The 'Am I competitive' thread - READ ME BEFORE POSTING

[Ben414]

2 hours ago, internationalaffiars88 said:

 

I am really desperate for some brutal honesty from strangers please!! Like everyone, I want to know if I am competitive for top international affairs masters programs, and if I am not, I would really appreciate some recommendations on safety schools where I definitely would have a good shot at admission that I could consider!

My first choice is Columbia SIPA MIA, concentration in Int Finance and Econ Policy, and since I know it's tough to get into Columbia even if you have the perfect profile (just a matter of space), I really also like Fordham's IPED program. I feel like my background is a bit of a mixed bag (some very positive aspects, and a few particularly negative aspects ), so I am really unsure how I stack up. Thanks in advance for taking a look and any advice you can give!

First Undergraduate Degree: Univ of Delaware – Graduated Jan, 2011

-GPA: 2.6 (Might as well not beat around the bush and start with the most obvious blemish, but I think (and hope) that what follows below will help make up for this.. again don't hesitate to let me know if I am wrong!!)

-Major - Mechanical Engineering

-Minors - Mathematics, Economics, and Civil Engineering

-Extra-curricular activities/ awards: none

If goes without saying that I was not very mature while in college, only doing the bare minimum necessary to pass my classes. I will address this immaturity in my application in the “extra statement paper” option, but I don't have a good "excuse" (like a serious illness or hardship of any kind), I was just foolish. I hope that the admissions committees at least take into consideration that a 2.6 in mechanical engineering, in my opinion, is still a more impressive GPA than a 3.0+ in many other majors (I won’t name which ones as to not offend anyone’s sensibilities).

Any thoughts? Agree? Disagree? "A 2.6 ? fugetaboutit..." All comments are welcome.

Work Experience:

-Following graduation lived and worked in Mexico City for 4 years on a financial technology start-up. It wasn't my idea and I am not a "founder" but I played a major role in getting the venture off the ground and I'm still the 4th largest stakeholder today (in the beginning everyone was paid in equity since we had very little funding, and I invested some of my own money as well). The company was nothing when I moved to Mexico City (the team was a very small group of entrepreneurs between 3 and 10 depending on at what point in time you measure, and who qualifies as "part of the team"), but has had some impressive accomplishments since, including a $10mm Series A financing with a group of high-profile angels led by the former CEO and Chairman of Citigroup, and most recently an executed $10mm Series B term sheet with a $2billion publicly traded company in our space (still in due-diligence process).

-During a period of time when the company was particularly financially stressed (there were many moments of financial stress in the beginning, but this period was really bad), I returned home for about 6 months to take a job as a senior financial analyst at a local medium size non-profit (about a $20mm dollar non-profit), but it was basically a second full-time job because I never stopped working for the start-up (as is typical in the world of start-ups, I was broke and simply needed the cash). Once the startup regained a financial footing, I quit (amicably) and moved back to Mexico.

So my work experience I believe is pretty unique, impressive, and very in-line with what Columbia’s SIPA seems to look for in their applicants, significant (4 years in my case) real-world international experience, no?

Thoughts? Agree? Disagree?

Second Undergraduate Degree: Rutgers – Expected graduation Aug, 2016

GPA – TBD (but it should be very good, let’s say 3.7+)

Major – Economics

Extra-curricular/Awards – Model UN, Debate Team, and Economics Honors Society. (I have made a point to get involved at school this time around). No awards yet, but hopefully I will have some soon.

So realizing my undergraduate GPA was clearly going to be an issue, I decided the best way I could prove that I have significantly matured was to return to school and prove it. I moved back from Mexico in august to begin school this fall semester and because of the economics minor at Udel, I can complete the economics degree in less than a year (using transfer credits).

When I apply this winter, they will have my fall semester results which I believe will be, barring any disaster on my finals, straight A's (or very close). I am taking 6 courses, 18 credits, and they are not in "basket weaving" type classes: two 400/300-level courses in math department (probability theory and linear optimization), three 300-level courses in econ department (econometrics, int econ, and comparative econ systems), and lastly Stat II which, and hopefully I don't come off as arrogant, is rather trivial but is necessary to complete the degree. It could have been worse but luckily I was able to talk my way out of having to take Stat I, even though I have never taken any formal statistics course.

