Elvidi

So most of my programs offer space somewhere in the application to provide additional information, such as clarifying academic records or other sort of logistical things you might want to bring to the attention of the AdComm. I have a couple points on my transcript I'd like to clarify, and I also want to list the courses I plan to take in the spring. My question is, how does one usually approach these essays? right now, mine is basically formatted as a letter without salutation. Along the lines of "As you review my application packet, there are a few points I would like to explain in regards to my transcript ... " Is this a pretty standard format? Thanks in advance for any input!!

A little late to the party, but I'm on the LSE journey as well question - does anyone know if SoP expectations are different for UK schools than for US schools? Or are they basically the same? (Sorry if this has already been asked. Just point me in the right direction if that's the case)

@fuzzylogician Thanks for the input! I think that's what I will end up doing. The recommender was actually a supervisor and already wrote me a short evaluation for my internship credit, so my plan is to send a comprehensive outline and attach the old eval as well as a sort of "remember why you liked me" reminder

Bumping this post as I have a very similar question. I recently requested an LoR and the recommender asked me to write an "outline letter" that she could "fill in". Is this basically just writing my own LoR? Or something more along the lines of a bullet-list outline? I've never experienced this before and don't know how to even begin approaching it.

@CakeTea, thanks for the advice! I'm not too concerned about GW (average quant is 153), and I'm pretty sure the LSE program doesn't require scores, so I guess my main concern is Fletcher (the average there is minimum 60th percentile). Do you think this is something I should address in the space for additional information on the application? Also, I did self-study using ETS/PowerPrep and Magoosh. I was scoring o.k. on practice tests but I think I just spooked a bit on test day

Hi! Hope this helps

I just re-took the GRE and raised my quant score by a disappointing 2 points (149/37th percentile to 151/45th percentile). This is somewhat to well below the average for top programs. Will it help my case that I've gotten an A or A- in macro, micro, stats and science courses (including an introductory physics course)? If so (or also if not, I suppose), is this something I should address in the "additional info" section of applications? Thanks for the input!

Thank you for the input! I have a follow-up now ... after much thought, I'm leaning toward the bigger name. My question now is, if I haven't been in contact with him since June, how do I tastefully ask for him to write me a letter? While I'm certain he hasn't forgotten who I am, I feel strange just shooting him an unsolicited email...

Would a professional rec be helpful to you at all? A current or recent supervisor?

I would say the same. I usually send recommenders a list of programs that require submission through some kind of portal. I usually include some kind of forewarning ("I should be getting these to you within the next hour or so - let me know if any are missing!"). I then literally open each portal in its own tab, enter the recommender info, and send the invitations one after another. It's a pain in the butt, but such is the age of digital communication ...

If that is your only option, then I guess it's what you have to do - and if you play it right, it just might work (I would not, however, make it sound like that rec is basically a placeholder. the prof will probably not think it's worth their time). However, as stated above I'd lean more towards looking for alternative options ...

hi! it looks like the file is restricted, just FYI

Hi all, So for one of the schools I'm applying to (Tufts Fletcher), there is an additional essay required on top of the SoP: "To help the Committee on Admissions get to know you better, please share an anecdote, or details about an experience or personal interest, that you have not elaborated upon elsewhere in your application." I know it's a bad idea to go "gimmicky" on these, so I've thrown out quite a few of those ideas. Here are the three I'm currently thinking of: 1. Description of my leadership for 2 years in a campus advocacy organization (my concern being that everyone else applying to this program will also have stellar leadership experience and they won't be very interested in my work with a tiny group no matter how much I've busted my butt) 2. More broad description of my background, outlining the interests and experiences that led me, a born-and-raised South Dakota girl, to pursue a career in diplomacy, and how my Midwest identity still plays a role in everything I do (this would allow me to incorporate more of my accomplishments, such as international, professional and leadership experience) 3. anecdote about coming to the realization that I'm an introvert, and how this contributes to my strengths and skills (this is the more gimmicky option, but again will allow me to elaborate on some of my accomplishments) In case it wasn't clear from the above options, I'm applying straight out of undergrad so I don't have a lot of nonacademic experiences to share outside of internships, extracurriculars, and things that happened before I could be considered an adult. So that's where I'm stuck. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

That's definitely why I'm applying for Map Your Future. I'm hoping I can use the admissions interview to convince them of my ability to get some solid work experience in before starting. Thanks again for the input!

