Readthetealeaves

Schools/Programs Applying To: Columbia SIPA (MPA-DP emergency, disaster concentration), CMU Heinz (MSPPM), Cornell CIPAUndergraduate institution: top 30 U.S. schoolUndergraduate GPA: 3.59Undergraduate Major: NeuroscienceGRE Quantitative Score: 165 (89 percentile)GRE Verbal Score: 163 (92 percentile)GRE AW Score: 4.0Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): will be 5 when I applyYears of Work Experience: will be 5 when I apply Describe Relevant Work Experience: 6 months working in large non-profit for emergency and disaster management, 4 months working as project coordinator for foreign english teacher staffing company ( worked in China), about to go to the Peace Corps Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Not yet written. I was thinking of talking about my need for interdisciplinary education, weaving together my experiences teaching, learning about psychology, working with data, and combining that in public service. Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): 2 potentially decent letter of recc, will work on finding 1 more solid one. (fingers crossed) Questions I have: I am planning on applying to graduate school in about 2 years and I had a few questions on my mind that I hope you all could help me with. Is this too early to start thinking about graduate school? Will I need to retake my GRE for my low AWA score? I noticed that a lot of people who got into competitive programs have an AWA of 5 or above. I am not a foreign student, so I don't know how excusable this low score would be. Will I need stronger experiences? Do I have any chance of getting funding? Are there other schools that I should be considering applying to? Any other thoughts? Thank you all for your help!

Hello All, I am thinking of applying to Carnegie Mellon University MSPPM Program. This program encapsulates my interests in policy, economics, behavioral science, and data analytics. The issue I am running into is my weak resume. I have a year and a half of very entry level research experience. And a few months of experience working abroad. I was originally going to attend the Peace Corps and then do this program, but the Peace Corps plan has been set back. I am thinking of alternative plans and wanted to ask you all if I had any chance of getting into this program? I have a 3.6 GPA from a top 5 public school and a GRE score of: 163 - Quant 166 - Verbal 4.0 Writing I have one strong letter of rec and one decent letter of rec in the books. Was wondering what your thoughts on my GPA, GRE scores, work experience and my chances of getting into the program. Also wanted to ask if there are other programs out there that I should consider. I do want to add that I have a prestige complex and really want to get into a school that has some weight to its name. But please all feedback is great feedback, thank you! .