2021 Results

[DargSchoolDarg]

Extending the work of our ancestors, and doing my duty as lurker for the past few months. 

Previous versions of this thread are here: 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017,

Format below:

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): 
Schools Applied To:  
Schools Admitted To:  
Schools Rejected From:  
Still Waiting:  
Undergraduate Institution:  
Undergraduate GPA:   
Undergraduate Major:  
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores:  
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable):  
Years of Work Experience:  
Describe Relevant Work Experience:  
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc):  
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc):  
Other:

[DargSchoolDarg]

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.):  IR masters 
Schools Applied To:  Georgetown SFS, JHU SAIS, Tufts Fletcher, Columbia SIPA, GWU Elliott, American SIS
Schools Admitted To:  American SIS
Schools Rejected From:   
Still Waiting:  SFS, SAIS, SIPA, Fletcher, Elliott
Undergraduate Institution: Top 3 LAC 
Undergraduate GPA:   3.72
Undergraduate Major: Political science and theater  
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores:  161/168/4.5
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable):  6
Years of Work Experience:  5 years of working as an actor/model/bartender/GM lol
Describe Relevant Work Experience:  Very little tbh, AmeriCorps (City Year) in 2012, and some international experience (working in Warsaw with a well known theatre director)
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc):  Maybe 7/10? Tried to represent my less-traditional career transition as a strength, and emphasize a longstanding interest in international affairs and particularly in Poland and Russia, as well as talk about being first-gen student from rural America. Probably tried to fit in too much.
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc):  Also mixed tbh, one from owner of establishment that I most recently worked for as manager: probably on the generic side. One from poli sci professor in college who was/is amazing, and probably wrote a strong rec. 
Other:

[lilrhody]

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.):  MPA/MPP/MSPPM
Schools Applied To:  Chicago Harris, UCSD GPS, USC Price, Cal Goldman, Syracuse Maxwell, CMU Heinz, Sciences Po, Texas LBJ
Schools Admitted To:  Harris (no funding), UCSD GPS (no word on funding yet)
Schools Rejected From:   
Still Waiting: 
Undergraduate Institution: Top 10 US News
Undergraduate GPA:   3.56
Undergraduate Major: Economics, Political Science, International Studies
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores:  157/156/5.0
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 2
Years of Work Experience:  2
Describe Relevant Work Experience:  2-year Americorps
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc):  I think pretty solid. I had a pretty good narrative and I am more or less a unique candidate.
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc):  Very solid. 2 high-profile academics from undergrad and the executive director of my 2-year americorps stint.

Other: I have another Master's degree in education, not sure if that will help with my admissions, especially since it is not a highly regarded school.

Edited February 5, 2021 by lilrhody

[aspiringmpp]

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MPP/MPA
Schools Applied To:  Harvard Kennedy MPP, Columbia SIPA MPA, NYU Wagner MPA Health Policy, Sciences Po/SIPA MPP/MPA, Georgetown McCourt MPP, UChicago Harris MPP,  Princeton SPIA MPA
Schools Admitted To:  UChicago Harris (50% tuition scholarship), Georgetown McCourt (50% tuition scholarship), Columbia SIPA (funding TBD until March) 
Schools Rejected From:  N/A
Still Waiting:  All others
Undergraduate Institution:  Top 5 Public University
Undergraduate GPA:   3.72
Undergraduate Major:  Public Health and Business
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores:  161/168/5.0
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable):  4
Years of Work Experience:  4
Describe Relevant Work Experience:  Peace Corps (2 yrs), Consulting (2 yrs purpose-driven private sector and health equity public sector experience)
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc):  Strong, my MPP/MPA alumni friends critiqued my SOP for those applications 
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc):  I had a review session with each reviewer to discuss my career goals and shape the focus for each LOR. They all shared positive feedback. My honors thesis advisor, Peace Corps country director, and a consulting manager wrote my LORS. 
Other: Do you all think I have a good shot at negotiating additional aid at the schools I’ve been accepted to? What aid package should I ballpark for the additional schools on my list (if accepted) given the impact of COVID on budget? 

