elaecarioca

Thanks for the response, I've seem some posts where people have mentioned that they have gotten funding for a LAS MA at UCLA and partially at U of Texas. If anything, I'll make sure to apply to a broad set of programs to avoid taking out loans. I'll consider Spanish instruction as well! Thanks.

May not have mentioned this but currently working as Library staff at UC Berkeley so I'm considering a dual MA-MLIS, then PhD - potential career fields: research librarian, archival work - working with the National Security Archive would be a dream. My fiancé is committed to a career in academia and i'm not as certain. Realistically, archival work will assure that we both are employable at a major university / I can find work to pay off student loans.

Hello, this is my first post - I recently graduated from UC Berkeley with 3 majors: Political Science, Latin American Studies, Spanish Literature. My research interests are in post-cold war politics, theories of democracy, contemporary social movements and neoliberalism - I particularly focus on post-Pinochet Chile and the most recent waves of social mobilizations. I would be interested in studying new technologies/media (their use in social protests), subnational challenges to the neoliberal status quo and the ideological/intellectual left in Latin America. Personal Background: first generation, low-income, part indigenous. I lived in Argentina/Mexico for 13 years, studied 2 years in Chile (U of Chile, PUC), one summer in France (sociology) and I speak fluent Spanish and Portuguese, some French. Worked 20-30 hours during the school year so I didn't have as much time to dedicate myself to research projects but I have solid literature reviews, observational research from Chile (I heavily participated in the 2011-12 student movement) and term papers on the subject. My overall GPA is 3.55 (a little low?) major GPA's are: 3.5 (PS), 4.0 (LAS) & 3.45 (Spanish Lit). GRE: 85th Percentile (trying to improve it up to 90th percentile) Recommendations: very great from 2 historians, one from a literature professor/director of Chile program. I don't feel like my stats are strong enough to apply directly to a top PhD program. My training in research methodologies is not as strong as I'd like it to be either - so i'm applying for MA programs to strengthen my application, gain more research experience and then apply for a PhD in either Political Science, History or Sociology at Berkeley, U of Chicago, Columbia, Yale, Stanford, NYU. My fiancé just committed to Harvard for her PhD so somewhere on the east coast is preferable. MA Choices: Latin American Studies Georgetown U of Texas Austin U of Chicago NYU UC San Diego UCLA Anyone apply to these recently? What does your funding look like? Others doing similar MA-then PhD track to strengthen their prospects? Should I take a chance and apply to PhD programs as well? Or other potential schools that may be a fit? (Anyone attend Tulane, U of North Carolina?)