yo_yo86

Congrats on the admits. Not sure of the details of your background, my initial thoughts are as follows: 1) If you want to work in the US, I would favor Maxwell over the others 2) If you want to work in Europe, then ScPo (especially if you get admitted to LSE too) 3) I am of the camp that it is better to have work experience before attending graduate school, preferably at least two years in something at least partially relevant; however, if that is not possible, then go to grad school. Now, whether your PR position is relevant enough, I leave that up to you to decide. Most non-profits need somebody with PR experience to help promote the place and help raise money, but is that the route you want to take to get into the field (i.e., do you want to be hired to do PR work for a non-profit or would you rather do research)? If you would rather do research, then I don't see how the PR gig helps much, other than giving you good work experience of the general nature (which is important). Perhaps, you could volunteer somewhere cool while working to help offset your non-traditional development job, if you decide to go the PR route. Or, you could volunteer nearly full-time while looking for a job (passing up on the PR offer), and then wait for something relevant to come along. I know it's really hard to find anything right now. It was when I looked in 2009 too (when I graduated), so I think it's understandable to forego working with the options you have. The only problem I can see is that once you graduate, you'll be competing against people that have work experience along with a graduate degree. Hopefully, relevant internships during grad school can help you overcome your lack of work experience. Lastly, I must add, my thoughts on schools assume that the overall cost of attendance would be about equal. If money is an issue, then you have to decide whether X amount of extra debt for a degree from Y is worth the cost.

In at Elliott. Glad to have at least one DC option. Still waiting on SAIS and SFS like 90% of you (I know both schools are each a reach for me, so I am hopeful, but also realistic).

Accepted by Elliott (MA International Affairs). Was a bit nervous when I got the email, as my previous acceptances (Maxwell and LBJ) sent emails announcing the decision and Elliott's just told me to log into my account. Anyway, got the result that I had hoped for and now I have at least one option in DC. Congrats to everybody else too!

Thanks for the heads-up godlessgael. Checked my email again and was surprised by an email from UT. In (MGPS), with out-of-state tuition waiver.

I don't know much about MIIS (though I grew up in California), so I can't help there. I lived in NYC for over five years and while NYU has some good programs, the reputation surrounding the MGA was not great. Most thought it was over-priced and I think a fair number of grads were unemployed upon graduation. Not sure if it is what you're looking for or not, but the MPP at Maryland has a deadline of April 1st. Perhaps you would be able to shape so that it is more IR focused (they have a concentration in International Security and Economic Policy). If I were you, I would strongly consider an MPP from Maryland over the other two. Good luck! http://www.publicpolicy.umd.edu/degree-programs/master-of-public-policy

Yeah, and considering I am abroad and got the email at 4:30am, I was already half delirious with sleep deprivation.

SFS/Georgetown: Our target date to mail all decision letters is on or before April 1. http://msfs.georgetown.edu/admissions/faq/

Elliott School: Fall admissions decisions are available in mid-March, and you will need to notify us of your decision by May 1. Spring applicants will be notified in mid-November. http://elliott.gwu.edu/admissions/grad/faq.cfm

For MGPS at LBJ: The LBJ School begins sending conditional offers of acceptance by email in mid-March. Your formal offer of admission from the University of Texas Graduate School and your formal letter of admission from the LBJ School, which will be the document that announces your fellowship if you have been selected to receive an award, will follow shortly thereafter. http://www.utexas.ed...grams/mgps/faqs

Not to sound rude (my numbers are fairly similar), but based on your numbers and limited professional experience I doubt you would get much funding from Fletcher, SIPA, or SFS (SIPA does give more money out to second year students, so there is a chance you could get some...eventually). Your best bet is Maxwell. However, I could be wrong, and since you have already applied you'll find out in the next six to eight weeks. No reason to stress about funding until you get in, anyway.

Same as many above: in at Maxwell IR; funding to be determined later.

Not sure that I can add any real insight, but thought you at least deserved a reply (uninformed as it may be). I would think your time in the military (I am assuming you'll have put 20 years in before retirement), along with an MS in OM would get you looked at for the positions you are interested in. In addition, for government jobs you'll have the benefit of the Vet bonus for hiring. If you still feel under-qualified, however, you may consider a one year MA program. Most of the top schools have such a degree for those already working in the field. You'd want to look into them, to make sure you'd qualify, but it may help you shift your career into the direction you want. As far as a PhD is concerned, it's hard to say, but considering most top programs accept 10-25 people from hundreds of applicants, nobody has much of a chance to get in (especially if you haven't been in an academic setting in awhile). Most importantly, though, I am not sure that a PhD would get you any closer to your goal. Something to consider.

