younglions

I improved my GRE verbal score quite substantially to a 790. There was a 2 year break in between my two tests. The most helpful thing for me was definitely the website flashcardexchange.com. Just search for GRE and you will find a wealth of study sets. Also, during those two years I had a lot more free time than I did when I was in university + working so I found a lot of time to read. Books and quality news publications are a great way to improve your verbal score if you have the time. Instead of reading Newsweek (which has a very low level of vocab) for current events, read the ny times or the economist.

Is anyone else hesitant to post their profiles in fear of adcoms browsing these forums? I know it sounds ridiculous, and I can't imagine how it would negatively affect my applications, but that hesitancy remains. Also, I hope people start using this thread as a "mega thread" instead of posting new ones for every little question. It promotes discussion, and I think we could all use a little bit of that over the next 2-3 months of impatient waiting.

This is a test post. I noticed in another moved thread that when new posts were made, the thread didn't move to top of the message forum. If that's the case here, maybe it's time to create a new thread. EDIT: Seems like it made the jump to the top.

Honestly, with the numbers posted so far in this thread, I think the schools are going to take you guys. Truthfully, I'm not too convinced of the rigor of the econ courses offered at a lot of these IR schools. SAIS is often touted as being econ-heavy, but I think that's a relative characterization placed upon it by people without math/econ backgrounds. I graduated with an econ degree from a large state university; I didn't see any benefits of going to a school like SAIS over GT or Fletcher, so I didn't even apply. Also, the rigor of a lot of undergraduate econ courses is not very intensive, especially principles courses. It would be absurd for a school to turn someone away with a year experience in securities trading just because he (she?) doesn't have intro to macro on his (her?) transcript.

I come in with a 788 according to that formula. I'm a MPP / IR applicant.

Has anyone done the MYFAID application at HKS yet? I still haven't received my login information, and with the holiday break upon us, don't expect to receive it for a couple more weeks now. What sort of information do I have to have on hand to complete the application? Unfortunately, I'll be leaving the country until June, so I need to know what I need before I go!

I saw that someone posted an early admit to Fletcher on the results page. Are you around here? Did you get any sort of funding package?

I haven't already been admitted to any programs. In fact, I haven't finished all my applications yet (hopefully within the next couple days). I'll give you my take anyways. Honestly, I think you are right around the median for a lot of your schools. It looks like you're only applying to top 10 programs, so anywhere is going to be tough. Expect a rejection or two, but mostly admits. I'm applying to a lot of the same schools and fit into the group of people with 3.9s and 1500 GREs. By the numbers, I'm probably golden, but I'm still not overly confident I'll get in at my top choices. You can see on WWS's website that a lot of its students have pretty stellar work experience considering most presumably only have a bachelors degree. In that regard, I'm rather average. (Peace Corps plus a couple of internships.) My main question is how do these people get these great gigs directly out of undergrad? Seems like most everything I see requires a masters. But, no, don't worry too much. You'll definitely get in somewhere, and most likely at multiple schools. I'm worried, but it's 25% about getting in, and 75% of being one of the lucky few who receive a funding offer.

I'm optimistic that most of that jump has come from job-seeking MBAs who have decided to add on the MPP in the face of weakening job prospects and anticipated growth in public sector spending. I'm sure there will be a jump in MPP/MPA/IR applications, but not 80%.

Subject says it all. I understand money for these professional degrees is difficult to come by, but just how difficult? Since I'm interested in public service, I'll likely never be bring in the big bucks and don't want to accumulate a large debt load. I started researching these types of programs a few years ago, and have tried to set myself up as best as possible to earn a scholarship, but I'm unsure if it's enough. What do committees focus on most when awarding scholarships? Academic achievement, work experience, recommendations, GRE scores, essays? I realize it's a combination, but does any one of these components take priority? I have nightmares of mid-career professionals coming in and snatching up the limited money that's available. (I'm 24 with two years of overseas development experience and a couple of internships).

I'm only applying to 2 straight IR programs: SFS and Fletcher. Although I'm interested in subjects that would generally be classified under the IR-wing (or economics), I sought out a variety of degrees and found that MPP programs quite often have my desired mix between quant and theory. Many even allow you to specialize in development, and from what I can gather, offer a little more financial aid than most IR programs. Unfortunately, it still isn't much. That said, I'm applying to Fletcher, SFS, Chicago Harris, Carnegie Mellon Heinz, Princeton WWS, and Harvard KSG. If I don't get a good chunk of my studies funded, I'm probably not going. (So maybe I won't be going to graduate school next year!) Since I'm interested in a dev career, it's just not feasible to have a large debt load. If I go to SFS I would concentrate in International Development. I think it's a wise move to apply to just MSFS if it's the only school that strikes your fancy. I'm not convinced these degrees have a huge return on investment, so it's better to be prudent and do something you know you want to be doing.

I haven't applied yet, but will. I am sure MSFS, like most other programs, will notify you sometimes around the second week of March. It's a long wait, but part of the normal admissions process. I hope they use all that time to make sure the best candidates get in. Where else are you applying?