riz1

SdeS, do I really need to echo everyone else? Of course, I have a natural bias -- but truthfully you couldn't go wrong either way. There are benefits and drawbacks to each school, but zourah is right in that you can always cross-register either way (did you know that Fletcher, when first started in 1933, was a joint Harvard-Tufts initiative? And the two universities share a very close connection at the graduate level to this day). I say: Welcome to the Mafia.

To all of you receiving good news: congratulations! To those who have been waitlisted, keep your head up (I was waitlisted for fall 2009 and was then pushed back to spring 2010) ... it's tough, I know, but you must. And to those receiving not-so-good news: it's a very difficult season for admissions, and I hope you are accepted elsewhere. Unless your heart is set on Fletcher, in which case you can always apply in October, to begin studies next January (we do take a small 20-25 person class each year in Jan). Best of luck to all!

You've laid out a very thorough analysis of each school's pros and cons (you were spot-on about Fletcher's flaw in that we would not be the place to go if you want to do domestic analysis), and now it's up to you to decide whether that higher price tag is worth the benefits. In the end, any of these three options would be a great place for your post-grad degree; with that said, I do of course think Fletcher is the best option, particularly if you're heavy into i-dev work. It often helps to do site visits, if you haven't done so already. A visit to Fletcher is what really sold me over HKS. Best of luck!

You can full details here, but very quickly: Incoming class was 262 students across six degree programs (MALD, MIB, LLM, PhD, MA and GMAP). The overwhelming majority is MALD. Perhaps around 200? That's just my personal, unofficial guess. So I suppose your chances at Fletcher are statistically the same as MSFS.

As I type this, I'm sitting in one of my classes this semester at Fletcher, and the Admissions Office is right down the hall. For the past three days -- and I'm sure it will continue through next week -- the Office has posted a large sign on the front door saying it's closed from 9am to 1pm every day for application processing. As someone who was in your shoes last year, and having seen the Admissions Office's tremendous undertaking every year when applications are due, I want to echo the voices of people above and reassure all of you waiting to see updates on the GAMS system that everything is coming together, slowly but surely. Unofficially, and this is only what I've heard through the Fletcher grapevine, somewhere in the ball park of 1800 applications were received this year. Maybe a little more, maybe a little less. I don't share this for any other reason but to help you all understand how many applications need to be read, evaluated and decided in two months. That's a tall order. Hang in there, and best of luck to all of you!

Sorry, here's that link to the Foreign Policy school rankings. Guess it didn't work off a mobile phone =/

Foreign Policy magazine puts out an annual "Inside the Ivory Tower" ranking of the world's best international relations programs. I know you've been accepted to the MPA program, but perhaps some common resources are shared at LSE. Take a look at the FP rankings here: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_the_Ivory_Tower?wasRedirected=true Forgive me, I'm on a mobile device, so the site may seem different. Congratulations!

No problem. Fingers crossed!

yelly -- email the Fletcher admissions office. If there's one thing I learned from my admissions experience, it is that Fletcher as a school is very personable. Go to this site ... you might find your answer there. http://news.fletcher.tufts.edu/admissions Good luck!

I suggested something might be less excusable -- that isn't the same as it being inexcusable altogether. At any rate, the OP cleared up the question I had.

I agree with the Diplomat in that you don't have much time, and you should worry less about your GRE score and more about making your SoP and other writing samples pop. I disagree, however, in that your major may not compensate for your lower V score. If anything, an adcomm might wonder why your V score is so low if your major was so writing-intensive. If I put myself in the shoes of an adcomm member, here's what I would be thinking: in addition to the above, you've listed your GPA here as a 3.9 -- is it fair to understand that's your cumulative GPA? I would definitely look into your major classes to see how well you fared in those ... perhaps your major GPA is lower than near perfect, and your overall GPA is buoyed by non-major classes. If that is the case, your lower V score would be more understandable -- though not any more excusable. So my feeling is that if your studies for four to five years were writing-intensive, your GRE should have been a relative walk in the park, and your V score would have reflected your natural facility with the English language. I apologize if this all seems pessimistic ... I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer. But I know adcomms and understand how they think -- especially those at HKS and Fletcher. If other "top MPP / MPA programs" think the same way -- and I think it's safe to believe they do -- you should really focus on your statements. Diplomat is also right in that you can demonstrate your English competency through those statements -- but if any of your schools require or even offer interviews, be prepared to discuss your V score then. Best of luck, and remember to breathe!

My policy brief was a set of recommendations for the incoming Obama administration to implement as part of its approach to South Asian (Indo-Pak) relations, particularly in light of those two countries' nuclear arsenals, the Mumbai attacks of November 2008, and broader security implications for the region and other areas of strategic US interest.

Hard to squeeze that much material into a two-page policy memo ... perhaps you can mention those as challenges, and design your analysis and recommendations around broader implications of those challenges.

longbright: Congratulations!

