Mal83

I don't think it matters what degree you're seeking, I think I'd be impressed with someone raising their sibling no matter what admissions committee I was on. But I think if being a single young parent has somehow strengthened your resolve and commitment or pushed you toward higher study than I guess I would, but if you were always planning on grad school than perhaps it wouldn't really add anything to your SOP.

Ouch...I was scared that I would that as I basically kept one SOP and simply deleted school specific info each time, I also pretty much to do the same thing for cover letters to similar job applications. Who knows...I could have done it and never noticed. But yeah when you're doing a bunch of them at once it gets really easy to slip up like that.

Well glad you made out better than you thought. I ended up with a C, or maybe it was even a C- in a major class back in undergrad, it was a while ago can't quite recall, I hated the professor and tried to forget the whole thing as quickly as possible. It was devastating at the time for sure, but it certainly didn't prevent me from moving up in the world...so don't take it too hard, just keep the rest of your grades up so your GPA stays above that 3.0 cutoff and as high as possible for grad school applications.

I had no problems getting 3 letters via email request.

Yeah I too sent an email asking for clarification about a program or two and never got a response. I know a few people at American SIS and they're happy and about ready to finish up so I'm sure once you get in there it's a different experience than the application process, which is exasperating all around. But that waiver is actually a really nice touch. Well hope it works out for you!

Sigaba, could not agree more with your last sentence. It's absolutely true. It's a semester of anxiety and uncertainty, you have no idea if what you're doing is good enough or measures up. That takes it's toll especially during the final weeks of the semester. Yes, I would make sure that you're in the right frame of mind for grad school. And you would know that for sure if you can put together an SOP that demonstrates some insight into the sharp decrease in academic performance and the fact that you're now emotionally ready because of X,Y, and Z. It should be something that makes an admissions committee believe that this is was an obstacle that you were able to overcome. Not that that should be your entire SOP, but it should be convincing within a few sentences. Sometimes if you can turn weak point of your application into a strength it might actually be helpful, if it's artfully done of course. What's a WU? A withdraw? Are you sure that equals an F?

You might want to talk to the professor about your progress before you start dwelling on getting a terrible grade. Maybe there's a curve or is anyone else feeling that they're doing much worse than they ordinarily would? Maybe there's something you can do to earn a few extra points between now and when the grades come in. I know what it's like to worry about grades. Just last night I got an email from a professor who said he had some issues with my final paper (the bulk of the class grade)...there were only 3 of them, however it was like he ripped apart the core of the paper, like I completely missed the point or something, the email was really like a slap in the face, there was absolutely nothing positive. I had no idea he already posted the final grade online and when I asked a fellow classmate she said to check, I was envisioning the worst, but I ended up with a B+, with which I'm completely satisfied, so it worked out just fine. I've been hearing a lot that professors in grad school don't like to give any grade lower than a B unless your work is really sub par, but this is only my first semester so whether that holds true all of the time I don't know and whether or not a B+ is the worst grade this prof gives is not something I care to know, but sometimes it works out better than you expect it to.

Fantastic! That waiting game is pretty awful, but when it works out it really works out.

The school actually sent your transcripts back to you because they weren't with the LORs?? That doesn't make sense. Then you had a new transcript sent to the school? huh? But no, it's not uncouth to call and ask if they've received your materials, especially materials that you have no control over because they're being sent by someone else. You're paying to have your application reviewed by the school, you're putting in all of the effort to complete it on time, and it is your responsibility to make sure everything has been received if the school doesn't indicate this to you at all before the deadline, they usually do though using their online application system, like a checklist or something. So call, email, or whatever you have to do to make sure everything is in order. Don't just assume and then after the deadline get socked with a "we didn't get everything so you're done" email.

