[Rangel Fellowship 2018]

1 hour ago, ZebraFinch said:

RE: age. Lots, if not most, Pickering fellows are on the older side. Youngest I've ever known was 25 at the time of the interview, and the rest were all at least 27-29 at the time of being awarded the fellowship. This was different, of course, when the undergrad fellowship existed, but not anymore. So, you won't be that much older than the many or most of the finalists. I do believe you can't get a degree abroad with the program, though.

Thanks for that, ZebraFinch!  It's definitely been weighing on me.  I'll be 39 when I begin grad school, so definitely older than the median but hopefully not to a detrimental degree.  I know that the FSOs I met overseas mostly came to that career in their 30s and 40s.  It's part of the reason that I felt so at ease there.  I'm really hoping that it works out for the career opportunity, but if not I've already got a great fellowship offer to my preferred Master's program here in California.  

Also: you are correct about the domestic study requirement for Pickering.  Sciences Po was during undergrad.  

[Rangel Fellowship 2018]

21 hours ago, mrs12 said:

@ayasofaya, @Micr:

I have no freaking clue, honestly. Ayasofaya is right, I didn't apply to the Pickering last year, just the Rangel. But I did apply to the Pickering the year before, as a Junior in college and received a rejection. So, thus far, I've been rejected from the Rangel twice and the Pickering once and then just now made it to the finalist stage. My applications have all basically been the same from year to year barring my essay which I always completely redo. I'm a good student, but I don't have that many extracurricular or tie-ins and my GRE scores are average (my math score is horrible, actually). So, really, I'm as flummoxed as everyone else.

This year, after two years of rejection from various fellowships, I decided to just shuck the traditional essay style and write my own thing. I figured it couldn't be worse than what I'd always been writing and gotten rejected on. So, in the past I tried to write persuasively about my passion for public service and background, and the year before that I wrote primarily on the thirteen dimensions and my experiences at my internship with State and my desire to be a part of that community. These were all really polished essays and I felt strongly about them. This time around I threw all that out the window, and tried to write about everything else. I trusted that my resume and letters of recommendation would speak to those traits and experiences, and instead wrote a more personal narrative that highlighted my rural background and my desire to represent a multifaceted America. I gambled and figured either they'd throw it out as absurd or it'd catch someone's eye -- because clearly my past attempts hadn't.

So, if I had to guess... Maybe this time around it was more sincere? Or different enough that it caught people's attentions? Or perhaps it was just less staid. I've always been a good writer, but I wasn't trying so hard to have the perfect essay this year. I wanted to share my story, and write what felt natural. Maybe that was the difference? But I've heard from past finalists and everyone has a different essay, some more personal, some more formal, some directly addressing the 13 dimensions, some never even touching on them. All I can speak to is my progression to this point, and I think the big difference was writing to my strengths. That is, writing the type of essay that I tend to write best. So whichever sort of narrative lets your writing voice shine best, maybe that's something to consider. 

So... yeah? I hope that's helpful, even though I'm afraid it's not a very obvious answer. Thanks for the well-wishes and support! Sorry it took me so long to respond, I kind of got the news and freaked out and retreated for a while. 

@Dan_H Hey, there! Congratulations! I applied for the 17th testing date. So if that goes through, maybe we will see each other! Good luck with the preparation! Remember that you're awesome, so try not to panic too much at this point. (If you can avoid it.) I think even though nothing is determined this will just be an interesting and fun experience!

I also requested the 17th, because I'll be in DC to visit Georgetown the week before and am hoping to avoid having to stay another extra night.  It was interesting to read about your different approaches to the application essay.  I wrote about the 13 dimensions, but I tied them to my experience as an intern with the Department and to my experience as an LGBTQ activist.  The consul under whom I interned was one of my recommenders, and I asked him to try to focus on the 13 dimensions as well, so maybe our writing just complemented one another's!

I am a nontraditional college student, not having begun my undergrad until I was 31 years old, and I never quite know how people will react to my age when I apply to these things.  I've been successful in every academic application I've completed since I started college - including the Gilman Scholarship, admission and scholarships to the Sciences Po exchange program, and all three of the top grad schools to which I applied.  Nonetheless, I do every once in a while get the sense that some academic authority figure has a negative reaction to me based upon my age.  I hope that doesn't happen on April 17!

Best of luck, and I hope to see you next month.  I'm going to start writing daily practice essays tomorrow, catching up on my back issues of Foreign Affairs, and recruiting friends to grill me in mock interviews.

[Fletcher vs SAIS vs UCSD vs LSE]

On 3/17/2018 at 10:22 PM, KITKAT22 said:

Hi! I got accepted to the following programs (all one year) and I can't decide! 

1. Master of Arts (MA), The Fletcher School, Tufts University 

2. Master of International Public Policy (MIPP), SAIS, Johns Hopkins University

3. Master of Advanced Studies in International Affairs (MAS-IA), GPS, UCSD

4. MSc International Strategy and Diplomacy,  LSE

 My interests are IR, strategy, and security. When I consider location, I think UCSD is attractive but Fletcher and SAIS network are strong! LSE also has a very good program.

I don't have to worry about scholarships because my workplace is going to pay for them.  I would appreciate if I could get some advice! 

It's a difficult decision, Kitkat!  I was also accepted to Fletcher and GPS, as well as Georgetown.  I live in San Diego and I did my undergrad at UCSD.  I also interned with the Department of State, so I know that UCSD has a strong reputation both locally and in the IR world.  I just accepted UCSD's offer.  Though I would have loved to live in DC, or in the Boston area near my family, I couldn't justify borrowing the enormous amount of money which would have been required.

I have strong professional and personal networks here in San Diego, and I would have to sacrifice those AND incur major debt if I were to accept either of the other programs.  I also found out yesterday that I'm a finalist for Pickering this year, so there's a 50% chance that I won't even have to worry about the job hunt upon graduation!

Best of luck with your decision-making process.  You've got some great options.

[Rangel Fellowship 2018]

On 3/19/2018 at 5:51 PM, mrs12 said:

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.......

I'm a Pickering Finalist...

I don't believe it. Seriously. I think this is a mistake. I've tried so many times now, is this even possible???

@ayasofaya I'm so sorry! I was hoping to get to meet you at the interview day, somehow. You have to keep trying. Seriously. I hope the Fulbright ETA comes through for you, but even so, congratulations on your grad school results, you're doing amazing. I know just how this moment feels, after waiting so long, and having so much pinned on it, and I want you to know that you're awesome and all of your hard work will pay off somehow/somewhere. 

Congratulations, mrs!  I'll be seeing you in Washington on the 17th or 18th :-)