[EC1225]

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MPA/MPP/MAID
Schools Applied To:  USC Price MPP/MUP/MPA, UCLA Luskin MPP, Georgetown McCourt MIDP; Walsh GHD, American U SPA MPP; SIS MAID, 
Schools Admitted To:  
Schools Rejected From:  
Still Waiting:  All of them! 
Undergraduate Institution:  Small Religious 
Undergraduate GPA:  3.99
Undergraduate Major:  Intercultural Studies (Anthropology and International Development Minors)
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores:  167/169/5.5
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable):  2.5
Years of Work Experience:  2
Describe Relevant Work Experience:  1 year AmeriCorps VISTA, 1 year university chaplain
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Ok. I didn't have as many specifics about what I wanted to do (as you can see by the breadth of programs I applied to) and this might have showed. 
Strength of LORs (be honest, describe the process, etc): Not so sure. I had two former supervisors and two former professors write my LORs. I know they like me personally and consider me a good candidate, but some of them didn't seem very confident about their abilities to write good LORs. So we'll see! I had my more confident ones take most of the applications. 
Other: It's weird because I'm trying to get by primarily on scores and less on experience. I know I don't have very good work experience for the programs I am applying to, but I am hoping my standardized test scores and grades will get me through. 

[loiewo]

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MPA, MPP
Schools Applied To:  La Follette (Wisconsin), Syracuse, UIC, Chicago Harris, Rutgers, New School, Columbia, Cornell
Schools Admitted To:  UIC
Schools Rejected From:  
Still Waiting:  La Follette, Syracuse, Chicago Harris, Rutgers, New School, Columbia, Cornell
Undergraduate Institution:  Low ranked 
Graduate GPA: 4.0 for masters, 3.5 for JD   
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores:  no scores
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable):  10
Years of Work Experience:  4
Describe Relevant Work Experience:  American Civil Liberties Union
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc):  Not sure -- i think it's good?
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Very strong -- great letters from prestigious people  
Other: Graduated from law school, passed the bar. Going to policy school to get some quant skills

[van_96]

Applying to: Chicago Harris MPP, Georgetown McCourt MPP, Duke Sanford MPP, Harvard Kennedy MPP, NYU Wagner MSPP

Admitted to: Chicago Harris (~30% off tuition), Georgetown McCourt (50% off tuition) 

Still Waiting: NYU, Harvard, Duke

Undergrad institution: Non-HYP Ivy

Undergrad Major: Government, Minor in Public Policy

Undergrad GPA: 3.81 (Graduated with Distinction)

Years out of undergrad: 2 

Quant Background: College credit for AP Calc,  intro micro (B)/macro (A) econ, intro stats with R (A-), Mathematics in Politics (logic and slightly game theory-focused course, A), plus some light Stata training in an internship.

Relevant Work Experience: Research internship with a high profile think tank in DC, interned with a local campaign, the NY state assembly, and an NYC DA, been a constituent liaison in NYC ever since I graduated undergrad last year.

GRE: 165/167/5.5 (Verbal/Quant/AWA)

Strength of LOR: I think all three are decently strong. Two are from college professors who taught research methods courses that I did well in, the other is from my current supervisor.

Strength of SOP: Pretty solid, I talk about how important voting rights and reform (my current focus area) have been to me from a very young age, how it influenced my extracurriculars in college, and customize them by discussing how I plan to use the tools/unique policy centers/connections from each school to further my career. 

Extracurriculars/Leadership: I was elected to the executive board of one of my school's largest political clubs, and I helped to train volunteers on a campaign I interned for. 

[prospectivegrad2020]

5 hours ago, loiewo said:

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MPA, MPP
Schools Applied To:  La Follette (Wisconsin), Syracuse, UIC, Chicago Harris, Rutgers, New School, Columbia, Cornell
Schools Admitted To:  UIC
Schools Rejected From:  
Still Waiting:  La Follette, Syracuse, Chicago Harris, Rutgers, New School, Columbia, Cornell
Undergraduate Institution:  Low ranked 
Graduate GPA: 4.0 for masters, 3.5 for JD   
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores:  no scores
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable):  10
Years of Work Experience:  4
Describe Relevant Work Experience:  American Civil Liberties Union
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc):  Not sure -- i think it's good?
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Very strong -- great letters from prestigious people  
Other: Graduated from law school, passed the bar. Going to policy school to get some quant skills

Serious question - after law school, don't you essentially have all the skills you'd need for gov jobs? Couldn't you just take a community college quant class?

[loiewo]

11 minutes ago, prospectivegrad2020 said:

Serious question - after law school, don't you essentially have all the skills you'd need for gov jobs? Couldn't you just take a community college quant class?

