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Mal83

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Everything posted by Mal83

  1. Well let's see if there is anything we can work with before we use the word "sad." Knowing names of faculty that you want to take classes or work with can be a great thing to put in an SOP...so that's a plus.
  2. Yikes, that's crazy that a dean would agree to write the recommendation and then say something like that...it seems warped to me. If you can't drudge up something decent to say then you should decline to do it in the first place.
  3. Oh, I'm not an international student so I can't comment on employment from that perspective. You might want to contact Elliott, I'm sure they can provide you with information.
  4. disintegrate -- "Approximately 700 graduate students from more than 25 countries attend the Elliott School every year. In addition, the Elliott School has over 5,000 graduate alumni throughout the world." Taken directly from Elliott's website. Hope that helps because I of course don't have an exact number and not sure where I would get that.
  5. These are legitimate questions...you might want to ask them of admissions or the program contacts. This is a brand new program so I'm not sure anyone here will have too much to say about it at this point. I couldn't imagine that you would be assigned a field project, you have to be able to work on something that matters to you. At Elliott we will form our own groups and choose our own organization from those that work with the program. The project, for us, is the capstone to be done during our 4th semester. Although we will start preparing for it at the end of this spring semester. You should be able to look at the requirements to get an idea of how economics heavy it will be, we only have to take one Economics of Development course during the first semester...thank god. But I've heard other ID programs are much heavier on economics. I can't imagine chaos at GT. So I don't think that's something you should worry about. What do you mean by resources? I would imagine that GT will bring in, if they don't have already, practitioners to teach the development courses. You don't want just academics, you want people who have been in the field and have experience with development agencies and organizations. These are the people who know how to do things like "monitoring and evaluation" and "program development." These are the people who can tell you what's it actually like to do development. The Director/Cornerstone professor of ID at Elliott has a phD in anthropology and worked with USAID for quite some time and other organizations. He's also a democracy and governance expert in Eurasia and Central Asia. So I mean he's quite accomplished in different areas. And being that ID is interdisciplinary that's the best way to go. I'm sure that GT is good and ready for a quality ID program...otherwise they wouldn't be doing it. But the best way to get more information is to contact the program, I'm sure they'd be happy to help. And also, do some comparing between the other established programs at Elliott, Hopkins (SAIS), American (SIS), and any other you can come across online. That's the best way to get a sense of which one feels the most right to you, especially in regards to concentration (Democracy and Governance, for example). You have to be able to choose or at least create a track for yourself our of the classes being offered.
  6. Nope, I'm with those who say that it would mostly be awkward. I have trouble imagining that a professor or an employer would agree to write a letter of recommendation and not have good things to say about you. Why wouldn't a letter from a professor for a grad school applicant not be strong? Why would that person agree to do it in the first place only to write something that would end up hurting the applicant? They wouldn't agree in the first place if they didn't feel comfortable endorsing your application so I've been trusting enough to know that my recommenders wrote only nice things.
  7. You don't have to justify your reasons here for not taking a particular type of job...that's certainly your choice to make and you shouldn't be judged for it. Just keep pluggin' away at those job applications and don't just submit your resume to a temp agency and wait for them to contact you. What I learned about that kind of thing is that you need to keep at them. Call every week and ask if they have something for you. Showing them that you really want to work is a positive for them and you, don't let them forget about you. I got a temp job because I kept in touch with my recruiter and she sent me on the interview because she said "I sounded great on the phone." She wouldn't have spoken to me on the phone if I hadn't called. I don't know about the tutoring thing...maybe local libraries? They might want you to volunteer your services though, which might be a good thing to do in the meantime just for the experience and also you never know who you might meet doing that sort of thing. Maybe there's somewhere you can post an ad for your services? A local newsletter/newspaper or online. You might not be tutoring in those specific subjects...more like math and science in general. And there's no reason why you can't tutor younger kids. Maybe you have some neighbors with kids that need help in science/math subjects. I did that for a little while...the kid was cute and I got paid. Anyway, good luck.
