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Hi you all, So I have been admitted to the International Studies master program at Josef Korbel College at U of Denver with an annual scholarship of $10,000 and I'm really struggling with my decision as the deadline approaches!!!! Can anyone help me if I should choose Korbel?? Someone can give me some info on its course/professor/employment situations and just the general info of the program?? Is it worthy? Also, it would be the best if there's any alumnus that can talk to me about their experience at Korbel!! Plus, I'm an international student, just some background info. Please helpppp! And congratulations on everyone's offers too! Thanks!!:)

Hi! So the deadline for deciding programs is the end of this week (AH) and I’m still super torn between Tufts and DU for the EdS degree. I should have posted something earlier but didn’t actually know about this forum until recently. I’m living abroad so wasn’t able to attend either interview day. I have a full ride at DU (got about 8k a year at tufts) and Denver seems like a great place to live but I’m a bit wary of the program’s quality-can anyone weigh in? Or could maybe compare Tufts to DU? Thank you thank you!!

Hi! So the deadline for deciding programs is the end of this week (AH) and I’m still super torn between Tufts and DU for the EdS degree. I should have posted something earlier but didn’t actually know about this forum until recently. I’m living abroad so wasn’t able to attend either interview day. I have a full ride at DU and Denver seems like a great place to live but I’m a bit wary of the program’s quality-can anyone weigh in? Or could maybe compare Tufts to DU? Thank you thank you!!

Hey all! I just joined GradCafe, and I am so stoked but also nervous about the fact that applying for grad schools is just around the corner. Right now I am feeling so nervous because I know my credentials are not where they need to be. I'm graduating early in December, but since most grad schools don't do spring start and heading straight to grad school with no break would be INSANE, I am planning on finishing out my lease here. Then I'll be applying for summer and fall start dates at multiple schools. I have a few school ideas, which I'll state down below. I plan to earn a Masters in Social Work, potentially with a concentration in mental health. First, I wanted to give you an idea of my stats (no judgment--from the threads I have read so many of you have intensive experience and stellar GPAs :/ ): Undergraduate Degree @ University of South Carolina -- Experimental Psychology major with two minors: Social Work; Counselor Education GPA - 3.0 overall, should be closer to a 3.1 by the time I graduate (Yes, I know, it's low...it's not horrible, but if college had been a little less rocky I could have done super well ) Member of Psi Chi, International Honors Society in Psychology Member of a panhellenic sorority through which I have volunteered and participated in philanthropy events Was in charge of a philanthropy within my sorority where sisters help a local blind man with every day tasks This is it so far, however I have a few plans under my belt that I am almost positive I can follow through with: This semester I will be completing at least 45 service hours with a local organization that provides lower-income individuals with housing (definitely happening, it's a part of a practicum I'm taking) If all goes well, I plan to intern in Rome for 8 weeks with a social service organization this summer. I should be working about 20 hours a week. I plan to join Delta Alpha Pi, an Honors Society for people with disabilities (I have severe depression which has contributed to my mediocre GPA). I plan to get involved with the Undergraduate Social Work Student Association at my school. I haven't taken the GRE yet, so it could definitely still be a factor in boosting the impressiveness of my application. I am a strong reader and writer. If anyone has specific tips about the GRE, please let me know! ^^^So this is what I plan to achieve before I have to do applications (in the fall for the summer 2019 start, and in the winter for the fall 2019 start I suppose). For some reason, I have had a hard time finding paid opportunities/internships in the city of Columbia that are geared towards psychology or social work. I am going to keep looking, but the opportunities seem few and far between. That being said...what do you all think? What are some things you suggest I do, between now and the time I apply, to make my application as impressive as possible? I know I can't take back my GPA, but I can try to make up for it in other respects. From what I have read on here, those with low GPAs have been able to impress graduate schools in other ways. Again, if yo've got tips, let me know! Lastly, I wanted to list some schools that I am considering. I am going to rank them in order of my interest right now. If any of you know anything about these school's admission rates or have any specific insider info about a school, PLEASE contact me. I would love to get in touch with some of you and potentially ease my fears about applying for grad school! Here's my list: 1. University of Denver 2. San Diego State University 3. University of Southern California (the other USC...hehe) 4. Arizona State University 5. Florida International University and some maybes: Cal State - Long Beach; San Jose State University; Metropolitan State University of Denver As you can see, I really want to go far away and preferably out west (I've lived in SC my entire life). I am not sure about the admission rates of these schools, though I have heard that SDSU and USC are more competitive. I would love to hear thoughts on your experience with applying (especially to any of the schools above), selectiveness of these schools, my potential chances of getting in, and their quality of education. Thank you for anyone who actually took the time to read all of this!!! Any help at all would be so appreciated, even if it is constructive criticism. ~PeaceLoveSocialWork~

