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

ok guys so I spoke to LKY, they said I didn't get a scholarship and that chances of scholarships being redistributed are slim, exact words were "I can't tell you if it could happen but I would say no". So, there you have it. For anyone still wondering if your letter didn't contain the scholarship that's the end of the game unless a miracle happens but don't hold your breath. oh and for people still waiting, since all of us from the first batch have to submit our decision by thursday chances are the next round of acceptances will start either friday or next monday or tuesday (this is conjecture on my part, LKY didn't tell me this). Acceptances are done in batches not in a steady stream so don't worry if you don't hear in the next few days, usually they do all of them together throughout one or two days.

well I saw a SAIS openhouse video from a few years back where one of the students said that if you were looking for finance, wall street, etc. you would be better off in NYC for career prospects but that if you were into multilateral orgs, think tanks, etc. DC was the place to be. He did say for finance ppl they would have to commute back and forth to NY if they really wanted to network. If you want to do finance at the World Bank though SAIS can't be beat. Here: It's quite old but I hope it helps anyway

Yes @Daniyal1986, the only person to post here was Theo who got a scholarship. If anyone else got one please let us know.

I would say Duke, much better aid, Durham is way cheaper than Chicago and the name difference isn't too big. I'd say UChicago is probably a step below HBP and Duke is maybe two steps below, or one and half. Where do you feel you fit in the most? Where will you be happier.

Hi CPRMPA, congrats on getting into upenn! I'm glad you had a good cycle and got into such a great school. Would you mind elaborating a bit on why you didn't love WWS? I'd love some insight from someone who visited.

I think it happened within a few minutes, I'm not sure if I just had good timing and checked the portal right before they sent the email or if it had been that way for a while. They probably change the portal right before sending the email. Thanks for the congratulations everyone Good luck to everyone still waiting!

So I haven't gotten an email but I checked the portal and it says "offer made" and gives me the option of accepting or declining. No letter or funding details though! Check your portals just in case! Edit: Got the official e-mail. Sadly no scholarship offer.

Congrats @Theo20!!!! Glad to see results are finally coming out. Do you mind telling us at what time you got the email? Singaporean time that is

Mpa dream would you mind sharing a brief profile of yourself? (Previous education, work exp, tests) I'm trying to figure out if there's any correlation between being called to interview and past policy experience since some people who were interviewed seem to have a different background to the program (engineers, private sector analysts, etc.) while others who do have public service experience or related majors were not.

Actually no, WWS has both a regular program and a mid-career one. @Palolem I think a lot of people take themselves out of the running because they don't think they can get it, especially since WWS explicitly states that in order to be competitive you need at least 2 years of public service along with good grades and GREs. Also, WWS has a different vibe to it than other programs like SAIS, SIPA, Fletcher, etc. It usually attracts a similar crowd as HKS and Goldman instead.