  8. I'm a current American grad student at Elliott in the International Development Studies program. I was waitlisted at first though. I too didn't do that well on the GRE, as in about 100 points below the average accepted applicant (relatively speaking, everyone has their own idea of what a "not good" and "good" score is). My undergrad GPA was decent enough (3.35), but still a little on the low end for Elliott...hence getting waitlisted. But yes, the other components of the application are weighed heavily too...obviously or I wouldn't have made it in the door. Relevant experience can be a big factor and it can make up for the weaker parts of your application. For me, my undergrad degree is basically a foundation for ID and after that I was a Peace Corps volunteer, which is experience that couldn't really be more relevant. I was able to demonstrate my commitment to the field in my SOP. It's not as if I was completely switching gears. If that were the case admissions might not have been convinced that I was prepared for the program. ID in particular requires professional experience for admission. I don't believe that is the case for IR and it is the largest program within Elliott. Your GRE scores alone probably wouldn't be a deal breaker...if you're a government funded scholar I'm assuming that means you have performed well in academia. If you look at Elliott's website and feel like it's the right fit for you than I wouldn't be intimidated...I mean I guess I was just because it meant a lot to me. But without knowing what your other stats are it's tough to really judge. And as is the case in general, none of us can say with any certainty what your chances are. Not too knowledgeable on the non-US citizen aspect, but there is a good bit of diversity at Elliott. If you want to talk about it more I'd be happy to answer any questions you should have. You can always send me a private message if you don't want to divulge your stats in the forum.
  9. Mal83

    Low energy

    Are you still in classes/finals at this point? If so and even if you just finished it can take a little while to decompress from the stress of everything. The last few weeks of the semester started to really take their toll on me. I was just tired all of the time. Work, finals, papers, getting adjusted to a new everything...the whole bit. It kind of just hit towards the end there and I was absolutely exhausted, drained basically. It took a good 4 days of doing nothing during the first week of break for the stress to really evaporate. You really need to give yourself a break as soon as you can...a few days to just take it easy and catch up on sleep.
  10. Yeah...January 1st seems to be a hard deadline to me. And I'm not sure that anyone out there has like a list of schools with rolling deadlines on hand, so I'm not sure what you're asking for. Shouldn't you just need to know the deadlines for your programs of interest?
  11. You are a potential student at their institution and you are paying an application fee, you are not "bothering" admissions staff by contacting them, it is a big part of their job to assist you during the application process. Telling them you made a simple mistake will help them and you.
  12. There's a difference between low as in below the general 3.0 cutoff and low as in 3.2 or 3.3. If you're below 3.0 by a whole lot you might want to start contacting admissions offices of the schools you're interested in to get a sense of how they'd handle that. There's no sense in putting out all of that effort and money if your GPA is automatically going to get your application tossed. Also, very high GRE scores can sometimes offset a low GPA. Strong letters of recommendation and a convincing well-written SOP can help. Any relevant work or volunteer experience would be a bonus. The application is a package, not just a couple of numbers. If you can explain how you overcame those obstacles as an undergrad and brought your grades back up as a result, that would look favorable as well. It depends on the schools too...if you're applying to programs where the average stats of accepted applicants aren't too far from your own then you have just as much of a shot as any other applicant. People with GPAs lower than 3.0 do make it into grad school. Just to add, some people will take another class or two after graduating in order to demonstrate improved academic performance. Or they'll start graduate school as a non-degree student, taking classes to prove themselves and then transferring into degree status. Or they'll get some relevant work experience before doing grad school. There are things you can do if you're committed and it certainly isn't the end of the road if you don't make in this round. This is also where it's a good idea to contact programs, they might also have suggestions for you after explaining your situation and your numbers.
  13. I second the "not a chance" statement. Your application would be incomplete and tossed. Unless something is explicitly labeled as optional, it's all required.
  14. 9 applications at the same time sounds like its own full-time job. I only did 3 last year and that was hard enough, while like you said, studying for the nightmare that was the GRE, and working. That GRE was the worst part of the whole process, I had to take it a second time or I wasn't getting in anywhere. But anyway, Please do try to take comfort in the fact that you're done with that part of the process, it's an accomplishment in itself, being motivated and driven to engage in a very demanding process that might not pay off and also to do it in order to take on a few more years of very hard work says a lot about you and everyone who does this sort of thing. You guys definitely deserve a reprieve from the stress and anxiety brought on by the process, so try not to be too hard on yourselves, allow yourselves to relax a little, especially during this holiday time when things have slowed down on the schools' end anyway. Not going to sugar coat it though...the waiting part is really hard too. Especially for those of us who were/are in a situation they can't wait to get out of and see grad school as our ticket out. I hated my job and just felt like my life was on hold so I put a lot of emotional stock into grad school. So naturally it was one of those "if this doesn't work out what the hell am I gonna do?" moments. If your school gives you a specific time frame for decisions, try to just relax about it until then, if there's no chance you'll hear before, just let it go since there will be nothing you can do about it. And yes, that is easier said than done..but sometimes this way of thinking provided a bit of relief. For the schools that aren't kind enough to do that..well, yeah that's tough, with these, try to see that every day you don't get a reject letter is another day that you're still in the game. I finally had to keep telling myself this kind of thing as the obsessively checking online and the mailbox really started to take its toll. That's what got really hard, was the racing home to check the mailbox or email and feeling completely and utterly let down when there was nothing in there. Like I came home for this? I think that was the "unhealthiest" part of the process for me. I didn't like that I allowed myself to be completely destroyed by not getting anything grad school related in the mailbox. But that's what happens after a while of waiting, it feels like it will never end and it gets to you. When you feel like that's happening to you just try to realize that you will get through it, you will get a decision, and it's not worth breaking down over. The support you'll find here is very helpful, you'll see a lot of people going through the very same psychological torture...but what's kind of cool about it is that it's indicative of how much graduate school means to us, this isn't something anyone really has to do or is required of us, we're doing it because we're driven to excel in our fields of choice. Higher education really is a privilege, it's difficult to get in, it's even more difficult to finish, but it's a great time of opportunity and growth that many people don't have access to or take advantage of for a variety of reasons. Trying to keep things in perspective is definitely a trial, I wish I was able to do it a little better, I was convinced during that time that the way I handled the process shaved a year off of my life...but I'll tell you something, when I got that acceptance email from my dream school...it was one of the best damn moments of my life that I will never forget. You will experience that soon enough too.