It's not a bad question. I would say I have 70 percent of the skills, probably. But, I'm not sure that a comm college class would do the trick. I have no experience in policy analysis or policy memo writing or statistics, etc. If I had been thinking, I would have gone the dual MPP/JD route from the beginning. 

[lemonginger]

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MPA,MPP, MPAff
Schools Applied To:  SIPA, CIPA, Sanford, Heller, Bush School, LBJ School, Humphrey
Schools Admitted To:  CIPA (Financial aid info to come later), Heller ($$$$), Humphrey (Aid information to be released soon)
Schools Rejected From:  None yet
Still Waiting:  LBJ, SIPA, Sanford, Bush 
Undergraduate Institution:  Top school in an Asian country
Undergraduate GPA:   3.7
Undergraduate Major:  International Relations
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores:  Have not submitted
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable):  5
Years of Work Experience:  5
Describe Relevant Work Experience:  Mix of Non-profit, Corporate in managerial and research positions in prominent organizations
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc):  I think they were good, researched a lot about each program and customized SOP for each application, mentioned about my strengths, achievements and plans for future. 
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc):  They were pretty strong I believe, have not seen them though. 5 from my undergrad professors and 2 were work supervisors- not very known people but wrote strongly about my caliber and potential I think. 
Other: I spent significant amount of time researching programs and shortlisting them. gave effort to write the SOPs and made sure that my story, personality and future goals are reflected on them. 

Edited February 6, 2021 by hope21
Missing info

[AnxiousBeaver]

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): PhD in Linguistics 
Schools Applied To:  Stanford, U Michigan, UC Berkley, Ohio State, Northwestern 
Schools Admitted To:  UC Berkley, Ohio State, Northwestern 
Schools Rejected From:  
Still Waiting:  Stanford, U Michigan 
Undergraduate Institution: Top 10 in the uC
Undergraduate GPA:  <3.5
Undergraduate Major:  Linguistics-ish
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores:  Not taken
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 
Years of Work Experience:  
Describe Relevant Work Experience: 
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc):  Had clear research interests, one publication, lots of research experience 
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc):  Unsure, asked recommenders who knew me well and how much of a hard worker I am. 
Other:

[grx]

Program Applied To:  Harris MPP, Columbia SIPA MPA, UW Evans MPA, LBJ School MPAff
Schools Admitted To:  
Schools Rejected From:  
Still Waiting:  All
Undergraduate Institution: Small liberal arts school
Undergraduate GPA:  3.45
Undergraduate Major: Social Entrepreneurship
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores:  156 Q / 161 V / 5.0 W
Years Out of Undergrad: 6
Years of Work Experience:  6
Describe Relevant Work Experience:  Not relevant sector-wise, but I spent 4 years in the healthcare sector doing data evalution, and have spent the last 2 years at non profit in grant management
Strength of SOP:  Thought about them for a few months leading up to deadlines, but didn't put pen to paper until weeks before submitting. Felt good about content, and I spent a lot of time on school blogs / webinars to figure out what they were looking for. Talked about my background including as FGCS, my career goals in the anti-violence field, and my desire to do quant heavy work.
Strength of LOR's:  Hard to know since I didn't see them, but I felt good about my recommenders. My current supervisor, previous supervisor who is now a university VP, and a former professor - I trust all of them to speak to my ability to perform in these programs, especially the two supervisors.
Other: Mostly just not sure what to expect! I fluctuate between feeling hopeful and hopeless, so I am just anxious to hear back. Good luck to all!

Edited February 8, 2021 by grx

[Zeus23]

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MPA, MPP
Schools Applied To:  CIPA, Batten
Schools Admitted To:  CIPA (waiting on funding)
Schools Rejected From:  
Still Waiting:  Batten
Undergraduate Institution:  senior military
Undergraduate GPA:   2.6 (upward trend of over 3.0 last 2 years)
Undergraduate Major:  English

Graduate GPA: 4.0
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores:  N/A
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable):  10
Years of Work Experience:  10
Describe Relevant Work Experience:  8 years military 
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc):  to compensate for low undergrad GPA I took 12 credits in Public Administration at the graduate level and got all As. Additionally, I have graduated the top of my class in a few military schools that showed a change in my priorities/maturity. Succeeded in a highly specialized field, mostly within special mission community for career. Combat deployment. I tailored my SOP around all that I have accomplished since undergrad but had I not struggled like I did, I may not have been able to handle adversity like I have etc.
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc):  I did not see them but I know they were very strong. I picked folks that actually knew me rather than trying to find some "big wig" to write it.
Other: Not sure it matters but female service member

