Most Desirable Undergraduate Major?

[aronofsky]

Hello everyone,

I'm a student at the University of Arizona set to graduate May of 2012 with a B.A. in Spanish Translation & Interpretation, with minors in Portuguese and Italian. I plan to take the revised GRE in august and subsequently apply for various foreign affairs programs, with The Elliott School's Latin American and Hemispheric Studies M.A. being my number one choice. That being said, is either my lack of a degree in Political Science/International Relations or my not having taken economics going to severely hinder me? According to the LAHS's background preparation page, the only requirements outside of the standard M.A. requirements are four semesters of either Spanish or Portuguese, so there are no economic prerequisites, per say.

I spent a year in Chile studying Latin American culture and Political Science, and am quite active in terms of internationally-relevant jobs and organizations on campus, but I'm curious as to whether a humanities degree might serve as a deterrent.

Thank you in advance, I appreciate any advice/recommendations that you all may have.

[Mal83]

Hello everyone,

I'm a student at the University of Arizona set to graduate May of 2012 with a B.A. in Spanish Translation & Interpretation, with minors in Portuguese and Italian. I plan to take the revised GRE in august and subsequently apply for various foreign affairs programs, with The Elliott School's Latin American and Hemispheric Studies M.A. being my number one choice. That being said, is either my lack of a degree in Political Science/International Relations or my not having taken economics going to severely hinder me? According to the LAHS's background preparation page, the only requirements outside of the standard M.A. requirements are four semesters of either Spanish or Portuguese, so there are no economic prerequisites, per say.

I spent a year in Chile studying Latin American culture and Political Science, and am quite active in terms of internationally-relevant jobs and organizations on campus, but I'm curious as to whether a humanities degree might serve as a deterrent.

Thank you in advance, I appreciate any advice/recommendations that you all may have.

Generally speaking if your BA is relevant to the MA you want to pursue, it shouldn't serve as a deal breaker by any means. Plus you didn't simply study the languages right? There must have been a mix of culture, political science, and history in there. All of that is relevant. I suppose the most related BA you can have is in International Affairs/studies with a concentration in Latin America. But again, the admissions committee will look at your transcript and decide if you're academically prepared. You are the one who will have to tie it all together in your statement of purpose, you'll have to convince them also that you are academically prepared by showing that you understand what will be required of you and what your future goals are after the program. That's how the committee knows you have chosen the right program for yourself. A lot of applicants go into fields that branch off from their undergrad degree so I wouldn't let that discourage you from applying. If there are no economic prereqs then I wouldn't think your lack of study in that area will hinder you or get your app thrown out. Some applicants who do have it though might be more competitive, not too sure for your program. There are some programs in the Elliott School that do require an economic background for admission, but that's because it's part of the curriculum and I've heard that the Economics classes are no joke. For International Development (my program) economics is a prerequisite, but fortunately only one class is required and I'll take that my first semester to get it out of the way, but it's tough and they you want to have some background knowledge for sure. So if it won't be part of your program, then it's probably not something to be concerned about. You could always contact admissions and ask, that way you know for sure.

What might make you less competitive though is your lack of relevant work experience. You've got some international experience in the region, and that's good, but was it only to study or did you volunteer or do any work of some kind? What do you mean by "internationally relevant jobs on campus?" Many applicants after college get a few years of experience under their belt before applying for international affairs graduate programs, they've had internships with NGOs, the UN, the State Department, work experience abroad of some type, or have done things like the Peace Corps, which is a 2 year gig. Some people get in to these programs right out of undergrad though, it just depends on your stats and if you were fortunate enough to get some of this experience as an undergrad. I studied abroad in college too, but that alone wouldn't have gotten me in GW, it was definitely my Peace Corps experience. By the way, you'd be a great candidate for PC, with a degree like that you'd no doubt get an assignment in Latin America. This isn't meant to discourage you, it's just to let you know the reality of the applicant pool you'll be in, especially for the top schools. But again, I wouldn't not try, if you put together a great application package you have a shot.

Edited July 3, 2011 by Mal83

[aronofsky]

Generally speaking if your BA is relevant to the MA you want to pursue, it shouldn't serve as a deal breaker by any means. Plus you didn't simply study the languages right? There must have been a mix of culture, political science, and history in there. All of that is relevant. I suppose the most related BA you can have is in International Affairs/studies with a concentration in Latin America. But again, the admissions committee will look at your transcript and decide if you're academically prepared. You are the one who will have to tie it all together in your statement of purpose, you'll have to convince them also that you are academically prepared by showing that you understand what will be required of you and what your future goals are after the program. That's how the committee knows you have chosen the right program for yourself. A lot of applicants go into fields that branch off from their undergrad degree so I wouldn't let that discourage you from applying. If there are no economic prereqs then I wouldn't think your lack of study in that area will hinder you or get your app thrown out. Some applicants who do have it though might be more competitive, not too sure for your program. There are some programs in the Elliott School that do require an economic background for admission, but that's because it's part of the curriculum and I've heard that the Economics classes are no joke. For International Development (my program) economics is a prerequisite, but fortunately only one class is required and I'll take that my first semester to get it out of the way, but it's tough and they you want to have some background knowledge for sure. So if it won't be part of your program, then it's probably not something to be concerned about. You could always contact admissions and ask, that way you know for sure.