I don't have any better insight than mmclean0260; however, if you're very confident you would do better on the GRE, I would take it. If you don't feel you would, don't bother. Worst case, you get dinged, decide not to go to school this year, then study some more to improve your score, and reapply. Good luck!

4. How many applications do you receive each year? How many are accepted? We typically receive about 450 - 500 applications each year for the MPA and MA IR programs. The average acceptance rate for both programs is about 50%. We generally recieve 80-100 applications for the PhD and admit 6-8 students annually. 5. What are the minimum or average GPA or GRE score for successful applicants? There are no minimum GPA or GRE requirements for admission. The admissions committees reviews the entire profile of an applicant through a holistic approach. Grades and standardized test scores are taken into consideration in the context of the broader application. MPA: Average GPA of admitted students: 3.55 Median GRE scores of admitted students: V: 570, Q: 690, A: 4.5 MA IR: Average GPA of admitted students: 3.6. Median GRE scores of admitted students: V: 530, Q: 660; AW: 4.0. PhD (PA): Three year average of Average GPA of entering students: 3.78 Three year average of Median GRE scores of entering students: V: 635, Q: 763, A: 4.5 Found info here: http://www.maxwell.s...?id=36507225209

Not to be a downer (and congrats on the GRE, by the way), if I were you, I'd wait to apply. Your scores are good, but as Mal83 mentioned, you have little relevant international experience. Best case scenario, you get a degree from one of those schools and have to compete for jobs with graduates that have professional and/or relevant international experience. Doesn't sound like a winning formula to me. However, feel free to give it a shot if you really want. It just seems like there is no reason to rush into grad school when you could get some valuable and relevant experience beforehand (and make a little money too).

Not sure if anybody is still reading this thread, but the new TRIP survery/rankings came out. If you look at the full survey results (found here: http://irtheoryandpr...RESPONDENTS.pdf - go to Q54), you'll notice that SIPA is just ahead of Elliott (40% to 38%) and Elliott clusters much closer to WWS, Fletcher, and SIPA than it does to American (ranked #8). Just some addition food for thought...

Full survey results can be found here: http://irtheoryandpractice.wm.edu/projects/trip/TRIP%202011%20RESULTS%20US%20RESPONDENTS.pdf Question 54 (about halfway down) has the top twenty schools listed.

Having done about five minutes of research on MURP programs, you may want to look at several of these links: http://www.planetizen.com/topschools http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_planning_education http://www.cyburbia.org/forums/showthread.php?44104-New-Planetizen-rankings http://www.cyburbia.org/forums/showthread.php?45562-Planetizen-planning-school-rankings http://www.acsp.org/sites/default/files/ACSP_2010_Guide_0.pdf

I agree with greendiplomat that second-tier is probably meant to designate a good program that is slightly easier to get into. I think the list provided is fairly accurate, though I would say Elliott is close on the heals of the top-tier programs and SIPA is seriously slipping in the opposite direction (I was an undergrad at Columbia and knew a lot of very unsatisfied, and upon graduation, very unemployed, SIPA students). I might also add some more regional schools to the list, such as Pitt and UMinn and/or look into others as they will likely be slightly cheaper and easier to get into, when considering second-tier schools. Globalsun also raises some valid points, particularly with regards to the smaller boutique IR programs at Yale and Stanford. However, I doubt cowboy was looking for such programs when thinking of safety schools to apply to. In this context I think one can assume second-tier is more program specific (and yes, the term "second-tier" is likely a bit overused). For example, Maxwell at Syracuse is a much stronger program than Syracuse's law school and, as such, should be considered separate from other programs at the university.

Just google "sais bologna analytical essay" if the link still doesn't work. Should be the first link.

You'd be lucky to get into any of those schools. I'd would study for and retake the GRE and apply next year. Doesn't seem to make sense to rush applications with very mediocre GRE scores.

Mine is similar to understatement700's. I relate the topic to me in about five or so sentences, but mostly focus on the issue and course of action. SAIS Bologna has posted an example, which can found here: http://saisbolognaadmissions.blogspot.com/2011/11/analytical-essay.html.

In at Maxwell, I'd bet too.

Beefmaster, Left you a reply here: I'd wait out the year and retake the GRE if I were you. However, you can always defer for a year if accepted and reapply anywhere you didn't get in. Then you have better chance at (limited) funding.

I am in the middle of application now (and procrastinating). From my impressions, it goes Elliott > SIS > Denver. Elliott has a stronger name than SIS in DC, and both are in DC, which gives you greater access to intern/work/volunteer during the school year when everyone else is in Boston, NYC, Denver, etc. Elliott is also more competitive than SIS and Denver.