waltlaa9

Thanks for your input. I've been working with refugees for the past couple of years and did some development work at NGOs as an intern before that. I really enjoy working with refugees, but the day in and day out repetition of the work is starting to drain me...it's not that I'm cynical, I've just learned as much as I can here (and I can confidently say that I'm leaving our office in a better place in terms of staff and services than when I was first hired on). I'd like to continue working with refugees but want to broaden my scope to conflict management. Not sure what that will look like or where it will take me yet.

soapwater, do you mind sharing the field you are in now? or at least what you consider to be "real field experience?" one of my motivations for going back to school is because I've become bored at my current job and realize that I need more technical skills (econ, stats) if I'm going to be competitive to move on/up to something more interesting. I've been on the front lines of field work so it's interesting to hear opinions about working in a think tank or similar NGO (and I've been bombarded with stories from others who are cynical about working in government and for the UN as well).

Sorry to hear that WakeMeUpB4UGoGo. Congrats to the other who made it in! Wanderlust22, my email also stated that info on fellowships would be out in the coming days.

haha i am trying to restrain myself from sharing my anxiety over the next few hours with everyone in the office

Everything that MPPgal said. You have to talk more about your personal experiences and how they have informed your professional development, and then connect that to your choice to attend graduate school. Provide more concrete details about you, and trim down the rhetorical questions that prompted your journey to a sentence or two, max. And I don't think it is a good idea to start your essay talking about the challenge the application presents, you sound intimidated.

I imagine the decisions will be out no later than the 15th, but could possibly be released earlier. The email I received when SAIS confirmed that my application was complete stated "All admission decisions and financial aid awards will be released online in mid-March."

Woohoo!! In at Duke Sanford with $$! MPP program.

I can't recall if SAIS notifies applicants if anything is missing, whereas some of the other schools I applied to (like Fletcher) made it clear that admissions would let you know within 10 days or so. I agree that your best bet is to go ahead and email them...SAIS has been great with answering my emails within two-three days.

Hey, yes, I received an email on 01/15 confirming receipt of all application materials.

I second ridofme's response. Also, as an anecdote, when I applied to my first professional position I realized after submitting my application that I had the wrong date on my cover letter -- a completely random month and the previous year -- because I had edited and revised an old cover letter saved on my computer. I agonized over that mistake, but then still got the job due to the substance and quality of my overall application.

No comment on your chances, but as for programs GWU might be up your alley. The Elliot School offers a specialization in security & development under the SPS degree, and two of the professors recently edited a book on the subject.

Thanks for your input! I think MSFS appeals to me more based on the international focus. Hopefully I can elect to take a couple more quantitative classes than is the norm.

I did the interview at Fletcher with a 1st year MALD student last year, and yes, he took notes. I checked with admissions to see if it will be included in my application this year and they said yes.

@orangesplease: I had just decided on the MSFS program instead of GPPI and now your post is reigniting my internal debate. Are you able to offer any opinion or insight regarding the strengths of GPPI over MSFS? After thoroughly researching both program websites, I settled on MSFS because of the courses offered in security & conflict management, as well as global institutions and transnational challenges (both within the international relations and security concentration). I would love to get job that focuses on the intersection of security and development, and particularly on conflict prevention and resolution. GPPI stands out for its strong emphasis on policy analysis, but the website doesn't offer much in the way of describing elective courses and concentrations. I want to tech up in order to open the doors to consulting or something in the big leagues, but I am eager to learn more about theory and practice in this field as well. The MPP/MSFS degree would be amazing but I doubt I could afford to be in school for 3 years. Thoughts?

I've been reading posts on this site for the last year and a half or so and I'm surprised no one has started a thread yet for this year's applicants. I saw a few similar posts on the "Am I Competitive" thread but my intention is to start a thread focusing on those of us who are actually taking the plunge and working on submitting applications. We can eye each other's stats and start the support group I'll start.... Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): depends on the school, but I've been honing in on programs that have an emphasis on technical skills and allow me to link security, development, and economics. My decision is based on my long-term interests in forced migration and humanitarian policy & research. Schools Applying/Applied To: Princeton WWS (MPA), Duke Sanford (MPP), JHU SAIS, GWU Elliot (M.A. SPS), Georgetown (torn between between the Security Studies Program and SFS-Global Human Dev., still deciding), Tufts Fletcher = 6 [maybe I should reduce it to 5?] Schools Admitted To: n/a Schools Rejected From: n/a Still Waiting: all Undergraduate institution: small private liberal arts college Undergraduate GPA: 3.9 Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): Undergraduate Major: International Relations & German; minors in Poli Sci & Music (Summa Cum Laude, President's Prizes in both IR and German, two honor societies) GRE Quantitative Score: 157 [77% (meh - does anyone think this is bad?)] GRE Verbal Score: 167 (98 %) GRE AW Score: 5.5 (96%) Age: 24 Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3 years Years of Work Experience: 2 years professional work experience + internships/volunteer experience Describe Relevant Work Experience and International Experience: I'm currently a program director in a refugee resettlement agency, and before promotion I worked as a case manager (2yrs+) I took a gap year right after college to travel and get some international experience. It was sort of hacked together -- I had a legal aid services internship in Kenya (3 months), and volunteered FT at a street kids' rehab center in Colombia (4 1/2 months), and was a a Rotary Cultural Scholar in Germany (3 months). My time in Kenya and Colombia has served me well as I now work with refugees from the Kenyan camps and some Colombians. Grasping at everything I can here - I spent a summer in Ecuador during college (not study abroad0 and did a brief winter term in China. Also was an ESL volunteer and intern with a refugee resettlement agency during/after college. Languages: intermediate Spanish and rusty German (was once pretty advanced). Studied Russian as well. I've always been better at the grammar and reading/writing portion of my language studies and becoming fluent has been difficult for me. I'm not a talker. Quant: Intro to Macro and Micro, Intermed Micro, Int'l Trade & Business, Statistics I. As far as math courses go, the last serious one I took was pre-cal in high school (short-sighted of me, I know). Not sure how much that will hurt me, but at least I have some kind of background in econ. Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I'm still working on this. I am going to focus on how my work with refugees has prompted me to pursue this degree and how each program will give me the tools I need. Seems pretty straight forward. I also want to emphasize the wealth of management experience I've gained in such a short time (have already navigated handling sudden resignations, hiring processes, funding crises, a State Dept monitoring -- it's been a ride). Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): I'll have one academic reference from my IR professor and one professional reference from my direct supervisor. Still considering who I'm going to ask for the 3rd but am scoping out people I regularly interact with via email/phone/conferences at Home Office... Other: I am SO stressed about grad school debt. I am really hoping that my management experience and clear professional trajectory will put me in a good position to receive some funding.

false start, I hope the moderator deletes this as I can't figure out how to