They won't have my spring results, but they will see another 6 course, 18-credit course load, 5 of which will be challenging senior level math and econ courses (the sixth will be a "breadth requirement" necessary to complete the degree). Of course, if I am accepted, they are likely to check-up on those results once they become available (which is fine, I have no intentions to slack off whether I am accepted or not).

Thoughts on the second degree and a high GPA kind-of/maybe/sort-of making up for the dismal results the first time around? Maybe just a little? Or maybe there is simply no making up for a 2.6 GPA?

GRE

12/2014- Verbal – 166 (96%), Quant – 165 (90%), Writing – 4.5 (80%)

11/2014- Verbal – 164 (94%), Quant – 164 (88%), Writing – 5.0 (93%)

I am taking it one last time in early January because I think I can do better on the quant. A lot of what I have learned this semester in school is actually very applicable to what they test on the GRE, so it should help. Hopefully I can get the quant into the 95%+ percentile.

Any thoughts on submitting multiple test scores? Columbia says on the website that they will consider the best score from each section, not just the best single set of scores from one test, but I find it hard to believe. I don’t mean to say it is a lie, just that it’s impossible to ‘un-see’ things. We’re all human. For example, would it make sense to submit the 11/2014 results, just so they see a 5.0 on the writing (which is generally considered to be the least relevant section), but risk them seeing (and not being able to omit from consideration because they are human) the slightly worse scores on verbal/quant?

So my scores are definitely in "the range", no? Or would I need a 180 (not a typo) on both sections to make up for a 2.6?

Language

I lived in Mexico for 4 years so my Spanish is quite good (native speakers often tell me I am fluent, but I don’t know if I would say fluent just yet).

If you have read this far, wow, and thanks!! And if you go as far to lay some brutal honesty on me, it will be so incredibly appreciated.

Also, I realize that even if my background was perfect, it’s kind of a crap-shoot with these top schools because there are just too many good applicants, and too few seats. So, if anyone has some safety schools they would recommend, that would be great as well.

Thanks!! And best of luck to everyone!

 

Don't waste your time retaking the GRE; you didn't even need to retake once.  Unlike top PhD programs that may care about the difference between a 164 and a 167, you're are at a level that SIPA won't care if you improve a couple of points.  As StyLed said, SIPA isn't particularly difficult to get into.  Aggregate data on admission chances are hard to come by, but I would guess you have a better than 50/50 shot at getting in.  Focus on acing your SOP and other essays.

[internationalaffiars88]

@StyLeD @Ben414 Thanks! I saw the 40% acceptance rate, but without context it is hard to interpret. It's like if you didn't know anything about the NBA or Kentucky and were told about 50% of Kentucky players reach the NBA, you might think it were easy to make it to the NBA.

But knowing that both of you think I am a viable candidate and definitely have a shot at admission is very encouraging. I will definitely focus on my LOR, SOP and other essays as you both suggest. Thanks for the comments!

[went_away]

I agree with the above two posters that your chances are probably better than you realize. You should definitely apply to several additional programs to see if one of them will give you a nice scholarship (Fletcher, SAIS, MSFS); the top-ranked IR programs aren't all that different from each other and the concentration isn't that big of a deal once you graduate. Maybe also consider NYU if New York is important to you. Definitely address your first undergrad weakness, but do it simply and succinctly. Also, and related to this, watch your tone in your essays to project an articulate, purposeful thrust and to not come across as whiny, overly stressed/negative, or boastful.   

[internationalaffiars88]

@went_away Thanks for the feedback!

I have plans to apply to several programs, the three you mention in fact, as well as a few lesser ranked programs (despite the very encouraging feedback I am getting about my viability at a top-tier program like SIPA). And understood on the essays, I hope those tones didn't come off in my hastily written profile above! If they did, I am not very surprised. I will obviously be much more thoughtful with the essay I submit on a formal application.

