"Target Schools" for international relations/political science/public policy careers?

[philbegas]

This is my first post here so hopefully I'm doing this right. I have a BSBA in finance (3.6 gpa) and I currently work in portfolio/business valuation. The work is fine but it is not very interesting or fulfilling. All the way back to high school I had a great interest in international relations, public policy, government, etc, and I am thinking about trying to transition back into that somehow. In my mind that includes things such as working for a NGO, a non-profit, working in campaign finance, a government agency, or something along those lines. In finance we have a term called "target schools" which are schools known for placing people into industry jobs. Whether that's physical proximity, campus recruiting, internship connections, or something like that, it's just a way to hedge your bets and try to set yourself up for a more successful job application process. Are there schools for IR/PP/Gov that have a similar situation? I would imagine schools in places like DC, NYC, California, would probably have good connections. But are there lesser known schools that have connections like that?

[Hugh_]

On 6/13/2022 at 1:36 PM, philbegas said:

This is my first post here so hopefully I'm doing this right. I have a BSBA in finance (3.6 gpa) and I currently work in portfolio/business valuation. The work is fine but it is not very interesting or fulfilling. All the way back to high school I had a great interest in international relations, public policy, government, etc, and I am thinking about trying to transition back into that somehow. In my mind that includes things such as working for a NGO, a non-profit, working in campaign finance, a government agency, or something along those lines. In finance we have a term called "target schools" which are schools known for placing people into industry jobs. Whether that's physical proximity, campus recruiting, internship connections, or something like that, it's just a way to hedge your bets and try to set yourself up for a more successful job application process. Are there schools for IR/PP/Gov that have a similar situation? I would imagine schools in places like DC, NYC, California, would probably have good connections. But are there lesser known schools that have connections like that?

Yes, DC schools are usually a good bet. DC also offer a wide array of different tier schools with excellent placement outcomes: from Georgetown to George Washington, to Johns Hopkins. PP also has a wide array of different schools with different selectivity. What do you mean by lesser known schools though? Are you referring to competitivity?

[Hugh_]

3 hours ago, philbegas said:

Well sometimes a particular company or agency might have a recruiting connection with a smaller/lesser known college. 

 

But yes, having schools with slightly higher acceptance rates than Ivy & equivalents would be good too.

The 3  I mentioned then would be good choices. JH has many different options. In terms of selectivity index, I'd say Georgetown is the hardest, JH second, and GW third.

[Hugh_]

21 hours ago, Boolakanaka said:

You could consider a combine mba/mpa at a place like Yale. Its business school, aka SOM, has historically been considered the incubator for executive non-profit leadership, and the recently created Jackson school will provide to the topics within an international context.

The MBA/MPA at SOM requires at least 5 years of work experience and requires two separate applications. But yeah, great choice for someone with the experience and stamina to go through a somewhat demanding application process...:)

[Dreams]

Have browse through the government affairs sub.  You will find a lot of info there about which schools are good fits for certain types of students, be it they want to work for federal government, international NGO, local government, and more.  

[philbegas]

19 hours ago, DaisyB said:

Yes, DC schools are usually a good bet. DC also offer a wide array of different tier schools with excellent placement outcomes: from Georgetown to George Washington, to Johns Hopkins. PP also has a wide array of different schools with different selectivity. What do you mean by lesser known schools though? Are you referring to competitivity?

Well sometimes a particular company or agency might have a recruiting connection with a smaller/lesser known college. 

 

But yes, having schools with slightly higher acceptance rates than Ivy & equivalents would be good too.

[Boolakanaka]

On 6/13/2022 at 11:36 AM, philbegas said:

This is my first post here so hopefully I'm doing this right. I have a BSBA in finance (3.6 gpa) and I currently work in portfolio/business valuation. The work is fine but it is not very interesting or fulfilling. All the way back to high school I had a great interest in international relations, public policy, government, etc, and I am thinking about trying to transition back into that somehow. In my mind that includes things such as working for a NGO, a non-profit, working in campaign finance, a government agency, or something along those lines. In finance we have a term called "target schools" which are schools known for placing people into industry jobs. Whether that's physical proximity, campus recruiting, internship connections, or something like that, it's just a way to hedge your bets and try to set yourself up for a more successful job application process. Are there schools for IR/PP/Gov that have a similar situation? I would imagine schools in places like DC, NYC, California, would probably have good connections. But are there lesser known schools that have connections like that?

You could consider a combine mba/mpa at a place like Yale. Its business school, aka SOM, has historically been considered the incubator for executive non-profit leadership, and the recently created Jackson school will provide to the topics within an international context.

[Boolakanaka]

15 minutes ago, DaisyB said:

The MBA/MPA at SOM requires at least 5 years of work experience and requires two separate applications. But yeah, great choice for someone with the experience and stamina to go through a somewhat demanding application process...:)

If you are aspiring to attend a place like Yale, the application process, is but a tiny part of the journey. But, what I would say, if one finds the application process to be arduous and prohibitive, then you most likely already have your answer as to whether its the best place for you.....