  15. I wouldn't mention that you're waiting on the funding decision just yet, they probably know that. Just thank them for the decision as a way to confirm that you're interested and get an idea of dates for visiting for the time being. If they're telling you that they won't decide on funding until such and such a time then I can't imagine they'd expect to just commit to them without knowing that information and they want you to come and visit to help you with your decision to accept or decline. I'm sure they know very well that funding is something you'll be considering very carefully in regards to other schools and all that. So you're fine for now...Congrats!
  16. One of my recommenders was a little elusive too, he submitted the LOR 7 hours before the deadline...to say I was panicking and moping around is an understatement, especially since my options were limited as I had been out of undergrad for a little while. After sending a frantic email to him the day of the deadline he finally got back to me and said not to worry, he'll get it in and that he has been doing a ton of LORs and barely making the deadlines...but making them nonetheless. But to not take 10 seconds to send you an update or a response is really ridiculous, especially once the deadline passes, it's inexcusable. Professors should know better than anyone else what these letters mean to students, as they were all in that position at least once in their lives. Have you emailed him since the deadline passed? Maybe now that the big Christmas weekend is out of the way he'll be more in touch. I mean if he comes back with a "don't worry, I'll get it in" then you don't have worry about it, but if not I would get some emails out to those other profs right away...you have nothing to lose by doing that, if he comes through then they won't have to do it. But having a backup will make things seem much less awful.
  17. I definitely understand wanting to get the GRE done and out of the way as soon as possible, but sending out the scores that far in advance is something I wouldn't do. If you take the test within the next 2 months that's still within the Fall 2012 application cycle for many schools. Even if the deadlines pass for the schools you would apply to by the time you send out your scores, they are still in the decision making process for this coming fall. They would get your scores and not have an application to match it to. They couldn't possibly know that you are planning to apply for Fall 2013. I guess unless you notified them, but they probably would advise you to wait. Before you start sending in materials you should have already at least begun the application online, you know you generally have to create an account and fill in some contact information or something like that, this way they have a record of you and an intention to apply. But you won't be able to do this until the application season for your desired start date opens. I believe this generally doesn't happen until maybe August/September, maybe a little earlier, before they're due sometime in the winter or early spring. But you can certainly start thinking about and preparing the other parts of the application, like statement of purpose, who you'd want to write a letter of recommendation, etc. If you do take the exam long before you start the application process you can skip the part where you enter in school codes and address. If I remember correctly, after the test you'll be asked again if you want to send score reports...But yeah, you'll have to pay to have the scores sent later. Again, if you have the scores sent that far in advance, especially if you don't notify the schools ahead of time, I'm not sure what would happen to them, they might think they received them by mistake. You just have to decide how much money you're willing to shell out for the GRE, pay for the test now and have to spend $23 for each report later, or just take the test during your application cycle and not spend $23 a report. But if you really want to get it out the way and feel like you're really prepared then I would do it now and because it's so far in advance wait to send the reports.
  18. How does Elliott not compare to SIPA or SAIS? do SIPA and WWS even have a DC campus? The job and internship opportunities that come with being an Elliott graduate student in the heart of the IR world, for me, makes those other schools less appealing than their reputations might suggest. When it comes to professional programs I think other factors besides academics come into play. Not that you'd have trouble finding a job after graduating from either of these fine schools, but Elliott is top notch when it comes to a combination of academics, location, and networking. Just my 2 cents.