[quietman]

Academically how competitive am I for Harvard's MPP?

-4.0+ GPA and the top student in my program of over 150 people

-170 V (99th percentile); 155 Q (60th percentile; ouch); 6 AW (99th percentile)

-174 LSAT (99th percentile; the application inquires about test scores other than the GRE)

-At least a solid resume and recs

Any thoughts on how detrimental the quant score will be? I have some quant experience in a practical setting but things didn't go right on test day.

Edited November 25, 2015 by quietman

[Ben414]

39 minutes ago, quietman said:

Academically how competitive am I for Harvard's MPP?

-4.0+ GPA and the top student in my program of over 150 people

-170 V (99th percentile); 155 Q (60th percentile; ouch); 6 AW (99th percentile)

-174 LSAT (99th percentile; the application inquires about test scores other than the GRE)

-At least a solid resume and recs

Any thoughts on how detrimental the quant score will be? I have some quant experience in a practical setting but things didn't go right on test day.

What comprises your "solid" resume?  What econ/math courses have you taken?  What is your SOP/reason for wanting to get an MPP?

If I were you, I'd carefully consider what the dual degree gets you that you can't get with only one or the other.  If you can't come up with something concrete, I wouldn't recommend getting both.  (Assuming you're thinking of a joint degree at Harvard) HLS only gives out need-based aid, so you're already agreeing to take on a lot of debt.  HKS is stingy with scholarships as well.

[quietman]

6 minutes ago, Ben414 said:

What comprises your "solid" resume?  What econ/math courses have you taken?  What is your SOP/reason for wanting to get an MPP?

If I were you, I'd carefully consider what the dual degree gets you that you can't get with only one or the other.  If you can't come up with something concrete, I wouldn't recommend getting both.  (Assuming you're thinking of a joint degree at Harvard) HLS only gives out need-based aid, so you're already agreeing to take on a lot of debt.  HKS is stingy with scholarships as well.

Thanks for the reply.

I'm not interested in a dual degree at this point--just the MPP. I have quite a bit of non-profit work and have been involved in public policy in different ways for several years. I've talked with past HKS students and was informed that my resume and essays (prepared months ago) are strong, so I feel confident in that portion.

What I'm not sure about is the 155 Q score. Otherwise my test scores and grades are stellar, and I do have some of what HKS adcoms have described as analytic experience (e.g. advanced skills in HTML/Stata/; logic tutor; a grade of A in a third year statistics course; on the job experience dealing with fairly large numbers)....but that 155 stands out, and not in a good way.

[Ben414]

12 minutes ago, quietman said:

Thanks for the reply.

I'm not interested in a dual degree at this point--just the MPP. I have quite a bit of non-profit work and have been involved in public policy in different ways for several years. I've talked with past HKS students and was informed that my resume and essays (prepared months ago) are strong, so I feel confident in that portion.

What I'm not sure about is the 155 Q score. Otherwise my test scores and grades are stellar, and I do have some of what HKS adcoms have described as analytic experience (e.g. advanced skills in HTML/Stata/; logic tutor; a grade of A in a third year statistics course; on the job experience dealing with fairly large numbers)....but that 155 stands out, and not in a good way.

Assuming your work experience includes 2-3 years in a full-time, post-graduation position as opposed to only a few years doing internships, I'd say your chances are decent-good.  MPP programs are more holistic than law school, so it's not like the LSAT where a few points make the difference between a near lock for admission and a near lock for rejection.

Edited November 25, 2015 by Ben414

[quietman]

Thanks for your insight Ben.

 

[ArmyGuy]

Hello,

Application has been submitted to HKS Mid-Career MPA. Nothing I can do now but wait. However, I'd appreciate anyones thoughts that can help with the waiting for three months.

