StephanieM

I'm applying to programs pretty much across the US; I'm lucky that my husband works remotely so commuting and moving aren't an issue for us. But before that, he lived in Russia and I lived in the US and we still made it work! Distance doesn't have to be a problem.

I want to research the arms trade, but I also have a very deep interest in immigration law and diplomacy. I would be happy researching either, but my previous academic experiences lie more in the former, while the justification I have for the second is that I married a foreigner and going through the process with him has made me very interested in the subject.The former one is quite specific, but the second is more general. My interest in the former one is quite specific, but the second is more general. I'm terrified that by writing on both, I seem unfocused and thus unreliable, but I'm also afraid having one interest alone makes me seem like a "one trick pony". What should I do? Anyone else that has gone through this?

My school is very very cheap in comparison to US schools, and almost everyone I know has done exactly this. It's never affected them in terms of grad school, in most cases it helped them out professionally or academically as they were able to narrow down their interests and thus pick better grad schools/research areas for themselves. In fact I'm doing the very same thing myself.

*Disclaimer: I am not in education so I'm unsure if my advice would apply to you, but I'll tell you in case it can be of any help* Your grades haven't improved that much, this shows a lack of commitment, interest, or bad time management. You need to find a way to address this, either by getting A's and B's from here on out or by trying to do some type of work related to your field. If I were you, I'd take a break from school after graduation, focus on getting experience, then pursue a grad degree, as you'll have a better resume than just a few activities here and there and a not so stellar GPA. If you're dead-set on going straight to grad school, it's better to apply to many different schools, including less competitive ones.

I need some advice. I have a few W's (had to get a surgery, etc, during a semester after a year long disease no one knew about), and 3 B's on my major. My overall GPA is 3.84, but I'm worried this is too low. Am I right on this?

Schools will never tell you "You're a loser, please don't waste our time". They will always "encourage" people to apply.

My prof recommended me, although he went years ago so things might have changed U of Michigan.

If so, any advice you can give me about writing the "Statement of Interest" they require? I selected two very different bureaus to work in and am unsure how to prove my skills for both in a 400 word essay.

Well, I'm an economics student (poli science minor), and at my university, we have our own math courses, which are not called, for example, "Calc I", but "Math for economists I", and while the class covers calculus, on my transcript, it won't appear that way (same happens with probability, statistics, etc courses). I will only be another year and a half here, and am wondering if adding those "real" math courses, that will appear on my transcripts as such, is worth it. Or maybe, will just doing well in the quantitative part of the GRE prove my math skills enough? If I decide to take those math-only courses now, I'll have to be here another semester and/or year. I have enough research experience, a Boren scholarship, a 3.84 GPA, and speak Spanish and Russian fluently, so I think, that without the math courses I still have a good shot at an IR master's degree. I'd just like to hear whether staying another semester/year just for maths is truly worth it.

How important is job experience to them? I don't even know if it's worth it to apply, given how much they talk about it on their website.

Now that my time to apply to grad school draws closer, I'm very concerned over my many W's. I had a long-term illness that was misdiagnosed over and over again, with a surgery coming to "solve" it, then again, it came back. This caused me to have to have W's. Only one of these has been in core course of my major. I have a 3.88 GPA, lots of research experience, won the Boren scholarship, speak four languages, am in the Honors Program. However, I'm terrified the W's will haunt me regardless of my achievements. What are the odds of me ever getting into a top program like this?

I'm an economics major right now hoping to get my graduate degree in development or security studies. I'm not against a PhD in the sense that I love research, I just despise teaching. Thanks all, hoping to hear even more opinions

So the process of applying for grad schools will begin soon for me, and I'm a bit conflicted. I don't know whether to apply for an MA or a PhD. See, I explicitly DON'T want to work in academia, and am absolutely terrified that a PhD will only lead to that. On the other hand, the cost of a master's degree is steep, and a PhD is a better option in that sense. So I don't know what I want to do given my career plans... any advice?

I'm thinking of applying for a full grant to Russia, but I've heard it's real hard to get it if you've already lived in the country for more than six months, and I've lived here a year :-(

MA/MS students usually get very little to no aid.

I don't even know why you're considering grad school if you managed to work enough to save up $90,000. That means you're doing pretty well usually.

The year I applied the summer folks were notified earlier. I wouldn't worry

Kbui, I think you have a good shot. I also came from a small school, fact don't think anyone had ever even won it for my school, and I got it. Being a STEM major and from a small college I think you're going to stand out.

They don't do that because you still might be an alternate.

I think it was like two or three weeks.

I think it's it's equally as important as language. For example, a lit major who's studying a critical language X at a more advanced may have a 60% chance of getting it, but someone who's studying something more easily relevant to national security and make a killer essay and studying X language at a basic level will have a higher chance of getting it. I'm speaking only of my experience though, with the other Boren scholars in Russia. I don't know how it is for other countries. And yeah, the people working there are amazing. Incredibly supportive and professional throughout the entire process.

I mean, technically, they allow it, and if you're a STEM major or have something else very unique to you, then you've a good shot, but generally, they go for longer periods of time. They just look for people who want to learn the language above all else, and of course 3-6-9 months are all very different in terms of learning a language.

Frankly, I've never met any Boren scholar who has gotten a six month grant. Usually they go for year grants only.

Hey guys... I'm hoping to apply for an MA in Russian Studies, but I've yet to find one that isn't focuses on Russian literature or culture. I want to focus on Russian politics, economics and language. Any ideas?

I don't remember anyone last year winning it who had not received the financial info email.