river1216

I went to an undergrad at American SIS with a 3.1 GPA, and ended up at Georgetown SSP six years later. Building relationships with the admissions office is key, and sending them a copy of your transcript and resume will give the admissions officers an idea so they can share tips on how to make your application competitive before your first 1v1 meeting. Being a strong communicator in the admission statements will help as well, so seek tutoring from those that have a strong command with writing. It took me two attempts, but I followed their advice and asked questions, and these steps got me on Georgetown's radar. I got accepted ten months after setting my goal. If these steps got me through the most competitive applicant pool in school history, I believe you can get into a top-notch IR program. SSP has a lot of military students, so start looking there!

Wanted to bump this.... This happened with me at Georgetown. It's possible. Make sure you application is relevant to current times, and building relationships with the admissions office is key. Eagerness and persistence goes a long way.

There's no formula. I’m a professional working in DC, and SSP part-time student. My route was a bit different. You might want to build relationships with the admissions office and listen carefully to the goals of the program. Research the curriculums thoroughly. For schools like Georgetown, they are looking for students that want to commit, so persistence and eagerness goes a long way. I do know cases where applicants from Harvard and Oxford got rejected from SSP because they failed to understand the goals of the program. If you are still an undergrad, I would gain some work experience. If the ongoing crisis in Ukraine persists, there could be a spike in applications. It happened at SFS after the 2020 election/insurrection. Think about your goals, and start working towards them if you haven't done so. But I would start with building relationships with the admissions office and move from there.

Here’s my story. I’m starting at Georgetown next spring, enrolling in the Security Studies Program. My credentials are on the signature. I graduated American University with a 3.17 GPA and worked in the State Department for several years. When the thought of graduate school came across, I contacted the admissions office, and we scheduled a 1v1 virtual meeting. We discussed my transcript and resume, the difference between undergraduate and masters’ admissions, and personally attended information sessions hosted by the admissions office. A friend suggested SSP but was hesitant in applying since it was considered the best, until meeting an SSP graduate renewed my purpose in giving this a second try (cuz I liked her). I applied for the 2021 Fall Semester (at the last minute) and was waitlisted in the most competitive application pool in school history. My support network encouraged me to apply again and was accepted for Spring 2022. If you are looking for a YouTube video for guidance, the advice posted on Self Made Millennial mirrored my experience with the Georgetown admissions office.

Try scheduling a 1v1 virtual meeting with the admissions office. I contacted several programs and shared my transcript/cv, and we broke down everything. They also explained the difference between undergraduate and masters admissions. By the end of the first meeting, they gave me the confidence to submit a top-notch application. This was my Georgetown experience, so I can't speak for the other programs. You don't need to explain a 3.0 GPA in your statements. The admissions advice on Self-Made Millennial is the best guide for grad school, regardless of GPA. It helped me.

I would focus more on the LSAT over the GRE. Georgetown is stepping back from the GRE for a bit with the pandemic. I'm going to the Walsh School of Foreign Service in the spring, and didn't fret much over the entrance exams. Try to gain some work experience as you prepare for this. You do need to know the admissions process on both sides, because I heard you need to submit two applications. For now, I would schedule a 1v1 information session on the SFS side to get an idea of things. They are really inviting, which motivated me to reapply after getting rejected the first time. I'm not sure about the law school side, but I heard great things from students that went through. If you leave the SFS meeting with a set plan, Georgetown may take notice.

It's possible. I had two really bad semesters myself, but recovered with a 3.1. If you are really interested in a graduate program, I would schedule a personalized virtual online session with the admissions office, attach your resume/transcript, and address your concerns during the meeting. They might breakdown your credentials and provide feedback on submitting a top-notch application, regardless of GPA. I know peers with stronger resumes that got rejected from the best graduate programs because they didn’t communicate what the admissions office is looking for. Attend online information sessions and listen to their advice. Persistence and eagerness will get you on their radar. You probably don't need to address your past with this advice. For me, I ended up at Georgetown University five years after undergraduate. It’s possible to get accepted into an even better school, but I would first gain some work experience to show the admissions office you are dependable as a student/professional. Take a few years to recuperate, and do some research on programs you are interested in. Remain ambitious, and you’ll do fine.

It happens to many of us. I was a late bloomer, and had two bad semesters, and recovered with mostly Bs until graduation. My final GPA was a 3.1. Don’t sweat it, but I would reach out to the graduate admissions office and address your concerns with them. There's nothing you can really change about your past. They might breakdown your transcript/resume and provide feedback on submitting a top-notch application, regardless of GPA. I don’t know about the PhD level, but I know peers with stronger resumes that got rejected from the best graduate programs because they didn’t communicate what the admissions office is looking for. Attend online information sessions and listen to their advice. Persistence and eagerness will get you on their radar. If you are looking at MIT, Stanford, Cal, Harvard, Duke, or other high-caliber programs, you might have a shot with this advice. Remain ambitious and you'll do fine! It’s possible to get accepted into an even better school. For me, I ended up at Georgetown five years after undergraduate. I didn't mention say a single word about my bad semesters on my application.

For Security Studies, Georgetown, George Washington, John Hopkins are the schools you should consider. If you are looking abroad Kings College and University of Edinburgh in the UK are worthwhile programs. The War Studies program at Kings College is the UK version of Georgetown Security Studies

I was bracing for a denial when admissions told me about the huge application surge. You went the distance against the best competition in school history. Your a winner in my book. If you are not going anywhere, devise a Plan B to achieve Plan A.

SSP contacted me. The Fall 2021 cohort is already set. I didn't get off the waitlist myself.

Just watched Rocky the other night, and the blessing of getting waitlisted started to sink in. Five years ago, I had doubts whether pursuing a national security career was right for me, largely because my undergraduate performance dissuaded me to even look at grad school. I don’t think prospective applicants would’ve applied to SFS with my numbers. Most don't even try. Thanks to a recent SSP graduate, whose inspiration brought my ambitions back on-track, my sights was set on Georgetown. My undergraduate GPA won’t change, but I did have control over my application essays. Realizing how my newfound purpose would have an impact on others, especially those that helped me, I felt I had something to fight for, and confidently knew my application would be competitive from the start. For those on the waitlist, you are still a winner. You went the distance against the largest application surge in program history, and probably the cream of the crop. I want to share this story, hopefully to inspire the underdogs that doubted themselves in the past. You belong at Georgetown.

Not yet. Haven't heard anything. Just really blessed that I made it this far. Hopefully I can bring this home, but we'll see. The COVID pandemic re-sparked desire to pursue a career in national security (infectious disease), being an Asian-American, and seeing the events in our country in recent weeks; I felt like I have something to fight for... for my family and community. I would've had made this far without SSP's support during the application process. There's something special about this program and community.

I'm not surprised about that. Looking back, I'm happy I got waitlisted, going against quality applicants.

Did any SSP waitlist student receive a follow-up email regarding next steps?

Same here. Crossing my fingers.....