Rachel C

I have to say, Georgetown is an awful beast of bureaucracy. But the MAGES program has been awesome in getting back to me and keeping me in the loop. Apparently I won't receive financial aid information until July or August. Because that's normal for them- I asked my program because the university just kept telling me it was 'I would get it with my acceptance packet' when I was accepted over a month ago. You'd think such a good school could have a more competent graduate admissions system

Yes, Riverside east of I-35 (and south of town lake). East side north of town lake (up to around Manorish) is super nice, and very close to downtown. It's not surprising actually that shuttle routes may not run through the east side- again, it seems the city is just starting to realize that there is prime real estate over there. I have a hard time getting sandwich shops to deliver a catering tray to east mlk because most delivery cut-offs are I-35. But that's definitely changing. And anything between town lake and airport (the street!) is close relatively close to I-35 There's also a brand-spanking new metro line that runs from the convention center through the eastside (east 5th, and then MLK around airport) and goes to north austin (not necessarily campus).

Is anyone else considering moving abroad for graduate school? I'm looking at Amsterdam, Budapest, or St. Petersburg. I've visited 2 of the 3 many years ago, and lived in Rome for 7 months, but am a little nervous about leaving the US. Who else is considering it? Has anyone lived in these cities and can shed some light on what it would be like for an American?

I would say yes, although the fact that your stipend is slightly less than mine tells me that the US govt thinks that Austin is more expensive. The great thing about Austin is that the town itself is incredibly awesome with great deals, free shows, 1$ margarita's on those 30 days last summer when it peaked above 105 degrees..... The other thing is that Austin is incredibly compact. The different buroughs of Austin are mostly very close to each other. Downtown 1 bedroom apartments easily go for 1300/month, but .2 miles away it's half that. My bf lives at Congress and Riverside, which is essentially downtown, and pays 700/month with electricity included- the newer complex literally across the street has the same size 1 bedroom (albeit with nicer appliances) at 1400/month. I'm a proponent of the eastside (east of I-35) because it has those great apartments and is practically downtown, plus there's a ton of great local business on east 6th and 7th, 11th, manor, etc). But because historically it has been a poorer neighborhood, the real estate market hasn't caught on that it is literally a hop, skip, and a jump away from the much more expensive areas of town. The 2 places I've lived were on the eastside- near cesar chavez and I-35, and i-35 and 11th street (Robertson Hill Apartments). At 11th I was living in a newer complex, with a gym and pool, restaurants down the street, and the room was complete with w/d in unit, full kitchen, 2 bedroom 2 full baths, 1400 sq feet, and the total cost was 1400 a month plus utilities. Now i live on the second story of house, 1 bedroom, kitchen with a fridge and gas stove (but no dishwasher), washer downstairs (no dryer- but man do clothes dry fast in this heat), about 800 sq feet and it's 690/month plus utilitites. Oh, and there's no central air....it's been in the 80s and very cold in my apartment, but I don't know how well the ac units will work when it hits 100 and I'll need to turn them on. so far I've had no complaints. I would warn that you stay completely away from riverside east of i-35. There are a ton of big ugly apartment complexes crawling with undergrads and sketchy types. It's very cheap (700/month for a 2 bedroom easy), but it's often shoddy, unsafe, loud, cockroach infested, etc. No atmosphere. I'm not saying ALL places will be that way in the area, but it definitely caters to those who want a cheap place and reflects that. I have 2 friends that live in that area and I would never do it.

