StoneWhite

I don't mind a long post Understood on the skills portion, which is why I joined the USAR. Just trying to get my foot in the door

Its been about five years since undergrad. I've done a lot of maturing since then, which is why I think I've done so well this time around. Ultimate goal would be an intelligence analyst or state department- don't see how the MPA helps with that. I think I would explain just that. The MPA doesn't align with my career goals but an IR degree would.

I graduated in 2017 with a 2.6 undergrad GPA in poli sci and history. Started the MPA program at the local university last semester, but looking to go somewhere else. To be frank, I don't feel that this is the right school for me. I don't feel challenged, that I'm gaining new skills, or that it will advance my career in any way- it seems like a lot of my classmates are trying to get into the professional position I'm already in. As an undergrad, I was fascinated in IR and wanted to go to one of the DC or NYC schools for international relations that the IR forum is filled with: GW, NYU, Columbia, American, Georgetown, etc. But I quickly gave up that dream when I realized it wasn't realistic. I settled in state and local government and have made a relatively successful career out of it. Now I've only taken two classes but received an A in both and expect to continue that trend with the two classes I'm taking this semester. And with most of my tuition taken care of through work, I can afford to take as many classes as needed. I will be taking a semester off soon, as I recently joined the Army reserve, but will be picking it back up after basic and OCS. How many classes/semesters would I need to take to be taken seriously at the schools I've mentioned above? This is all with the caveat that I don't have much international experience. Constantly looking for jobs in the field...

I graduated in 2017 with a 2.6 undergrad GPA in poli sci and history. Started the MPA program at the local university last semester, but looking to go somewhere else. To be frank, I don't feel that this is the right school for me. I don't feel challenged, that I'm gaining new skills, or that it will advance my career in any way- it seems like a lot of my classmates are trying to get into the professional position I'm already in. My ambition is to go to one of the stereotypical DC or NYC school for international relations that the IR forum is filled with: GW, NYU, Columbia, American, Georgetown, etc. Now I've only taken two classes but received an A in both. And with most of my tuition taken care of through work, I can afford to take as many classes as needed. How many classes/semesters would I need to take to be taken seriously at the schools I've mentioned above? Assuming the other parts of my application are up to par.