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Fair enough. It is actually a masters in international affairs. If you're not interested in going into policy analysis on a global scale, disregard what I said. Sorry!

I would also add SAIS at JHU for the quant focus there. I think you'd get a great blend of policy analysis and economics/econometrics schooling from some brilliant minds in both fields.

Consider the MALD program at The Fletcher School, Tufts University. Lots of fantastic professors and students working round the clock on development and humanitarian rights efforts (I met Prof Marc Sommers last week, who is taking a semester off to work on Rwandan peace efforts with the US Institute of Peace). Quant of course is a part of the curriculum, but comprises only 1/8 of the courses one needs to graduate, and you can pick which two courses would fulfill that requirement. Flexible, yet rigorous! Shameless plug, I know. But I wouldn't recommend it without any substance.

Hi Ari -- You're right that a Statement of Purpose (SOP) is very very important, but as others have mentioned here, you should treat every component of your application as equally critical. With that said, you don't seem 100% sure that the MPA route is what's best for you straight out of undergrad. I get this feeling from the way in which you worded your message: you "settled" on IR, you "want to do something like an MPA program," you're "pretty sure" the MPA is what you want to do, and you're still considering a joint MPA/JD program. Thank you for being honest with us. Here at thegradcafe, you don't have to pretend you know exactly what you want if you're still having doubts. My advice to you would be to take some time and figure out if the MPA is really the right option for you straight out of undergrad. If it isn't (and for most people it isn't), then you should supplement your fantastic volunteer and community involvement experiences with something more substantial for at least one to three years. Alternatively, you would engage in deep reflection, cement your ambitions in the next month or two, and forge through the application process (which can often yield multiple gut-check moments, I assure you) with renewed resolve and determination. Either way, you have the passion to pursue a life in public service, and whenever you are ready to apply to grad school, we're all rooting for you!

G-sun: thanks for the clarification. I guess we all have much to learn about Stanford's fledgling, on-the-up-and-up program. Thanks again!

I agree with HRH that you should focus very very heavily on your SOP, but as others have said on this board, the best approach (especially because you have the time right now) is to treat every aspect of your application as terribly important. I got into Fletcher with a slightly higher V score and a slightly lower Q score (660V/700Q), so I don't think you should stress too much about your GRE. Your GPA is good too! Your work experience may or may not play against you. I have learned now from first-hand experience that the majority of schools in our field are looking for very diverse students -- particularly in terms of their individual experiences that led them to apply to school in the first place. So while it's stressed that work experience is almost a prerequisite to applying, I know that not all schools want to admit and start a class of 150-200 students who have all had 2-5 years work experience. They want those who have had other unconventional experiences as well -- whether through being an RA, through traveling, through volunteer work, etc. To bring it back full circle, this last bit is what makes your SOP so important -- it ties together your experiences, fleshes you out on paper as a real person with a unique background, and establishes a common thread or two that serve as the undercurrents of personal and professional motivation in your life. All of that has to come out and shine through in your statement(s).

I would normally say Americorps, but I think option two looks pretty good. More than anything else, though, figure out what you want to do after you get your degree. The reason I say this is because what you want to do with your MPP should inform what you want to study in grad school, which in turn should help you drill down the schools you apply to, based on those schools' respective strengths. For example, if you want to do domestic policy work, a school like WWS, HKS, Maxwell, American or Denver would be great. So would LBJ and Ford. If, however, you want to dive into a professional policy program that is international in scope, go to Georgetown, Fletcher, WWS (again), Korbel, etc. Contrary to many people on this forum, I have recently been turned off by the lack of dedicated international focus at HKS. The only effort to internationalize the school is the MPP program's International and Global Affairs (IGA) track option, which just started a couple of years ago and has met with limited success. In my opinion, there's still a lot more work to be done before Kennedy is regarded in inner circles as a breeding ground of truly international practitioners. Although, with that said, the Harvard name alone can get you pretty darn far ... From what you've said though, it seems you want to stay in the DC area. At any rate, think things through before you apply anywhere!

IPS is academic in nature; HKS is not. All Kennedy School degree programs, historically and at present, are professional policy and government programs, and I don't foresee that changing. I have multiple friends who have completed the MPP, MPA or MPA/ID program and then gone on to do amazing things (one very good friend manages the Google Foundation and its development work overseas). While I have no doubt that IPS grads go on to do equally amazing things, I do know that getting into HKS requires significant relevant work experience. From what others are saying here, it seems that the focus of IPS is less on work experience and more on academic achievement and evidence / assurance of continued academic success.