I went to Penn for undergrad, and majored in Classical Studies, minored in Italian, and did a smattering of other language and history cultures. The only related class I took to what I want to do now is American Foreign Policy my last semester. I graduated with honors, got a 1350 on the gre, and have worked for 2 years- mostly waitressing/barista/internships. Then this year I'm an AmeriCorps VISTA at United Way in Austin. I want to work in PD in the state department, which is why I applied to this program. I wrote a pretty strong SOP tying my past travel, language, and volunteer experience into a narrative that made me realize, AFTER college, that I wanted to pursue the foreign service. My LOR were from a professor I liked in history, an italian professor, and my current boss at united way- so they were able to speak to all of my strong points. I think that strong connection between what I want to do and what I'm applying to study for is what has offered me admission in nearly all my schools (Georgetown SFS (MA in German and European Studies), American U SIS (MA in comparative and regional studies: Russia and Central Eurasia), Penn Fels (masters of governmental administration), and the LBJ school at UT Austin (ma in global policy).

Like so many others, I'm waiting for that oh-so-important financial aid offer. In the meantime, however, I need to book my flights to visit! I was accepted into Georgetown (for the MAGES program), American SIS (Comparative and Regional Studies: Russia and Central Eurasia), LBJ school (Global Policy), Penn Fels (Master of Governmental Administration), and USC (Public Diplomacy). I'm so torn I'm going to visit all of them- fortunately the east coast schools all have open house the same week, so it's all one trip, plus a day to LA (I'm coming from Austin). I'm interested to know who else is visiting these programs or other similar programs, and any pros or cons you've considered? Any insider info? Any surprising research? I decided last minute to do grad school this year, so I haven't actually visited any of these programs or had any experiences there!

I'm located in Austin, Tx, and like I said, I got a phone call the same day I got an admissions packet, so it's not the distance thing. My statement of purpose was clearly focused on wanting to work in PD, though, so they may have just been impressed by my focus and assumed I'd accept their offer immediately. You're decision may hinge on location too- Cali is great, but I'm not hugely excited by the prospect of moving back west. You just feel so far away from the rest of the world! It takes 7 hours to fly from LA to the east coast, let alone europe.... There's also financial aid. I've heard rumors that Cali schools are awful in terms of grants, fellowships, scholarships, etc. The financial aid office said that I'd probably only be offered loans. Then again, I haven't received any financial aid info yet from georgetown, american, or ut austin, so who knows!

I would call and check on your admission status- Like I said, I got a phone call a week ago and an admission package in the mail the same day. The financial aid package I got a few days later. I feel like they probably have admission decisions ready- I'm not sure why you wouldn't have heard, or why you wouldn't be at least waitlisted since they sent you information about aid! Out of curiosity, where else did you apply? I ask because PD is something I want to do as a career, but I'm on the fence about studying it- I have NO academic experience in IR or policy or econ or anything that's not history or language. I'm going to visit USC for their open house (the 5th or 6th I think), but from what I hear they don't offer any financial aid other than loans, and that's just not going to cut it for me.

oops!

I am in this same boat- I wasn't sure which graduate programs I even had a chance at in the US, since I did not study undergrad in the field I now want to enter. So I applied for 3 European schools. I've come to terms with the fact that once I make a US school decision, I may want to back out of my promise and go abroad. But I'm definitely going to be 100% sure that that is the BEST option before I make it. My biggest concern with US schools is funding, and if I don't get the funding I need but am offered a full ride to move to Budapest for a 1-year MA program, I have to go with option 2, and I'll tell the US school that funding was the overarching factor when I back out.

I'm not really sure what the alumni network is like, mostly because I've only been in Texas for less than a year! What I DO know is that there are times when I'm speaking to someone (like a friend on the east coast), and I say I live in Austin, they either know about Austin or they don't. And the ones that do are ecstatic that I live here, have heard of the LBJ school, etc. It reminds me of how people react when I say 'Penn.' They either know Penn's reputation and are impressed or they think it's a large public school, and why did I move to Philly to go there? And again, the people here are great networking tools. Sure, a lot of people are born and raised Texas and stay, but understandably since Austin is very hard to leave. If you're concerned, just visit and talk to the students and professors and see what sort of experiences they have in terms of name recognition and internships.