Insert in Google search box: "Master's in sociology programs"

A little more information is needed here, how long in advance to make the request to the professor? Did this professor ever indicate to you that he/she would do it? I mean if you weren't hearing from this person as the weeks were going by that should have been a red flag to move on to someone else...before the deadline. I don't know, if you could say that the professor agreed to do and just never did than maybe the ad comm will give you a break. But the fastest and only way to know for sure is to call them and ask. For one of the schools I applied to last year sent me a message, in error, that I didn't submit all of my application materials and that I had a week or something to get them all in...this was after the deadline. After checking, they did have all my materials before the deadline but even if they hadn't I guess they give a bit of a window for getting them in so your app doesn't just get tossed. But it does typically say in the application instructions that an in complete application won't be considered. So you really need to call and explain your situation.

In my class of 47 only one is leaving the program to work full time in the field (international development), there might be someone else who is considering switching to another program...but other than that we're all pretty happy. I think professional programs might be a little different, we all have some type of experience already and know this is the field for us.

Yeah, I had dreams about the application process too that ranged from waking up in profound sadness to really happy...usually when I had a good dream about grad school the happy part quickly faded as I realized that I still had no clue if I was getting in anywhere much less my dream school. It's definitely a manifestation of how frustrating/exciting/stressful the process is. I actually found out that I got in to my dream school when I checked my email on my ipod one morning at like 7:30 even before I got out of bed, when I saw that "congratulations!" in the subject line it was like a dream...a confusing dream...I was literally confused for like a split second. It was like waking up and not recognizing your surroundings for a minute. The confusion was due to the fact that I was waitlisted and figured by then I had no chance left...that was the best thing I ever woke up to.

I would agree that networking is a big part of the degree, but if you're already in the field than you probably already have quite a network of IR/ID associates. I'm doing ID at Elliott now and can't quite imagine what it would be like to take these classes online. For ID the capstone is working on a project in a group of your classmates with an actual development organization. So you could imagine that you'd want to know these people that you're working with and contributing to your final grade. There might be more online in terms of IR, but not sure about ID. Are you in the DC area?

First there's a tremendous difference between a phD program and a Master's program. If you're not content or satisfied in any way at the beginning of a phD program the idea of trudging through it for 5+ years would be unbearable for anyone. There is no shame in bowing out, it was your choice to go in the first place and your choice to leave. No once can be critical of a decision that you've made to better your quality of life. Being miserable for years just to do nothing more than prove you can just stick it out or to save face is not justifiable. In fact, it's a more difficult decision to have made because many people who feel trapped just stay that way since in some way it offers security, making a big change like that requires the effort of going in a new direction which can be uncertain and scary. You've decided that you don't want to be a phD student anymore for your very own personal reasons and no one can admonish you for that. I only take issue with the posters who claim that they "didn't know they'd have to take these classes" or "would have to do this much course work and only so much lab work." I'm not making this up, these are actual complaints and reason for hating grad school by current grad students made on this board. These are the people who absolutely didn't research the program yet still managed to convince the admissions committees that they're a good fit, there's no excuse for not having at least a vague idea of the required curriculum BEFORE you get there. No one loves every little thing about grad school, and you're right no matter how much reading and thinking you do, the reality of it doesn't hit until you're in it and doing it. That's true for me too, and that's coming from someone who loves being a grad student despite the overwhelming work load and a complete disliking for one of my required classes. But the types of complaints I mentioned warrant the "how did you not know about this?" question and I do not sympathize with them. But that's clearly not your case so you've come to a mature and reasonable decision that you will most likely be at peace with because you know it's for the best. Good luck to you.

You might want to consider taking a few classes and get the best grade possible as a non degree student in order to prove yourself academically, especially if you don't have any other aspects of your application that would scream "I belong in grad school." You'd probably be able to transfer those credits once you got into a Master's program...not sure how that would work with med school though. I'm not intimately familiar with the physical sciences programs and schools so I can't say whether or not you'd have options as of right now. I mean I suppose if you did find schools with a 2.5 as opposed to 3.0 cutoff than you'd have a shot of course, but is that going to be a school that will meet your own standards and requirements? It depends on your priorities. You can also try reaching out to the admissions offices of a few schools that are of interest and explain your situation in order for them to give you feedback, they might encourage you to apply depending on the other components of your application such as work experience, high GRE scores, or high grades in your major classes. Or they might tell you exactly what to do in order to be considered competitive next time around. There have been stories on this board where people with slightly lower than 3.0 GPAs have gotten to grad school...good ones too, but lower as in a 2.9 as well as something stellar about their application like a lot of relevant work experience, decent time abroad, foreign language fluency, excellent GRE scores, and solid letter of recommendation. So it depends on the rest of your application too, but, worst case scenario is that every admissions rep you contact tells you politely not to bother without doing something to improve your application, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, it will save you the time, money, and stress of the process when you wouldn't even make it past the "no way" pile. So reach out to them before you get too attached to the idea of attending next year...if that's when you plan on it. But there's always a way if you really want to do it, you just have to find the right program and school.

