HisRoyalHighness

I found the inclusion of undergraduate ranking for IR programs in the latest Foreign Policy to be strange. No one cares where you went to undergrad once you're in graduate school.

I got a 630 on the verbal which was fine with me - that was 50 points higher than my practice test and above the mean for all the schools to which I applied. GRE is overrated as a predictor of academic success. Thank God I'll never have to take it again because I hated studying for it and I hated taking it.

Columbia SIPA is not that difficult of a program to which to gain admittance - they're looking for people who can pretty much pay their way through the program as Columbia is notoriously stingy with fin. aid for MA students. You should be fine.

I don't understand why you would feel you're not competitive? Your scores are excellent and your GPA is too. You don't need a 4.0 and a 1600 GRE to get into a "top IR school" (what does that even mean really? There are over one hundred universities in the US offering IR MA degrees, are you referring to the top 10, top 15?). Graduate school admissions aren't like undergraduate - they're looking for ability to think independently and critically as well as a curiosity about the world, not raw scores. Write a kick-ass SOP, which I feel is the single, most important part of anyone's application to graduate school.

I don't know a huge amount about the NYU program but I do know someone who's in it who's major is Latin American studies and he seems quite pleased with the program so far. It is not highly competitive, meaning it's not ranked in the top 20, but it's a good solid program nonetheless. If you live in NY you're going to have very high living expenses - so be prepared for that. I'm an international security major but do not focus on Latin America and speak French rather than Spanish.

Why do you think getting such a high verbal GRE will "dramatically" increase your odds of getting into your top choice? Did they tell you exactly how much they weigh the verbal GRE vs. GPA and SOP? Let's be honest - no one knows for sure how much GREs are weighed. The whole process is completely opaque and we can only offer our best guess.

International relations programs love international applicants, but you've not indicated what subsection of IR you're interested in - security, humanitarian, international studies? "IR" is a general field, I need to know more specifically what you're interested in. The Global Affairs program at NYU SCPS is a great program. But then again I'm biased as I graduated from NYU. I have concerns about the program at the University of Chicago. I don't believe one year is enough time to become learned in IR and the program at UC is a one-year program. Anything less than a full two-year program requiring a thesis, internship and second-language ability is not acceptable. The University of Chicago is also not a member of ASPSIA, You should check out their listings of full and affiliate members. You also need to start studying for the GRE as your score there is a strong determinant of where you'll be able to get in.

Refunds are generally given quite quickly after all tuition and fees are paid. At NYU I was given my refund 10 days after class started. The schools realize students need that extra money on which to live so they don't hold onto it. If you need money before your refund arrives you can talk to Columbia about an emergency loan to pay rent. Most universities offer these programs where the school will front you some cash and then add the loan onto your tuition bill.

Hi - I'm unsure what the protocol is for applying in the manner in which you're thinking. I do know, however, that graduate programs are looking for focused applicants who want to be leaders in their fields. So applying, say, to one school like NYU for two separate departments, one an MPP and one IR, would be looked down upon. For one thing it shows that you don't really know what you want to do and secondly it plays departments off against each other. Maybe if you can elaborate on the "professional and PhD program at the same university" then myself or someone else can help you. I'm doing a terminal masters program so I'm not sure what the right answer is.

You should consider UCSD's Asian Studies program. It's really unparalleled in the world. The University of Washington's Jackson School of International Studies is also another excellent school for IR with an Asian focus. Also - cut that list of schools down a bit. I'm confused - are you intending to apply to multiple programs at the same university? If so I would highly recommend you not do so.

I've never heard of "FPA" and looking at the list of "top schools" I'm curious how they came up with the rankings. I've never heard of UC Boulder being a "top school" for IR or Political Science. Far be it from me to disparage NYU - I received my undergraduate degree at the university. That being said I think the MS in Global Affairs program at SCPS is coming along nicely. I know someone in the program now and he said it's quite rigorous and thorough. I believe he's doing a Latin American Affairs concentration. NYU also provides great support to its students and the location is unparalleled.

LinkedIn has several groups which pertain to intelligence and security.

LOLS - 13 schools? Uhh.. why?

The University of Colorado at Denver doesn't even have an international relations graduate program. You'd think Foreign Policy would have fact-checked that before publishing it, particularly since the study appeared online weeks before the magazine itself was published.

That's indeed unfortunate about SIPA. I've also heard they're quite stingy with their funding as well. I know someone who graduated from the program and she had a lot of good things to say about it and now is working as an intelligence analyst with the NYPD's counter-terrorism bureau.