HandsomeNerd
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Posts posted by HandsomeNerd
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thx, i just ordered one of the acase 2nd gens on amazon prime (.edu free prime ftw!). do you have any advice on auto-syncing dropbox with the ipad+goodreader? one of the issues i havent been able to figure out is why, when i annotate a pdf on my ipad with goodreader (linked from my dropbox acct), the changes don't reflect on the actual dropbox file. they appear to be local only to the copy on my ipad. i can manually upload and download from my dropbox sync on goodreader, but that's quite a pain and sometimes i just dont remember which files are most up to date with annotations or not.
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first semester grad student here. satisfied and generally pleased with my ipad as an ereader, but admittedly find myself wondering about e-ink readers when ipad-reading outside with glare.
currently using and satisfied with goodreader. in need, however, of stylus (?) suggestions as my finger appears to be heinously inaccurate when free-hand annotating pdfs (non-text converted). all advice welcome, thx.
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potato skins
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elliot abrams
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Basically, the govt will no longer pay interest on student loans for the duration of grad school. Discuss.
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In light of this, my questions are:
What are my chances at the schools listed above?
What other schools should I be considering - particularly, those eager to accept students fresh out of undergrad (like Science Po) or those that are a bit easier to get into?
What should I be aiming for on my GRE?
Should I just nix the idea of going to grad school straight out of undergrad and get a few years of work experience under my belt before I apply?
Thanks in advance!
Chances at schools listed above: First, it will be hard to say without knowing your GREs, quality of SOP and LORs. Your undergraduate record, however, looks good-- a 3.8 despite a C- at some point, and your thesis will definitely reflect well on your application. While I don't know much about the EU schools to which you'll apply, Fletcher and SAIS are top 5 schools and extremely competitive. I've seen applicants with great stats (3.9+ GPA, 1400+ GRE) rejected from Fletcher. Lack of relevant work experience will hurt you with them, but you'll still have a shot. Elliot and Korbel are significantly less competitive, and I'd say you would have a good-strong chance at getting in at either, provided you do indeed score well on the GREs, secure good LORs and construct a coherent SOP. Korbel could be your safety.
Other schools worth consideration: Georgetown (more competitive), Columbia, American (less competitive, fresh undergrad friendly).
GRE: obviously you want to do as well as you can do, but 1300ish should be ok overall, 1400+ if you want a chance at your reach schools like Fletcher and SAIS.
Work experience or no: You will invariably be more competitive everywhere you want to apply with work experience, especially at your reach schools. You'll still be able to get into some programs without substantial or relevant work experience-- but less likely in the top programs.
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GoodReader's been a great pdf reading/annotating app for me
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yea, all the good DC schools are part of the Washington Consortium (sp?), and allow for relatively painless cross-registration, from what i recall. guest lectures should be even easier to attend, as they'll have looser attendance requirements.
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super interesting read; thanks for the find
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has anyone set up their georgetown emails yet? i got my web-based hoyamail up and running, but keep running into password/authentication problems on thunderbird/macmail...
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^ http://roommate.gu.och101.com/.
has anyone set up their georgetown emails yet? i got my web-based hoyamail up and running, but keep running into password/authentication problems on thunderbird/macmail...
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Did you get a packet with further steps to take after accepting your spot? Do you know how I get a password for StudentAccess?
it should be on the same letter from the University Registrar & Assistant Provost. i got my ID (GOCard)#, University NetID, and a Temporary NetID Password on the same letter.
as for further administrative stuff, i think your specific program should be contacting you with that. SSP, for example, sent an admin update out last week about address changes, billing, summer classes, concentration, orientation, etc, etc.
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yeah, i got mine back in early April. haven't had to use it for anything other than checking finaid yet
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I would. I was in a similar situation, and I think it worked out for me.
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Hey Jon, I'm inbound for SSP this fall too. Have any of you guys checked this out yet? I got an email this morning from a prospective roommate in Mt. Pleasant/Colombia Heights.
