Prestomanifesto

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Large public state university known for STEM and awesome tailgating. Previous Degrees and GPAs: BA International Relations with minors in Spanish and Arabic, GPA 3.6 overall, 3.8 major GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 165v/155q/4.5aw Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 2.5 years in private sector focusing on STEM policy, 1 year teaching EFL in HS abroad. Part-time Work Experience: dance coach, cafeteria food server, copyroom/courier for a small law firm Math/Econ Background: One combined Macro/Micro Econ course (A-), Calculus ( B )and Statistics ( B )as an undergrad. Not stellar, but I had enough in my private sector experience to demonstrate my comfort with numbers. Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Spanish (fluent), Arabic (intermediate), Korean (beginner) Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Human Security, Diplomacy or Education Long Term Professional Goals: IGO or US government Schools Applied to & Results: Accepted: Tufts Fletcher MALD ($$), GWU Elliott, American SIS Rejected: Georgetown MSFS Ultimate Decision & Why: Tufts Fletcher School! It's been my dream school for a long time because of the flexible curriculum. The money I was offered just sweetened the deal. I went to a state school as an undergrad where there wasn't much of a network for IR and the name won't open any doors, so getting into a good IR school with name recognition was important to me. If I was going to spend so much on a degree I wanted to get into a school where I could get a solid network in addition to the education. The hardest decision for me to make was not being in DC. But I decided I'd rather go back to school full-time for four semesters and intern during the summer than only go to school part-time in order to work an internship year-round in DC. Advice for Future Applicants: 1) Don't be afraid to wait. This was actually my second application season. During the first (for 2012) I applied to AU, GWU and GT because I really wanted to be in DC. I thought Tufts was too much of a reach, too expensive and too far from home (under my the current circumstances). I ended up only getting into AU and getting wait-listed at GWU that first time. But, it gave me a bit of hope and I decided that I wanted to wait and get more experience-- I did 1 more year in the private sector but also worked for a year abroad teaching EFL. Besides being great for personal growth, it really helped solidify that this was what I wanted to pursue. I'm not sure exactly where I'll end up but I have a much clearer idea now of what I'd like to do. Also, the extra two years of savings doesn't hurt either! So, my advice for future candidates is that you shouldn't be afraid to wait and try new things. Work experience doesn't seem important when you are applying straight out of UG but I think it's really, really helpful and that anyone who doesn't have it should look for it. I'm getting my degree from a better school for a significantly cheaper price just because of two extra years of work experience. 2) Check your requirements for each school as far as resumes and CVs. If your work experience is uncommon or ambiguous and you have the option, take the space to explain what you did in detail. My first application season I worked hard to make my resume concise. This time, when I was given the freedom to explain, I did. My CV was lengthy but it allowed me to cut so many words from my personal statements without leaving the readers confused. Maybe this only applies to me and my weird eclectic background but I wish someone had told me I should do this from the start. 2) Go visit and speak with admissions offices as much as you can. I was completely talked out of a few schools because of my experiences with their admissions offices in person and online. I think you should be careful attention to the environment to be sure it's one you can thrive in. I know I would have been miserable at a few of the schools I was initially considering. I'm glad I visited the campuses to find that out. 3) Turn in your applications early. My computer hard drive crashed literally 6 hours before two other applications were due. In the end, this wasn't a big deal for me because I was only writing those apps to diversify my current options -- my heart wasn't really in it-- BUT I missed those two apps and lost all of my writing 3 days before the next deadlines. It turned out fine (mostly because I could basically recite my statements at that point) but don't let this be your horror story. Submit everything early or be sure to work in the cloud if you tend to compulsively polish up until the last minute. 4) You got this. Gradcafe posts tend to make you feel like you can't get into a good university without a 3.9 GPA, 37 published articles and 5 years working at an entry-level-management-position at the IMF. I feel like I read every single thread available on here and I definitely read through all the statement writing books and guides with all these conflicting strategies...So, for everyone out there panicking as they read this thread: Breathe. Realize there are many correct ways to write a personal statement. And there are plenty of people who get all of these schools with all kinds of experiences. Instead of focusing on how much you lack and must make up for, work on demonstrating on what you've made of the experiences you've had. Let your own personality and passion shine through your personal statement instead of trying to write what your school wants to hear. You got this.

So I went through the "should I do it unfunded?" thing a few years ago. There are a few questions you should ask yourself: -Does my field require an advanced degree for an entry-level job? If yes, proceed. If not, think seriously about why you are going directly into graduate school and not into the workforce. -Can I afford it? I didn't understand until I began paying my undergraduate loans, but loans are pricey and constant. Make a budget with your ideal post-MA job including your city. Make sure your loans fit into that budget. If you're living in an expensive city and already have undergraduate loans, you might just be scraping by...which is not ideal. -Would I ever get funding? GPA and GRE are the most important for funding. Sure, there's always outliers like that random candidate who has some amazing, completely unique post-grad work experience to go along with a dismal GPA and lackluster GRE and still gets full-funding...but most of us mere mortals have to be sure our GPAs are above a certain point to get funded. Also, the GRE! It's a ridiculous test but, given time and commitment it can be mastered. If you're honest with yourself, can you get a higher GRE score? AND before any of that is even considered, does your desired program even dole out much funding? Know what's available and where your profile fits into those expectations. Call the admissions office and find out the average GPA and GRE of funded candidates. Some schools are great for funding (as a general rule: privates can be harder to get into but more generous with their funding) while others are stingy. I don't know the unfunded degree is "worth" it, only you do. But if you are really committed to grad school AND want to be funded then you can always get work experience. It sounds ridiculous when you're in school, but it really DOES help prepare you for graduate school and procures significant amounts of funding and good references if you play it right. I got into a program unfunded 2 years ago and decided to wait. I got into a much more prestigious school with some funding this time around and all of the schools I applied to last round (but no funding from them!See point 3!). I'm happy I decided to wait and I feel about 30923908X more prepared and excited than I was back then. Also, someone once commented on here that after about 6 years out of undergrad the straight-to-grad-school and the work-exp-first professionals had just about equalized--but one group had a significantly larger debt to pay back. Another reason I back the work experience route! Sorry for the novel (I obviously gave this a lot of thought a few years ago) and good luck with your decision. I know it's not a fun one to consider after the long process and all the acceptances.

This is much later than they have released decisions in the past, isn't it? I have had the privilege of being rejected by MSFS before and their decisions in 2012 were not this late!

"Very very soon"! When/where did Georgetown say that?

Same! Super stoked! Did you get any info about funding though? The letter was totally vague about that...I'm holding out hope that they will send it separately soon.