bgreenster

Well, I'm one of the newbies on here for the next application season. I've been obsessing over grad school for at least six months already and am impatient for the 2012 applications to be released. I actually didn't realize how weird this was until recently - in my head, I barely have enough time left to apply! I think this site is great, even if it is enabling my looking-up-everything-about-grad-school addiction. I think that perhaps a section on schools would help those early on in the application process. Right now, I have to think of possible schools and programs and do multiple differently-worded searches to find posts on what certain places are like. It would be nice to have them in one place, especially for browsing purposes when you have no idea where you are going to apply. Thanks to those of you sticking around!

Agreed on quite a few counts. Having to plan my SOP has really helped me come up with EXACTLY what I want to do, instead of my earlier thought process of "I want to work for NGOs"... now I know which kinds of NGOs, in what field, and what I need from certain programs. One thing that has been difficult for me is letting go of some schools that I had in my mind as where I wanted to go as well as the opposite. For example, I really want to go to UGA because they have a great program (MPA) my fiance and I really want to move back to Athens (I lived there briefly, and it's where we met) and I have a mental attachment to the school since it's where my sister is finishing undergrad. However, no matter how hard I'm pushing it, I can't find a good fit because they don't have much to offer on the international NGO front. On the other hand, Duke is proving to be one of the best options for me, but I don't care much for the school, partly because I went to UVA for undergrad and we're academic/athletic rivals It sounds silly, but this is something I'm having to mentally overcome. ANYWAY, I also agree with Kitkat about the deciding what you want to do difficulty. I honestly had no idea in undergrad, and only decided after graduating. In fact, I never thought I would want to go to graduate school, so I didn't worry about sucking up to professors or having the best GPA of all time, and I only did an internship that interested me (but has no relation to anything I've ever studied). So now, I'm having to overcome an average GPA and weak academic LORs, which is frustrating because there's not much to do. I'll be taking an online course (can't take much more because I'm poor!) and my professional references are fantastic (I'm 5 years out of school) but it's stressful to think that what I did almost 10 years ago as a teenager is making my life difficult now that I'm a pseudo-responsible adult.

Then I suppose I am not a modest or decent person I'm just saying, if I had the opportunity to go to my dream program without having to go through the stress I'm dealing with right now, I absolutely would. Yes, I would feel guilty, but I would still do it. And maybe add cynical to the immodest and indecent list because I really doubt there are a lot of people who wouldn't. How would you suggest it be done differently? You can't very well pretend to be someone else to try and get in without your famous name. At least he's trying to gain an education as opposed to the myriad of things others are doing these days. I'm not saying that he's going about it the right way, just that it's not soooo bad when put in perspective.

Honestly, I would have liked something like this. I went to a university that doesn't have high grade inflation, and so I'd like for graduate programs to see my grades and GPA in context. My grades aren't impressive compared to people that went to schools that regularly give A's, but they're good for students at my school. Also, I never took any "easy A" classes partly because I was interested in other classes, and partly because my school would literally force professors to change the grading if they hear the class was being taken for easy A's. My concern is that these new transcripts seem a bit confusing and would take some effort to be interpreted correctly. But that's just on first glance, and I'm sure if it DID become a norm people would get used to it.

I actually don't see it as that big of a deal. I understand the frustration of us "normal people" struggling to get into these programs while some famous dude can just waltz on in. I don't mean this in a mean way AT ALL, but I think this frustration stems from jealousy. But which of us wouldn't take advantage of such a situation if it were presented to us? For example, if I were a legacy at some Ivy league school and could just get in because my grandfather funded a building, you bet your butt I'd go, even if I'd feel a twinge of guilt for taking a more qualified student's place. That being said, I don't believe he is taking anyone's space. Maybe (this might be a stretch but MAYBE) his attending is making it possible for there to be an extra space. You know, if he is paying tuition (since he clearly could afford it) to a program where they would normally be funding someone instead of receiving payment, there is now that much more money in the kitty to dole out to other students. Also, as some other posters wrote, it can be advertising to that program. Nothing like a celebrity attending to make the name of that program more well-known (although, admittedly this could be negative in some cases if it lowers the credibility...) And while it may be seen as cheapening our hard work, I don't think that anyone actually believes these celebrities are getting in on merit, or going through what we all have to go through, even if said celebrity is intelligent. I would be willing to bet that 9/10 people hear James Franco was accepted into Yale and think "what a stoner, obviously he only got in because he's a movie star." So yes, it's frustrating and annoying, particularly when applying/getting rejected/whatever but I don't think it's as big of a deal as we make it out to be in our heads. Sorta random thought that popped into my head- do you feel this way about stars like Natalie Portman? Or is the frustrating part about Fracno that he is so clueless as to what he wants out of his academic career and going about it pretty frenetically?

