Ingo93

My main areas of interest are security studies, international relations, and whichever school offers the strongest quant program. I've got a passing interest in healthcare/educational policy as well and experience in those sectors as I've worked briefly as a primary school teacher and for Medicare. As far as goals are concerned they're as follows: FSO for the State Department, intelligence analyst for one of the agencies, acquisitions for the DoD, or a job with the SEC. I could just as well settle for a consulting gig of some kind in the private sector provided it paid well enough, working as a lobbyist, an administrative job for a political party, or just join the military and try to make it as an officer (though this is an option I'd rather exercise if everything listed fell through). I'll be honest when I say that the prestige is probably drawing me more than it should as I imagine it may be helpful in the event that I opted to pursue a phd at some point. I understand that professional programs are nothing like academic programs, but I do wonder if their relative prestige has any impact on the success rate of candidates.

I'm just wondering how the job outcomes between those two schools measure up. LBJ does certainly seem to be ranked higher, but as far as the job outcomes they both offer I can't seem to be able to do a good apples to apples comparison as LBJ shows salary/internship outcomes while Bush shows job outcomes. Also I've been accepted to both with slightly better funding from Bush (about $7k more over two years), but I'm leaning towards LBJ due to the fact that they're more prestigious and likely well-established. Can anyone attest to the relative standing of the two Texas schools when it comes to public affairs?

I took a quick look at the graduate tuition calculator and according to it, the rate is $10,575 per semester if enrolled in 12 courses. Multiplied by four (pretending there are no adjustments), that puts the tuition rate $42,300. That's not bad compared to most private schools though in my view that's still quite pricey. Then again I'm somewhat debt averse since I haven't finished paying off my undergrad loans yet.

That's really strange. I didn't apply until February 18th and I don't think my application was actually complete until either the 24th or 25th of February.

Really? I'm surprised that something like that isn't prominently mentioned on the site. I suppose I'll know for certain where I stand when everything's wrapped up and I receive the formal offer letter.

Quick update, I also got an acceptance email from University of Texas today which makes me six for six. Still likely to attend A&M Bush barring substantial financial aid from UT or Pitt that at least brings me to in-state to at least make things comparable. With that being said, I'd just like to thank President Trump for giving me the confidence to apply for grad school since I figure if he can become president despite his lack of credentials I can get into a strong grad school despite a low GPA and meh work experience.

I also got an acceptance email from LBJ today. Unless I get a substantial financial aid package though I'm still probably going to attend A&M, since out-of-state at UT pretty damn high.

Program/Schools Applied To: Texas A&M Bush (MPSA), LBJ (MPA), Pittsburgh (MPIA), Penn State (SIA), Kentucky (Patterson), and Florida State (MIA) Schools Admitted To: Texas A&M ($7k), Pittsburgh (unknown/likely $0), Penn State ($15k), Kentucky ($0), and Florida State (unknown/likely $0) Schools Rejected From: None Still Waiting: Texas LBJ Undergraduate institution: Lower ranked Pac-12 school Undergraduate GPA: 2.9 Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 3.1 Undergraduate Major: BS in Economic Policy (major in Political Science) GRE Quantitative Score: 157 GRE Verbal Score: 163 GRE AW Score: 5.5 Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 2 Years of Work Experience: 2 Describe Relevant Work Experience: Currently work for the Social Security Administration, spent a large portion of my undergrad/first year out of college working for/volunteering for a political party. Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I think my SOP was pretty strong. I wrote about what I felt defines good leadership, the ease at which we may fall into group think patterns, the value of constantly challenging our ideals, and how my experience working for Social Security and speaking with people at campaign events shaped my desire to get into public service. My actual process consisted of me drinking a lot of whiskey, reading what I wrote the morning after, and then submitting it immediately because I didn't want to overthink it. Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I got the LORs from my mentor from work, my academic adviser, and one of my former professors. I can't say I was particularly close with any of them and I have no idea what they wrote, but whatever it is did the trick. Other: Aside from mock trial, pre-law society, economics club, and a few bs positions in student government I really didn't do much at all in undergrad. I wish I could say that the decision for where I might go was hard, but as things currently stand I don't see myself getting a much better offer than I presently have from Texas A&M, especially since they waive out-of-state tuition. Given the uncertainty at the federal level, I especially feel that it's important to go for something that offers a greater degree of flexibility so in that sense an MPA almost seems more attractive than IR. I also had expected to be rejected somewhere, it makes me wish I had shot for higher ranked schools just to see what my ceiling was.

I'm in the exact same situation. I'm probably going to just pull the trigger and take the money the Bush School awarded me and run.

BS in Economics and a major in Political Science.

I just got in today as well. If I get accepted to LBJ and Bush I'll have a real dilemma on my hands. As things currently stand it's a two horse race for me with Kentucky and Pittsburgh.

Applied: Texas A&M MPP, Kentucky Patterson, Pittsburgh GSPIA, Penn State SIA, Florida State MIA, and Maryland MPP Hopes: Acceptance into Texas A&M and either Kentucky, Pittsburgh, or Maryland so I have the good kind of dilemma, especially if I get some kind of funding. Dreams: I didn't really apply for any reach schools, so nothing really sticks out to me. Guesses: I'll probably get nervous and throw out another application or two to some safety schools. Still, the fact that I got the interview conference with Texas A&M without having completed my application hopefully bodes well.

Lucky thing I'm planning on going military after I get my master's.