Edited February 12, 2021 by Zeus23

[undergoat88]

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.):  MPP, MPA, IAPA
Schools Applied To: Chicago Harris, GWU Columbia, American SIS, UVA Batten, UM Ford, GMU Schar, NYU Wagner
Schools Admitted To:  American SIS (waiting on funding), Chicago Harris ($$), GMU Schar ($$$$)
Schools Rejected From:  --
Still Waiting:  GWU Columbia, UVA Batten, UM Ford, NYU Wagner
Undergraduate Institution: Private Midwest, Mid-tier
Undergraduate GPA:   3.8
Undergraduate Major: IR
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores:  None
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable):  4
Years of Work Experience:  3.5
Describe Relevant Work Experience:  Taught abroad, think tank, IDEV
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc):  Friends told me they were great in the end! But who knows what schools actually think
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc):  Two professional, one academic. I have great relationships with them all. I personally dont see value in getting LORs from ~super special people if they don't know you well

[loiewo]

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MPA, MPP
Schools Applied To:  La Follette (Wisconsin), Syracuse, UIC, Chicago Harris, Rutgers, New School, Columbia, Cornell
Schools Admitted To:  UIC (funding will be released later), La Follette (Wisconsin) ($$$$)
Schools Rejected From:  
Still Waiting: Syracuse, Chicago Harris, Rutgers, New School, Columbia, Cornell
Undergraduate Institution:  Low ranked 
Graduate GPA: 4.0 for masters, 3.5 for JD   
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores:  no scores
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable):  10
Years of Work Experience:  4
Describe Relevant Work Experience:  American Civil Liberties Union
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc):  Not sure -- i think it's good?
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Very strong -- great letters from prestigious people  
Other: Graduated from law school, passed the bar. Going to policy school to get some quant skills

[GradSchoolGrad]

On 2/12/2021 at 8:36 AM, Zeus23 said:

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MPA, MPP
Schools Applied To:  CIPA, Batten
Schools Admitted To:  CIPA (waiting on funding)
Schools Rejected From:  
Still Waiting:  Batten
Undergraduate Institution:  senior military
Undergraduate GPA:   2.6 (upward trend of over 3.0 last 2 years)
Undergraduate Major:  English

Graduate GPA: 4.0
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores:  N/A
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable):  10
Years of Work Experience:  10
Describe Relevant Work Experience:  8 years military 
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc):  to compensate for low undergrad GPA I took 12 credits in Public Administration at the graduate level and got all As. Additionally, I have graduated the top of my class in a few military schools that showed a change in my priorities/maturity. Succeeded in a highly specialized field, mostly within special mission community for career. Combat deployment. I tailored my SOP around all that I have accomplished since undergrad but had I not struggled like I did, I may not have been able to handle adversity like I have etc.
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc):  I did not see them but I know they were very strong. I picked folks that actually knew me rather than trying to find some "big wig" to write it.
Other: Not sure it matters but female service member

Don’t go to CIPA... military affiliated ally here... it is a new program and has no idea what it is doing... Batten is an amazing program!

[scholarloading]

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.):  MPA/MPP/MIA
Schools Applied To: Columbia SIPA, Tufts Fletcher, HKS, Yale Jackson, Princeton SPIA, Georgetown SFS, Johns Hopkins SAIS, GWU Elliott, American SIS
Schools Admitted To: Columbia SIPA ($$), Tufts Fletcher (waiting on funding), American SIS (waiting on funding), 
Schools Rejected From:  None yet
Still Waiting:  GWU Elliott, Georgetown SFS, HKS, Yale Jackson, Princeton SPIA, Johns Hopkins SAIS
Undergraduate Institution: Private top-ranked Liberal Arts College
Undergraduate GPA:  4.0
Undergraduate Major: IR/Development
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores:  162/162/4.5
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable):  1
Years of Work Experience:  1
Describe Relevant Work Experience:  Think tank
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc):  I think it was decent...
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc):  One professional, two academic. Worked extensively with all 3. Fairly confident in my recs.