What might make you less competitive though is your lack of relevant work experience. You've got some international experience in the region, and that's good, but was it only to study or did you volunteer or do any work of some kind? What do you mean by "internationally relevant jobs on campus?" Many applicants after college get a few years of experience under their belt before applying for international affairs graduate programs, they've had internships with NGOs, the UN, the State Department, work experience abroad of some type, or have done things like the Peace Corps, which is a 2 year gig. Some people get in to these programs right out of undergrad though, it just depends on your stats and if you were fortunate enough to get some of this experience as an undergrad. I studied abroad in college too, but that alone wouldn't have gotten me in GW, it was definitely my Peace Corps experience. By the way, you'd be a great candidate for PC, with a degree like that you'd no doubt get an assignment in Latin America. This isn't meant to discourage you, it's just to let you know the reality of the applicant pool you'll be in, especially for the top schools. But again, I wouldn't not try, if you put together a great application package you have a shot.

Thanks for the response - the work experience issue has me a bit concerned as well; the program I went with to Chile was more or less a work/study program - the first semester was designed to give us a professional knowledge of Spanish that was then tested at the end of the program. If the student was deemed appropriately fluent, he/she was then placed in a different Chilean university to take more advanced classes with Chilean students, whilst simultaneously carrying out a role in the organization of events for other international students with a lesser knowledge of Spanish throughout the semester. I've also helped plan and run a monthly medical clinic in Mexico, have served as a volunteer/paid interpreter in Costa Rica and Honduras, and will be interning later this month until mid part of august in Madrid, Spain in an international banking firm. Campus wise, I'm one of five students in charge of coordinating essentially everything related to all the foreign exchange students coming to the university this coming year, and contribute to the only bilingual Model United Nations conference as an interpreter/translator, and by giving speeches on internationally relevant topics in Spanish. I suppose that's nothing in comparison to the peace corps or working for the U.N., but it's at least something.

[fenderpete]

I don't know a great deal about the LAH program, but to me language skills are hugely important for any program that involves a big 'area studies' component. I've said it before, but I'll say it again - I'd far rather have someone who's got language skills/study abroad experience than someone who's only experience of international development is a UN internship in Manhattan. Sadly I'm not on the admit committees

I think it's all going to be down to shaping a personal statement that shows just how relevant your undergrad degree is to what you want to do now (both MA and career) and highlighting the experience you do have with international affairs (MUN, Costa Rica, Honduras) etc. Planning and running the medical clinic is also very good as it shows initiative, project management and autonomy - all things you need to be successful in grad school.

You don't have anything to lose applying for this cycle, it's just about crafting your SOP to show you've got what they want.

[Mal83]

Thanks for the response - the work experience issue has me a bit concerned as well; the program I went with to Chile was more or less a work/study program - the first semester was designed to give us a professional knowledge of Spanish that was then tested at the end of the program. If the student was deemed appropriately fluent, he/she was then placed in a different Chilean university to take more advanced classes with Chilean students, whilst simultaneously carrying out a role in the organization of events for other international students with a lesser knowledge of Spanish throughout the semester. I've also helped plan and run a monthly medical clinic in Mexico, have served as a volunteer/paid interpreter in Costa Rica and Honduras, and will be interning later this month until mid part of august in Madrid, Spain in an international banking firm. Campus wise, I'm one of five students in charge of coordinating essentially everything related to all the foreign exchange students coming to the university this coming year, and contribute to the only bilingual Model United Nations conference as an interpreter/translator, and by giving speeches on internationally relevant topics in Spanish. I suppose that's nothing in comparison to the peace corps or working for the U.N., but it's at least something.

Well all of this is definitely something! I agree with fenderpete, you absolutely have nothing to loose by applying. No one can tell you that you're definitely going to get in no matter how much experience you have or how good your stats are, so while we have control over the package we present, it's still a bit of crap shoot for most of us. So few spots and so many applicants, that sort of thing. But in my humble opinion you have some good things put in your application. I would suggest going for it!

[aronofsky]

Thank you, both of you, for your replies; they've been most helpful. Once I get my GRE scores back (November since I'm taking the revised test) I'll post a complete "profile", if you will, to give you a more complete idea of what I'm working with. Thanks again.

[fenderpete]

Thank you, both of you, for your replies; they've been most helpful. Once I get my GRE scores back (November since I'm taking the revised test) I'll post a complete "profile", if you will, to give you a more complete idea of what I'm working with. Thanks again.

No probs - and if you have any more questions feel free to fire me a PM. Good luck with the GRE, it's an absolute bitch. Just remember your end goal (grad school place, travel, career) when you're questioning yourself and wondering why you're studying geometry and sentence completion at this point in your life

[Mal83]

Thank you, both of you, for your replies; they've been most helpful. Once I get my GRE scores back (November since I'm taking the revised test) I'll post a complete "profile", if you will, to give you a more complete idea of what I'm working with. Thanks again.

You're welcome! That's what we're here for. Don't hesitate to ask anything else.