MTC1978

Greetings and best of luck to all on this forum. Just looking for some feedback, primarily on the Georgetown SSP. I made the early application deadline for JHU SAIS MIPP and was accepted in early December. I'm fully funded through my parent organization (I am very grateful for this and ensured I clearly indicated I did not wish to be considered for aid or scholarships- don't want to tie up any funds for those who need them). Applied To: Georgetown SSP (awaiting results), JHU SAIS MIPP (accepted) Undergraduate institution: B.A. Middle Eastern Studies, top 10 International Affairs university, A.A. Modern Standard Arabic, defense language school Undergraduate GPA: B.A.: 3.5 in courses towards degree; 3.35 with Calculus and Physics, A.A.: 3.8 Experience Abroad: Multiple deployments to Middle East and Far East GRE: 170 V, 159 Q, 4.5 W Years of Work Experience: 17 Relevant Work Experience: 17 years military experience, enlisted linguist, commissioned officer in intelligence-related field. Worked closely with multiple civilian and military agencies in analyst, tactical operator and staff capacities. Languages: Modern Standard Arabic (fluent), some Levantine, some French Quant: Single-variable Calculus, Physics I/II, Macro/Microeconomics SOP: Tried to strike a balance between personal narrative, professional experiences and academic objectives. Although I shared my application materials with my recommenders, I didn't expect or receive much in the way of feedback. I imagine reviewers have seen the general outline of my statement many times before, which I actually acknowledged within the statement (along with weaving in acknowledgement of my poor academic record prior to my military service- hoping my subsequent professional/academic record runs out the statute of limitations on that). Strength of LOR: 2 LORs from military leaders, one a former executive officer and the other a former CO with major command tours. Also have an LOR from a Ph.D at a federally funded research and development center I worked with on a long-term training analysis project. My former XO shared his LOR with me and I thought it very strong and enthusiastic. My old CO and researcher didn't share theirs, but I was comfortable asking them for their recommendations. Other: I'm not too concerned about my test scores, although I would have preferred a higher AW GRE score. I think I'm more concerned about being in the upper age-experience bracket for consideration for the Georgetown SSP, which is my preferred program. I welcome your feedback, and again, best of luck to everyone!