[anxious_coffee]

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.):  MPP 
Schools Applied To:  USC, UCLA, UC Berkeley, George Washington, NYU, UCSD, UC Irvine
Schools Admitted To:  UCSD, UC Irvine
Schools Rejected From:   
Still Waiting:  USC, UCLA, UC Berkeley, George Washington, NYU
Undergraduate Institution: Large Cal State School
Undergraduate GPA:   3.5 cumulative, 3.75 upper division (transferred from community college)
Undergraduate Major: Political science  
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores:  Didn’t Take
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable):  1.5 
Years of Work Experience:  2
Describe Relevant Work Experience:  Was a student lobbyist while in community college for a school year where I advocated for federal bills and travelled to DC to speak with congressional staff. After transferring, I interned for my Congressman at his district office for a semester. Upon graduation, I had a part-time fellowship at a nonprofit in LA where I met with nonprofit leaders and legislative staff to advocate for reforms to increase college access for Black and Brown students, such as the UC system removing the SAT/ACT requirement from its admission requirements. Then worked on a city council campaign for a couple months but resigned due to differences in the direction of the campaign.
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): 8/10? I don’t have an extensive background in quantitative courses, and also don’t have full-time experience. I did take macroecon in community college, stats, and research methods in PoliSci for what it’s worth. I believe though that my mix of student government, internship and fellowship experience is valuable and demonstrates my interest in education policy. I also did a lot better in upper division courses which greatly improved my GPA from community college. I’m not sure if this matters to programs like UCLA and USC, but I talked a lot about how all of my experience is very SoCal focused, and that I want to continue making a regional impact in the LA area.
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc):  I’d say better than average. One is from a professor who knew me throughout my entire junior and senior years of college. Another I took for public policy courses and he himself said that I was one of the best students he had in a long time. The third is probably my best as my supervisor from my fellowship has become a professional and personal mentor of mine. The fourth (I added four for some of the programs that allowed it) is probably the most generic, as my internship with my Congressman was only 6 months and I don’t know the recommender on a deeper level.

Edited February 18, 2021 by anxious_coffee

[anxious_coffee]

Also wanted to add that for USC I was part of the free MAP (Mentorship at an Accessible Price) program where a current student at USC Price reviewed my SOP, scholarship essays, and resume and offered feedback. I believe that this help really strengthened my applications not only for USC, but for my other applications as well. For anyone looking to apply for Fall 2022, I highly encourage you to look into these programs. UCLA and UC Berkeley both have similar mentorship programs specifically for programs within their Public Policy schools (which I found out about too late). For MAP, if you’re accepted to Price, the student will help guide you with negotiating funding and applying for scholarships. 

Edited February 18, 2021 by anxious_coffee

[Caleb Anderson]

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): International Affairs
Schools Applied To: American University SIS; Texas A&M Bush School; Penn State SIA
Schools Admitted To: American University SIS
Schools Rejected From: Texas A&M Bush School
Still Waiting: Penn State SIA
Undergraduate Institution: North Dakota State University
Undergraduate GPA: 2.92 (3.73 last 60 credit hour; had a pretty rough start)
Undergraduate Major: Political Science
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores:  307 total. 150 quant, 157 verbal, 5.0 analytical writing.
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): <1 (May 2020 graduate)
Years of Work Experience: <1
Describe Relevant Work Experience: Not much experience, but in December I started assisting a former professor with some unpaid research related to China's Belt and Road Initiative. I also started working at a law firm in January. Previous jobs were all food service.
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Pretty sure mine were strong. I worked on them over a few weeks and really tried to understand what each program was looking for so my essays didn't sound too "cookie cutter". American stood out since they wanted 3 essays, plus an optional addendum (which I did).
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Didn't read them, but I think they were strong. One professor teaches international politics and the other teaches homeland security. I had my senior seminar with the first professor, so he was more familiar with my abilities. The second professor I didn't have as much rapport since I was a quiet student, though I got A's in both classes I took with him. A third letter was from my former boss at a coffee shop that I worked at for many summers. While this wasn't a particularly relevant job, he knows me quite well as a worker and A&M specifically wanted a professional reference while American had an optional third reference.
Other: Definitely happy to get into at least one school, and American looks pretty good (especially with so many internship and job opportunities in D.C.). I was concerned at my low overall GPA, as well as a lack of substantial work experience.

