CBRrr

Honestly, I would ask your colleagues what they would do. If you plan on staying in that field, they are the ones who you should be asking for advice. Also, what do you want to study!? SSP curriculum is geared toward those who are in the DoD, while GSPIA courses seem to examine these issues from a variety of perspectives. While SSP is one of the most repsected programs for those within your line of work, if you already have a career you like locked down, will a degree from SSP give you that much of an advantage over one from Pitt? IMO if you plan on staying in the public sector, go to whichever school you would enjoy more.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxels9BoVU1qff8too1_r1_400.gif This should be the go to response to all questions regarding a subpar GRE score.

Kennedy and Fletcher value work experience more than most. Op, one of the reasons all these schools value work experience so much is because it shows that you have an idea of what you want to get into. When writing your sop, you need to focus on what inspired you and what experiences have solidified your decision to pursue this path. Since you have no work experience, your sop is your only shot at making yourself distinct! So don't go wasting your time talking about irrelevant shit, make yourself stand out and prove to the admin staff you know what you want. Also ESIA SPS programs offers concentrations in your fields. I'm pretty sure they're newish specializations, so they may be more willing to admit someone that intends on specializing in that area. Edit: I got in with no work experience + I know people that have been admitted into many of these schools with no work experience.

This, don't sell yourself short.

No, not at all. Most expect you to have some knowledge though.

I think your best bet would be to call HKS, tell them you've been denied before, and ask for their opinion. I'm not calling you out or anything (just curious), but how is your contract already up? I know some guys who did intelligence in the army (4 year contracts) and their AIT was pretty lengthy. How are you getting out so quickly?

Check out the PDF link on this page - http://elliott.gwu.edu/gscd/skills_report.cfm Scroll down to your program to see what skills are sought after.

Lets see -Georgetown SSP -George Washington SPS -Korbel -Pitts' GSPIA - http://www.gspia.pitt.edu/Academics/DegreePrograms/MasterofPublicInternationalAffairs/MajorInSecurityIntelligenceStudies/tabid/95/Default.aspx -Kentucky Patterson School -Tufts has a concentraion/depth/thing in security studies -American Univeristy SIS has a MA in IA with a focus in Foreign Policy wher you can study some security related issues. However, another thing to look at, is a MS in Justice, Law and Sociey. It's tought out of the School of Public Affairs (SPA), but it offers offers a concentration in Terrorism and Security Policy. The best part is the curriculm is very flexible and you can take a good amount of classes out of SIS. Depending on what you want to do, the MS out of the SPA may be a better fit.

Look into Graduate PLUS loans http://www.sais-jhu.edu/admissions/tuition-financial-aid/federal-loans.htm http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/PlusLoansGradProfstudents.jsp

Hey, I attended an information session so I can answer a few of these. The one thing that impressed me the most is how career oriented the school is. I know some grad programs tell their students not to work, but here they encourage you to always have, at least, a part-time job/internship! Edit: I'll be in Foggy Bottom this fall.

Perhaps, it may also be because people with my undergraduate degree aren't represented that well in international relations programs? For what it's worth, I too have received tons of spam from schools advertising programs that are irrelevant to my interest .

For those that used this service, did you guys receive any e-mails from schools within your field, or is this service mainly used by schools to send out (spam!) a load of potential applicants? The reason I ask is because I've received emails from a couple of schools I'm looking at (Fletcher & Korbel) and I was wondering if these are just sent to everyone. For what it's worth, I've also received a healthy amount of emails from random programs.

http://nss.csusb.edu/