I got a call from UPenn during the week telling me I got in, then the official letter came in a PDF at 3:10 AM on Saturday (aka late Friday)...which I'm not sure is 3:10 Austin time or Philly time, but surprising nonetheless.... I, too, have been manning the snail mail. I didn't receive any mail (like the postman didn't show up) on Saturday, and yesterday he didn't come until 6pm. I ran outside, expecting a full financial aid packet at least.....but nothing.

I moved to Austin in June from Philadelphia so I thought I'd offer my opinion as someone who'd NEVER been here before moving. I'm an AmeriCorps VISTA, so I make 900/month. Fortunately I have savings, bc I really wanted to live in a nice area without a roommate. My current apartment is slightly east and south of I-35 and Cesar Chavez. This is the 'eastside', and a really great place to live, I think, for people in their 20s, be they grad students or young families. I also work near Manor street on the eastside. Yes, there is crime- but then again downtown there has been a huge problem with people being punched in the face after the bars close.....so yeah. Coming from a city like Philly, though, I have all but laughed off the 'danger' of east austin. All I can say is drive by 12th and Chicon and that will be the most 'dangerous' part of the city. That one corner. My rent is 690 month plus utilities. I live on a residential street, so there's parking, and I'm literally right downtown. It's the upstairs of a 100 year old house, with it's own entrance, a shared washer with the landlord, etc. It's probably 800 square feet? I can walk to the infamous 6th street in 10-15 minutes, or the eastside up-and-coming bars in 5. There are a ton of local markets within walking distance, I can walk to south congress, I walk from my house to north of campus (about 3 1/2 miles)....obviously I really like walking. And I have never felt 'unsafe' because of where I live. In fact, I often say hello to the homeless people under I-35 when I walk by, or I'll smile at the mexican family with 5 dogs barking at me through the mess of a backyard. Austin is really diverse, but I think for the most part people love living here and therefore coexist happily. That being said, I'm moving on for school this fall, so if you need a place, send me a message and you can check mine out. I'd be happy to talk to anyone who's nervous about moving down here because I remember how hard it was- I mean, I'm from Seattle originally and it's TEXAS.

As a former Penn undegrad of 08, I thought I'd add something to this forum. The metro DOES go all the way onto campus from downtown. You would need to change from the blue line to the green, and there is a stop right across the street from Wharton. Plus a couple of more green line stops around campus. As for housing, I would suggest either living near downtown, where you can get a studio or one bedroom for 1000/m or more, OR live in west philadelphia if you want lower rent. I would definitely avoid the undergrad areas, aka anything really between walnut and spruce and 41st to about 45th. But there are some really nice areas of west philadelphia, and many professors live in west philly. The worst areas are the ones directly around campus and around the blue metro line (aka marketish). So while 44th and market may be horrible (complete conjecture here!), 45 and spruce may be really nice. Penn, Drexel, Temple, etc, are all very close to downtown while still maintaining a strong campus feel, but there is no doubt that there are dangers. I personally know two people who were shot in the leg the four years I was there, and there were more that I didn't personally know but were affiliated with the school. But I lived there for 4 years, and was never scared to be on campus. The incidents on campus, like shootings, happen in every area of the city, including Old City. So don't think of one area as 'dangerous' compared to another. Like any city it has it's problems. Also, a car is a HUGE expense in Philly. It's easily 20$ to park anywhere longer than an hour, if you even find parking, and if you're at Penn or Drexel it's just not worth it unless you live outside of the city. I know one person as an undergrad with a car, and he only had it bc he'd graduated and worked outside the city. As for the city itself, it's awesome. The food is some of the best I've ever encountered. Due to strict PA liquor laws (like no wine at the grocery store!) most places are BYOB, and every neighborhood has 5 tiny restaurants with 10 tables that serves 5 star food at 3 star prices. There area parts of the city that have markets or parks or museums or whatever. Plus the city is close to DC and NYC if you need to get away!

