OregonGal

I don't know about the undergrad Boren or the Fulbright, but the graduate Boren fellowship has a public service requirement--you commit to working for the US government in a security-related position (meaning IR/public policy/DoD agency) and they help you find that job. If that's the path you want to take and the requirement is the same for the undergrad, but not for the Fulbright, that would be my reason to take the Boren over Fulbright. Good luck either way!

I would say that the program ranking matters the most within your field; the university ranking matters the most to the general public. For example: in my field Johns Hopkins is one of the best graduate programs for International Policy. That will help you in terms of easily conveying what kind of training you had, to fellow IR/public policy professionals. However, if you told random person on the street you went to Johns Hopkins they might ask you if you're a doctor (what they're more generally known for) or how you liked Baltimore (the public policy school is actually in DC). Program rankings are generally a good indicator of that program's brand, networks and rigor and what I personally think you should be paying the most attention to, if you want to go to graduate school in order to maximize your training/expertise/job prospects within your field.

I did at one point look at Utrecht/Leiden/Rotterdam but I don't recall much in the way of specifics--that was in college and then I realized going to school in Europe when my interest was Asia was a bit silly However, if you want to talk about social science/humanities Masters programs at Leiden one of my friends just graduated from their psychology program. He's a dual-citizen US/Dutch but he can speak a bit to the ex-pat experience and also the general merits of the English-language programs, or possibly connect you with someone who can speak to that a bit better. PM me if you want his contact info.

I would absolutely agree that certain programs target people who don't need language classes. I actually have a friend who recently went up to Tufts to look at the Fletcher school and that was the main negative that he came back with: he lived in China for a couple years and still speaks it, but feels rusty. At Tufts, he was told they only allow you to take a very low number of credits in language courses, so you have to audit on top of your coursework--as opposed to the grad school programs I applied to where they leave schedule space for those language courses (I fully acknowledge I am rusty in Japanese, and am actually thinking about taking an entirely different language/regional track). That being said, people recommend Fletcher and HKS because they are highly renowned programs with distinguished faculty and vibrant alumni networks and brand recognition. You could also talk directly to the admissions office about what they do with lesser-known languages; I would think that if Acholi is an identified regional or national language there would be some sort of allowance made for the fact that they don't have an Acholi department. I can't imagine they would tell someone who knows Xosa or Bahasa Malay to brush up on their high school Spanish because that's what they have a test written for. As for Americorps, I recognize that there are major variations within the programs--in more direct-service oriented programs like NCCC you may not get the kind of intensive program management training that I received, for example. However, if you have Americorps on your resume that immediately tells the AdCom that you are interested in public service, and have direct experience with communities affected/targeted by public policy. At a public policy program, that's a big bonus.

Well, your academics look strong and it sounds like you've lined up a good work experience. However, if you haven't started that Swedish NGO job then you won't have much experience in it to point to when you're submitting applications in January. That would be my primary nitpick with your CV--your job experience will still be a little thin when you're applying to grad schools. I don't know about merit-based aid, but if you're not a US citizen/permanent resident you aren't eligible for the need-based financial aid (mostly relatively cheap loans) from the US government that most of us are depending on. That would be your main financial issue--I don't know how Sweden handles student loans (especially for internationally based schools), but if you're a young professional without a lot of assets trying to secure a private loan for an expensive grad school ($100K+ for two years study) it can come with a sky-high interest rate.

I would say that if you're not feeling excited about attending the program, it's probably not the best fit for you. And if you want to get a PhD in math (theory? applied math?) then yes, it sounds like CS isn't going to fit well. It sounds like you applied to these schools before you really drilled down on what it is you want to do in your career, and that what you want to do is more similar to what you're doing at NASA. In that case, I'd say defer (keep options open) and look to apply to programs where you have a better academic fit in the next admissions cycle.

While I'm not going for an East Asian History MA... I can certainly sympathize with you feeling the dearth of EA History courses in undergrad. I wanted to focus in Japanese history and my major didn't even really allow it because it was structured as a generalist degree, which led me down academic paths which changed my career trajectory (I went into college wanting to go into East Asian History as a career). We had two Japanese history professors, one for pre-modern and one for modern Japan, and I wasn't able to get into a capstone with either of them so I wrote my history capstone on American public health in the early 20th century >.<* If you're still looking for programs, you might want to look at more West Coast schools. Coming from looking for international relations programs that have strong regional tracks for East Asia, it can be hard to find schools on the East Coast that aren't still experiencing a tenure hangover from the Cold War. I ended up choosing a relatively young program (25-30 years old) in CA that doesn't even have a Europe or Africa concentration; they solely focus on the history, politics and economy of the Pacific rim (Asia/America/Latin America). One school off the top of my head that I think of as having a strong Asian focus is the University of Washington, either a Japan Studies MA from the Jackson School of International Studies or a history MA from the history department.

