Itallworksout

Sorry for all the bolding, the button is stuck ? Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MA IR, MA Political Science (MA PS) Schools Applied To: UChicago CIR(MAIR), JHU SAIS (MAIR), NYU GSAS(MA PS), Columbia GSAS (MA PS), AMERICAN SIS(MAIR) Schools Admitted To: UChicago ($$$), JHU($$), NYU(no $$ offered for academic masters programs), Columbia (no $$ offered for academic masters programs), American ($$$) Schools Rejected From: Still Waiting: Undergraduate Institution: University of Washington branch campus (think top 300-400 state school) Undergraduate GPA: 3.62 Undergraduate Major: Pre-law, Econ/Public policy, finance (undergrad was 5 years) GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores: 157/167/5, 160/161/5.5, sent both hoping for superscore, I don't know if it helped Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 0 Years of Work Experience: ~1.5 Describe Relevant Work Experience: -internship local senate -internship at a medium sized think-tank public policy where I published an article -did market research into international nonprofits for B2B SAAS firm where I learned some R -undergraduate public policy research for 2 years, I didn't do much more than data cleaning but it looked better on resume. Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I had to write pretty different things for the academic MAs vs the professional ones. I don't remember them well but I think they were above average. I described my journey through undergrad and professional work to realizing I wanted to take a more academic MA path. I discussed the various fields I had experience in, and why I had experience in them. I didn't want schools thinking I was just fumbling around. I tried hard to create a narrative that made my profile seem cohesive and functional, even though it was a bit all over the place. I think this was crucial to my acceptances. Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Philosophy professor who I took 4 classes with, he's a really nice guy and I think he attested to my writing skills well, but likely pretty average. Boss from think-tank with PHD from famous faculty at UChicago, so probably very strong for that institution (but less so for others), I also helped him with various books and stuff so I imagine that letter was strong and covered research skills and how I am as a peer/colleague. Undergrad research PI wrote my last letter, which I think was the weakest, but it focused on my data skills. I don't think any one of my letters were very strong individually, but they covered data skills, writing skills, and research skills, covering a wide and important set of abilities making me seem well rounded. All were written by PHDs I have known for at least 6 months. Other: Immigrant, U.S. Citizen, I speak a few other languages, but nothing super special when compared to other MAIR hopefuls. I did a tad of volunteering but again, nothing too special. Start looking at schools early. I started the process wanting a public policy degree, soon after I pivoted to wanting a professional IR degree, until I realized I truly wanted a PHD in the long run, so I decided to apply to academic MAs. I wasn't even aware of all the choices I had until months of looking, and the soul searching required to narrow down the programs really helped me figure out what I want from my life. I ended up accepting UChicago as it is my dream school, and the best for PHD placement among IR schools Aim high and apply ED, your chances are better than you think as long as you tailor your SOPS to the schools you want to get into. When I started looking I had 20 or so schools I was curious about, the 5 I ended up applying to were all ones that were my top choice at one point or another, so I spent a lot of time on my SOP for each. I think that was a big factor. Also this website was a godsend throughout the process. Thank you all!