This is just what was going around during the Fall 2011 app cycle but some applicants who went to the open house at both SIS and GW's Elliott School were not as impressed with SIS as they were with Elliott. If I remember correctly the complaint about SIS was that it seemed less friendly...I don't know something like that. I personally didn't go to either, but I wasn't impressed with SIS's application process, it was the most cumbersome out of the schools I applied to...not that that's necessarily an indication of the quality of the program, but it just comes down to personal preference and impressions. I even remember not particularly liking SIS's website for some reason...not quite as inspiring as Elliott's. But again, it's all personal. It's obviously a fine school with a solid reputation.

If you want to work for the IMF or World Bank you should try for a school here in DC...Georgetown, Elliott, SAIS and SIS are the big four. But these schools are incredibly expensive and getting your foot in the door at these giant institutions is a crap shoot. Even unpaid internships are incredibly competitive. But being here, or in the city you know you want to work is the best way to start, you never know what opportunities will come up and who you will meet that can help you out. I never dreamed I'd even get an interview with the State Department in my first semester of grad school, but it was a job listing open only to students at a few DC schools. Diplomacy is different from development, the IMF and UNDP are more on the development side of things. If you want to be a diplomat you have to do that with your government. I mean I guess a program like international political economy or international finance (if such a thing exists) would steer you toward the IMF and World Bank. But you might also want to consider something more specific than Global Affairs if you already know you want to work at a development institution...such as an MA in International Development, or you'll need a bit of quantitative course work, especially for the IMF or World Bank. There is no better place than DC for international anything...it's all right here. I think the best way to think about the salary question is simply to realize that there are many more fields out there that are much more lucrative than global affairs, development, and diplomacy...you work yourself up high enough and sure you'll make a fine living, but in these fields you need to spend a lot of time building up your experience and resume before you get into those top positions. A simple MA or MPP isn't going to get you there right after graduation. But these are fields, especially development, that you get into because you're passionate about them and you're ok with not making 75 grand right out of the gate. It's also customary to work, work, work while you're in school, sometimes this means unpaid internships. Not that it's impossible to land something that pays in the beginning, but it just depends on you. Some of my classmates have been working at organizations for a while and they have real jobs to do in the field already, a few of us have paid internships, some have unpaid ones, and others don't work at all yet. However as a non-citizen your options might be a bit more limited, you'd have to figure that out first. And for the record, I've seen posts around here much more deserving of vote downs than yours and your first question is actually legitimate. And I'm not sure why you'd get a negative vote for thanking someone for their response...but ok. Anyway, good luck.

no apology necessary, just wanted to let you know where to post so you'll get advice from people in your program.

@George2248, this is the government affairs forum, you need to post your profile in the engineering forum...or maybe the planning one not sure which is most appropriate for your program of choice.

Sigaba...that's great advice and provides a new and mature perspective on what grad school is supposed to be. I get the impression that many of us here were the kind of undergrads that would freak out about getting a 98 on a test instead of a 100...I just don't have that in me anymore...well, at least not to that same degree. Some us are finishing up our first grad level midterms so this is going to be the first defining "are we really cut out for this" moment. I'm nervous about how I did on my economics midterm, the class in general hasn't be going well for me but I did as much studying as I could in the time I had and it really was less terrible that I thought it would be, but still, I keep seeing flashes of a big red D- on the test or something. But thank god this is the only quantitative course I have to take so I'm just going to really have to work at getting a grade that doesn't make me look like an idiot, then I can move on and not have to worry about classes that are totally outside of my comfort zone. But I'm not going to beat myself up over it, if I did badly on the midterm that will be disappointing but not too surprising. It will be a guide as to what I need to do to improve during the second half of the course.

