foodlover28

Thanks for the encouragement Nadeen! Did you go into a lot of details about why you are going for your master's program? I'm running the conversation in my head, trying to decide how I'm going to talk about my reason for pursuing a different field. But I also don't want it to sound like a long and unnecessary explanation for leaving; instead I want him to know that I'm truly passionate about the field I want to study.

I've secured letters from my professors, but I'm having trouble gathering the strength and courage to ask my employer. I know he's already writing letters for someone else; I will be applying to a field that is slightly different than the industry I'm working in, so... can someone give me advice about how to approach my employer without offending him for leaving my job? I don't want him to get the impression that I'm leaving b/c I don't like the job (which is not true).

One more specialization/concentration distinction request: ID vs Social Policy. I'm interested in China's social policies, and social consequences of its development policies. I'm fine with working on US domestic social policies as well, but ultimately I'd like to specialize/research on China. My understanding is that ID deals with poverty alleviation, sustainable development, urban vs. rural growth, etc; while social policy is more domestic oriented. Given that, I'm not sure if I should go with ID from the start or Social Policy and then do a comparative study or apply it to my region of interest...seems to me that the first option is more viable/appropriate for me, but I'd like to hear your opinions as well.

Thanks for the encouragement, Latte. I do have one question about policy oriented career after MPP/MA-IR. Although I'm a research analyst right now, the kind of work I do is mostly quantitative and I really miss writing and ddoing many of the qualitative commentary/analysis on social issues. This is probably because of the industry I'm in and the nature of kind of work we get. I do realize the value and importance of quant research, which I am by no means dismissing. However, my fear is that I'll end up in a job like this again--where most of the time is spent with statistical packages/quantitative analysis. I don't think public policy work is like this--at least when I took public policy as an undergrad, the policy memos we wrote were not just focused on numbers and surveys--they were rather complimentary to the key arguments. So i just want to confirm my belief (and hope) that I won't end up with a "number crunching" job.... [i don't mean to offend anyone, for those who like doing quant stuff. Quant analysis is not my favorite/preferred type of work; I'm not bad at it, but it's not my forte or passion.]

Thanks for the encouraging comments, I really appreciate it and after reading more into this forum I am much more at peace now

Hi all, I've found so much insightful information and comments on this website, so I was hoping that by posting my concerns and my situation I could benefit from all your experiences and brainpower! First, I am having a hard time deciding between IR and PP. I was an Econ/Int'l Dev major as an undergrad. I certainly loved Int'l Dev and I have done a lot of research projects on topics related to social wellbeing + development. My ideal job would be to work at a think tank or research institute (as many of you have also expressed the same interest), doing analysis on international-related area. that said, I would also embrace a job in int'l diplomacy or something related with the same enthusiasm. Thus, I was thinking of IR with policy focus or PP with international focus. I was thinking of applying for both, depending on the school... The second thing that concerns me (and the thing that's troubling me the most), is the quality of my work experience. I was originally very enthusiastic about applying, but now I'm getting increasingly worried due to the heavy emphasis (or so it seems) that schools put on work experience. I have two years of research apprenticeship with top /famous professors in different social science fields (one had fellowship $), working on either award winning papers or soon to be published books. Since graduation, I've been working in the private sector at an economic consulting company, as a research analyst. So while my job has given me important analytical skill set, I feel that it doesn't really show my passion in PP/IR. So... I started volunteering on week nights, at my local school district and with an organization that does economic development projects for Africans. My positions are cool and I enjoy it, I have good relationship with everyone, but I don't do anything very significant (compared to, say, foreign service in another country or working at local government office). I don't know how much weigh they would give to my application, but these are the only things I can manage to do while having a full time job. I have other volunteer stuff/internships, but none that's particularly outstanding So my questions, in brief, are: 1. Given my experience, do you think I have a chance at the PP/IR program? 2. Does IR emphasize work exerpeience less than PP (it seems like PP is more of a professional program)? My other stats: GPA: 3.9 at UCB, double major GRE: 800Q, 660V, 4 AW (what?!) Experience: 2 years research, 1.5 year private sector THANK YOU FOR READING THIS LONG POST and helping someone who's losing sleep every night because of this