I'm applying to five or six. Texas A&M (MPA and IR), Kentucky, Florida State, and Penn State. I may or may not apply to Pittsburgh and/or Georgia Tech, it all depends on how confident I feel.

I was looking at Penn State SIA, which was pretty vague about job placement after graduation. I guess that doesn't bode well.

Aside from of course rankings, I'm wondering how best to assess the quality of IR programs. The quality of the incoming class with regards to scores, age, experience, etc. is one metric but at the same time I feel that it can be easily overrated by a school's name recognition rather than the overall quality of the program itself. I also looked at employment numbers, but all I saw were numbers indicating that graduates were working full-time, which doesn't say much since I'm sure a grad working full-time at McDonald's would qualify. Are there any metrics in particular I should look at to assess the quality of a program?

What would you say is a good benchmark worth aiming for? I understand that with some law schools a point higher on the LSAT is roughly equivalent to .1 point in GPA once you go beyond the median, but with master's programs it seems a bit more nuanced. I've also given consideration to waiting and continuing to work (I currently work a public sector job that will likely have some merits in my application but won't really blow anyone away), but I'd rather not wait another two or three years mainly because I'd like to get all my schooling taken care of early in life so I don't need to take a break from my professional life once that goes into full swing.

I graduated from a school that's not particularly prestigious and don't have tons of work experience to compensate for my weak GPA (only a year and a half removed from undergrad). As it stands, I got my degree in Policy Economics with a 2.94 overall GPA with a major in Political Science (~3.5 GPA in the major). My GRE score stands at a respectable but not exceptional 161V/157Q/5.5W. What I want to know is with regards to the programs I'm targeting (IR at TAMU, Texas, Penn State, and Pitt), is it worth it to retake the GRE? I'm certain I could improve my score by at least six points if I retook the test, but at the same time I question if that's significant enough to go through all that trouble.

I'm planning on applying for fall 2017 and would very much appreciate some input as to what my chances are. Program: International Relations Interests: Security studies/human security, diplomacy Schools Applying To: TAMU (Bush), UT (MGPS), Wisconsin (La Follette), Georgia Tech (Nunn), Pittsburgh (GSPIA), and probably Penn State. Undergrad Institution: Pac-12 school known for partying Undergraduate GPA: 2.94, my political science GPA is ~3.4 Undergraduate Major: BS in Economics (focus on public policy) and a major in Political Science. I think I took a good amount of quantitative classes though I suspect the grades I obtained won't impress anyone. GRE: 161V, 157Q, and 5.5W Years of Work Experience: Going on one year now full time though I worked consistently during undergrad as well. Languages: English, advanced but not fluent Spanish and rudimentary Turkish. Work Experience: Currently work as a public servant, fairly high stress job that's giving me grey hairs. With that being said I do appreciate the fact that I have regular interactions with the public (both domestically and abroad). LORs: One strong one from a former political science professor (non-tenured), a strong LOR from my academic adviser, and a fairly generic one from a professor who I've taken two classes with. Unfortunately, the third LOR I had lined up got recently disgraced and I don't think a letter of recommendation from him will do me much good. Other Things: Have spent some time abroad though probably not enough to emphasize on a resume. Also have a fair amount of experience volunteering for partisan campaigns and GOTV efforts (volunteered in 2012, 2014, and 2016). Spent four years in economics club, chaired several committees while in hall government (my dorm was full of sticklers for procedure), and two years in mock trial (served as treasurer). As a candidate looking at my numbers I'm not very strong, but the two skills I'm hoping will make the difference are my ability to craft a good essay and the fact that I'm a good interviewee. Additional Questions: 1. Is it worth it for me to retake the GRE? I'm confident if I retook it I could hit at least 164V and 160Q if not higher, at the same time retaking the GRE requires time and money both of which are things I don't have in abundance. 2. Are there any particular programs that I may realistically be able to attend that suit my particular interests that I might be overlooking? On that note are there any programs where I may be a little too optimistic by applying to? I understand that a sub 3.0 can be an albatross around the neck though I'd prefer not to go to school later if only because going back to school becomes more challenging when you're older and more settled in. Thanks in advance for any help/advice I receive.

I took the test cold and got 154 in verbal. In general the verbal portion of the test gave me some trouble, so I'd like to know if there are any books, authors, etc I should be reading to help improve my score/prepare for the reading section of the GRE.

I appreciate the advice, guys. One final question, how heavily is the GRE weighted? I know for law school the LSAT is weighted as (if not more) heavily than GPA and your LSAT score can make or break your application. As it stands, I'm probably going to just do the best that I can on the GRE, shoot whatever programs seem most accommodating/are in locations I wouldn't mind spending two years in (the local option is off the table for me due to GPA cutoffs), and let the chips fall where they may.

Are there any fairly reputable MA programs that come to mind that are more permissive of sub 3.0 gpas?

In short, I did a pretty thorough job of screwing myself in UG by finishing with a sub-3.0 overall GPA (2.94) and by not finishing my major in political science (I finished my major in economics). Since the most reputable institutions are no doubt out of reach, I want to get a feel for what universities I can get in to, preferably ones that offer a good platform for pursuing a phd somewhere better at a later point. I need a no bs assessment of what the best programs are that I can shoot for. I've looked at a few that claim to be more permissive of sub-3.0s (University of Georgia and Arkansas both say something to that effect), but I have no way of knowing if they just say that to get more applicants.