Jump to content

DogsArePeopleToo

Members
  • Posts

    131
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by DogsArePeopleToo

  1. That's great. Good to know the US is still issuing visas Hope the travel is also a good experience.
  2. In my country, wine comes by VERY hard. Illegal, actually. Bad hombre country. Beer is even harder. You get piss-warm beer for an arm and a leg. So it's whine wait whine for us. The pain never dulls. The wait is hard. Life is a torture. Existence hurts. </whine>
  3. Congratulations! I hope you can make it. It's a bit odd that they're sending the acceptance and funding decisions separately because on their website FAQs, it says they both go out at the same time. As for me, here's what I got from a faculty member a week after I finished the video interview: I have just reviewed your application for CIPA’s MPA program and wanted to let you know that it is a very strong application and I am sure that when the review process is completed (soon) you will be notified by the Cornell Graduate School of your admission to the program. Is that an acceptance? Me hopes so. This professor and the executive director of the program have been very nice over email, responding to my questions and even connecting me to an alum from my country. This level of attention feels GREAT.
  4. Just saw this topic, and since it applies to my situation, here's how we're handling: My significant other and I have been together about three years and have been long-distancing it for the most part. When I start grad program this fall, it will be intercontinental. It will not be easy, but we've made it thus far and will continue to do it in the future. There's no other way. She's got her own specialist physician training and I have mine. Our plan is to spend as many holidays together as we can and spend our vacations together as well, so that'll be a few times a year, hopefully. Obviously, it won't be easy or cheap. But it's easier than if we had children. Good luck to everyone who has to deal with this situation.
  5. I realize the relevance of my response in this thread has expired, but for posterity's sake, let me add my two cents: I absolutely agree with everything in this post (quoted). I am in my seventh year out of undergrad, and while I absolutely love what I've done in this time, I'm also pushing 30. And part of me seems to have wanted to get a higher degree before turning 30. That's impossible now. I'm on track to start a degree program this fall, though, but everything the poster above said applies to why it took me so long to get back to student mode. Good luck with your decisions!
  6. That sounds hopeful. Then again, that was before Trump's EOs.
  7. Hope you face no problems. Good luck! Yup. I'm from one of the countries in the vicinity of Pakistan, a country that, like Pakistan, everyone expected to be on the original 7 list but wasn't. So we're all freaking out about what might happen now. I'm part of a contingent of about 80 Fulbright exchange students supposed to go to grad school this fall. We've had visa rejections during the "normal" years - we can only imagine what Trump's "extreme vetting" might look like for us. And we're not even dual nationals, so we can't enjoy the protections of Canada or the UK, etc. *Shudder*
  8. You've probably seen the news already, but the Trump administration has reassured the Canadian government that Canadian dual nationals from one of the seven countries will be allowed to enter the US. The British also took this up with the Trump admin and came up with this clarification, which is the same that the Canadians got. The only possible hang-up, according to the British: The only dual nationals who might have extra checks are those coming form one of the 7 countries themselves -- for example a UK-Libya dual national coming from Lybia to they US. So if Pakistan gets added to the list, it's reasonable that you can expect the same treatment dual Canadian nationals of these other seven countries get. So, no biggie. Unless Trump decides to add Pakistan and impose stricter rules on dual Pakistani-Canadian nationals. Then it's a biggie.
  9. Applied: Duke Sanford, Georgetown McCourt, UMd College Park, Cornell SIPA (Fulbright applied me to these schools without much feedback from me) Dreams: I'm torn...CIPA/Sanford are good, but McCourt and UMd are located in/near DC. Hopes: That I get in. Anything is better than nothing. Hope springs eternal.
  10. This is true. I used Magoosh and found the content, especially quant, to be very helpful. In the end, I was able to improve my quant by 4 points. That's not much, and I'd have liked it to be more, but the modest increase wasn't because Magoosh videos were bad; it was because I didn't do enough practice questions. So the bottomline is that while test prep material is important, equally - if not more - important is what you do with it.
  11. THIS. Thank you. This is thoughtful, detailed and practical. Thank you for taking the time to write this response to my post. I am not planning to go into government (not the US government, at least) but I do hope to work at INGOs or the government of my country. Judging by your last paragraph, it seems like a brand name school is a better fit as long as it's a fit otherwise (my financial aid is covered because I'm applying through an exchange program).
  12. You're right, it was moved. I posted it in the wrong category. Sorry.
  13. Thank you for starting this thread and sending your support, @SarahBethSortino. We international students are going through a lot of uncertainty and there's nothing we can do about it - no amount of hard work, good grades or better scores can help. But solidarity helps! Thank you.
  14. Yeah, I see what you mean about the industry. On the other hand, a program like Georgetown has a location advantage that some better ranked universities don't have. And if you ever change careers, the Cornell brand might serve one better than the Indiana brand, despite the actual program rankings being the other way.
  15. Hello everyone, What does everyone make of the ranking of a particular program versus that of the whole university? For example, Cornell's public administration program is ranked 43, and Indiana's is ranked 1 by US News and World Report right now. The "prestige" of both universities overall is quite different. If given the choice, ceteris paribus, which program would you choose and why? How much does program ranking matter vis-a-vis university prestige in one's professional career? Does it really matter?
  16. Trump's election didn't deter me from applying, but his latest executive order has given me pause. My country is not one of the seven, but it is one that could easily be on his next list should he choose to extend the ban. He has already promised tougher visa rules for my country. I'm just on the fact that I've been to the US multiple times, including as a student, which should give me some credibility in the visa application process despite my nationality. Guess we'll have to wait and watch.
  17. As always, this is very helpful, @DBear. Thank you very much. About the use of statistics, I am not sure the problem I have in mind lends itself to quantified measures...it's a developing world issue that we all know is pervasive but hasn't been measured or studied. Any thoughts on how I might discuss it?
  18. Thank you very much @DBear. This is very helpful. In terms of recommendations for admission essays like this, would you suggest sticking to more orthodox policy solutions or bending in the direction of a more creative/original approach? Also, I would imagine the issue I choose should be simple enough to lend itself to a one-page response. Or I could take one aspect of a broader issue.
  19. Hi everyone, I wanted to ask you about something: what do schools expect to get from applicants' policy essays? I have been asked by Fulbright to respond to the essay prompt below from the Sanford School. Am I supposed to show that I am already extremely good at grappling with policy stuff? That I know the theory? Or that I can think smartly about issues? Or is it really about judging my writing? Any feedback on how to approach policy essays would be greatly appreciated. ---- Policy Essay: Discuss a particular policy problem or challenge you have encountered in your work or that your country has faced. Describe the nature of the problem, and discuss some of the ways in which attempts were made to solve the problem, including your assessment of how well the solutions worked or failed. What might you now recommend to solve the problem? Please limit your response to one page
  20. Bumping this in hopes of getting some wisdom. Grateful for any input.
  21. Hello everyone, I just received communication that I need to do a video "interview" with the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs. Has anyone done this before? It seems to me they make all applicants do it. Is that true? Do you have tips and tricks and dos and don'ts you want to share? FYI, I am an international Fulbright finalist and I just learned that IIE shopped me to Cornell. I wish I also knew my other placements but they don't tell you anything about that, sadly. I am curious how CIPA is seen within the industry and academia as opposed to its relatively modest ranking of 41 (I know, I know, it's supposed to be about the fit and the education, not the ranking but we all obsess over that, so indulge me here if you can).
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use