Well, if that's the case, I have a brilliant serving/bartending career ahead of me I believe your day job doesn't matter, the things that you do in your "free time" do. Other than teaching ESL (which I also hope isn't my career or I'd be miserable) my jobs have been retail, serving, grocery store cashier, nanny, bagel shop worker, etc. simply due to that's what was available and I needed to make rent. However, in my spare time I always made sure to pursue my interests even if that just meant doing extra reading on my own, or volunteering somewhere. I think as long as you don't resign yourself to your present situation, it can't become your future. It's a frustrating process that will make you doubt yourself, but hang in there. I firmly believe that life comes together.

It's funny how much of us are like this. I think there's so much pressure to have an answer for everything, especially when finishing undergrad. With everyone asking "what are you going to do now?" or my favorite "what can you do with literature degrees, you want to be a teacher?" it can get to you. Bobbi, I would say don't worry so much. You certainly can't put a deadline on it. I suspect you're not ready for graduate school yet, and I would go do whatever you can to be in the "real world" and see what grabs your interest. I know far too many people who went straight from undergrad to grad school and either disliked it, decided they wanted to do something else, and/or dropped out (a lot of them were law students, which of course seems to be the fallback for many people facing graduation). I'm not saying you can't succeed in grad school straight out of college, but the people I know that did were really sure about what they wanted to do. Try to fight the norms that say you have to do such-and-such a thing by such-and-such a time and wait until you find something you are sure about (even if it's bound to change anyway! ha) And answer all those probing questions with "I have no idea! What do YOU want to do with your life?"

ps: The alumni clubs have websites, if you want to check it out: The general site for all the locations is here Chicago New York DC A LOT of our alumni end up in DC and NY, so those alumni clubs are pretty big/active. I feel like you should be able to check out the contact information on here and ask some questions of the alumni, or even look into attending an event wherever you live to talk to people. Just a thought.

Well, i have lived abroad (and still am) basically since I graduated from undergrad, and have never looked for jobs back in the States, so I'm not the best to ask on that front. I will say that I found out about Batten from another alumni who saw that I was looking at MPA/MPP programs and let me know about UVa. Otherwise, I have heard good things about our alumni groups, and I know that there are active alumni communities in the major cities. I used to go to some things up in Chicago even while I was still a student, but up there on school breaks. I have really only had good experiences with my fellow Wahoos (and we're mostly super intense about UVa and so it's easy to bond with another alumni over having gone there). I will definitely share anything I can find out about the program.