 

My profile:

• Undergrad GPA: 3.31. Excellent leadership/co-curricular involvement and awards.
• Master's GPA: 3.62 (Top 10 school in my discipline)
• Currently Active Duty Army for the past 8 years. 16 years total military service.
• GRE Score: Verbal 161-87%; Quantitative 154-57%, Writing 4-54%

 

• I am worried about a few things
  • Lower GRE Quant Score. I Did take Stats courses during Masters
  • Undergrad GPA. How much weight does HKS place on this when you had an Masters?

 

Thanks in advance!

[beefmaster]

Program: MPA/MPP/MIA etc.

Schools Applying To:  Princeton WWS, Fletcher, Georgetown, SIPA, USC Price, UCSD, Yale, etc. etc. you get the picture

Undergraduate institution: European Uni

Undergraduate GPA: No idea how to calculate my GPA
Undergraduate Majors: History

GRE: 161v 151q (is this going to kill me?)

Age:  28

Years of Work Experience: 5 years with well known INGOs focus on humanitarian aid delivery in the context of the Syria Crisis. Last 2.5 years in upper management leadership positions (think Country Director level). Working directly on humanitarian policy in this context. 

Published Works: Numerous publications on various aspects of humanitarian policy for partners including UN agencies, bi-lateral donor governments etc.

Languages: English & Arabic

Quant: Intro Macro & Micro. In addition all of my publications have been based off quant analysis. 

Strength of SOP: I focus on my humanitarian policy experience at various levels (strategic, operational etc.) and how I want to leverage off this and a policy level degree to make the jump to global level humanitarian policy making.

Concerns: GRE obviously pretty pissed about the score but no time to retake at the moment.

Is it worth putting in an application to the caliber of schools I am thinking of with a GRE like I have? Thanks in advance of course. 

 

[Hitnake]

Program:  Master in Finance and Economics/ Master in Finance, Master in Financial Economics, Master in Finance 

School Applying to: LSE, Oxford, Princeton 

Undergrad Institution: McGill University (Top 3 in Canada, Top 25 in most global rankings)

Undergrad GPA: CGPA: 3.75

                             Major GPA: 3.93

                             Math Minor GPA: 4:00

Dean's honour list 2014/2015

Major/Minor: Finance with minor in Mathematics, also took honours level courses in Economics 

GRE: 157 V, 160 Q,  Writing Pending

Age: 22

Years of Work Experience: N/A 

Published Work: One

Languages: English, French

Other:

Work Experience: Worked as Teacher's assistant for two Finance courses, also worked as a research assistant for a top renowned Professor, and my final report paper was to be presented to one of the best researchers in that field in Luxembourg. Worked in the Finance department of my University as a financial assistant and designed a system for patent royalty revenue distribution. Also worked as math review session instructor for big classes of 60-70 people.

Quant Experience: As part of my math minor I took many advanced math courses such as Ordinary differential equations, Linear Algebra 2, Calculus 3, Advanced stats, Hounours Econ Stats, Probability, Operations research, Financial derivatives and advanced market risk models. 

Strength of LoR 1: From the Professor that I did research with and also asked me to be his TA next semester, he has published papers in top journals and had even made appearance as an analyst on TV programs such as CNN and Fox

Strength of LoR 2: From a professor with whom I took 4 courses with and received an A in all of them ( The highest grade in my University)  and also was his TA for two courses. 

Concerns: GRE  quant score, my main and biggest concern is my low quant gre score, I was doing an average of 165 in all of my practice tests but somehow I managed to screw up in the actual test, I'm confident that if I retake the test I will get an at least 164 in q but unfortunately I don't have the time as my finals are approaching and deadlines are in early January. I've been working as a math tutor with great reference letters since my second year and I also have a 4.0 gpa in my math minor but I'm still concerned that my application would simply get disregarded because of my quant score. My main goal its to get into LSE master of Finance and Economics as I'm planning to apply for PhD after. 

