luna1874

Hello! I was offered a full scholarship and generous stipend at the University of Michigan MIRS program. I was offered about 20k of funding at both GWU and American University (about half of total cost). I am pursuing a Masters in International Relations with the end goal of working in policy analysis in the private sector or for the government. I prefer the location, reputation, and academic coursework of American and GWU more. Michigan also does not have a specific school of International Relations, and I worry my options would be more limited to academia. However, it is hard to give up the fellowship and stipend at Michigan which would allow me to graduate debt-free and survive paying rent. I would appreciate any advice!

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): IR Schools Applied To: American SIS, GWU Elliott, Tufts Fletcher, Georgetown SFS, UMichigan MIRS, UCSD GPS, Denver Korbel, JHU SAIS Schools Admitted To: American ($$), GWU ($$), UMichigan (none), UCSD ($ TBA), Korbel ($$$) Schools Rejected From: JHU SAIS Still Waiting: Tufts Fletcher, Georgetown SFS (Waitlisted) Undergraduate Institution: mid-ranking University of California school Undergraduate GPA: 3.97 Undergraduate Major: Global Studies GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores: N/A Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 2 Years of Work Experience: 2 Describe Relevant Work Experience: English teacher abroad in competitive program Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Fairly strong, strong writing skills, focus on background in international affairs and future goals Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Positive but likely generic, from 2 professors whose classes I did well in Other: Narrowed down to American (slightly cheaper, offering research assistantship, friendly admissions outreach) and GWU (better location and higher ranking). Very town between the two!