WIExpat

Gotcha - thank you for the perspective! It's much appreciated.

Hi - also new to this forum, so just let me know if this isn't the place to post this. I'm looking at some IR programs like SAIS, Tufts, etc. and was curious to gauge my competitiveness generally. Undergraduate institution: Large state school - top 50 in the U.S.Undergraduate GPA: 3.65Undergraduate Major: Majors in Journalism (Strategic Comms) and English; Minors in Digital Studies and European StudiesGRE Quantitative Score: 158GRE Verbal Score: 164GRE AW Score: 5.0Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3.5 Years of Work Experience: 3Describe Relevant Work Experience: After graduating, I did an internship in Congress, where I focused mostly on press work. Since then, I've worked at a couple different D.C. public affairs firms with clients in a wide range of sectors, including some in international trade and others international companies (with demonstrated growth within those roles). I also had some decent undergrad internship experience, doing a Virtual Foreign Service internship through the State Dept. and interning at a state lobbying firm.Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Still in the process, but have historically been a strong writer (did a bit of reporting/student travel magazine feature writing in college as well)Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Fairly strong - one professional from one of the firms where I've worked, and another from a well-respected professor with experience teaching at top U.S. IR programs (now working in Europe as a department head)Other: I also did a semester abroad in undergrad, where I did some volunteering in local schools. My undergrad wasn't super quant heavy, but I did receive college credit for both intro to micro & intro to macro through International Baccalaureate. A big part of the appeal of IR programs is the greater exposure to Econ so I can develop those skills further.