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CML55

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Everything posted by CML55

  1. Great thread! I'm not enrolling in a IR program, but the info here is quite helpful! Like others, I know how competitive funding is, so I am extremely thankful for any financial aid. Yet, I worry about how future goals will be affected by this choice. Right now I'm trying to decided between funded American and (probably) unfunded GWU. I would love insight from others! My major hangups: 1. Reputation worth the cost? I already have a professional degree (law), but escaped with relatively little debt because I chose the "lower ranked, more funding" route. Because of the field and competition, not having the name recognition would def be a disadvantage if I wanted to find a traditional job. While I don't regret that decision per se, I am quite apprehensive about that the same strategy may be unwise here. Someone mentioned that the obsession with rankings is more prevalent in professional degrees, but it seems from posts that public affairs/government/IR students are quite concerned with it to, leading me to think it matters quite a bit now and down the road. I keep trying to Google DC perceptions of schools, but with the exception of Georgetown, I find wildly different answers. 2. NGO/government jobs care about rep? Someone made a point that these employers don't care as much about the name brand of the school. Has anyone else found this to be true? It makes sense with certain federal jobs, but it seems name recognition would go a long way for others, esp. jobs on the Hill. Any insight would be most welcome! Also the budget breakdowns are great. I *tried* to start a thread about DC budgets, but to no avail :/
  2. CML55

    Oxford, MS

    Oh. And people are ridiculously good looking, if you care about such things. Let me know if you have any questions!!
  3. CML55

    Oxford, MS

    Not sure about the west, but all the Northeastern or Midwestern people from larger cities that I knew then or know now did/would go through minor culture shock. . . So Oxford has two types of ppl, retirees and college kids. During breaks (thanksgiving, etc) it is dead. If I remember correctly, most undergrads were from MS or the south, and I know a good portion of its professional degree population (law, medicine) were grads from ole miss, but a fair percentage of my grad TAs in the sciences or in humanities were from all over the US and international. Great Things: - Rent and cost of living in general is unbelievably cheap. When I was there, I could live like a king for less than $900/month. - Weather is great. But, damn, it's humid. I'm sure you're used to heat, but the stifling humidity of Mississippi summers is like nothing else. - Live music and cheap entertainment. As far as nightlife, the main staple is 'the square', which has some good bars. I'd just avoid the 18+ ones naturally. They get lots of random bands, and fraternaties have enough money to bring in some pretty good names, too. There are also some great places to eat, if you ask around. - Beautiful campus. I'm sure you visited, but it is quite pretty, isn't it? - Most people are quite friendly and will "speak" when they pass you. Not so Great Things: - It's quite hard not having a car. Unless you live on campus and have a meal plan, you'll probably need a car or buddy with a car. Biking wasn't that big back when I was there, but hopefully it's better. At the time, I wanted to bike, but I did NOT feel comfortable based on the streets and the crap drivers. - There is ONE cab in the whole town. - It's a generalization, but Ole Miss student are known for being stuck up. Many undergrads come from old Southern money or are rich legacies. The freshman dorm parking lots could be confused for a luxury car dealership. Nothing wrong with being rich of course, but some of these kids aren't so down to earth. - Also generalization, Ole Miss is deeply self-segregated. Depends on what you think is great: - Football. The town shuts down on Saturdays. Remember that if there is a big game (LSU, Alabama, Florida, etc.) to do what you need to do on Friday morning or something. The town isn't really equipt to handle as many people come in for games, so basic errands and short trips take a lifetime.Tailgating is suppose to be top notch, however. - Obviously, people are quite conservative. Southern conservative. - Dry Sundays. Don't sell alcohol on Sundays and they won't sell beer cold. (unless they've changed it. or a football game is on a Sunday) See previous. I'd say the one thing that 'defines' Oxford/Ole Miss is 'tradition.' Everything is a tradition and everything ties back to something historical (whether in a good or bad way). Obviously, Oxford, MS has a complicated history. But it was interesting to see constant reminders of history, from confederate monuments on campus to Faulkner's house to tense relations between groups on campus. oh you'll love it!
  4. Thanks for the tips! As I said, the example wasn't a real budget
  5. So, like many, many others, I will be a poor grad student living in an expensive city this fall. With or without funding, it might be diffiult to estimate what personal expenses may be in a different, more expensive city. The budget estimates schools provide are helpful, but who knows how much they are under or overestimated. So, I think it'd be great to hear thoughts, plans, experiences from grads who actually live in expensive cities (DC, NY, LA, etc.) or who are looking to move soon ( Esp to DC! ) and need to keep expenses down. There is a thread about living of stipends in general, () but a lot of the advice comes down to don't eat meat and never go out. While I have no problem with cutting out meat, some professions rely heavily on networking and socializing, so "never go out at all" is somewhat unrealistic. There is of course forums topics for specific cities, but some have morphed into meandering conversations and make it hard to just find this specific type of info. So it would be great to hear some city specific money saving tips. If you are so inclined, it would be helpful to later readers if you specified your city and perhaps estimated how much you pay (or plan to pay ) per category and any advice or insights for saving money. Example: City: DC Total Monthly Budget: $3kish Housing: 1500 for 1BR in Adams Morgan (1/2 of $3k shared with SO) + advice or insights Food: 250/month + advice or insights (does DC have farmer's markets btw?) Transportation: Metro, no car 200/month + advice or insights Social/Entertainment: 150/month + advice or insights Comments: (the specifics of this example are complete ballacks btw) Please, keep it limited to big, expensive cities. Living in Cleveland on the cheap is not so much of an issue Thanks!
  6. Glad you enjoyed it! No doubt you'll love it there. I'm still waiting to hear back, but it's great to know the classes are great. Thanks for the update!
  7. CML55