 

[chocolatecheesecake]

On 11/27/2015 at 7:42 PM, Hitnake said:

Program:  Master in Finance and Economics/ Master in Finance, Master in Financial Economics, Master in Finance 

School Applying to: LSE, Oxford, Princeton 

Undergrad Institution: McGill University (Top 3 in Canada, Top 25 in most global rankings)

Undergrad GPA: CGPA: 3.75

                             Major GPA: 3.93

                             Math Minor GPA: 4:00

Dean's honour list 2014/2015

Major/Minor: Finance with minor in Mathematics, also took honours level courses in Economics 

GRE: 157 V, 160 Q,  Writing Pending

Age: 22

Years of Work Experience: N/A 

Published Work: One

Languages: English, French

Other:

Work Experience: Worked as Teacher's assistant for two Finance courses, also worked as a research assistant for a top renowned Professor, and my final report paper was to be presented to one of the best researchers in that field in Luxembourg. Worked in the Finance department of my University as a financial assistant and designed a system for patent royalty revenue distribution. Also worked as math review session instructor for big classes of 60-70 people.

Quant Experience: As part of my math minor I took many advanced math courses such as Ordinary differential equations, Linear Algebra 2, Calculus 3, Advanced stats, Hounours Econ Stats, Probability, Operations research, Financial derivatives and advanced market risk models. 

Strength of LoR 1: From the Professor that I did research with and also asked me to be his TA next semester, he has published papers in top journals and had even made appearance as an analyst on TV programs such as CNN and Fox

Strength of LoR 2: From a professor with whom I took 4 courses with and received an A in all of them ( The highest grade in my University)  and also was his TA for two courses. 

Concerns: GRE  quant score, my main and biggest concern is my low quant gre score, I was doing an average of 165 in all of my practice tests but somehow I managed to screw up in the actual test, I'm confident that if I retake the test I will get an at least 164 in q but unfortunately I don't have the time as my finals are approaching and deadlines are in early January. I've been working as a math tutor with great reference letters since my second year and I also have a 4.0 gpa in my math minor but I'm still concerned that my application would simply get disregarded because of my quant score. My main goal its to get into LSE master of Finance and Economics as I'm planning to apply for PhD after. 

 

First of all, I don't think 160 qualifies as a low quant score, when the median for some good schools is below that. ? So take a deep breath. You also have a very strong quant background in - frankly - what is much more advanced and theoretical than what the GRE tests you on, and it's very recent, so it shouldn't be a problem. That being said, people on this board are much better at assessing your chances with government affairs programs, and not so much finance and econ masters degrees. Good luck with those anyway! 

[went_away]

On 11/26/2015, 3:49:03, ArmyGuy said:

Hello,

Application has been submitted to HKS Mid-Career MPA. Nothing I can do now but wait. However, I'd appreciate anyones thoughts that can help with the waiting for three months.

 

My profile:

• Undergrad GPA: 3.31. Excellent leadership/co-curricular involvement and awards.
• Master's GPA: 3.62 (Top 10 school in my discipline)
• Currently Active Duty Army for the past 8 years. 16 years total military service.
• GRE Score: Verbal 161-87%; Quantitative 154-57%, Writing 4-54%

 

• I am worried about a few things
  • Lower GRE Quant Score. I Did take Stats courses during Masters
  • Undergrad GPA. How much weight does HKS place on this when you had an Masters?

 

Thanks in advance!

Not enough information to make an informed assessment, but I'd say your chances are moderately decent to poor for HKS. Your master's will definitely not make up for a low undergrad GPA and could even be seen as a negative. 

Additional details that matter: your rank in the military, leadership/accomplishments in your military career (ie seeing combat, special forces, security clearance level), caliber/pedigree of undergrad and graduate institutions, previous areas of study, additional work and leadership experience outside of the military, clarity of post-degree goals.  

One thing that all schools like about military applicants is they usually have $$ due to the GI bill or other sponsored opportunities. 

[sk1540]

Program: MPA/MPP

School Applying to: Brandeis Heller, Duke Sanford, GW Trachtenberg, Georgetown McCourt, Brown Taubman, William and Mary Thomas Jefferson 

Undergrad Institution: Private college, ranked 27-33 throughout the years (according to USN – not that this means a whole lot!)

