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

[jct329]

Schools I'm interested in so far: Georgetown - Security Studies Program (Intelligence), still looking for others (your recommendations are appreciated!)

Undergraduate institution: University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Undergraduate GPA: 3.8

Undergraduate Majors: B.A. Political Science and History (double major), magna cum laude with distinction (undergrad thesis topic: American Redistricting: Trends and Calls for Reform)

GRE Quantitative Score: 159

GRE Verbal Score: 155

GRE AW Score: 5.0

Going to retake the GRE most likely. I took the old test so those scores are the estimated scores I'd get on the new test according to ETS.

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 1

Years of Work Experience: 1-2

Describe Relevant Work Experience:

• Interned for a Governor's election campaign (~3 months). Helped design/maintain the website. Ran the social media network for the campaign. Did research on campaign issues. Helped maintain the computer hardware that the campaign was using.
• Interned for a State Senator at the Minnesota State Capitol (~5 months). Assisted constituents with case work. Did lots of research on issues for Senator. Kept constituent datebase updated with information about the Senator's constituents and their stances on topics.
• Interned for the Liberal Democratic Party in London, UK (~2 months). Worked vetting potential parliamentary candidates for elections. Redesigned the department's website. Assisted with editing the Party newspaper.
• Currently working at a mortgage bank (~7 months). Review documents for federal and state compliance issues.

Languages: English, Spanish (can read and write well, speaking is another story however, haha!)

Activities:

• Students Today, Leaders Forever “Pay It Forward” Tour - Community service trip traveling to Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Maryland, and D.C.
• Studied abroad in Paris, France for a month during the summer. Took a class on the political and cultural history of Paris as well as traveling to various important sites in France.
• Studied abroad in London, UK for 2 months during the summer. Took a class on European politics and did the internship already mentioned.

Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): Haven't even begun working on this yet. Will have to do some research on what they expect, etc. Any help is appreciated!

Other: I always wanted to go to Georgetown for undergrad but it never worked out unfortunately. I'm looking to get an MA in security studies or similar focusing on intelligence. I know Georgetown's SSP program is one of the most well known of that type of program but I'm not sure what else is out there. Any suggestions? Thanks for all your help everyone.

 

Generally looks great.  You should also look into the Johns Hopkins SAIS Security Studies concentration and Columbia SIPA's International Security Program.  I would definitely suggest studying a few months for the GRE and retaking.  There is a lot of study material out there, and you can learn a lot of tricks to make it easier (especially on the quant side).

[HappyGoLukky]

Schools I'm interested in so far: Michigan ( Dual MPP and MUP if they accept me). U of W (Evans): MPA/MPP
Undergraduate institution: University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Undergraduate GPA: 3.18
Undergraduate Majors: B.A. Recreation/ Sport Mgmt with Business Minor

GRE Quantitative Score: N/A
GRE Verbal Score: N/A
GRE AW Score: N/A
Taking it this summer, but I am generally a good test taker (only reason I have above 3.0)

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): Plan to go straight through (internships every summer of course) I graduate in fall so technically 1 yr if admitted
Years of Work Experience: No full-time experience but have been employed since I was sixteen
Describe Relevant Work Experience:

• Interning as a Grant Writing and Sponsorship Intern for the Maryland-National Capital Park Planning Commission for 3 months this summer
• Interned for the Lansing,MI Dept of Parks and Recreation (part of mayor's office) and organized city wide track events, fourth of July festival, supervised summer camp counselors,etc. I Also wrote a grant for them that was approved for $6,000 from Jackson National Life Mortgage. This grant required me to do budget analysis and ended up saving the department's scholarship program so that low-income kids could continue participate in programming. Also garnered sponsorships for upcoming activities guide
• Facilities manager for the RecSports Division of Student life. Manage between four buildings and also supervise a full student staff under me. Startes as an entry-level employee and now hold the highest position an undergrad can have
• Served as Pre-College Mentor for past two summers for a two week college institute for students from at-risk high schools in Knoxville

• Languages: English (Do I need to buy rosetta stone this summer?)

Activities:

• Single undergraduate member of the RecSports Endowment Fund Committee
• Member of Dean of College Of Ed, Health, Human Sciences' Advisory Board
• Member of Mu Rho chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated (Chapter of the Year 3x in a row)
• Member of NIRSA and TIRSA
• Member of NRPA (Attended 2012 Congress in Anaheim on my own funds)
• Member of TRPA (Awarded $1,000 scholarship for leading student in field)
• Member of Adidas Partners in Sports
• Member of Phi Theta Sigma National Honor Society

Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): Will recieve LOR's from top Chapter 13 Attorney in Detroit, Dean of my college, And Director of MNPPC (one of the top Park/Rec Departments in nation). I am also in the process of founding an Out-of-State Student Association here at UTK.

