vivekabh

Hey I thought I would join in. Just graduated from Wellesley with a BA in History. Overall GPA 3.25 Major GPA 3.38 mainly due to a terrible senior wall where I took on too much and was extremely sick (dean is writing a letter stating the semester was an anomaly on my record) Interested in applying for a MA in Southeast Asian Studies with a concentration on Cambodia and Burma Grades on all Southeast Asian courses taken (most of them were at SOAS while studying abroad) are As Looking at SOAS, UC-Berkeley, UMichigan, Cornell as my top choices both Berkeley and Michigan have said they are more concerned with work experience than GPA and are aware of Wellesley's grade deflation policy Work Experience: Sophomore and Junior summer working in Phnom Penh with the same NGO Will be working as a research assistant to the head of the opposition party in Phnom Penh between July and October December to July 2013 will be working with the Harpswell Foundation in Cambodia Am also applying to safeties but what are my chances at my top choices?

Hey Since everybody has been through the application process I just wanted to ask a few questions. I just graduated from Wellesley College and am interested in applying for a MA in Southeast Asian Studies. My graduating GPA is a 3.25 due to a terrible senior fall which my dean is writing a letter to explain was an anomaly. I will be giving my GREs in July so I do not know my results as yet. My interest in Southeast Asia and specifically Cambodia has arisen through working there every summer from the age of nineteen. During the course of this year I will be first working as a research assistant to the head of the opposition government in Cambodia (Mu Sochua) and then with the MIT development Lab. In between I am attempting to work a year in Burma as it would be soo exciting to go into the country at this point! My top choices are U Michigan, U Berkeley, SAIS and SOAS. I spent a semester abroad at SOAS where I clocked in a 2:1 with firsts on my Southeast Asian courses one of which was a grad level course. I have an A on my independent Study which examined the impact of the AMerican bombings on Cambodia. My SOP and recs will both be very good! I am fluent in Hindi and Sanskrit and intend to learn Khmer during the course of this year! Will my GPA prevent me from getting into my school!

final question....i have just been given the option of spending an extra semester at Wellesley as when I transferred in a lost a few credits but APs balanced this loss out.....I am veering towards accepting this extra semester as I could take academic classes in education between Wellesley and MIT....also the Harpswell Foundation has agreed to let me join them in December....would grad schools look unfavorably on this semester? I transferred and spent a semester abroad and my Dean seems to see no harm in accepting this semester.

thank you for your advice...one final question will the fact that I want to make Cambodia my research model within the context of Education Policy go against me as there are not many programs which look at education in Southeast Asia?

To kismetcaptian is that really true because I am incredibly keen to pursue a MA in International Education Policy at HGSE and when people talk about Harvard they emphasize GPA all the time. I mean I am more than happy if international experience is looked upon favorably as I am terrified that my GPA will hold me back!

Hey I know this is not the forum for this but I am incredibly keen to apply to the Masters in International Education Policy at HGSE for admission in 2013. I will be graduating from Wellesley College this May, and cannot claim to have a stellar GPA....it will be at most a 3.2 as my senior fall was incredibly rough due to a course overload and extenuating family circumstances and my refusal to head my Deans advice to drop one of the 5 classes I was taking but she has opted to write an letter explaining why this was an anomaly semester in which I did badly......It has been a long road to discovering my interest in Education Policy, and I very keen to apply. I have the following work experience and research experience: Volunteered at the National Association for the Blind (age 14-16) Save the Children Leader at the United World College of the Atlantic (16-18) Taught in a village in India for two months during the summer of 2008 Have spent the past two summers working with an educational scheme in Cambodia, and presented on the NGO at the annual Tanner conference at Wellesley College. Research Assistant at JPal (MIT) On graduation will be working with the Harpswell Foundation in Cambodia for the year (this is an initiative run by Professor Alan Lightman (MIT) which seeks to empower women through technology) I am extremely keen to study and research the implementation and viability to certain educational policies to facilitate development in Southeast Asian countries specifically Cambodia as given this country's violent and economically destructive past, education is a key component in its path to development. I simply wanted to ask that given that I have research experience, work experience, will finish my senior spring strong, will have strong LORs and will try my best to write a strong SOP, and study extremely hard for my GREs, could I still apply to HGSE. Yes I messed up my senior fall with my first two Cs since a lone C in my freshman spring but it was completely due to a complete overload, family issues and my refusal to heed the advice of my Dean