itacal

O.K., so for what programs should I be aiming? I arrived at the M.P.A. at my current university through a back door, so to speak. I graduated from the journalism department and came back six years later to pursue a masters in journalism. Made one documentary film, swore I'd never make another and switched to the M.P.A. I say "back door" because I didn't have to officially apply or anything. I was already in the graduate school and had taken classes in the public admin. department, so I was just ushered in through the "back door." It's a pretty good program, but I think it would be a waste to spend the time and money on a PhD. from the state school I currently attend. And if I'm going to go through the time and expense of pursuing a PhD., what programs are open to me? Those of you that know, and there are many of you that know infinitely more about these schools than I do), please offer suggestions. I really like George Washington (Who doesn't, right?) and George Mason, because of their programs and the fact that they are near D.C. I also liked the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and the University of Nebraska, Omaha (Not anywhere near D.C., I know). Of course, there are several others — Berkeley, USC and Syracuse, to name a few — but I'm trying to be realistic. I know GWU is probably way out of my league, but does anyone know about George Mason, Maryland BC, and Nebraska? (I don't seriously plan to apply to Berkeley, USC and Syracuse.) Thanks

But isn't that the point, I have everything to worry about, because undergrad grades will make or break your chances? Will they look beyond the undergrad GPA before they toss my application in the garbage? And do I explain the medical condition or will that hurt me? Since no one here knows me or has any way of knowing who I am, I will elaborate. I am bi-polar manic depressive. I was diagnosed in fall of 1998. I tried to return to school a couple of times immediately after the diagnosis, but could not. In all, I dropped out of school seven times as a result of manic episodes. I did not handle this whole thing well, I will be the first to admit, but I got my act together, learned how to deal with things and came back a few years later and finished my degree. Will having to explain this hurt my chances. I know how manic people are viewed. I was told my an admissions counselor at the state law school that having to explain this could go either way — on the one hand, you dealt with it and moved on; on the other hand, you're bi-polar. Is there really a chance here or am I screwed? Please be brutally honest.

I've read other posts related to this topic, but am still searching for advice, etc. I have a low undergrad GPA(2.99) because of problems in my freshman and sophomore years. I had an extenuating medical condition that took me about 6 years to deal with. After that, I came back and finished my undergrad with above a 3.5 GPA in the last 60 hours. I worked at a news paper for the next six years before returning to grad school for an M.P.A. I will graduate in December 2011 with a 4.0 GPA in my graduate work. My question is, what are my chances for getting into a decent school for a PhD in public policy? Will the secretaries (or whoever) looking through the applications even look at my personal statement before tossing my application? I have great recommendation letters, won several awards for my writing every year while working at a 40,000 + circulation paper, including journalist of the year for the state, will have multiple internships under my belt when I graduate and, I hope, have a pending publication for one of my current research projects. I haven't taken the GRE yet, but plan to this summer.