It's crazy that after all the stress of waiting I heard from 5 schools within a week.....an acceptance into a top choice, 3 more acceptance, then a waitlist, then a rejection. I can't even imagine the stress if it had been the other way around..... That being said, has anyone heard from SIS? I applied for regional studies (russia and central eurasia). I also don't know how to log into the system. I got an email saying they'd received my application, etc, but apparently there were two different electronic systems this year as they switched to a newer platform...and the newer one doesn't recognize my information. Does American U at least send out hard copies? Also, anyone else applying abroad? How are you handling the different admission notification periods?

I feel a bit like that awful Cathy comic character right now! I've gotten into 4 schools, waitlisted at 1, and rejected at 1.....but I have yet to receive any substantial financial assistance. I have NO idea where to go until I get those financial offers. To add to my guilt, I keep getting personal calls from programs! Both FELS and Penn and USC Annenberg (public diplomacy MA) have called to personally congratulate me and one of my letters was personlized with why they chose me plus a handwritten note at the bottom....I feel terrible. I think I'll have a hernia come May, when I get into EUROPEAN schools and need to decide if they trump my US choice....

Hah, I love that you're not starstruck by Harvard. I actually considered applying undergrad and hated it! I also visited Penn, LOVED IT, and it was definitely a better undergrad fit for me than Harvard would have been. Although there is something to be said about people's eyes glazing over when I say I went to Penn and asking, 'which campus?' I actually had a friend from Harvard undergrad, and she was constantly embarrassed to tell people she went there and regretted not accepting Berkley's offer. It just wasn't a good fit. So don't feel crazy. You're completely right to focus on the program and not the name- within your field people will care more about what you made of the program than about where it was.

I don't know if you're heard yet, but I got a phone call March 10th, and 2 packets later last week. I agree that was a long wait considering the deadline! I'm a little miffed though because financial aid information is not a part of the admissions process, so I received information about how to apply for aid, and when I called they acted like my only option was going to be loans?

I read that on the blog....I feel like you should really only submit additional materials if it's really going to help your case. I think I may request an interview after April 15th, mostly because I feel like some of my extracurricular don't really seem to fit on paper. Taking 4 languages throughout the yeras, but only a few seriously, usually throws off my application. I try to explain it's an interest in communication rather than an interest in fluency, which is why they were usually needed electives....as backed up by my dedication to classical bass....and voila! Understanding complete.

I just wanted to alleviate any fears out there about the LBJ School and Austin.... I moved to Austin for an AmeriCorps VISTA year in June and absolutely love it. I'm from Seattle, went to undergrad in Philly, and am applying for graduate school in DC, Europe, etc, but honestly feel like I want to settle down in Austin. If you're scared of Texas, don't be. I also have a lot of friends here who went to the LBJ school and loved it. I even applied because I love this town so much! If I were to get a full ride I think I'd even stay (though Georgetown would fit future career goals nicely). So for those of you out there concerned that Texas won't fit into future plans, I can assure you you're wrong. There are a ton of people here from all over the country (and the world), and for many of them Austin is just a stop. And I can promise you that people you meet here will be the easiest people to network with. Yes, you're in Texas, but you're neighbor may be from London and has a friend who works at that company you want to work for, and sure, he'd love to introduce you...... That's Austin.

I got an admissions letter on March 8 saying I'd gotten into the MAGES program, but have yet to receive info from the program itself, let alone funding! Does anyone know how long you typically need to wait before you receive this info? Admission is awesome, but funding will really determine where I go. Plus, I live in Austin and have to do the whole 'visiting campus' thing, so funding will also determine which schools I'll even visit.....in 3 weeks!! It's becoming a little stressful. Fortunately, GT is awesome and refunding $200 for students who live far away. I have to give them props for that.

