Do I need more experience?

[Grad2011]

Hi everyone,

I just started to look into grad schools and reading previous posts made me little worried about my experiences.

I'm going to apply for a fall 2011 student hopefully in MPP, MPA or IR.

This is where I stand right now:

Graduated from top U.S. 50 schools, public; majored in communication emphasis in politics & society and marketing in 2008.

GPA is low..; 3.0 out of 4.0

(but currently taking extension classes from top UC schools in calculus, econ and stat. I expect B+ or A- in all the classes)

GRE: currently studying, taking it in August

LOR: Pretty strong. Have two previous professors and one employer.

Experiences: I have to admit that I don't have experiences in NGOs like Peace Corps.. etc. but I do have various field work ranging from management to PR related jobs.

- a district manager for a start-up social-entrepreneurship company related to fashion field for two years.

- 12 weeks of internship at a consulate office

- 12 weeks of internship at an international law firm

- 12 weeks of internship at a global PR/advertisement agency; worked for corporate & non-profit PR.

- other various volunteer jobs for profit/ non-profit companies related to sustainability and global warming issues

It seems like I don't have a job experiences related to MPP/ MPA.

Would it be better to hold it off a year two to build better experience?

I want to eventually work for social-enterprises for international companies.

Thanks for reading! Good luck with everyone!

[matcha]

Some schools want more experience than others, so it depends on your aspirations. For example, Harvard is big on work experience.

I think the important thing about work experience is time spent with one company. In general, hopping all over the place can make a resume weaker. There are some experiences you can only gain after spending years at a particular job or organization.