I agree with stiles. Some of us certainly may be preening windbags (that is a great phrase, I'm going to have to use it from time to time ), but you can't avoid that. The world is full of 'em. And there are a lot of people on this forum who are extremely real, just like you. I remember another person who was active here during admissions season earlier this year, and whose story was similar to yours: low GPA, no notable fellowships / scholarships / humanity-saving accomplishments, but a lot of hard work, dogged persistence and unflappable determination. Because of that, this person was accepted to start in a couple of months at a top public policy program, and that message encouraged many of us who were doubting ourselves to never give up hope, and more importantly to never stop trying. Your message is not lost on us, and as a community we're proud of you and your very significant accomplishment. Best of luck this year!

Hi there, First, congratulations! SAIS is a great school If you don't mind me asking, how long ago did you finish your undergrad studies? I ask because I don't think anyone who posts here regularly would say that an adcomm would dismiss an application out of hand based solely on undergrad GPA. There are other factors involved as well. There's no doubt that your 2.7 doesn't really reflect your intellectual aptitude or chances of success; if it did, then you wouldn't be sitting pretty with a 710V and 720Q GRE score (which is damn impressive!). On a side note, if you're talking about other online grad school fora, like -- say, I don't know -- autoadmit.com, then I think a slight distinction needs to be made. There aren't many people here at thegradcafe who would EVER post on that highly inflammatory, exceedingly misleading forum. Thanks!

No problem ECD. If you have any questions about HKS or Fletcher in particular, let me know and I'd be happy to help.

Previous Schools: Georgia Tech Previous Degree / GPA: BS, Int'l Affairs / Spanish, highest honors GRE Scores: 660V / 700Q / 5.5AW Previous Work Experience: (by the time I start school) 2.5 years, including 20 months private sector (with 6 months abroad in developing country), plus 7 months nonprofit (anti-poverty) work in Boston, with 3 months laid off in between :? Math/Econ Background: Calc I & II, Micro and Macro before uni, Int'l Political Economy, Quant Methods Foreign Language Background: Kutchi (derivative of Sindhi) native; Spanish professionally fluent; Arabic learning Intended Field of Study in Grad School: security studies, South / Southwest Asia Long Term Professional Goals: nuclear disarmament, South Asian conflict resolution, policy think tank work before returning to school for PhD and diving into academia Schools Applied to & Results: HKS (rejected), MIT PhD Political Science (rejected), Fletcher School (waitlisted fall 2009, eventually accepted starting January 2010) Ultimate Decision & Why: Fletcher! -- top choice (and only school to admit me ) Advice: After reading everyone's posts in this Final Decisions thread and being consistently surprised by what schools accept what kind of profile(s), here are my thoughts: [*:3syre4l8]Don't undersell yourself -- I've seen people with amazing backgrounds and the perfect statistics get rejected from schools like WWS, HKS, SAIS and Fletcher. Conversely, I've seen people with what I thought were sub-par attributes get into those same schools (this latter group includes me). These institutions like to have diversity of all types within their classes, including a broad spectrum of work experiences, academic backgrounds, travels, ethnicities, etc. If you read the profile of one person who got into your dream school, and you feel your own profile doesn't match that standard, don't think you won't get in. Apply anyway! [*:3syre4l8]SELL YOURSELF with a story -- With respect to what I will be studying in grad school, my professional and academic profile appears to be a hodgepodge of disconnected and random experiences. These include, among other things: - a study abroad program on European security (in the context of EU enlargement, transatlantic relations and roles/responsibilities of NATO) - a senior seminar in game theory and military scenario planning (the scenario was, interestingly, that DPRK has confirmed development of nuclear weapons and is threatening ROK with said nukes) - six months in India working for an IT consulting company (I only took the job because they were paying me to live abroad for six months!How could I say no to that?) However, I was able to find a common thread amongst these and other experiences: me. My own background, my upbringing, my developing passion and my myriad experiences had brought me to this tipping point where I finally realized what I wanted to do, although I had never set out in the first place to achieve what I now want to accomplish. And, I wrote in my SoP, the only way I could consolidate those experiences and fuse them together -- so that I can head off in my newfound direction with conviction -- would be with [insert degree name here] from [insert school name here]. I hope this helps. If anyone has any questions as the new admissions process gets underway in a couple of months, we're all here to help!

Hi Molly, Have you looked into the MALD at The Fletcher School? Many students there go into disaster relief and global humanitarian work. Relevant fields of study (each of which has numerous courses) within the MALD curriculum include: - International Organizations - Law and Development - International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution - Human Security - Development Economics - International Environment and Resource Policy Students can also design their own fields of study, as well as take courses not offered at Fletcher at any other Tufts school, or at MIT or any Harvard graduate school (such as the Kennedy School). Hope this helps!