Another Peace Corps volunteer here It has taken me awhile to get to where I am right now, and the level of (temporary?) certainty I feel over what I want to do. When I was younger, I wanted to be a writer, first a novelist and then a journalist. I also loved Political Science but loathed the idea of getting into politics itself. I then went to UVa, where I majored in English and Spanish after spending the first two years doing pre-International Business (where I had to take Econ and Accounting classes). I also studied in Spain, where I got ex-pat fever. Upon graduating, I promised myself I would live abroad no matter what. I ended up spending my savings to go run off and volunteer in Nicaragua and figure out what I wanted to do with myself. While there, I met people who had made good money teaching in Asia, so I came home completely broke and took a job in Korea. I taught ESL there for a bit, then went to Thailand to get my TEFL certification and teach there as well. While in Thailand, I started my Peace Corps application process, and came home to finish applying. At this time, I was completely obsessed with the idea of joining the Foreign Service in Public Diplomacy and going to Georgetown's MSFS program en route. I really thought that this was a "for sure" plan since it combined IR, journalism, and some politics. I also re-discovered my passion for reading about dictators and human rights issues such as the Cambodian genocide and the current problems in Burma while I was living in Asia. I came home, got into the PC, but also met my now-fiance while I was going through the application process. This threw a wrench into my mental plans because the lifestyle of the FS no longer appealed to me as it had before, especially because I wouldn't want to force my guy into making his career take a back burner to mine. Now in the PC, I feel like it really is my calling to work in NGOs and particularly in the field of human rights and democracy (something that I am DYING to do right now, but PCVs aren't allowed to get involved with or speak of politics and so my soul has been slowly festering) because it is the one thing I have remained completely and utterly passionate about these years. Somehow, I came across MPP/MPA programs (I really couldn't tell you how, maybe by looking through the programs that take part in the PC Fellows) and realized that it was perfect. I now feel really good and really sure of where my career is headed. Miraculously the random things I have done have all come together and actually make me a fairly good candidate for these programs, without even trying. I have taken quant classes, can write, know two foreign languages, and have non-profit experience. Did I plan or think through any of this? NO. I am a big-time proponent of going with what feels right at the moment. I think somewhere inside of us, we know what we want but let external pressures get the best of us. I have always made spur of the moment life decisions that simply "seemed right" and I'm really happy with where it's led. My advice is: don't push it. Let these things happen organically and no matter what your current situation, try to find something you care about or that can make your life better or more exciting for you. Trust me, I have had some terrible jobs and moments where I was like "am I really stuck in this right now?" but life kind of just falls into place sometimes. Yes, you have to take opportunities when they arise, but otherwise I wouldn't stress too much. There is absolutely no rush, and there is no such thing as wasted time- you can get something out of absolutely anything. Just keep a lookout for anything that combines your life's passions and then throw yourself into that when you feel like you couldn't possibly do anything other than go down that road. It'll happen, it just might take awhile

I say a flat-out rejection is worse. I think it can really mess with you if you get in and can't pay (I shudder to think of this happening next year because I'm not going if I'm not significantly funded) but at least I can then always say that I got in, you know? It's tough to have to be the one more or less making the rejection, but I think I can handle that better in the long run than the ego-blow a rejection would entail. Not being able to attend is definitely a torturous decision to make that can be more emotionally straining at the present, but I think over time I'd like to be able to pat myself on the back for having gotten accepted at all.

I was an English and Spanish double major, with Religious Studies minor. Yes, I am only looking in the south. My fiance and I are both from the south and aren't keen on moving up north. I am a Tennessee resident, so I'm applying there as my back-up and not-insanely-priced option. Texas is actually the program I am the most interested in, particularly because I can dual degree in Latin American Studies, although Duke is an extremely close second. I'm looking into going the NGO and development route, with a focus in Latin American countries, so I don't need to be up in the cities and doing the whole government internship thing. One good thing for me about UVa (other than my never-ending love of the school, ha) is that the International Rescue Committee has a regional office in Charlottesville, with whom I would definitely love to do my internship. For those of you wondering about the location, I will add that it is extremely easy to get to DC from Cville. We used to go up there all the time when I was an undergrad; you literally just take 29 north up to 66 and can make it in less than two hours. Plus you don't have to deal with DC rent and living expenses.

I'm definitely looking into it myself. I graduated from UVa in 2006, and absolutely loved my time there. I actually wanted to stay there for grad school, but they didn't have this program at the time I graduated- I only heard of it a couple weeks ago. I had talked to someone about International Relations back when I was still studying there, but I was basically told they only focused on academia, which isn't my thing. There isn't much information on the website, is there? I think I'm going to email a couple of my former professors and see if they can tell me anything. I didn't have overly related majors (English and Spanish, plus Religious Studies minor) but they must hear about it around Grounds and such! I wonder if it's easier to get accepted right now than it will be, since it's new and not well-known (yet)....

