lechat Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 (edited) I am getting my BA in Psychology, but want to go in a different direction for my masters. Originally, I was going to go for a MA in criminal justice, but after further research found out it's limiting and useless for what I want to do. I am mainly considering MPAs because I eventually want to work in government/with an agency, and I feel like I can probably get accepted even with a BA in Psychology if I communicate exactly what I intend to do and score well on the GRE. My GPA is 3.7 out of 4.0 and as this is my last year, I expect to top out at 3.8. My GPA in my major is a 4.0, which will hopefully hold. My main interest is in International Relations, but I'm not sure if I should apply to IR programs. The problem is that I was financially unable to study abroad throughout undergrad. I attend a fairly pricey private college (35k/year) on nearly full scholarship, but the intl scholarships available still required me to pay $2000-3000 out of pocket to study abroad. That would have essentially meant that my disabled mother had no lights and no food. Even with jobs, as a full time student also supporting my mother - I was unable to even afford a plane ticket. Applying to IR programs is tempting for me, but doing that means that I would have to choose between MPA and IR programs at the same schools. I don't have any coursework in IR (though I will be taking a class in my last semester) because it is a recent addition to my college. Have you heard of anyone getting into a program like this WITHOUT international experience? Should I just go for the MPA? Does a degree in IR really make me any more of a "better" candidate career-wise? The only school I've run into that looks like it has a good MPA program (that allows IR specialization) is UT in Austin (MPAff), and maybe i'm selling myself short but I'm concerned I'm not competitive enough. Though, I do have very strong verbal skills and I expect to do well on the GRE in September (my earliest application dates are January 1-5, so I feel like September is safe.) I just feel completely lost and I would appreciate any little bit of direction or experience anyone would be willing to share. Edited July 9, 2011 by lechat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palabared Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 If you keep your grades up and get good scores on the GREs, coupled with a compelling SOP and references, I think you would have a great chance at some good programs. I am going to the Maxwell School at Syracuse next fall, and when I went to the welcome weekend I met a couple people that came straight from undergrad without international experience. Most of them had some sort of at-home experience whether with Habitat for Humanity, soup kitchens etc, but I would say you have a good chance. I don't know if it would interest you, but check out their dual degree program MPA/IR. I am just doing the IR program though. Hope this helps. I am getting my BA in Psychology, but want to go in a different direction for my masters. Originally, I was going to go for a MA in criminal justice, but after further research found out it's limiting and useless for what I want to do. I am mainly considering MPAs because I eventually want to work in government/with an agency, and I feel like I can probably get accepted even with a BA in Psychology if I communicate exactly what I intend to do and score well on the GRE. My GPA is 3.7 out of 4.0 and as this is my last year, I expect to top out at 3.8. My GPA in my major is a 4.0, which will hopefully hold. My main interest is in International Relations, but I'm not sure if I should apply to IR programs. The problem is that I was financially unable to study abroad throughout undergrad. I attend a fairly pricey private college (35k/year) on nearly full scholarship, but the intl scholarships available still required me to pay $2000-3000 out of pocket to study abroad. That would have essentially meant that my disabled mother had no lights and no food. Even with jobs, as a full time student also supporting my mother - I was unable to even afford a plane ticket. Applying to IR programs is tempting for me, but doing that means that I would have to choose between MPA and IR programs at the same schools. I don't have any coursework in IR (though I will be taking a class in my last semester) because it is a recent addition to my college. Have you heard of anyone getting into a program like this WITHOUT international experience? Should I just go for the MPA? Does a degree in IR really make me any more of a "better" candidate career-wise? The only school I've run into that looks like it has a good MPA program (that allows IR specialization) is UT in Austin (MPAff), and maybe i'm selling myself short but I'm concerned I'm not competitive enough. Though, I do have very strong verbal skills and I expect to do well on the GRE in September (my earliest application dates are January 1-5, so I feel like September is safe.) I just feel completely lost and I would appreciate any little bit of direction or experience anyone would be willing to share. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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