KhalifehA

Glad to hear that!
I got a call last week from the Fulbright scholarship program confirming my enrollment at Yale Jackson. Best phone call EVER!
So I guess I'll see you in August @cbx2v !!

Glad to hear that!
I got a call last week from the Fulbright scholarship program confirming my enrollment at Yale Jackson. Best phone call EVER!
So I guess I'll see you in August @cbx2v !!

Glad to hear that!
I got a call last week from the Fulbright scholarship program confirming my enrollment at Yale Jackson. Best phone call EVER!
So I guess I'll see you in August @cbx2v !!

I think you are on the right track with your shortlist. I agree with your top choices though I may not favour NYU & Uni of Washington due to my fit. I checked on the Fulbright website in my country and most students pick the usual top 10 programs. A few applicants attended a safety school on your list over the years. Syracuse, American, Denver, UCSD, UT Austin, TAMU, Pitt. GA Tech is a good uni, but the MA Int Relations is not as strong as the aforementioned.

It's pretty competitive. Acceptance rate is around 15-20%, comparable to WWS. Doors at schools with "lots of money and resources" aren't going to be freely open.
 

Uhh, first off only do one post.
Off the top of my head, I would apply to:
1. Yale (the Jackson school isn't THAT competitive and they'll like that you're a Fulbright from Lebanon; talk about the refugee crisis, Syria, and your contribution to helping things and you should be golden - seriously, this is the top geo-political issue in the world right now and you're right in the middle of it). Yale is an oft-overlooked program, but I think you could thrive there; it's a smaller, more intimate program and they seem to devote lots of time to the students; also, the school has tons of money and resources - always a good thing. You might also consider Georgetown's MSFS program as your top choice; their career services would do a great job of funneling you into internships and getting you in to a decent international NGO. But I would strongly push you toward Yale as your top choice.
2. Fletcher - might be the best school out there for people interested in refugees, humanitarian, and NGO work; they'll almost certainly let you in with a serviceable resume OR Columbia (if the bright lights of NYC call to you) OR SAIS (if DC is appealing). I'm biased toward Fletcher, so would strongly recommend you make that your second choice. 
3. Maybe University of Denver; probably is easier to get in to and the Korbel school is still well-regarded in International Development circles. 
4. Not sure; maybe UC San Diego or Pittsburgh; I've heard decent things about both. West Coast might not be for you if you want to do a Middle East focus. 
Personally, I would skip the UW; Seattle is very far from most international development power centers, the Gates Center notwithstanding (they tend to hire MBA types anyway and like people with Mckinsey type experience), and the Jackson and Evans Schools are very focused on local students and local county types of jobs. Substitute NYU for Columbia/Fletcher if New York is hugely important to you; it's less prestigious and probably easier to get in to. 

Congratulations on your Fulbright nomination, you can be proud of your achievement. A masters in the US represents a huge educational and professional development opp. Following Fulbrights guidelines, have you thought about fit? Based on your academic interests and concentrations at various schools, where would you be comfortable with? Any professors you would like to work with? Incidentally you have not elaborated on this matter.
As went_away indicated, Fletcher is well regarded for Human Rights in the NGO field. SAIS Int Dev is highly regarded as it incorporates economic analysis and quantitative curriculum along with DC links to gov and IOs. SAIS is a larger program and less personal than smaller programs (Yale).
Syracuse is a good school and may be an alternative to Denver (strength: Security) or UCSD.(Asia Pacific and policy analysis).
Good luck
 
 
 

I think OP explicitly stated that he can only apply to one Ivy/top school, and he has to come up with a safety school - he'd be happy with! - as well.