  19. Oh yes, that's right you can choose to not send the reports after you've seen your score...ugh, brings back some pretty gross memories.
  20. Hi Brian...welcome! You might want to post this in the Business/finance subsection of the board, this is the GRE section...not that your questions wouldn't get answered but sometimes the appropriate section just gets the kind of traffic you specifically need to get some answers. I am not in the same field but I can help out generally. Typically, if you are applying for Fall admissions, which means your applications will be due between December-March prior to your Fall semester start date, some schools have even later deadlines for Fall application cycles. You want to take the GRE/GMAT maybe between September-early November. You might need to take it twice if you don't score well the first time and you will have to wait until the next calendar month. Many don't have to take it twice, but some do...I did. I didn't take it until November for the first time and I effed up big time, I never thought that would happen and I cut it really close by not sending my scores from the first time and taking it again in December. My first application was due in mid January and it could take a few weeks for ETS to send the scores out to the schools. So yeah I was panicking. Fortunately it worked out and all my schools got the scores in time. If you want to take the test earlier than that then go for it...if you feel you're prepared. The sooner you start preparing for it the better. Look over the ETS website so you understand what the requirements are and then start browsing GRE study books to get an idea of how much and how long you will need to study. Everyone is different in that respect. But generally people spend a good few months on it at least. I put in about 4, but I was out of undergrad for a little while and needed to relearn all of that math. As far as which test will be more appropriate is up to the school. You have to look at the application instructions for each program, it will tell you which test to take. If you're going for an MS rather than an MA, the GMAT might be more what you'd be looking at, but again, it'll be program specific, sometimes you can take one or the other, sometimes not. Can't help with specific program info because this is absolutely not where I'm at, but just start with a good old fashioned google search.."financial engineering Master's programs." Maybe look around this forum in the finance or business threads, see what schools people are attending and talking about. But it's largely up to you to just start the search by looking at the websites and the admission requirements to see what feels right. Geography will play a part in your decision too, how far are you willing to go? There are some great schools out there for my field but I didn't even bother looking into them much because they are not in the area I want to be in. So it depends on your priorities just as much as it does reputation and name, maybe even more so. The kind of test scores you will need also completely depend on the program. This info will be readily available in the admissions requirements section of the websites. As a very general rule of thumb on the GRE, you want to score above a 300 combined verbal and quant sections...this is based on the new GRE scoring system which I didn't have...so if anyone can say more precisely what the minimum cut off score would be, please do. Many programs out there will not have a minimum score per say, but basically you don't want to fall below that 300 or so score, that will kind of indicate that you're not competitive...not that I agree with that, I hated the GRE, but just letting you know what to expect. The websites of the programs will indicate somewhere the average stats of accepted applicants or give some kind of range. If you fall inside that range than it's not something that you'll have to worry about. The more reputable and prestigious the program, the higher the scores for the applicant pool. But still, if you don't quite achieve the "average score" that's also not an automatic reject, I didn't quite hit the average score for my program, was waitlisted and eventually accepted. The GRE is just one part of the application, it's a total package, one strong point can sort of make up for a weaker point and so on. But the more quantitative your program is, the more weight the GMAT or Quant section of the GRE carries...generally. Same goes for GPA, you have to look at the admissions requirements...but those that are pursuing degrees in your field might have more specific information about it. But just because you don't fall exactly within all of the ranges or average statistics provided by the program websites doesn't mean you should give up on it if it's something you really want. You want to be close for sure, but if you have some real strengths like a lot of relevant experience in the field or something like that and can put together a solid and convincing statement of purpose you always have a shot. Hope that helps...don't hesitate to ask, ask, ask!
  21. Oh boy, if I'm not mistaken I believe you had to enter in the recipients at that point during the test or forfeit the freebies. You should poke around the ETS website or call for clarification.
  22. I'm just throwing in my 2 cents here but I suppose if you answer "yes" to the "have you ever applied" question they might go back and take a look at your first application, if, and this is a big if, they keep that kind of thing on hand. I don't really know if they do that and how long they keep it all. But if they don't keep any record of you than I guess it would be pointless to ask that question on an application. So if you answer yes they might compare your old and new applications. They obviously would want to see something that indicates that you've worked to improve on some aspect of the application. If you get rejected and plan to apply again you would want to make sure that you ask for feedback on your application and for suggestions on what to do better the next time rather than just handing in the very same application and hoping for a different result. I don't know if applying for a second time necessarily has a negative impact on your chances, if anything, a second application supplemented by relevant experiences or improvements shows commitment and that's certainly something admissions committees look for. But hopefully you'll get in somewhere the first time!