Program Applied To: A little bit of everything..... Schools Applied To: USC Masters in Public Diplomacy Georgetown MAGES LBJ school Masters of Global Policy Studies (bc I live in Austin currently and LOVE IT) SAIS Penn FELS Masters of Governmental Administration Fletcher school: MALD SIS (Comparative and Regional Studies in Russia and Central Eurasia) Central European University Masters in IR and European Studies European University at St. Petersburg MA in Russian and Eurasian Studies University of Amsterdam MS IR Schools Admitted To: USC Masters in Public Diplomacy Georgetown MAGES LBJ school Masters of Global Policy Studies (bc I live in Austin currently and LOVE IT) Penn FELS Masters of Governmental Administration Schools Rejected From: none yet...though waitlisted at Tufts! Still Waiting: On SAIS and SIS, plus the European schools, which I won't hear from until AFTER I tell an American school I accept their offer.... Undergraduate institution: Penn- BA in Classical Studies, minor in Italian plus 7 months abroad in Rome Undergraduate GPA: 3.6 GRE Quantitative Score: 650 GRE Verbal Score: 700 GRE AW Score: 4 Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 2 Years of Work Experience: 2 relevant years! Describe Relevant Work Experience: I've worked for 5 years as a waitress, barista, baker, etc to pay the bills, and LOVE these jobs as I tell all my schools. But last year I also interned at a language institute and the YMCA facilitating an after-school tutoring program for middle schoolers that I rocked at. And this year I'm an AmeriCorps VISTA in Austin, TX working at United Way in their early childhood initiatives, which I also rock at. Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I think that my SOP is really what made me shine to the schools I got into. I want to work for the state department in public diplomacy, and that's why I'm going to graduate school. I have a strong interest in language (took 4 different ones through the last few years as pretty much all of my electives), and have travelled the world through various agencies, like Girl Scouting, study abroad, exchange programs, symphony tours, etc etc etc. I linked my strong international experience and desires to explore other cultures to my past studies and my realization of what I want to do now. My SOP pretty much said, 'this is who I am, this is what I want, and it's up to you to decide whether or not your program is my vehicle to acheive those goals' Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I actually only read one of my letters, from my current boss at United Way. My other two were professors- a Classics professor that I loved and did great work in his class in critical thinking, and an Italian professor I took two classes with. She actually emailed me back saying that I had earned Bs in her classes, so was I sure? I explained to her why I didn't care about my grammar and that I wanted her to speak to my desire to communicate in Italian (even if it wasn't that well!) Other: For me the BIGGEST factor will be funding.....Penn offered me 6K, which seems to be a drop in the bucket, especially since it is towards the bottom of my list. Europe would be GREAT, plus living in a place like Budapest would cost 1/5 of what it would to live in DC.....so I'm torn and while I've gotten admission letters, I need to get more financial aid packages before I can actually decide!

I applies to the MAGES program, and my application still says it's incomplete, yet I got an admission letter last week! I ended up emailing the graduate admissions office 3 times because it said I was missing my language proficiency form, which my professor apparently sent via email to the MAGES program and not the office, so they forwarded it to the graduate admissions office. 3 weeks later, my application still said incomplete, so I emailed and they told me I had to wait 2 weeks, I said I had, and they told me to have it resent. It was, 3 weeks later online it still said incomplete, I emailed, they said I needed to wait 2 weeks, etc. I finally called 2 weeks ago, and was told not to worry about it, that the online system is meant for you and doesn't actually reflect what they had. She then said, 'oh, and you should be receiving notification soon'- I got my letter 2 days later! So no worries- if you're still concerned, give them a call because email was a waste of time!

I guess I got lucky....I was obsessively checking my online status for schools (which almost never showed anything.....) and got home last week to a small letter from Georgetown, one of my top schools- it was admission! I then got 2 phone calls and an email the next 3 days- all admissions. I didn't realize that schools would personally call me as admission notification. It was nice to get in, but it doesn't really matter until I get financial aid packages. Georgetown's great, but I can't go if I have to pay full tuition. So now the financial aid waiting game begins...Penn's already told me they'd give me 6,000.....but that seems to be a drop in the bucket. In the meantime I need to visit these schools and wait to see if I admission means I can actually go!