Schoolpsych_hopeful, which did you end up answering? I'm also coming across these questions, and am torn as to how I will answer. The way I see it, I am not planning on financing my own education. If I get no funding, but get accepted, I'm not sure how I'm going to handle it. I'm aiming for a non-profit management master's, which means I'm not expecting to make much money in the future, and so paying back grad school loans would mess me up for a good long while. I don't want to say I'll go no matter what, and have them give money that might have gone to me to someone else that said they can't attend without funding, when I also need it pretty darn badly. At the same time, my ego needs to know if I can get accepted into these programs, and so I'd hate not knowing if I got rejected simply because they couldn't offer me funding. I'm leaning towards saying "no" because I am pretty sure I won't go if I have to pay full price (at least for two of the schools I'm applying to - Duke is pretty rough on the wallet)

Hmm, definitely good to know. I feel like I read something similar in another post. I wonder if that sort of thing makes it easier to get accepted, though, or maybe even easier to make a more individual plan of study? I also wonder what kinds of kinks she means- like difficulty in making a cohesive program plan, or not having the proper classes being offered at the right times and such? Congrats on getting in- enjoy!

I'm actually hoping that the reputation of my school helps me. I went to UVA, and graduated with an overall 3.2, which isn't bad for that school, but doesn't sound good out of context. I was on another forum where people were discussing grade inflation/deflation and someone had gone through the numbers for the top 25 universities, and UVA had the highest grade deflation of the group. However, my departments (English, Spanish, and Religious Studies) are all top-ranked, which I'm hoping will work in my favor. Realistically, how much do adcoms know about a school's grading system? I can say there were many moments in my undergrad career where I was cursing myself for going to UVA when my friends in other schools were studying much less and getting straight A's, so that they fairly easily got into graduate programs. One big plus about going to a smaller school with less-famous professors is that you get more one-on-one attention and your professors are usually available to talk and work with you. OP, I think that you'll be fine with your academic record and showing how hard you work and how you were able to mature through school, etc. to take advantage of everything your school has to offer. Of course, if you did the exact same at a more well-known university, things would be easier, but from what I've seen from others, schools really care about a student's enthusiasm and ability to use his/her school's resources. With good references, and a SOP that knocks their socks off, I doubt you have too much to be worried about, even if you have to put up with some snobbery once in the program

I actually thought the same thing, but thought I must be wrong because of the names. It seems counter-intuitive that "Public Affairs" is more based on policy while "Global Policy" is more based on international affairs. I'm thinking of emailing the heads (as the site suggests) to see which would be a better fit. I think I could technically do either, but I actually don't want a very quant-based program, unlike a lot of the people on this board! I'm particularly nervous over the Quant requirements (I would DEF have to take that summer refresher course they have) because I passed out of Stat and Calc through high school APs and so haven't taken a legit math course (other than one Probability class) in almost 10 years. Luckily, both MPAff and MGPS offer Latin American Studies dual degree program. I do feel more comfortable with the MGPS program, I just wish they had a non-profit concentration. Ah well, they have a development one which I could do and maybe take electives for non-profit management or something. I'll message the school and post their reply. Thanks for the reply CC139, it helps to see I'm not completely misinterpreting what I'm reading!

I'm also looking at both, although leaning towards the MPAff since it does seem quite flexible. Did either of you come to a conclusion between the two? I'm fairly certain I am going to go the Public Affairs route because I'm planning on focusing on international non-profit management. Through the MPAff, I'm thinking I could combine the International Affairs and non-profit specializations. I'm hoping to work for human rights and democracy-based NGOs in the future, which I feel can be covered really well through this program. However, there are still some things I prefer in the MGPS program. I like the idea of the group project at the end, the core courses seem more interesting, and I feel like I could use my language proficiency (I majored in Spanish in UG and I speak another random language thanks to Peace Corps) to my advantage. I never considered it before, but my interest is also being piqued in UT's dual degree program, where maybe I could also go further in Latin America Studies. I feel like the more I try to look into things, the more stuff I find out and want to do! The website makes it seem like the differences should be obvious, and the website is almost condescending about people asking that question (per the FAQ page) but it doesn't appear to be all that glaringly different. I'd love to hear thoughts from either of you two, or anyone else on these boards.

