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irinprogress

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Everything posted by irinprogress

  1. Looks like another day has come and gone with no Rhodes answers! They don’t ever come at night, so they?
  2. I’m in Virginia and just heard from Marshall. It was a no for me, but hopefully some of you guys got happier news! Still nothing from Rhodes.
  3. You are absolutely right, no matter what an IR degree you get, just getting a degree isn’t enough, even if it’s from an elite school. The true value of an elite school is that they help you in getting those other boosting opportunities you mention. For instance, Georgetown has helped me in getting several fellowships and pursue various opportunities which have given me non-competitive hiring status in the federal government, security clearances, and, of course, funding among other career-enhancing perks. While I don’t necessarily agree that family name is the most important thing in the field, I won’t deny that it helps. However, that should be even more reason to go to an elite school such as Georgetown because a strong alumni network that generally feels very close to the programme can help in making the same sorts of connections that a family name would make. Yes, money is certainly a concern. There are some jobs in the field that do extremely well (international finance, consulting, defence contracting or high-level think tanks to name a few) but I won’t pretend they are the majority. I will also say students from top schools do tend to have slightly higher salaries upon entrance into the workforce and our career center helps with salary negotiation. And in federal jobs, you do enter higher on the pay grade. Once you’re in, it’s much more difficult to move on the pay grade scale. This pay grade bump from the beginning pays for the degree over time in a real (and easily calculable) way. It’s kind of nice that this is one of the few careers where you can actually know for sure the exact dollar amount your degree is worth. Finally I’ll point out that, while they’re still working out some kinks in the system, the US government has a programme where after ten years of public service and regular loan payments they will forgive any remaining loans. Most non-profit and government jobs are eligible and you can change jobs to as many employers/positions as you like within that as long as all the positions are eligible. So that’s an option for most people considering this path. So overall, with a few exceptions, leave your dreams of a lucrative salary at the door. That’s not the reason to get an IR degree. However, if you’re patient for the long-term payoff, could benefit from the career-long assistance and network some programmes can provide or, most importantly, you genuinely want to learn more about a subject you love, get an IR master’s. Once you’ve made that decision, it’s usually worth a little more money to make sure your money is spent well. You can do that by optimising your application and finding the programme that best suits your needs. And that’s what this forum is all about!!
  4. You don't want to apply to "safety" schools when applying to graduate school. They are so expensive both in money and in time, don't waste your resources on something you do not REALLY want. For quantitative, don't bother. An EdX course really wouldn't help your application, which already seems strong. For the statement of purpose, it is more critical that you talk about what drives you. Don't waste space rehashing what you have already said in your resume/CV. Use it to build a story of who you are and how where you've been relates to where you're going, looping in what role each school plays in that process. A lot of people get the degrees you've listed because they want to shift focus (or even career paths), so your experience is more closely aligned to your goals than many. It shouldn't be too hard to explain. Your inclusion of SSP gives me a bit of pause. It doesn't make a lot of sense with the other degrees listed. While I am sure you would get in (provided your other application elements are fine), would MSFS not be a better fit? I am MSFS, but I have taken a few SSP courses and my best friend is SSP. That programme is really for people who want to do either defense or intelligence work. Not that you can't do other things, but those are really the careers for which it prepares you and if those aren't what you really want to do, it can be quite technical and even dull.
  5. Current MSFS student here! Georgetown definitely does a good job at private sector training, especially in the IDEV and International Business & Finance concentrations, it's really only the Global Politics and Security concentration that is public sector-oriented. To be clear, you do not have to choose a concentration until the end of your first semester. Additionally, while we do not have the REQUIRED quantitative training that SAIS has, you can take just as many (if not more) quantitative course as their programme requires. I would especially recommend Georgetown for this area because, since the university overall tends to be more IR focused, there are a lot of classes in the school of public policy and the business school that have international focuses which you can take as electives and, in some cases, even to fulfill requirements. This is something you don't quite get at SAIS because they are so separate from the rest of Johns Hopkins, but here in MSFS you can really take any class you want across the university with very few exceptions. There are also a lot of quantitative offerings in-department. I would recommend the above especially if the Johns Hopkins quant requirements make you nervous but offer skills you would like. Having more flexibility in your quant requirements allows you to take quant classes more directly related to your interests, hopefully making you less nervous. As to your concerns about their in-country network, I had similar concerns upon matriculation only to find that once in, you have full access to their network, which is far more expansive than I imagined. And, unlike the other schools, the Graduate School of Foreign Service has a career center dedicated entirely to grad students in our programme, security studies, and the regional studies programmes. I have always been a bit skeptical of career centers, but they are far more helpful than I imagined and are extremely practiced in helping students (and alumni, you have lifetime access) find their dream jobs in any sector and assisting in networking, both with alumni and through other facets. As an example, I was looking at a job opening that interested me in the Ukraine office of Freedom House (an international watchdog). The career advisor was genuinely surprised that there was no Georgetown alum in the ten-person office (and had the resources to look that up). So, instead, she gave me contact information to three alumni in the DC office, two working at Freedom House in other post-Soviet countries, one who had previously worked in the Kyiv office, and showed me where to find others working in Kyiv in similar organizations. My recommendation would be to apply to all three programmes if you're interested, then once you get admissions decisions, you can attend Admitted Students Day and learn from the programmes directly and feel where you would fit best. Alternatively, all of the programmes employ full-time outreach/admissions staff who are eager to speak to prospective students. Maybe try reaching out!
  6. I applied! They said late October/early November, but that could really be any time at all.
  7. Hi Thirteen! For starters, I will say don’t worry too much about your quant score. I don’t know too much about the other schools, but I know MSFS is the top of the top and they don’t really pay it much mind. The reason their average score is high is because most people who do well on verbal also do well on quant. If I were you, I would be more concerned about the GPA. That being said, your peace corps time will count for you much more than your GPA should count against you, so while you aren’t a shoe-in, I don’t think it’s out of reach. Your internship experience also makes you a strong candidate. For your SOP, make sure to make it personal. For mine, I started with a short (1 paragraph) story about my first act of civic engagement, which was a letter to the president when I was seven. Then go on to discuss your interests since then and why that school in particular can help you get where you’re going, but always add a personal touch. They’re not looking for something academic. That’s the purspose of the transcript. Think of it more like a personal narrative. On the issue of language, it’s not a big deal at all. They want to see that you have some language background and that, with another two years of study, you could be at a high intermediate level. MSFS even covers foreign language tuition, so it’s free. The exam is oral to be taken during the two year program (as early as after the first semester or as late as just before graduation). For most departments you just read an article in the chosen language, give a 5-10 minute debrief to faculty on what it’s about, and then they ask you a few questions about it. For admissions, they just want to see that you have some kind of background in foreign language and could have a basic relevant conversation after two years of study. Which language or how many languages don't matter. Hope that’s helpful!!
  8. Over the weekend, I was (unofficially) accepted to Georgetown's MSFS!!! I am, of course, over the moon as this is my top choice. According to the email, I was waitlisted for a scholarship. Does anyone have any experience with this? How likely is it that funding will come through? And how long are the waitlists for these? I've (of course) applied for outside funding, but most of those do not notify until April, so the cost of attendance is a bit scary at the moment.
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