  23. Well I can't say anything with much certainty about this, but I would think that because Law school is not really related to what you actually want to do, as in it's a complete departure, that perhaps, if you can explain it in your SOP, that it might not be a deal breaker. Something brief of course like "After realizing that Law School was not my passion I've decided to return to my area of true interest..." Something to that effect. In a sentence or two like that you can explain it away, you didn't really want to be there, it wasn't for you so you're switching gears and actually returning to what you've spent you're undergrad career doing. Because you are pursuing something that's basically a continuation of your undergrad degree, admissions is going to be most interested in your accomplishments and academic performance during that time and of course that will provide the best indicators for success in a master's program. It's not as if you're going from English to Engineering or something like that, I can't really imagine an admissions committee tossing your application to a Middle Eastern Studies program because Law school didn't work out for you, academically there's no connection between the two. A lot of people do other things that don't work out so well or are just unsatisfying in between undergrad and grad school, for many of us, it takes experiencing a few of those things before we're completely sure we want to pursue a higher degree in a specific field, I think admissions committees are used to and in tune with the diversity they come across in the applicant pool. You can even spin this into a positive, if anything you're now even more certain and committed to your chosen field after experiencing something else. You definitely can't undo your law school experience, so I wouldn't dwell on that, for the SOPs you have left to do try to spin this as positively as possible and take comfort in the fact that you had a great run in undergrad and you did your best with the applications. Also, realizing that something isn't for you and being able to take the plunge into a new direction is just as valuable an experience as any successful accomplishment in your life, it's all part of the learning curve. Many applicants, maybe even most of them, have at least one weakness they think will be a deal breaker, but as it turns out, a lot of them make out OK.
  24. I would think that since your degree is in Economics that it would be evident that you have a substantial economics background. I wouldn't worry about them trying to decipher your transcripts, that's part of their job, they'll be able to do that just fine. I agree with the poster above, if you want to really hit it home you can make note of it in your SOP in demonstrating that you have a solid academic foundation for ID. For example..."Through courses such as Development Economics and International Economics Theory, I have become much more aware of the obstacles the developing world is facing in poverty alleviation and...etc." You should be very prepared for economics classes if you have to take them at SAIS, GW's ID program has an economics prerequisite too, I had a macro class years ago but that's it and I found the quantitative aspects of our required Economics of Development course rather challenging. For peace of mind you can always call/email admissions and ask them that question if you want to make sure you're filling out that part of the application correctly. That's what they are there for...to help you. I'm sure they'll be happy to do so. I've seen so many applicants around here asking if it's "ok" to contact admissions...of course it is. Don't just assume or guess, these applications are too costly in time, money, and energy.
  25. I'm not one of those who believes that you should take great joy or even satisfaction in some menial crap job just because the economy is bad. It's been this way for a long time and it's not quite as bad as it was. My mother, after moving out of state and job searching for 2 years absolutely had to take a cashier job at a crappy grocery store in order to get some money coming in...this is after a 25 year stint in the billing department of a major hospital where she was happy. She is surrounded by dolts, idiots, insane customers, and high school kids who quit after 2 weeks. That's the nature of those types of jobs, maybe not everywhere, but basically they're miserable if you crave bigger and better things, so I get it. I did it too, I put in my time as a deli clerk at a grocery store while in undergrad...I hated every single second of it with a fiery passion for obvious reasons. And I had to suck it up again between the time I got back from the Peace Corps and this past September when I started grad school, I was unemployed for 8 months I had no money, I was in a transitional period, and my parents were tired of me moping around the house, I too was adamant that I would not work "one of those" jobs, but fortunately I ended up at a preschool before I had to go that route, it was ok at first, I made a few friends out of it, but I felt like I was wasting time and grew to hate it for a number of reasons, but at the same time it was money coming in, the pressure was off, and that income helped me make the cross country move out here. Once I knew I was going to grad school it made it that much more tolerable. The economy is bad..it's this, it's that...it doesn't mean you have to be grateful to stock shelves and be subjected to the wrath and/or lunacy of customers (we all know customers suck). Really, there are some great options out there, yes, it takes much longer to grab one of those options that it ever has before, but they're there and you can put in the effort to get them...if you have the time. If you need money now so you don't go homeless then yes take what you can get and consider it money in your pocket to get to where you're going. It's not as bad when you know in a relatively short time you'll be on to much bigger and much better things. If you can land an internship or research position that's a few months in duration than that's great, but if not, take what you can and be satisfied that you won't have to do it for long. Once you start school those options will be at your fingertips...Just employment wise I've done more in one semester than I've done during my almost 2 year "in between" period...so it will happen for you too.
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