEAUTIFUL. The Tohoku region of Honshu is a natural beauty year-round. I don't know if you've been to Japan before, however, don't expect much in the way to connection to major metropolitan cities via Akita. Sendai is close, and interesting. There is a night train running from Akita to Kyoto that isn't too expensive. All the same, living in Tohoku is not living in Tokyo. Good luck finding funding.

The trail map link in my post above is no longer active, so here are some updated links: http://www.accessfayetteville.org/government/parks_and_recreation/documents/2009_Trails_Brochure.pdf http://www.accessfayetteville.org/search/index.cfm?cx=008990162727966634135:gyqurngwvrc&cof=FORID:11&ie=UTF-8&q=bike+trail&x=0&y=0 Again, I really would like to make myself available for anyone moving to Fayetteville. Especially those of you moving here sight-unseen.

I'll be moving nearly 900 miles with a 1.5 month old kid (our first). My wife and I are crazy. Anyway, we'll be renting a Budget truck, the smaller 10', and driving our Prius (thank god we have an efficient car). We're just trying to keep our mattress, TV, one book shelf and maybe our kitchen table. If those things weren't of high quality (read: higher price), we wouldn't bother moving them. Everything else will be sold. I really wish a queen mattress would fit in a van! I'm a little jealous of those of you who can justify selling everything and buying again. It was my first instinct but it's simply not worth it for us. As far as getting an apartment, we found Craigslist to be perfect for where we are moving (Ann Arbor). We went to visit for Preview Day and went and visited a short-list of posted apartments. Found one and signed the lease. It wasn't too bad. I don't think I'd use Craigslist for NYC but for the Midwest, the South or most of the rest of the US it should be fine. If anyone will be moving to Arkansas for the University of Arkansas let me know. I have a pretty cool house that is a bargain, within walking distance to campus and will be available in August .

I think TFA is more selective than PC while Americorps is less selective. I'm willing to be wrong on that one...

Have you already started OPT? I'd exhaust OPT and then worry about applying for schools. At least that would be one year of work experience. Try to make it relevant!

I probably shouldn't bandy this about in every thread asking about possibility of admission to competitive programs with a ho-hum GPA, however, I'll go ahead and tell you about my crappy GPA and how it didn't stop me from getting into my dream program. I have a 2.97 cumulative GPA from a Tier 1 major public and you can see in my signature which programs I was admitted into. I have 3 years of work experience that is reasonably relevant to the degree program. My GRE scores were all >75th percentile. My SOP for all school except the one I was denied admission to was, in my opinion, strong. My references should have been great, though I didn't read any of them. All in all, the only glaring weakness of my application was my GPA. My point is this: put together a strong application despite your GPA. Your GPA is only one part of a multi-faceted application package. Also, your GPA really isn't all that bad... Study hard for the GRE and try to get 80th percentile and above on all sections (typically something like V580, Q750, AW 5.0...I think). That's not so difficult so long as you study and focus. Draft your SOP early and keep going back to it. Make sure your references are in order EARLY. For most online applications, your references can submit without you being 100% done with your application. You have no longer have control over your GPA. Make sure you present yourself strongly through that which you still have control over!