tejano

What was the application process like for you? (i.e. how long did it take you? what kind of road-bumps did you run into?) For me, the statement of purpose and recommendations were the most time consuming aspects of the application process. Everything was pretty straightforward, though. Besides my transcript from Mexico never arriving (see below), I'd say letters of rec were kind of tricky for me. I had to switch two of the three at the last minute because I wasn't getting responses to my emails. As you might guess from the many posts on this forum, the "waiting game" is the most agonizing part. Was there anything that surprised you about the process? Not really. Anything would have done differently? 1. Study for the GRE. I took the test sort of on a whim a year ago, and my scores reflected (V:530, Q: 320). I'm pretty sure that's why I was only admitted to 2 of the 6 schools I applied to. 2. Request transcripts from foreign schools now. I never actually received the transcripts I requested in early November of last year. Fortunately, admissions officials were very understanding. 3. Had I done number one, I probably would have applied to a few more schools. What advice can you give regarding SOPs, GREs, gaining work experience, etc? Take some time to think about why you want to grad school at all. In writing my SOP I basically made up a bunch of "goals" that probably weren't very convincing because I didn't have an idea of what I wanted to do after grad school. I still don't. Volunteer experience is great, but, as my former supervisor once advised: "You have to think about how to distinguish yourself from the other people who served in the peace corps." If a school has rolling admissions, apply well before the deadline. By "early" I mean November-December of the year before you plan to attend. In my experience, this goes doubly for IU-SPEA. Get commitments on letters of rec early.

GSPIA gave me the best offer, and it seems like to best fit for what I'd like to do. Anybody else going? What kind of work are ya'll looking to get into when you finish? Seems like most people go to get in on the DC government/NGO scene, but maybe I'm wrong.

"I've been checking my inbox incessantly... this is getting to be unhealthy." I totally feel ya. I still haven't heard back from SPEA. I've been waiting for a response since early January. If I don't hear back by April 15, I have to make a decision blind (accept or reject my GSPIA offer).

I've been accepted to the University of Pittsburgh's GSPIA program and a lesser-known MPA program at the University of North Texas (UNT). I have one last pending application with SPEA at Indiana-Bloomington. I'm strongly considering accepting GSPIA's financial offer (in the event SPEA rejects me), which would cover about 1/2 of my tuition expenses. The only thing holding me back is, you guessed it, money (out-of-state tuition is killer). I got through my undergrad without any significant debt (less than $2,000), and were I to stay at North Texas, I'd finish grad school debt-free as well. The same would not be true if I went to GSPIA, where I'd probably incur about $30K-35K in debt. I'm looking to go into international nonprofit revenue development (fundraising), but I'm not sure my salary will be adequate to cover the debt. Is it worth it to go to GSPIA if I believe it'd be a better match?