Ella16

Do well on the GRE and you'll be fine

I agree with your assessment that the GPA and GRE is quite bad and will hurt your chances. You generally need either one or the other to compensate OR amazing work experience that is several years removed from undergrad. Three years is not enough to be considered far removed and I think you'll have a very hard time getting into the top programs with aid. If aid isn't an issue and you can write a super compelling sop you may have a shot. Id recommend you study super super hard for the GRE and get those scores as high as possible and focus on your sop. Otherwise I'd be prepared for having to work for a couple more years before applying so that those undergrad grades don't blow your chances.

If you're sure I guess go for it. You can probably get into some of these programs with minimal aid. If I were you i wouldn't expect much $$$. I would also recommend taking 2 or more years off before going to grad school. Everyone's different but when I was an undergrad I thought I wanted to go to law school. It's up to you, just be very sure before you agree to take on debt.

Better to ask but probably not, lky has said that the acceptance can be deferred but not the scholarship, you would have to compete for it again next year

can't really comment on the experience part but I do think that the fact that you are far removed from your undegrad and that you already completed a grad degree with a good GPA should attenuate the weight placed on your undergrad grades. That said you have a strong econ background and a really low quant score... You have plenty of time, I think it would definetly be worth it to study up on quant, do a bunch of timed practice problems/full length tests and get that score over 160.

Revolutionary, I think you need to figure out what you prioritize, moving away from Pakistan no matter what you have to do or getting into policy even though it might take longer and mean you wont get a job abroad. As others have mentioned policy is not the type of career that will enable you to easily get job sponsorships abroad, especially not in the US at this point in time. IOs are really the best option for internationals because of how hard it is to get a visa, but again those jobs don't grow on trees and with only one year experiece you will be competing with all of your classmates and people from other top degrees who have more and better experience than you. Simply having a Cornell degree wont make you a shoe in. It's not even amongst the top top top policy degrees in the states... I think you might be overestimating it a bit cause it's an Ivy (not saying that it's bad, there are just bigger names out there for this). It seems like your heart is really set on Cornell and ultimately you're looking for people to justify your decision, as you hace noticed by now very few of us agree. However, there is no one path to success. Having 3-4 years of experience, great volunteering, 5 languages and whatever else people say you need to succeed won't guarantee you get a dream policy job in an amazing place and that you'll be happy. Although I agree that this degree right now is a big risk and seems financially irresponsible sometimes you gotta take the leap. If you do make the decision to go, make sure that you're going with your eyes wide open and that you are prepared for a scenario in which you don't get a visa in the US or elsewhere, don't get into a Phd of your choice (which i agree you should never do just for the heck of it) and will have to move back to Pakistan anyway.

Yea, look into canadian or australian schools. Those countries have looser immigration rules especially after you complete a degree there.

Agree with Went away. Other options would be to apply for SAIS or the MDP at Berkeley. SAIS is expensive but can open the door for World Bank and those types of jobs relatively easily and that could help buy you time to get another job in the states. The MDP is STEM designated so you get almost 3 years post grad in the states to get a job. (Although with the whole H1B visa issue I don't know how easy that'll be...)

Hi, I agree with your assessment that these are cash cow programs. Since you already have an MA I would suggest you not take these offers, especially since they come with no funding and I honestly doubt they will help with job prospects all that much. An MA might help if you had bad undergrad grades and needed a stepping stone to boost you up to phd competitiveness but I don't think that's worth it for the amount you'll have to pay, considering that if you do get a phd later, even with a scholarship you won't really be making money and will have a hard time paying it back. So, I'd adivse you not to go and instead get some research experience and reapply next year.

I'm sorry I won't be meeting you lovely people in july, I'm sure we will all end up exactly where we belong in the end. I wish you all the best!

Congrats Khalifeh! I was following your fulbright trajectory, I'm glad you ended up where you wanted to be!

@Diesek no, I had emailed then a couple of days back about deferring and was still waiting to hear back when they called me

@hunny7 they called my house and then I got the letter with the details

oh my god you guys. In a crazy and completely unexpected turn of events i was offered the full scholarship just now. I'm completely taken aback considering how clearly admissions had stated that I was not given anything! I'm still in shock. So there you have it, my previous advice might have been mistaken. Good luck to all and thank you for the support! I honestly would have lost my mind without gradcafe!

Does lky not award any partial scholarships? It's either full ride or nothing at all? I think more of their accepted applicants would attend if they received at least some help, they'd get more of their tp picks that way