Undergrad GPA: 3.5

Major/Minor: Sociology major, International Studies minor

GRE: 163 V, 158 Q, 4.5 Writing

Age: 25

Years of Work Experience: 3 years (not including internships) at time of entry

Published Work: None

Languages: French, some Farsi  

Work Experience: Internship with civil rights government agency for about 6 months, focused on advocacy and outreach. For the past 2.5 years, I’ve been working as a project manager for a court case. The quick version: three unions have a history of racism, these unions are under court order because of this, and we’re working to improve them by imposing certain remedies.  

Quant Experience: Statistics (B+), Calculus (B), and Research Methods (A-). I’m taking a Microeconomics course that starts in January to satisfy some prerequisites.

Strength of SOP: I’d like to work with prison populations – providing greater access to education/career resources during their sentences, reentry programs to ensure a smoother transition to society, you name it. I could see myself in either a nonprofit or a government agency. My full-time work experience is somewhat related to this (some union members do have criminal backgrounds and thus have less opportunities, and our program is technically a vocational program, though not exclusively for previously incarcerated individuals). It’s mostly my volunteer and internship experiences (like Books through Bars) that speak to my goals.

Strength of LoR 1: From former professor – this could be anywhere from meh to good. She asked for a bunch of supporting materials, which hopefully allowed her to write a more informed letter. However, since it’s been a few years and I haven’t been the best at keeping in touch, I’m a little concerned.

Strength of LoR 2: Current supervisor. I expect this to be strong.

Strength of LoR 3: Former internship supervisor. I expect this to be positive (she asked me if I wanted her to write one when we were catching up a few months ago); however, she hasn’t asked for any documents (SOP, updated resume, etc.), so I hope it doesn’t seem too generic.

Concerns: My academic LoR, average GPA/quant experience. Moreover, while my work experience enhances my application, I feel like I gloss over it in my SOP. I was worried about regurgitating my resume. Any advice on this?

Also – anyone out there worried about the lack of safety schools on your list? I realize some of the schools I’m applying to aren’t mentioned much here; however, they’re fairly small programs (let’s say ~40 students), so I can’t say I’m a shoe-in. Just experiencing that inevitable application season anxiety I guess J

[ub3rmensch]

Undergraduate institution: Large Public School

Undergraduate GPA: Low. I need help with this section. My first year was at a satellite school where I received a 3.5. I then transferred and received a 3.0 in the end. Will my cumulative GPA be a 3.0 or can I include the first year GPA? On my official transcript, I don't think it will show my first year GPA included in the cumulative GPA. 

Undergraduate Major: BA, Biology

Study Abroad: -

GRE Quantitative Score: 161

GRE Verbal Score: 154

GRE AW Score: 4.0

Age: 23, will be 24 when I enter. 

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 2

Years of Work Experience: 2 years Peace Corps, 1 year Undergraduate Research Assistant (does this count?)

Languages: French and Hindi

Quant: I took Calculus I and Statistics but did not take Macro/Micro.

I have lived in seven different countries throughout my life. I want to enter management consulting for the public sector or become a Foreign Service Officer. What MPP schools should I apply to? 

[Conman93]

Applying For: MPA/MPP

Applying At: UC Irvine, Portland State, San Diego State University

Undergrad Institution: Community College, California State University, Chico

Undergrad GPA: 3.91

Undergrad Major: BA in Economics, minor in International Studies

GRE: 162 Verbal (89%), 155 Quantitative (60%), 4.5 Writing (80%) - I can do better on the quant than I did, but I think it's absurd that it's all geometry and basic probability that I did in 8th grade.

Quantitative Skills: Good, likely a bit rusty. Taken through Calc 2 and Linear Algebra, Statistics, Econometrics, Economic Forecasting. All with B+ or above, most A's.

Work Experience: Currently employed in an entry-level analyst position by the State of CA (Staff Services Analyst for those who know), had the job just over 3 months. 1yr-ish of research assistant work under Professors at CSU, Chico.

Rec Letters: Will be extremely positive, from relatively young/new Ph.D's in Economics who i worked under at Chico.

