I lurked this forum through the entire admissions process - I figure its time to give back. Here are my stats which will hopefully be helpful to other prospective candidates, especially those with low undergrad GPA.
Any questions or comments are more than welcome.
Program Applied To : MA - Security Policy Studies / Strategic Studdies
Schools Applied To: SAIS; Georgetown MSFS; GWU Elliott; Denver Korbel; Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS)
Schools Admitted To: SAIS, GWU Elliott, Korbel, MIIS
Schools Rejected From: Georgetown
Still Waiting: None
Attending: SAIS!
Undergraduate institution: Large publicschool in the UC system
Undergraduate GPA: 3.05
Undergraduate Major: International Relations
GRE Quantitative Score: 162 (87%)
GRE Verbal Score: 163 (93%)
GRE AW Score: 5.0 (87%)
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 6
Years of Work Experience: 6
Describe Relevant Work Experience: 6 Years as a military officer with two overseas tours.
Languages: Spanish (although severely atrophied - did not claim on applications). MIIS admission was contingent upon completing Summer Intensive Language Program for my language of choice in order to meet entrance requirements.
Quant: Took several intermediate level econ classes in UG - Chinese Economics, Econ of Development, International Econ and some others. No quant experience since school. I never took anything called "Intro to Microeconomics" but SAIS did not require me to take a pre-term intro course.
Strength of SOP: Very strong- this is how made up for my low GPA. I followed a fairly simple formula (which may have been posted on here before) -
1. This is what I have done
2. This is what I want to do (and a short sentence on how I have corrected my shortcomings i.e. GPA)
3. This is what I hope to gain from your institution
Strength of LOR: Strong references from supervisory military officers and Department of State advisors who I knew personally. To future applicants coming from the military - don't ask someone for a LOR just because they are high in the rating chain. Request LOR from people who know your work ethic, experience and what you can accomplish.