[wctcravensworth]

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MA in International Affairs 
Schools Applied To:  Johns Hopkins SAIS Europe, American SIS, GW Elliot School 
Schools Admitted To:  American SIS (still waiting on funding)
Schools Rejected From:  None so far 
Still Waiting:  SAIS, GW Elliot School 
Undergraduate Institution:  Highly ranked private liberal arts school 
Undergraduate GPA:   3.39 (Rough start to undergrad, averaged a 3.60 my last four semesters) 
Undergraduate Major:  International Affairs with a minor in Russian language. 
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores:  None! 
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable):  1.5
Years of Work Experience:  1.5 
Describe Relevant Work Experience:  I work at a federal policy research firm, not related to international affairs at all but heavily focused on dissecting policy. Most of my time is spent dissecting COVID-19 policy and data. Interned at international affairs think tank during undergrad. 
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc):  I thought they were pretty good! I had friends who were also Int'l Affairs majors review them and help me edit. I tailored each one to each specific program but they were all quite similar. SIS required 3 short essays, GW required one 500 word essay, SAIS required two 600 word essays (analytical essay and SOP). I spoke about my experience with COVID-19 data and how I would like to use my skills in an international setting. 
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc):  Strong, I used two professors who I worked with for 2+ years in undergrad. Both know me on a personal level and academic level. 
Other: Happy with getting into American, they have a huge focus on professional opportunities which is what I'm after. I think SAIS Europe is a reach for me but you never know. I have already studied and lived in Bologna (where the first year of the program is), so I think that may benefit me in the long run. Think I have a good shot at GW since I got into American, those two schools are usually after the same students. 

[calmclamsulam]

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MA in International Affairs
Schools Applied To:  American SIS, Columbia SIPA, Georgetown, GW Elliot School, UCSD GPS
Schools Admitted To:  American SIS
Schools Rejected From:   None yet
Still Waiting:  SIPA, Georgetown, GW Elliot, UCSD
Undergraduate Institution:  Public ivy
Undergraduate GPA:   3.7 for cc, 3.3 for upper-div
Undergraduate Major:  Political Science
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores:  non taken
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable):  10
Years of Work Experience:  12
Describe Relevant Work Experience:  Non directly relevant to IR.
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Somewhat dull because I wasn't too creative. I mainly focused on proposing my research thesis, and mentioned each programs strength and faculty members' background on developing my research and career projectile. As for personal addendums, I focused on my non-traditional experiences as TCK and perspectives from different experiences in the job market.
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc):  Pretty solid from two LORs from professors. Not to sure about the other one from my formal student - now friend who I tutored for 3 years.
Other: I am a TCK and untraditional student. Also, I wasn't really thinking about IR as career until I took one of the classes from the professor who wrote me LOR as it is not a "traditional career choice for Asians".

 

[burnt_toast]

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MA in International Relations (SAIS), MPA Development Practice (SIPA), MGA (Fletcher), Global Human Development (Georgetown)
Schools Applied To: Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, Columbia, Tufts
Schools Admitted To:  None so far
Schools Rejected From:  None so far 
Still Waiting:  SAIS, Georgetown, Columbia, Tufts 
Undergraduate Institution:  Decent state university
Undergraduate GPA:   3.85 (I do have tons of Ws on my transcript)
Undergraduate Major:  Philosophy & Psychology double major
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores:  None
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable):  11
Years of Work Experience:  11
Describe Relevant Work Experience: 10+ years of very strong international experience: Peace Corps + leadership roles at various well known NGOs up to present 
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Emotional personal statement about commitment to international development and service, based on unique professional and personal experiences living/working abroad for many years. I think it has a decent chance of standing out. 
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc):  Very strong, but all professional LORs (I've been out of school and in the work force for over a decade so academic references didn't make a ton of sense for me). One LOR is from well known CEO/founder of respected international org.
Other: I have strong work experience and interesting stories to tell. My academic quant history is probably my main application weakness. I took bare minimum math in college and no economics classes (currently taking an online Econ class for entrance requirements). I got an A in a stats class  in college so I guess that's something. 

[EC1225]

What do the different dollar signs mean when describing financial aid? What's the difference between $$ and $$$? Is it a percentage thing? I'm new to thegradcafe! 

[WhoaThereWombat]

8 minutes ago, EC1225 said:

What do the different dollar signs mean when describing financial aid? What's the difference between $$ and $$$? Is it a percentage thing? I'm new to thegradcafe! 

One $ is generally equivalent to 25% of tuition.