@went_away, this is super helpful, thank you! It's so intimidating looking at the profiles and stats of students/grads (especially. Fletcher, obviously my first choice) with all these crazy Ivy League BA degrees and I'm over here paying out of state tuition at a mediocre public university :/ do you have any tips for reaching out to grads/students while I'm applying? I have basically no connections there so I really don't know where to start!

I'm sure this has been answered so apologies if I'm being repetitive. I'm just curious - how important is the prestige/ranking of undergrad education in admissions to big name IR/professional programs?

I have a similar problem - my quant was horrible, but verbal and written were well within the 90th+ percentile range. I'm obviously retaking - but I've heard that good grades in quant-heavy classes (stats, econ) can help balance this out? I've taken micro and quant. research methods and gotten A's in both, and I'm anticipating an A in Macro this semester. I'm just really bad at standardized math tests, apparently

What about length? In its current iteration, mine is slightly longer than my usual professional resume since the education section has been expanded ...

thanks for the advice! I'm applying to IR as my second choice at LSE. Good luck to you too!! I've heard both yes and no for including relevant coursework. Any other thoughts out there?

That's what I've heard too ... But it's the only one I'm really qualified for so I'm trying to decide if it's worth putting in the effort for the application ...

Hi all, I'm just wondering if anyone has advice for tailoring a resume for grad/professional programs, especially as an undergrad with decent professional and international experience but with little research experience (just an in-progress honors thesis). Do you include things like relevant coursework? research interests? I've never formatted a resume for anything besides jobs/internships, so insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Alright, I'm gonna jump on the bandwagon as I'm currently procrastinating working on applications! Program Applied To: IR Masters Schools Applying To: GWU Elliott - MA Global Comms,Tufts Fletcher (MYF) - MALD, LSE - MSc Global Politics Undergraduate institution: Decently-ranked (but not top-tier!) public university (Class of 2016) Undergraduate GPA: 3.9 Undergraduate Majors: International Affairs (candidate for honors), German Studies; also a Certificate in Middle East and Islamic Studies GRE: 149 quantitative/162 verbal/5.5 written (planning to retake) Age: 23 at entry Future Goals: to study and ultimately work in leveraging public diplomacy and communication for civil society development in fragile and post-conflict states Work Experience: a hodgepodge of internships - a political campaign (4 months, 40-50hrs/week), a service learning internship in Israel (5 weeks, ~10 hrs/week), an advocacy internship for a development org in DC (semester, full-time), and a development & outreach internship with a local nonprofit (summer, full-time) Languages: German (proficient - formal instruction through C1 + in-country experience), Arabic (MSA, lower intermediate - currently in 5th semester of formal instruction) International Experience: Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange scholarship program in high school; semester in Germany (took the equivalent of 36 credits in 5 months) and summer seminar in Israel during college Quantitative Experience: Coursework in Macro- and Microeconomics, Quant. Research Methods SOP: At this point it could honestly go either way. Focusing on my international experiences as the foundation for my interest in intercultural communication and public diplomacy and talking about my undergraduate thesis research. LOR: one strong rec from a teacher/advisor/mentor from my DC semester, professional rec from development director at small nonprofit (her evaluation of my skills will be strong, but it wasn't an internship directly related to IR so that might weaken it a bit), and academic recs from the two profs on my thesis committee Other: I know that applying straight out of undergrad isn't necessarily the best choice, but I'm applying to these programs plus nonacademic fellowships, internships, etc - just keeping my options open for post-graduation! I'm also debating whether I should play up my current position as the president of a student advocacy group - I'm afraid this will make it sound like I don't have skills outside a campus context. Thanks for any input! It's greatly appreciated.

Would like to revive this post!

These are great, thank you! I'm a super visual learner so this is really beneficial for me.

Long-time lurker of thread here as well! I applied for a UK study grant. I'm severely under-qualified so my expectations aren't too high, but it would definitely be cool! Good luck to everyone!