inthelabyrinth

Program Applying To: Georgetown SFS, American SIS, George Washington Elliot, Johns Hopkins SAIS, Notre Dame Kroc Inst, Columbia SIPA, Tufts Fletcher Maybes: Princeton WWS, HKS Undergraduate institution: small private liberal arts Undergraduate GPA: 3.7 Undergraduate Major: International PoliticsGRE: V: 168, Q: 154, Essay score not back yetYears Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3Years of Work Experience: 3 full time, additional part time throughout undergradDescribe Relevant Work Experience: 2 yr. international development, 1 community dev. nonprofitStrength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Should be very strong, highlighting specifics from program that I'm interested in, individualized for each school Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Chair of undergrad dept, former employer, overall I think these will be strong and describe specific things I can contribute to the programsOther/Questions: I am really worried about my GRE quant because I haven't taken macro or micro economics and am unsure if it's high enough to make up for that. I have taken 2 econ course and 1 stats course and have done well in all of them but most programs specifically say they would like you to have macro and micro. Should I try to retake the GRE? I'm not sure I would do much better a second time with such a short window. Anyone know of winter term micro/macro online courses I could enroll in? Should I not bother applying to WWS/HKS? Would other schools on my list be out of reach due to quant as well? Any advice would help me a lot, thank you!

Many of the schools I'm applying to would like to see completion of a microeconomics and a microeconomics course. I haven't completed either because I wasn't aware of this during undergrad and took other economic courses instead. I was hoping my quantitative GRE score would be high enough to take care of any concerns but I only scored a 154. At this point, I think it would be more effective to just do a micro and macro course before submitting my apps instead of taking the GRE again. I know some schools offer a shortened winter term in December/January and was wondering if anyone knows of any such online programs that offer micro and macro? They have to be accredited so no MOOCs like Edx or Coursera. Please let me know!

Andddd I just realized this thread is from 2015 and probably not active.. sorry about that!

Hey thank you for starting this thread - it's very helpful to hear from someone actually in the program. Here are my questions: Do you feel like being outside of DC or NYC has been a disadvantage at all? And if so do the benefits seem to outweigh the drawbacks? I saw on Jackson's website that only 11% of graduates end up in DC for their first job after graduation. How helpful has your coursework been in developing hard skills? (specifically things like statistical analysis, R or STATA, financial management, policy memo writing, etc.) Have you found the coursework to include a strong quantitative component? Do you have many opportunities to get practical experience in applying the skills you learned through your coursework?

Thanks for the reply, dft309! Did you feel like you got much practical experience in applying the skills you learned through your coursework?

I have spent a long time comparing different MPP/MPA/IA programs and the piece I'm missing is input from current/past students. I think a lot of people on this board could benefit from hearing firsthand experiences, so if you have any experience with a particular program (good or bad) please share!

Hey all, I am trying to get a better understanding of the differences between Georgetown McCourt and SFS to determine which to apply to (or if I should apply for both). I'm also curious about the differences between the different programs within each school (McCourt MPP/MIDP, SFS MS Foreign Service, MA Security Studies, MS Global Human Development). My interests are in US policy responses to international pre-conflict or conflict situations, which would involve analysis of the conflict and pros/cons of different US response options. This makes me think that I should be leaning toward a more internationally-geared and quantitatively rigorous degree. I have compared the core courses for each program but am still not entirely sure of which would be the best fit (other than probably eliminating the SFS MA in Security Studies because it doesn't have much of a quant component). Funding is also a concern so if one tends to fund more than the others that would be useful information. Any current students out there (or people with knowledge of the different programs) who could provide some insight?

Hello everyone, I decided to post on here because I had no clue what I was doing during undergrad (first gen college student) and barely applied to any schools. This time around I want to make sure I don't sell myself short but I would also like to be realistic about my chances and what I can be doing to improve them. Institutes Applying: Princeton WWS (MPA), American SIS (MA Int'l Affairs Policy & Analysis), Georgetown McCourt (MPP or MIDP), Georgetown SFS (trying to figure out if this or McCourt is a better fit), Notre Dame Keough (MA Global Affairs), CMU Heinz (MSPPM DC track), George Washington Elliot (MA Int'l Dev Studies or MA Security Policy Studies), George Mason SCAR (MS Conflict Analysis & Resolution), Columbia SIPA (MA Int'l Affairs), Texas LBJ (MA Global Policy Studies DC track), Maryland (MPP), Pittsburgh (MA Public & Int'l Affairs) If anyone has advice regarding the differences between Georgetown McCourt and SFS or the differences between George Washington's MA in Int'l Dev Studies or MA in Security Policy Studies please message me. Undergrad: BA in International Politics & Conflict Resolution (GPA 3.7) from a small liberal arts college, has a good reputation among people who have heard of it but most haven't Quant. Courses: Stats for Social Sciences, Int'l Political Economy, Intro to Int'l Econ, Quantitative Methods (nothing too impressive) GRE: I'm taking it in July and feel very confident about the verbal and essay but am worried about the math. Age: 25 Languages: Spanish, Native English Work Experience: Summer internship at a state gov agency (but unrelated to what I want to do), 1 year with AmeriCorps at a nonprofit supporting small business and nonprofit development, student assistant positions in Peace & Conflict Studies dept. and Academic Support office throughout undergrad International Experience: 4 month internship with conflict resolution NGO in Belgium, currently a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Youth, Families, & Community Development sector LORs: These should be very strong but I'm concerned that most of my experience doesn't align with policy work so it will depend on how they frame things. One will be from an undergrad professor I'm close with, one from my boss during AmeriCorps, and I'm not sure yet about the third - I could get one from my Peace Corps director but I don't think it will be very personal. SOP: I haven't started writing yet because I'm applying for Fall 2020 but feel that I have a strong direction and rationale for my interest in these programs. I am very interested in US policy in relation to pre-conflict stabilization and post-conflict response and would love to work for the State Dept. in Conflict and Stabilization operations or USAID in the Office of Transition Initiatives. While I studied the theoretical side of conflict analysis during undergrad, it's clear that hard quantitative/analytical skills are important to working in this field so I am seeking out strong quantitative grad programs to further develop those skill sets. Concerns: I think being a Peace Corps volunteer will help but lack of experience with policy is a major detriment. I also don't have a strong quant background and am hoping to get a decent GRE score to demonstrate that I can handle a quantitatively rigorous program. I'm considering taking a course in Microeconomics and maybe another in Macro in the meantime - does this seem like a good idea? Funding is my other major concern. I can't go to any of these schools unless I am able to get a pretty significant aid package. Please let me know what you think! I'm also curious if it would be ridiculous to apply to this many schools (I can get fee waivers at all of them so money isn't an issue) - Are there schools that I should take off the list? Or programs that fit well with my interests that I'm missing?