Age: 22 (Just graduated in May)

Career Goal: I really want to teach at a JC or a liberal arts college full-time. I'm also unwilling to go back to school for 5-6 years for a Ph.D. Thus, an MPA or MPP program is sort of a hedged bet - it is theoretically possible that I could teach at a 2yr college with a Master's, but if I can't find that job, an MPA will still get me a good job.

Concerns: Relatively low GRE Quant score, I need funding to attend. I'm not worried about getting in to schools, but I really need the funding due to some current aspects of my life. Anyone know of my chances of being funded?? Also, I have a strong desire to get a TA position to get some teaching experience in, but I'm worried about getting one. 

 

 

[Flou]

Program: MSc Public Policy / MSc Public Management

School Applying to: London School of Economics

Undergraduate / Graduate Institution: German Public University (nobody cares about the University, since its a state examination)

Undergraduate / Graduate Major: Law 

Undergrad GPA: Its impossible to translate the grade into the GPA System; Ranking: Best 4,4 % of the year

Current Occupation: 

– PhD Student (Law: Regulation, Corporate, EU Law)

– Visiting Scholar (Top 10 US Law School)

Years of Work Experience: "2 years"

Work Experience: I am a tutor and research assistant at the University. I don't think that counts as "real" work experience

Age: 28

Published Work: One Journal 

Concerns: Work Experience 

Its not unusual to do both a PhD and another postgraduate degree after finishing law school in Germany. We do love titles

Edited December 4, 2015 by Flou

[went_away]

12 hours ago, Transitioning Military Off said:

Here is my profile.

School Applied; GWU, American, Fletcher, SAIS, JFK, with focus on security policies.  

GPA Undergrad: 3.61

GPA Graduate (MBA with Finance concentration): 3.53

GRE: Q149 V151 AWA 3.5 (with disability incurred during military deployment. Not retake)   

Language: Chinese mandarin (Speak, read, and write)

Security Clearance: Tops Security with Counter Intel polygraph

Strong LOR and SOP

Great and relevant working experiences with multi-national organizations & Foreign and domestic government agencies. 

Experiences: 7- 8 years military intelligence experience, including Special Operation and Counter-Insurgency operations against ISIS in 2008.  

Provided leadership to 436-soldiers Special Forces Battalion - managed classified intelligence operations with world-wide focus on strategic objectives; collected, synthesized, and disseminated all battlefield intelligence. 

Coordinated all intelligence planning and marketing for a 400-man combined US-Thai-Japanese Special Operation Task Force.

Supervised 110 soldiers within Analysis Control Element (ACE), responsible for budgeting, personnel and equipment management for intelligence operations for worldwide deployment.    

 Led 80 soldiers in structuring the ACE operation center to support intelligence operations for more than 30,000 soldiers.      

 Managed and coordinated military intelligence equipment worth more than $30 million.   

 Authored the ACE Standard Operating Procedures detailing contingency plans for crisis in Korean peninsula.

 Intelligence Advisor for Iraqi Army in support of Iraq’s Multi-National endeavor to transition counterinsurgency operations to the Iraqi Security Forces.

 Developed informant network that located 200 individuals on the wanted list and led to the elimination of a terrorist safe haven.

 

 Monitored over 20 key towns and villages to support the economic recovery programs in Iraq.

 

 Conducted over 150 joint US-Iraq combat patrols covering excess of 15,000 miles.

Disrupted insurgent logistic by capturing 75 weapon caches and decreased Improvised Explosive Device attacks on friendly forces.

 

What do you want to do? If you don't say where you want to go, it will be defined for you by your reader - security/gov contracting. It would be helpful if you could do some thinking as to how an additional higher level degree will expand your mindset and change your career trajectory vs. what it would have been otherwise. You've got some extremely in demand skills (and articulate your experience well), veteran hiring preference, GI bill, and clearance, so you should be looking good at any of your desired programs. Hard to give any additional input without knowing where you want to go with your degree. If you want to double (triple?) down on your security focus you might take a look at Georgetown's MA in Security Studies. That's a quite a nice degree for certain veteran types who want to transition into in-house corporate security at household name corporations. SAIS would probably be the other best option for you as some of their grads seem to land some of the more lucrative gov consulting/contracting positions.  