Right on, thanks Teelee. Luckily, I do have really good credit so that could definitely be an option (one good thing about being older, ha). Okay, panic has temporarily subsided. Related to all this, I'm under the impression that the FAFSA is based on your previous year's taxes, but is being used for the following school year. So ostensibly, I could just wait until after the first year of school, fill out the second year's FAFSA and that will cover the second year? Then a change in finances wouldn't matter... or am I completely in lala-land? Ugh, I'm hoping I just get Peace Corps fellowships and such, and don't have to deal with this!

What kind of student loan do you mean? I'm sorry, I'm kind of in over my head with the financial aspect of this process! I didn't think getting a student loan was difficult, I was mostly concerned with it having a low interest rate if I ended up having to go that route. Would this mean that if I'm unable to get anything need-based or other regular funding, I would be better off having a higher income? That makes sense, but is the timing any different, so that I could see what happened based on my personal income and then go the loan route if I'm SOL? The difference is huge: I've literally made less than 10k in the past 3 years, whereas my fiance is in a very secure financial situation (but not so much so that my grad school education wouldn't be a major blow). I am very uncomfortable with the idea of him having to pay my way, regardless that married couples technically share finances, etc. Apologies if I sound stupid, and I really appreciate the replies.

Well, I'm glad to see I'm not the only one (I figured I couldn't be! ha) Luckily, a couple of the schools I am applying to are in the Peace Corps Fellows program, which would be helpful. Otherwise, this whole financial aid thing is completely overwhelming; it's hard even knowing where to start! I just don't want to blow any chances of getting money over something I can still control.

Hmm... I guess I need to look more into it. I was reading things about need-based scholarships as well as federal aid through FAFSA, etc. I understand that a lot of it is through assistantships and fellowships, but as far as I was aware, some of those fellowships are based on need. Also, some loans are given at a lower or no interest rate if you have a lower income, I thought. Is this not the case? As I thought more about it, I'm thinking I can wait and see if I do get anything based on having an essentially non-existent income, then put off getting married... but if I don't get anything we can go ahead with our original plans.

I can't find anything like this on here, so hopefully I'm not repeating a past topic. I'm going to be applying for my master's with a Fall 2012 start, and am trying to think about the financial issues. I am currently in the Peace Corps, and engaged to somebody back at home. I am undoubtedly poor, having spent the past five years since finishing undergrad teaching English, traveling, and volunteering. I feel that because of this, I may be able to get some need-based financial aid. My current dilemma is this: my fiance and I were thinking of getting married sometime in the next year, before I start grad school. He actually has a really good job and has been making good money for the past several years so I am concerned that once married, I will lose out on some chances of financial aid. The thing is, I don't want to have to pay more out of pocket simply because he has money, when it's for my education, you know? Could anyone tell me if this is a reasonable or unreasonable concern? The whole financial aid side of this still seems to be beyond my complete comprehension. I feel like financially I might be better off putting off marriage until after graduate school, although non-practically, I don't really relish that thought. Thanks in advance!

I am also a PCV, and I'm having my program manager write my recommendation. I think a lot of it comes down to who you are the most familiar with, and who you think can write the most personal and effective letter. Every CD is different, and while I have had many talks with mine and feel close to her, I don't have the same connection with her because I interact more with my manager. Are you choosing just one from these options? Also, are you only applying to the one school? I assume you are a CED volunteer? I'm TEFL, which is a whole other world compared to the work CEDs do. I certainly can't imagine having one of my counterparts write a LOR, although I know this isn't the case for some of our CED volunteers' counterparts Based on what you wrote, I would be tempted to go with the dude who you helped with the camps. I think that this guy can understand both the academic side of things, since he's a professor, but he has also seen you in action. I think with an MBA/MPP degree, this would be important since it's more real world-based than other degrees. Again, I'm just an applicant, so this may be a case of blind leading the blind!