stigMPA

... says the IR guy. In all seriousness though, I understand that there is a lot of overlap, but I'd appreciate better defined spaces for discussion. I get the impression we domestics on this board are getting trampled a bit by the International majority that doesn't fully understand how large and influential it is. Is it really so much to ask to have a sub-forum or two?

Are we reading the same board? At least half of the posts are about SIPA, Fletcher, etc.

While I agree with most of this, this year the job market is so daunting for recent grads that I wouldn't recommend AGAINST going direct from undergrad with a good, thought-out plan of attack. If the alternative to grad school is warming your couch or working in a totally unrelated field why not knock out the degree first and come out hungry when the economy is on the rebound?

Great advice. The SUNY-ESF forestry school is located in the city of Syracuse right near Syracuse University so there are abundant interdisciplinary opportunities there.

I was thinking about this the other day. My interests are primarily domestic, so probably I click through 80% of this board for the 20% I read closely. It also doesn't help that the international side seems to be much more popular these days, effectively drowning out the domestic discussions. If I had come to this board a year or two ago in lieu of talking with mentors in the field I think I might have felt pressured to apply to programs that were not right for me just because of the sheer bulk of forum users putting in papers at the same dozen or so schools. I'm of two minds on this, though, since on occasion I've been able to help International folks and vice versa. How about a sub-forum for us domestic folks?

These degrees will become even more competitive in the next few years. They seem to be among the more 'fashionable' fields at the moment - in particular, it seems like every other person I talk to wants to work in int'l development. As long as the economy stinks, I expect that applicant pools will swell with those multitudes (mistakenly) attracted to public service as a refuge from the horrors of the private sector. I have a feeling that these programs will eventually be a lot like law school - dauntingly competitive but also subject to the widespread speculative "shotgun blasts" of half-serious applicants. Generally speaking, elite schools prefer experienced applicants. It's not impossible to get in with limited (or even no) experience, but only the most promising prospects will likely be able to take that path. To those considering their options, I say go into the Peace Corps or Teach for America if you feel it is a calling, but I think it would be misguided for applicants to look too closely at the "competition" and try to keep up with the proverbial Joneses. Schools like to see a diversity of of experience and there's a glut of those with experience in organizations like the ones you mention. You will be more likely to catch an admission committee's eye with something unconventional rather than the identikit "yet another Peace Corps" resume.

It's impossible to say. I know a dude who took something like 6 years to finish his bachelors because of academic motivation issues. He's since won a MacArthur genius grant and is tenure track at a top research university. It might work and it might not but you need to stop stressing about things you can't and focus on what you can. If grad school is what you want, work to build your application. You have some time to dominate your GRE and secure some good LORs. With the time off before you apply, the ball is very much in youir court. Almost everyone's packet has a weak point - compensate where you can. After that, just send out your app to schools that are a good fit and stop worrying.

Quant is very learnabe. Verbal is memorizable if you have the time. I got the GRE vocab flash cards and just hammered those things for a week before my test. I was already particularly good with words, but I scored somewhere into the 700s. There are free word lists online but I found those cumbersome.

I don't know about the others, but I know my Masters program at Syracuse already has a full cohort (or at least close to it based on size of years past). I have a feeling of lot of "rolling admissions" schools are just nominally that. As you pointed out there is almost certain to be no funding left and even odds for admission could be damaged quite a bit. For example, if you want to study public finance and the school has already met the quota for that specialty you could find yourself caught out even with a competitive application packet. My honest recommendation would be to apply on the regular schedule.

I'd talk to as many knowledgeable people as I could find. This is a self-selecting community so most of us here are far from objective.

Some great advice here. Some observations and suggestions: 1) Are you thinking more along developmental lines or urban studies? Something else? Put another way, what do you want to research? GIS is a tool, not a subject of study in and of itself. You have a lot of thinking to do before you write your statement of purpose. 2) While you are still in school try to secure your letters of recommendation. You will be fresh in the writer's minds and I'm told it's a huge hassle to track people down later. Applying to grad school properly is a lot of work and believe me you won't want to be dealing with all of this in 6 months - there will be plenty on your plate. 3) Since you have elected to take a gap year, try to make the most of it. Take GIS and remote sensing courses and read up on recent scholarship. You can turn the break into a huge benefit if you can refine your interests and do some meaningful work. When you are in the interview stage it will be important that you have put in some independent effort after not focusing on these subjects as an undergrad,

Why go to her for a recommendation at all? She's obviously not supportive. You're fortunate to not be too far removed from your undergrad years. Try to seek out professors for your recommendations - schools seem to prefer this when possible.

Do you want to work on the east coast or the west coast? Do you want your degree to lean more to the qualitative or the quantitative? I'm more of an East-coaster, but I hear some great things about the program at Berkeley. It all depends on your priorities.

Sadly, like rain on your wedding day, this is not an example of irony. Still a phenomenon worth considering, though. The federal GS pay scale has a lot to do with this. Even those looking to work in NGOS, consultancy and non-profits often advance in rough equivalence to those on GS track. I'd get into specific reasons for this, but suffice it to say that they share an extended talent pool with people crossing back and forth among the sectors fairly regularly. If your goals are not too specific, then yes you can do fine with a degree from any accredited program (provided you work hard). The difference in pay is not reason enough to go to an elite program. However, government is necessarily monopolistic - there are only so many positions available at the IRS (for example) because there is only one IRS. It's not uncommon that "Dream Agency XYZ" is filled with alumni of top programs and actively recruits graduates. The old adage is that an elite diploma can get you an interview but it is your job to prove yourself. For people who have their hearts set on one of the limited number of spots at "Agency XYZ" every advantage is welcome. How clear are your career goals? What is the hiring profile where you want to wind up ultimately? Would you be comfortable as the only representative of your school at your agency? Does your ego need the boost of a "name" school on your diploma? These are some of the questions you need to ask yourself.

The AWA can throw out some bizarre results. Your verbal score should be enough to indicate that your AWA was probably an aberration. I wouldn't waste the time and effort on a retake.