[ub3rmensch]

On 12/3/2015 at 0:37 PM, ub3rmensch said:

Undergraduate institution: Large Public School

Undergraduate GPA: Low. I need help with this section. My first year was at a satellite school where I received a 3.5. I then transferred and received a 3.0 in the end. Will my cumulative GPA be a 3.0 or can I include the first year GPA? On my official transcript, I don't think it will show my first year GPA included in the cumulative GPA. 

Undergraduate Major: BA, Biology

Study Abroad: -

GRE Quantitative Score: 161

GRE Verbal Score: 154

GRE AW Score: 4.0

Age: 23, will be 24 when I enter. 

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 2

Years of Work Experience: 2 years Peace Corps, 1 year Undergraduate Research Assistant (does this count?)

Languages: French and Hindi

Quant: I took Calculus I and Statistics but did not take Macro/Micro.

I have lived in seven different countries throughout my life. I want to enter management consulting for the public sector or become a Foreign Service Officer. What MPP schools should I apply to? 

Applying to: Goldman, HKS, SIPA, SAIS, Sanford, Ford, Harris and Mccourt

Concerns: low GRE, low GPA, lack of microeconomics (which I plan to take)

Plans: economic development sector of consulting, foreign service

Should I have safeties? 

Edited December 11, 2015 by ub3rmensch
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[hopeful88]

4 hours ago, ub3rmensch said:

Applying to: Goldman, HKS, SIPA, SAIS, Sanford, Ford, Harris and Mccourt

Concerns: low GRE, low GPA, lack of microeconomics (which I plan to take)

Plans: economic development sector of consulting, foreign service

Should I have safeties? 

Yes, you should add some safety schools. Peace Corps experience is great, but you'll be competing against candidates with that experience, plus additional work experience and higher test scores. It sounds like you can produce a compelling personal statement based on your life experience, but I wouldn't bank on that alone to overcome the other factors for seriously competitive programs.

[ub3rmensch]

On 12/11/2015 at 6:53 PM, hopeful88 said:

Yes, you should add some safety schools. Peace Corps experience is great, but you'll be competing against candidates with that experience, plus additional work experience and higher test scores. It sounds like you can produce a compelling personal statement based on your life experience, but I wouldn't bank on that alone to overcome the other factors for seriously competitive programs.

Would GWU and American be considered safeties? 

[StyLeD]

4 hours ago, ub3rmensch said:

Would GWU and American be considered safeties? 

In terms of admissions, yes. But I would be wary of applying for safeties just for the sake of being accepted somewhere; graduate school is a significant financial commitment, and you should only apply to schools you would be happy attending. 

[ub3rmensch]

19 minutes ago, StyLeD said:

In terms of admissions, yes. But I would be wary of applying for safeties just for the sake of being accepted somewhere; graduate school is a significant financial commitment, and you should only apply to schools you would be happy attending. 

Thank you. I feel my profile is not strong enough for me to apply to only 4-5 schools. 

[hopeful88]

15 hours ago, ub3rmensch said:

Thank you. I feel my profile is not strong enough for me to apply to only 4-5 schools. 

You have a strategic decision to make. If you are determined to return to school as soon as possible, regardless of where you go, then add some additional safeties like American. But I too would caution you against investing the time and money in a grad program that you're not really excited about. It seems that if you got some targeted work experience, you would have a much stronger application a few years down the road. Also, consulting is generally difficult to get into without solid work experience. Think about the professional path you will need to take to achieve your dream job, and whether the first steps of that path require you to attend school immediately. I think it's always best to get as far as you can while still earning money and building experience. But I'm sure you will be able to get into some grad programs now if you decide it's the right thing to do, assuming you broaden your portfolio a bit. Admissions is always something of a crapshoot, so definitely apply to reach schools as well. Good luck!