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1000 word SOP limit to these schools?
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my biggest moment was when in the theater, watching The Social Network. i think around the time Zuckerburg got Facebook up and running, I had just dropped out of college and was bumming around aimlessly through life.
the most intense "wow i'm a failure" moments i get are when i find out someone wildly successful is in, around or below my age cohort (+/- 2 years).
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i'm dying as we speak. 1 week out from thesis being due. i can't imagine doing anything remotely intellectual this summer, i'm so desperate to rot my brain after this...
at least you're on track to finish on time. i fell off the bus hard back in the fall, so i gotta finish during the summer. ugh
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Previous Schools: University of Massachusetts
Previous Degrees and GPA's: 3.95 Political Science, IR
GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): V 620, Q 760, AW 4.5
Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): Five years in the Marine Corps
Math/Econ Background: Micro, Macro, Calc I, Political Econ
Foreign Language Background: Native Chinese speaker
Strength of SoP: Average, at best. I procrastinated for months, with nothing to show for it but aborted attempts at unorthodox structure and cutesy narratives. I finally wrote each SOP the day applications were due, responding as directly to the prompts as possible.
Strength of LORs: Great from three professors, who happened to be superstars in my department, each representing a different discipline: public policy, political theory and comparative IR. Average, from two other LOR writers for GWU (my thesis advisor), and Fletcher (my supervisor from an internship last summer who's a tenured professor there).
Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Security studies, energy security
Long Term Professional Goals: IC, regional analysis, think tank, consulting
Schools Applied to & Results:
ACCEPTED: Georgetown SSP ($), GWU Elliot, American SIS($$)
WAITLISTED: Fletcher
REJECTED: none
Ultimate Decision & Why: Georgetown. It was my top choice from the start: coursework and location are perfect fits for my academic interests and professional objectives. School reputation, all-star faculty and half-tuition scholarship helped seal the deal.
Advice/Stuff I Would Have Done Differently:
I have a checkered academic history, so getting transcripts was a nightmare logistically. In fact I found out after the application deadlines that the undergraduate institution from which I'm graduating never even sent my transcripts. This actually led me to skip applications to a couple of other schools and programs I was considering (and wish I applied to in retrospect): SAIS and MSFS in particular. In hindsight, I would have requested multiple copies of all my transcripts earlier (Oct or Nov), had them all directly to my home address, compiled them, and shipped them to each school on my own.
As far as my LORs, a quick overview of my LOR experiment for context: as a security studies applicant, I was worried about one of my LOR writers (brilliant and enthusiastic, but too young, too politically radical), so I hedged my bets at two schools. For GWU, I subbed her out for my thesis advisor (an old, curt, Middle Eastern man). 16 minutes after I sent the electronic notification to him as a recommender through GWU's application, I received another notification: <Thesis Advisor> has submitted your recommendation. /facepalm, /sigh. For Fletcher, I subbed her out for my boss at a think tank internship I did last summer. In retrospect, this was also a terrible idea-- the guy was hardly there during my internship, and I did more work for other people at the office than for him. However, he was the president of this think tank, as well as a tenured professor at Fletcher, so I figured I might as well cash that social capital check in for this recommendation. I had to hound him- through his secretary- in the last 48 hours before the recommendation was due, and he didn't even submit it until about a week later. So in hindsight, it seems no wonder that these two schools were the ones I had the least success with during this application process.
If I could have redone my LORs, I would have never subbed young, brilliant, enthusiastic radical prof. out for these dodgy old conservative farts. Have faith in those who demonstrably show faith in you.
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+1 for citizenship being non-negotiable.
while i admittedly don't know much about private intelligence firms, i was always under the impression that they clearances they required were adjudicated by some federal agency and the personnel they hired were former members of the IC from the military or federal govt.
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International relation and affairs applicants for fall 2012
in Government Affairs Forum
Posted
...and the plot thickens.
/popcorn