jane said it perfectly. While there absolutely has been a spike in applications received (34% at HKS), the quality of the applicant pool hasn't matched that increase. This is a great time for a young person, such as yourself, rollinstone, to take an opportunity that you may not have otherwise considered: A recent statistic I read is that nearly 50% of students who completed their undergraduate studies in 2008 (not 2009) are living at home with their parents. If you are fortunate enough to have parents, relatives or friends who wouldn't mind you crashing with them, and if you are also fortunate enough to be in or near a large metropolitan city, there are tons of low-paying or no-comp internship/volunteer opportunities with non-profit organizations and think tanks all over the country. (On a side note, the non-profit sector actually anticipates a significant increase in the number of job opportunities over the next couple of years, so keep an eye on that too.) Only a few years ago, when my peers and I were getting ready to graduate, we had our eyes on well-paying private-sector jobs that, we thought with drooling jowls, would undoubtedly fast-track us to fortune, fame and greater opportunities. Unfortunately for new grads, the economic situation has been turned on its head. But with these new circumstances come new opportunities. Don't neglect to consider alternative, unconventional opportunities. Remember, you have your entire life to build your professional career.

First, and not to stroke your ego too much, you have a very impressive academic record. Even without a healthy dose of relevant work experience on your CV, I suggest you look at other schools that are a little more top-tier than the ones you've listed (nothing against any of those programs of course!). Shoot high my man. Second, here are a couple more ideas that are less MPA and more MPP or MA IR (international relations), since you want to get into policymaking and security on a global scale: - Fletcher School, Tufts - Kennedy School, Harvard - either GPPI or SFS at Georgetown - SAIS, Johns Hopkins - Korbel School, U.Denver - Maxwell School, Syracuse University (Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism: http://insct.syr.edu/) Finally, since this is up your intended alley -- I just came across Homeland Security Report No. 199, the latest in the series, available for free download here: http://ow.ly/gT63. Enjoy!

Hey barbecue, If you haven't already signed up and paid for the GRE next month, I would advise waiting at least another month before diving back into it. While on one hand you don't want to lose the information you've tried to retain in studying for your most recent GRE effort, you don't want to burn yourself out on the other hand. Give yourself enough time to study properly, without rushing through the process and stressing yourself out more than I can imagine you already are (remember to BREATHE!). One more idea for the verbal section: sign up for Word of the Day on m-w.com and dictionary.com. Every morning you will receive two words in your email inbox that you can add to your vocabulary. Each entry includes definition, etymology and sample use in a sentence (or three). Great way to add a couple of words a day without feeling overloaded. Finally: you haven't included here how long you've been out of undergrad, what kind of work experience you have, etc. If you are still young (less than five years out of undergrad), you will definitely want to bump that verbal score up by about 200 points, and maybe increase your quant score as well (I only say this because the past year's admissions round was one of the most competitive in a while [due in part to the economy], and I don't foresee relative admissions standards going down next year. Bring your A-game). If, on the other hand, you finished your bachelor's degree in the 80s or 90s and have a significant number of relevant work-experience years under your belt, be sure to highlight your accomplishments in the "real world" to offset a less-than-ideal verbal score. Best of luck!

nice. if i had gone to HKS i would have done IGA as well -- the chance to work with Matt Bunn on the Managing the Atom project is what i really want. Drezner certainly is an interesting fellow -- do you follow his FP blog?

thanks Zourah. congrats to you as well on getting into HKS! who knows, our paths may cross (i'm looking at taking some specific courses at the K School). what are your fields of study?

Also -- I'll be studying Intl Security Studies and SW Asia / Islamic Civilizations. You?

Hi decisionsihope, I also got into Fletcher, except I'll be starting in January 2010. I live in Boston already and will be commuting to school from my apartment in Allston. Are you local? Or coming in from out of town? If you have any questions (or if you want to exchange real-person contact info), feel free to PM me. Congrats and good luck in your first semester!

Hi all! Just got accepted to Tufts Fletcher School for Jan 2010. Already live and work in Boston (Allston specifically), so no moving for me. Any other Fletcherites out there?

I'm pretty sure that at this point, no one really cares -- or perhaps no one visits the forum anymore -- but I just received my acceptance to Fletcher starting January 2010! They took me off the waitlist to start in the Spring because there were no more spots available at all for the Fall entering class. To next year's round of applicants: GOOD LUCK!

i'm not out of the woods yet (being waitlisted ain't easy!), so i still turn to this forum every week. congrats to all of you who have your decisions and have figured out what you'll be doing next year! good luck to all ...

so -- to revitalize this thread -- are there any others out there on the Fletcher waitlist?

ya know, poodles, i feel the exact same way. i even ran my stats by my AdComm friend about a month and a half ago, and her immediate response after hearing my background was, "i can guarantee you that for whatever reason if you don't get in, it's not because of [GRE scores / work experience / GPA]." if you emailed the office last night, don't expect to hear back for a while. right now they're apparently inundated with such messages, and getting through them all will take some time. not to mention the fact that from what i can see, MPA2 results haven't been released yet. considering this is spring break week at Harvard, they're probably backed up with paperwork and trying to just play catchup right now. hopefully you are already in somewhere else ...