I've been accepted to the MA National Security & Foreign policy program at American University and the MA International Security program at the Josef Korbel School. I've been trying to choose between the two and it has proven to be a very difficult process. I will be relying on loans to pay tuition, so money is serious concern. I want a program that is geared toward policy development and encourages the 'think tank' approach. Help!

Problem: I've been accepted into some incredible programs and now I'm having a truly difficult time deciding between them. I honestly didn't expect to get into more than one or two programs (my undergrad GPA wasn't amazing), so while I'm pleasantly surprised, I'm overwhelmed! I have been accepted at: Georgetown University - MA in Conflict Resolution, No funding University of Denver - MA in International Studies, No funding The Graduate Institute in Geneva - MA in Political Science/International Relations, No funding Here are my thoughts: I'm primarily concerned with international conflict and have particular interest in studying genocide and the implications of genocide when looking at a conflict (hope this isn't too vague). Alright so here is what I'm considering so far, U. Denver and Georgetown are basically the same price, and IHEID might be cheaper unless cost of living proves to be formidable. However, my fiancé is going to work while I'm in school (he is a teacher), so finding a job in the United States might be easier for him. (Also if anyone has any advice on getting him a work visa for Switzerland, I would appreciate more information:D) I'd like to do my PHD later on, but between that and my master's I would like to either work in field, possibly State department, UN, or another reputable large NGO (I'm a very optimistic person). Which programs would help me with this? I know technically all of them seem to have great placement records for jobs , but are there differences in the types of jobs I could get? Would going to a European school exclude me from jobs in the State department? Could going abroad for masters also impact potential future PHD programs? I'm not really sure if an MA from Europe or the States would be weighed the same. And how concerned should I be about prestige? All of these schools are highly influential in this field, but do you think one is "better" than the others?

Hello everyone! I am new to The Grad Cafe. I am an undergraduate student from Michigan currently pursuing a degree in Sociology. I will graduate in April 2017 (1 year away)! I plan to attend an MSW program straight out of undergrad and am curious to get some insight from those who have already gone through the process. I have been researching for a few months and right now I am most interested in: University of Michigan University of Washington University of Denver Portland State University UC Berkeley Smith College My path would be clinical. I am most interested in working with Children/youth but am interested in a variety of settings (schools, hospitals, nonprofits) at home and even abroad. For those that have been accepted to one or more of these programs, what are your stats? What type of experiences did you have? What do you think made you stand out? When did you start applying to MSW programs? Do you have any tips? How far in advance of application deadlines did you start preparing? Did anyone else go straight out of undergrad? Do you think that this put you at an advantage or disadvantage? Is applying as an out of state applicant an advantage or disadvantage to most of these programs? My current stats: GPA: 3.6 America Reads Corp Member - (reading tutor in public elementary school) Substitute teacher in Detroit Public Schools Alternative Spring Break Volunteer (2 years in a row) Vice President of Student Organization - Have been involved in lots of event planning, volunteering/ and volunteer project creation, professional development, fundraising, etc. WHAT ARE MY CHANCES? WHAT CAN I DO IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS TO MAKE MYSELF A STRONGER APPLICANT COME WINTER? WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR EXPERIENCES IN THESE PROGRAMS? Thanks so much for any information you can share with me! I am so excited for my future in this field and to speak with some of you who share similar aspirations! Thanks everyone