FSOJN

With all my apps submitted and all my LORs in, it's finally out of my hands. Good luck to everyone else waiting for results!

Thanks, you both. law2phd: I definitely don't plan to just apply to the top three. I'm beginning my research process from scratch (and a little late), and I started from the top of the rankings. Working now to find other potential POIs at other schools as well. eyepod: I was definitely planning on using a writing sample that can connect the work-me with the student-me––luckily I have some good bases from my work in grad school. I have ILR ratings in all my languages, from my State Department work. Are the CEFR levels more well-known than ILR?

Hello all. Currently considering a pretty massive switch out of my current job (Foreign Service Officer) to go back to school for a PhD. Between that and the fact that I don't have an academic political science background, I feel like a somewhat non-traditional candidate and wanted some advice and suggestions from those who know the system much better than I do. In terms of long-term career interests, I definitely hope to return to foreign policy eventually, but I want to spend some time in academia and/or think tanks before then. Type of Undergrad Institution: Public Ivy (William & Mary) Major(s): French studies, Music Undergrad GPA: 3.85/4 Type of Grad: European Studies at Yale Grad GPA: No GPA, but it would be around 3.9. GRE: 167 V, 165 Q, 6.0 W Any Special Courses: Undergrad poli sci research methods. Grad school courses on EU, counterterrorism, national security decision making, diversity law. Letters of Recommendation: One from a tenured professor who could talk about my writing or from a tenured professor who could talk about my teaching, one from MA thesis advisor who is a big name in policy, one from a senior government official (previous supervisor) to talk about public service. Research Experience: Several small summer research grants in undergrad, MA thesis on French counterterrorism policy, research and cable-writing as a diplomat (not public). Teaching Experience: One semester teaching two sections of a history course at Yale. Subfield/Research Interests: Comparative (France and Maghreb), focus on terrorism and radicalization Other: By 2016, I will have had a total of four years working at the State Department, including two in the Foreign Service, working at the U.S. Embassy in Algiers, the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs (for which I won an award), the Office of the Secretary of State, and the U.S. Mission to the EU. Fluent in French, high professional competency in Modern Standard Arabic, proficient in German and Algerian/Maghrebi Arabic. I hope to shoot pretty high, and I've found some great potential POIs at a few of the top schools (Harvard, Princeton WWS, Yale, MIT). I'd be very happy to hear of other suggestions for places or how to think more generally about spinning my application/SOP.

19 work days left. The countdown has officially started in earnest.

Awesome! For a PhD or masters? I'll be starting a European/Russian Studies MA there in the fall.

Maybe think about the PMF program (http://www.pmf.gov/) that can get you placed in a government agency. It's a lot of masters and JD people (at least at State, where I am now), but I know a handful of people with PhDs who did the program and are still working in the government.

FLAS doesn't cover my full tuition and fees for some reason (maybe because it's a private school? don't know). So I have $18K FLAS for tuition and then $40K Pickering to cover the rest of tuition plus room and board and fees, etc. I'd have about $1,500 of Pickering leftover, which I'd use to reimburse the cost of books. Not exactly sure how the $15K FLAS stipend will play into it, but I talked to Yale about it and they said I'll still get the stipend meted out monthly, so that's a nice little bonus!

Same. Over the moon right now.

Likewise. Literally when I saw that someone commented on this thread, I started freaking out that someone got a notification and I didn't. Ha. #anxiety #iamachild

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): College of William & Mary, Sciences Po Lyon (study abroad) Previous Degrees and GPAs: B.A. in French and Francophone Studies and Music, 3.9 GPA GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 167V/165Q/6.0W Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 1 year at the State Department, internship at a human rights NGO Math/Econ Background: Math through calculus and linear algebra. No econ. Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Fluent in French, two years of Japanese. Intended Field of Study in Grad School: European Studies/IR. Long Term Professional Goals: US Government Foreign Policy Advisor Schools Applied to & Results: Fletcher MALD (accepted), Georgetown MAGES (accepted), Yale European studies (accepted), Harvard Middle Eastern studies (rejected) Ultimate Decision & Why: Yale E&RS. Best fit overall as far as classes and faculty. Didn't want to do a program like MALD or SFS that is a little less focused but has better connections to State since I already have some USG work experience. Want to focus on academia right now while I can. Also the opportunity to take classes at Yale Law School is one I very much want to take advantage of. Advice for Future Applicants: Make a compelling argument for why this degree/program now. Show conviction for the field you want to be in. Work experience helps a lot to show that, too.

Yeah. In short: not pleased hahahaha.

Next fall as in fall 2013? After finishing in Budapest? Sounds great! Congrats. I really like the MAGES program, and being in DC for school will be great. I'm feeling more worried about the writing part now, but I still think it was okay. I feel like in this instance, they don't expect everyone to be an expert on every issue but rather to be able to craft a compelling and well-supported argument. We are applying for positions as generalists after all. In fact, being able to write a good issue paper on an issue you don't really know is (in my experience) not too uncommon of a task for people at State. (At least this is what I'm telling myself! )

That's what I had been guessing as well. My shout of joy was immediately accompanied by an "Oh crap. This means the interview is next week!" So excited to meet the other finalists next week.

I feel the exact opposite. I'm sure I would have been overjoyed if they were specifically within my area of knowledge. I think I did okay, but not as strongly as I could have if I had an in-depth understanding of the topics. Everything I've heard is that the interview is weighed more heavily, so hopefully that stays true! The question in my mind, though, is what impact if any the early written exam will have on the interview. I doubt they will bring it up, but are we assuming that this will allow the final evaluations to happen more quickly? Meaning, if they evaluate the essays in the next week, they should be able to turn around final decisions pretty soon after the interview (just for context: at the Foreign Service orals, you find out the day of). It'll be interesting...

Taking the online writing test tomorrow. Good luck to everyone else! A little nervous about this Skype thing--hoping I don't act "suspicious" without realizing it. Can't wait to meet the other finalists next week!