velvetcactus

Wasn't asking about specific programs, thanks. Didn't think it was that unheard of to ask whether you were a competitive applicant in general.

Hi. @Guesswho has already done a pretty wonderful job of laying out the facts of your intended career path as well as the various pros and cons to pursuing a master's prior to applying to law school. Edited to add: if you're asking which degree is more valuable to your personal and professional growth, I'm afraid that's a question that only you can answer. But if you're asking in terms of what is valuable in the legal world...my two cents (as someone currently working in law, with several Ivy League-educated lawyers in the family, some of whom conducted law school interviews for years, in case any of that matters to you) is this: don't bother. For what you want to do, work experience in a field somehow related to your intended work after law school--at a law firm, for example, or in consulting, or for a nonprofit doing pro bono work, etc.--is much more likely to impress law schools these days than a master's in history ever would. To me, it's throwing time and money away when you could be gaining valuable pre-law school work experience and actually making money for yourself (law school ain't cheap!). Sorry if that sounds harsh, but I'm only saying this based on experience. My cousin deferred entry to Harvard law to work for two years at a top consulting firm, and he will have only ever finished undergrad prior to matriculating at Harvard. This is not an uncommon route--undergrad, work, law school. If this master's is valuable to you for personal or otherwise undisclosed reasons, by all means--go for it! But it is absolutely unnecessary and unlikely to make an appreciable difference in the admissions stage. Good luck.

Yesss! I pretty much compare every drummer to theirs. I was lucky to see them live twice when they briefly reunited. Lots of fun and interestingly enough Ice of Boston was the song when they chose to call people up on stage to jam out.

Hi All! I'm hoping to do a master's in international relations. I'd love to hear what you think of my profile in general. Good luck to everyone. Applying to: Several UK universities (I am an American applicant, if that changes things). Would prefer not to name as I don't want to jinx anything--hope I'm not the only one! Haha. Undergrad: Dual BA in Interdisciplinary Studies (IR focus) and Russian at a top 20 U.S. university. Also transferred credit from an intensive study program in Russia. Received a grant from my university for research in Ukraine. Several misc. awards/honors (not sure if those really matter). GPA: 3.91/4.0. Highest honors for my thesis. I graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. GRE: N/A for the schools to which I am applying. Languages: French, Russian, Portuguese, Ukrainian Work Experience: 5 years total at international and U.S. law firms, two of which are classed as "Big Law," including experience in legal translation in French and Portuguese. 2 years teaching English and Russian grammar and writing skills at my university. Significant volunteer and fundraising experience. LORs: 4 profs from undergrad (3 of whom served as faculty members on my thesis committee). According to one of them, "very VERY strong." Lol. SOP: Did my best to offer a succinct, balanced picture of myself and my work/research experience while highlighting my intended research. I am confident I have a unique idea but my research does privilege qualitative methods, which might turn off some IR classicists who prefer a more quantitative approach. Thoughts: I feel like I gave these applications my everything, and I took the necessary time to revise until they were as strong as possible. That being said, I also believe it comes down to the strength of my competitors in the applicant pool. It sort of feels like a game of chance at the end of the day--everyone I've spoken to so far seems like an incredibly strong candidate in different ways. Anything you think I should do to make myself a more competitive applicant in future cycles (if it comes to that) is very welcome. TIA for your thoughts

I love listening to stuff like this while writing, reading, etc. so thank you for these recommendations! All new to me! The diverse music taste in this group is awesome; I'm happy to see so much more than huge pop artists haha. My music tastes are all across the board. Any Ásgeir fans? Or maybe because you guys seem to know and love the National...Dismemberment Plan?

Hi all. After lurking for some time, I decided to make an account after finalizing some master's applications. You lot seem like a lovely, diverse array of talented people. I hope you all get into your first choices. I must admit I was hesitant to chime in because I find GC a bit difficult to navigate, but that could very well be my exhaustion talking. Trying to prepare grad school applications I was happy sending off while working two jobs was...iiinteresting. Since everyone seems to be introducing themselves, I'm an American applicant angling to do an IR master's in the UK. I believe my brain is currently approaching a shutdown rivaled only by that of my country's government. *laughs in sad* I am currently reading a Didion novel; she makes me feel cooler than I am.