Just to confuse you further, James Bond, let me add one more option for you: Fletcher's Master in International Business (MIB) program. It sounds like you want to take a middle road between b-school and IR, and this program might be a good fit. Read up on MIB student profiles here, and check out the BusinessWeek ad on Fletcher's "MBA Alternative" here. Applying to the MIB does require taking the GMAT, not the GRE, so be aware of that. Good luck!

My experience in your shoes last year, and what I learned from admissions officers at different schools, is that 9 times out of 10 you have about 100 words of wiggle room. So if you have a 1000-word cap on your SoP, don't go over 1100 and you should be fine. Fact is that with the sheer volume of apps received every year, adcomms don't have the time to run word counts on every essay. So for you, captiv8ed, if you're at 1023 you should be fine. I'm not an admissions officer, so my word isn't like the Holy Grail But this is what I've seen from the past year.

This is really exciting! Congratulations to all who have been admitted EN, and to those who have been deferred: keep the hope alive, for the struggle continues. As zourah said, no room for defeatism this early in the game. For those of you who know already that you are definitely coming to Fletcher next fall, welcome! I had originally applied at exactly this time last year, to start fall 2009, but was waitlisted and then bumped to the incoming Jan 2010 class. Today is the 14th of December and I have exactly one month before I begin at Fletcher, and I cannot tell you how SLOWLY the days are crawling by right now as I count down to the first day of orientation on 13th Jan. It's a very exciting time to be in IR, and an especially thrilling time to be at Fletcher [Google our Dean, Amb. Stephen Bosworth =)]. So excited, again, to see people hearing good news. Congrats!

fm20 -- Were you admitted? Anyone else, decisions? Looking forward to meeting the admits soon!

On the 10th of December last year, I took the GRE to submit for January deadline, and somehow it worked out. I know it's much more difficult to arrange a GRE retest from abroad, but do everything in your power to make it this year. Otherwise I sadly recommend you not apply this year to grad school, especially considering you graduated from university barely six months ago. Get the power combination of 2-3 years unique & relevant work experience + GRE scores higher than the mid-600s, and I think you'll be in a very competitive position.

To add onto the last post, if you're interested in nonproliferation (which is exactly what I'll be studying in grad school myself!), then definitely consider the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech. One of my former professors there, Dr Adam Stulberg, has just secured a huge grant from the Carnegie Corporation to form a Program on Strategic Stability Evaluation (POSSE), in conjunction with Dr William Potter of the Monterey Institute. Learn more about the opportunity here. I think the opportunity itself is only open to grads and post-docs, but to be at the Nunn School right now working with Dr Stulberg, or at MIIS working with Dr Potter, would be an incredible experience. A lot of great minds are involved in this project, including Jeffrey Lewis, Director of the Nuclear Strategy Initiative at the New America Foundation. On a side note, I'd love to keep in touch with you going forward. Even though you didn't include my school in your list, I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have about Fletcher. Best of luck!

Shotgun reply: more work experience is typical.

You should apply. Don't let your age stop you. Be aware, however, that you are near the bottom of the totem pole -- if you are like most college seniors and have had a couple of summer internships while in undergrad, you certainly won't stack up against those who are even just a couple of years older than you but have been working for a few years. I can speak to HKS -- I have plenty of friends there, none of whom have interned or worked for the UN or international orgs. Some have done consulting, others have worked for their home country governments, others have done academic research and still others have worked in the nonprofit world. The range of experiences is quite wide. Someone else can speak to WWS better than I can, but from my understanding Woody Woo students have an overall higher median age, which generally translates to more work experience.

A friend I know has been working for a very large antipoverty agency in the New England area for the past three years, and he's finally gotten to the point where he can go back and get his MPA. However, he needs to take a part-time school option and keep working his job to pay the bills. So he applied and was accepted to the MPA program at the Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University. It will take him a little longer than two years to graduate, but Suffolk's program is good for nonprofits and governance, especially at the local and state levels. Just one option to consider, amongst what I'm sure are many others.

To MPAIndia2010: Create a new topic for yourself. This will ensure maximum visibility and increase your chances of getting solid feedback and advice. To emppeng27: To the great observations made by others, I would add the caveat that there is no set admissions formula, and the strength of your candidacy will be determined relative to your applicant pool. I think that, were you applying with the exact same credentials five years ago, you may not have had to worry as much about your GRE scores. But with last year's uptick in the number AND quality of applications received at public policy / IR schools (in no small part due to the Obama effect), all applicants to this year's admissions cycle should bring their A-game. In your case, that means that if you have the time to re-take the GRE, do it. There might be another applicant with your exact same credentials, but with a higher GRE score. If all else holds constant, the one with the higher score might edge you out. Don't settle for second-best, and always give everything your all, if it's within your means.

I think a retake would be in your best interests. How long ago did you finish undergrad? That makes a difference as well.