    Oxford, MS

    I went to Ole Miss for undergrad. Are you generally familiar with 'the South'? Be easier to explain if I know you're frame of reference. . . .
  8. Congrats on getting into two great programs! I saw the program at LSE as well, but thought, even if I could get in, building experience and a network in DC is key for the work I want to do. I hear GW's network is amazing, btw. Do your career aspirations allow for more flexibility?
  9. I would add that because RC is half of the verbal section, that you should also really focus on learning to parse difficult reading passages. Read online articles from the Economist or science articles from a major newspaper, as I think most people find the dense science-based passages the most difficult (unless you of course are in science). Also, pick up a novel that's a little hard, but not arcane, and make sure to look up every word you don't know. Try something by Kazuo Ishiguro, as I found his books make good use of some words found on vocab lists. Finally, I would advice focusing on how the test makers make the test. Lots of info out there about this, like the test makers will never let a politically incorrect answer be correct or that words like "all" or "none" can be red flags in answer choices. Concerning vocab, I will somewhat agree with others but suggest learning lots of words and looking at their etymology, instead of just rote memorization of words and suffixes, prefixes, etc. Looking at the etymology is helpful for understanding that word and then also applying it to new, unknown words. And somethings the origin of the word makes it very memorable. For instance, look up the origin of the word "laconic." You have plenty of time, so good luck!
  10. It was an interesting session, but the director sounded a bit unsure about the direction of the program, which was a tad disconcerting. I'm curious what makes you say GW would be harder to do part-time while working. Don't they have evening classes too?
  11. nope hating myself for that one . . . and according to email asking about the process, they don't review again until after the next deadline (April 1st). Are you still on the fence about which one you'll attend? I 'attended' an online info session from JH that somewhat colored my opinion of the program. You should check it out. Hmm. . . . they said it would be posted, but I'm having trouble finding it . . .
  12. Wow, that site is great! Congrats on the interview, too. I'll def. be looking at this site closer to fall, although I'm leaning more towards policy advocacy. Sorry to pump you for info, but are you using a specific site (outside craigslist) to find places?
  13. This is so helpful! I'm like you--It only makes sense to go to strong programs, especially if you view this as an investment. I'm not in DC, so it's been interesting trying to wade through the marketing and ascertain which programs are the strongest. I think because JH doesn't have a full campus in DC, I was worried the program would not be as strong, but in retrospect that makes absolutely no sense bc it's in DC, where the most qualified faculty and best resources would be! So many thanks for the insight on JH, esp from an employer's POV. I'm definitely looking to work during school, too, so perhaps I should keep that in mind. IF i get in, that is. Do you mind me asking about what you think about the job market in DC? Is it reasonable to rely on my getting a job to help pay for school? I only know what I read online. . . .
  14. Great stats. I didn't go to top 10 schools or anything, either, so I wonder what bearing that has at a school like GW. Depending on my results, I was going to apply to JHU, too, though I'm beginning to think I should apply right now anyway. Program looks great. How do you think it compares to GW? And why not American?
  15. Masters. 3.6 undergrad gpa and 3.8 law school gpa 158 GRE I assume the standards for PHd are slightly higher than Masters?
  16. Wondering if anyone has applied to and/or heard from programs in political communication namely from George Washington (Media and Public Affairs) or American? Like most people here, I'm obsessively worried my stats aren't good enough .
  17. Wondering if anyone has applied to and/or heard from programs in political communication namely from George Washington (Media and Public Affairs) or American? Like most people here, I'm obsessively worried my stats aren't good enough . . .
  18. I know this is late, but the areas are extremely related! I have a similar issue with law and political communications. I am framing by referring to law research and papers that directly related to the function of political communication. Did you study anything particularly relevant topics with your master's degree? I know there are a plethora of research areas in the law that deal with international relations.
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