I had a friend who was in the PharmD program at Oregon State University. I don't know the specifics of his financial aid, but I don't recall him mentioning being funded; I got the impression that yes, like medical/dental school it's not usually a funded program. However, his school did set him up with internships every summer; he was the only 'hard science' guy in our group of friends and we were all amazed that he was being paid $25/hr to work at a Walgreens pharmacy (essentially as a pharmacy tech). I can't recall whether or not his student clinic rotations were paid or not, but unless you receive academic credit for the hours I'd assume you would be paid.

Yeah, I'll admit to being a bit lazy about it and just going with the MacBook Air, but I did do my due diligence on making sure I was getting a good computer. For me, the big difference is being able to trade in my current MacBook for much better pricing than with a 3rd party reseller. Also, if you're going to a US school you should check and see if they sell laptops through their university bookstore--you might be able to get an education discount on one or more of the machines on that list.

I'm headed to UC San Diego; it's actually not all that hot there because it's right on the coast. Along the lines of 60-80 year round, with little humidity and lots of sun. The heat is when you head inland. UO is my alma mater, so I can speak to the transit situation there. While weekday transit is decent--shuttles from the common student apartment areas, etc-- it sucks on the weekends. Also, there's not all that much to do in Eugene proper but a lot of stuff is within a 2 hour drive: beach, mountains, high desert, Portland. If you went to UO and wanted some independence I'd say take your car. The only reason I got by without one is that I lived 4 blocks off campus.

I'd suggest looking at some comparison guides from tech sites like the Verge. In case you need the short and simple version of "what on earth is an Ultrabook": "Ultrabook" is a label promoted by Intel. To be an ultrabook, the laptop must be lightweight, super-thin, have an Intel chip and run Windows. That is why technically, MacBook Air isn't an ultrabook--a) Apple wants to feel special and unique as a snowflake, and they aren't sold running Windows. Most ultrabooks, though not all, feature solid state drives--instead of a "hard drive" which has moving parts, the storage on these computers is flash--the same kind of storage in iPod touches and smartphones, so you have near-instant program startup. The lowest-priced range of ultrabooks have a hybrid system; they have 32GB or so in SSD to 'cache' programs and documents so you can pull them back up quickly, but most of the storage is HDD. More storage capacity (usually), but slower processing. The tiers of pricing are based on a couple different major aspects: the size of the storage capacity (128GB/256GB/512GB), the screen size (11" vs 13"), and how powerful the processor is (i3/i5/i7). I would suggest not going lower than the i5 processor because I think the i3 will be really outpaced in a year or two, and you want this computer to be effective compared to what's on the market for a couple years. I think that because all these computers will be running the same operating system (Windows 7 or 8) that you should be looking at the hardware. Go to a Best Buy or wherever and test out the keyboards and trackpads. Some have backlit keyboards (great for typing in the dark) but have sticky keys; others have great keyboards but the trackpad sensitivity is whacky. I'm a big fan of MacBook so I'm planning on buying an Air; however, if you want a 13" then those are out of your price range. If you buy an ultrabook, my only recommendation is to buy the extended warranty: the reason I switched to Mac in the first place is because I kept on buying PC laptops that quit on me right after the 1-year warranty expired.

The short answer: don't go with Sallie Mae. I've been doing a lot of number-crunching in regards to taking out loans; I'm in a similar degree to yours (international policy). While 7.9% is pretty horrible, one strategy is to consolidate your loans once you hit the end of your 6-month grace period after graduation. You can only do that with federal loans (Direct, Grad Plus, undergrad direct loans); it averages out your interest rate and puts you on a 25-year payment plan. Federal loans encourage you to pay off early; there's no penalty and you can overpay in lump sums or by the month, so it gives you a bit of flexibility compared to a 10-year plan. Sallie Mae loans are federally guaranteed but not issued. I talked to a recent MBA grad the other week and he told me that when he was in undergrad, Sallie Mae's terms included a 21% interest rate. That's higher than most credit cards! Unless you have a really good credit history and some assets (a house, working spouse, etc) they will screw you over on interest even worse than the federal loans will. I also second Kaguyahime in that you should look into TA positions on campus. BU is a large school so there should be plenty of those opportunities, and it's fairly standard for TA compensation to include partial tuition remission on top of salary, saving you thousands of dollars in tuition and loan interest. If you want a look at a neurotic spreadsheet, here's my breakdown of loans/repayment/etc.