A trip to the writing center is definitely in order. Not sure that what you've posted is sufficient for anyone here to help you with this.

The only thing I would add to this is that for development programs, generally and absolutely for George Washington and American, professional experience in the field is required for admission...definitely stick with IR or IA, it's a more friendly to those straight out of undergrad.

Nothing about the system should have been a mystery to you when you signed up for this. You should have known exactly what you were getting into and I'm always surprised by these posts complaining about some major structural component of the program like how many credits of this they have to take or the fact that they have to take these classes in order to move on to others, etc. as if this information was purposely withheld during the application process or they have been deceived in some way. Did you not look at the school's website at all ever and just glance at the curriculum to find out what would actually be required of you? How do you even compose an SOP that demonstrates you're a good fit if you don't even know what you'd be fitting in to? You're only 7 weeks in and if the market sucks that bad for your field than it's not like you'll get a job anyway, might as well go with the flow for a while.

I don't know exactly how the new GRE scoring system works, will you eventually get your actual score or is the range the final word? Anyway, if you end up at the top of that range I wouldn't say that that's low for quant. It will not be weighted as heavily as everything else. Although, it might come into play more if you have to indicate on the application a concentration that you're interested in, if you choose something that is more quantitative like economics, your quant score might be a factor. Your other issue though and probably more importantly is your GPA, that's great that you earned a 3.85 at Oxford but your overall 3.3 might make you less competitive at these schools. Sometimes a very high GRE score can help offset a lower GPA but these ranges probably won't do that for you. Have you looked at their websites yet to see the stats of the average accepted MA candidate? I don't want to discourage you and it's always a good idea to have a "reach" or "dream" school but your expectations should be realistic as well. It also depends on your priorities, do you just want to go to grad school at the best school you can get into or is it one of these schools or nothing? I have no problem sharing that I too ended up with a 3.3 GPA (3.35 to be precise) so I know what means to have that dream school. I was waitlisted at mine, which was devastating at the time, but all was well when I received my acceptance letter a few months later. I knew that my GPA is what waitlisted me, as it was below the average, but I think with a lot of luck, as in enough people declined their spot, and good professional experience I made it in and I'm loving it. So I'm proof that your stats don't have to fit in exactly with the typical accepted student, but you will have to have something stellar in order to make up for the weaker areas of your application. Your internships and extracurriculars definitely seem impressive, but not knowing what the details are of this club that you founded, it is needless to say we won't know if they will be enough until you apply and you receive a decision. You have to keep in mind that the bulk of the applicant pool will have resumes and internships just like this. Also, while the LGBT work you've done is super, I'm not sure how it is relevant to IR, unless you plan on pursuing human rights as a concentration or something like that. Of course you will have other components in your application like letters of recommendation, writing sample if necessary, and statement of purpose. Those are considered carefully in order to determine if you're a good fit for the program. You might have perfect stats but if you can't express why you are pursuing the degree, how the work you've done so far is relevant, and what your goals are then you might not make the cut. So it really is the total package that gets looked at. I remember looking into Gtown briefly and just getting the feeling that despite having served in the Peace Corps, it was out of my league, from an admissions standpoint that is. Have you considered GW's IR program? I mean it's slightly less competitive in that there are generally more spots available. The exact number for the fall 2011 cycle at The Elliott school was 350 as opposed to I believe much smaller classes at Gtown and Princeton. I couldn't be happier with the International Development program myself. A few others to look into would be American University and George Mason. If you can manage the application fees I would apply to as many of the schools you listed as possible as well as at least one of these others. You might also want to start getting in touch with admissions people at your top choices to see if they can assist you in determining whether or not retaking the GRE would help or even to apply. If they encourage you to do so then put every bit of effort into the application you can muster, if not, then well at least you'll save the time, effort, and money. If you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask.