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Previous Degrees and GPA's: Bachelor in Political Science with a minor in Middle Eastern Studies 3.48/3.66
GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 700/720/5.0
Previous Work Experience: Interned in college for a Defense Lobbyist in DC. Taught 7th and 8th grade for a year. 3.5 years as an Army Military Intelligence Officer with a deployment to Iraq commanding a tactical collection team.
Math/Econ Background: Calculus I & II, Intro to Economics, Statistics
Foreign Language Background: Studied Arabic in college but am not proficient.
Recommendations: Two former commanding officers and one professor from ND.
In my SOP and my essay for the IFP I talked about my interest in Shiite Extremist groups and there inclusion into the governments of Lebanon and Iraq. I had done undergraduate research on the topic and have practical experience from my deployment to central and southern Iraq.
I'm trying to decide between Columbia, Fletcher, and Georgetown (Security Studies). I received roughly equivalent funding from all of them. I recently visited Tufts and loved it. It's a small, flexible program with a strong faculty. The professors actively work with students to arrange research and internship oppurtunities over the summers. The oppurtunity to work with Vali Nasr is extremely appealing. I was ready to sign on with Tufts until I got the email from Columbia about two hours after leaving Medford. The IFP oppurtunity seems cool although I don't know exactly how strong Columbia is in Security Studies. I'm planning on visiting both Columbia and Gtown within the next few weeks to help with the decision.