Well those are pretty much the two extremes for urban transportation! It also depends on what you count as in the city. Like I said, Portland's transit extends to the far edges of the counties that the city sits in--the transit authority is called Trimet for the three metropolitan counties. However, in other places the buses stop at the city limit and aren't a regional system. I would say that as long as you're not averse to buses (I know some people who refuse to take buses but are fine with subway) you'd be fine in Seattle. I've heard good things about Minneapolis and Madison as well, but I've never been so I couldn't speak to the public transit experience there. And yeah.. the heat index today in DC is predicted to hit 105. Go West!

Yeah, I wouldn't count Seattle as "small". I think that a transportation-friendly city that is actually small-medium is Portland, OR. I grew up there and the public transit system is well-developed and laid out, and actually goes all the way out to the suburbs because it's a regional system (I lived a half hour south of Portland by car and we had a bus come through twice an hour). Budget crunches mean that they're eliminating the free rail zone in the middle of Portland, but I think they have the best transfer deal between bus and rail--your ticket buys you a 2-hour or all-day pass to any part of the transit system, so there's no surcharge for transfers bus-bus or bus-rail. All the light rail cars have hanging bike racks and all the buses have front racks for 2-3 bikes, so it's very bike-friendly as well.

Yes and no. Housing is a separate cost, but it's included in the educational budget and financial aid calculations. If you look at the cost of attendance budgets, they'll be broken down into the various expenses-- tuition (in state/out of state for public schools), graduate school fees, books & supplies, housing, personal costs, etc. There'll usually be two calculations, one for on-campus housing and one for off-campus, and if you're a US student with a FAFSA then your financial need (and loan offer) will be based on that total cost of attendance calculation.

She didn't mention being vegan, though that is pretty much the only reason I can think of for not sharing; she also said she only has two pots/pans, so at least there won't be a storage issue (I'm definitely the kind of cook who needs the 20-piece set)

Yeah, I finally heard back from my new roommate--I was placed into grad housing with an existing tenant--and apparently I will be buying all new bedroom furniture and cookware (the previous tenant is taking her furniture with her, and my roommate doesn't want to share cookware, which is a first for me). So, I'll go to the local Ikea before I leave, test out the beds, and then order to be dropped off the day I arrive or the day after. I'll also be checking at the local Target.

It's up to you, but if the scholarship truly is generous you may want to take advantage of it. You're never guaranteed funding should you apply to places again. However, if you feel that few years of experience will get you the edge at a more prestigious institution, and you can set aside enough money to pay for the program, you might want to take the job.

Sometimes there are "executive degree" programs designed for mid-career professionals like the executive MBA/MPA or even some PhD programs; essentially they're part time programs, often tailored to each person, which are designed to supplement the greater amount of professional experience they have. My understanding is that these degrees are usually self-financed; either the company offers it as alternate compensation (or a quid pro quo "we pay for your Masters you work for us for X years"), or the executive has the resources to pay for it themselves. The bonus for the school (besides having someone pay their own way) is that it gives them a better "professional" mix and real-world perspective in the classroom.

I sincerely hope that Americorps will be of interest to more than just WWS I am an Americorps member finishing up the service year and I think that Americorps, or at least my program, is of use in developing professional skills as well as a public service resume. That being said, I also think that's less of an issue in your resume which is entirely professional skills and public service Frankly, you sound like as long as you get good LORs from your COs and rock your SOPs you're a model candidate. 5 year Navy veteran AND Peace Corps AND Americorps?

Yeah you should also try visiting Ikea, Target, etc. Try out their mattresses and other furniture pieces, order online (usually something with that sticker price gets free shipping) and try to time it so your stuff arrives within a day of you.

There's actually a discussion about that over in the Lobby forum... basically with us trying to dissuade someone from buying it because it looks pretty when they don't need the power behind it the way a graphic designer might.

So long as you construct your application well (good SOP and LORs) you should be an easy sell for those schools. I was wondering though, with your international focus why are you looking at MPP/MPA programs instead of MIP/MIA programs? Do you want to switch to a domestic focus? If you're continuing to look at international policy, especially economic development/finance, you should take a serious look at JHU-SAIS or Georgetown SFS.

QM and Econ. I took Micro and Macro my freshman year oh those many years ago, and an International Business and Economy class my junior year, so I was not surprised to get remanded to remedial classes.

Prep is officially open for registration! Like I said before, they aren't applying financial aid to the cost, but they are allowing you to pay the fee by credit card.