Other: I aspire to become one of the leading officials for park/recreation development and land use in a large city (municipal) and maybe move on to a federal level. I believe that my specific work experience and ability to write grants will help me. Also, I do not volunteer very much because I work 20+ hours per week and fund myself. Lastly, I am a black male, if that helps.

What do you guys think? I am a MI native so I would get in-state tuition at UofM. I have about four months to get my application stronger so any suggestions are great! Also, any school recommendations would be great.

Edited April 4, 2013 by jwaller2

[ZacharyObama]

@jwaller2 - Your profile looks really good. You should aim to do well on the GRE - and try to save for and plan to take it twice (I wish I had done that just for maybe a 2-4 point improvement in Quant and Verbal). That should help to offset your lower GPA. Make sure to customize your SOP for each school you apply to and encourage your LOR's to do the same. Also, I think most schools are going to ask for a letter from a professor (did you take classes with the dean?) so plan on that. Finely tune your SOP and resume.

 

I'm also very interested in higher-level park/conservation/enviro management/planning and currently work for a pretty highly recognized municipal parks department, I did AmeriCorps before that for a state parks division. Look for jobs as well as applying to school so if you don't get in to school you want (I think you will) or get the funding (crap shoot) you want so that you will have something to fall back on during a gap year.

 

Definitely consider USC and UCLA if you're interested in the West Coast - both have strong planning programs alongside their policy/admin offerings. Berkeley seems way more you need to have a couple years work experience. Without knowing all that much about them - you might want to look at UW-Madison, Indiana, CMU, and Duke which all seem to pair administration/enviro/planning/management. You also really should consider what area of the country you want to work in if your goal is local/state is your goal so you can build immediate connections while in school. Federal hiring is less regionally particular.

 

Good luck and don't take this board too seriously.

[lmdutra]

Schools I'm interested in so far:  MPA San Diego State
Undergraduate institution: Grossmont College for general ed. then to University of California  San Diego
Undergraduate GPA: 3.87 Grossmont College, 3.55 UCSD, By the time I finish I should have a 3.65 or above, eligible for cum laude
Undergraduate Majors: B.A. Political Science, American Politics

GRE Quantitative Score: Shameful
GRE Verbal Score: 162  11%
GRE AW Score: 3.5, 30% also shameful, but less unmentionable 
I will study and retake it if I am not accepted to SDSU, but I do not think my quant will ever be above average. My quant courses have all been B or better, I just do not test well for math in the standardized format. These scores are with relatively little studying. My plans for study were sidelined by a family illness/emergency.  

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): I plan to go straight to SDSU if admitted for 2013, if not I will apply to more schools next year and spend the gap on studying for the GRE and interships
Years of Work Experience: 25, mostly part-time. I married young and I was a stay-at-home mom. 
Describe Relevant Work Experience:

•  Legislative Intern for a state senator
• Small Business owner for about 15 years
• Preschool teacher for 12 years at state school, experience with a very diverse student community, experience with state regulatory agencies and complicated code compliance
• Languages: Marginal Spanish, some Portuguese

Activities:

I am 20 years older than the other students, activities were awkward, all I could manage was the College Republicans, (they were the least like children to me, I guess)

Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): Good, I have 1 from a State Senator,, 1 from a J.D. prof. who is well-known locally for redevelopment and community planning, 1 from a Phd prof. specialized in business politics/economics. 

Other: I am hoping to squeak by and get into SDSU, but I am afraid I ruined my chances with my GRE and a weak SOP. I know my relevant experiences outside my coursework also might hinder my acceptance, but I work (preschool teacher~ very hard job!) to provide health insurance to my family and I also continue to help with our business, combined with a full course load, and the fact that I am not as young as most students, makes doing much more impossible.  I would like to hear suggestions on where I should try for next year if things do not work out. It would have to be schools in the west as I am married and my son attends school in CA, I would like to remain married and see my kid once in a while... What do you think? Will I get in to SDSU, if not where should I try for next year?

[rudy2012]

Goose1459, I would be very interested to hear how you incorporated your NCAA experience into your SOP - I was also an NCAA student athlete and am trying to determine how this will fit into my SOP, if at all - would love to hear your thoughts on this! I PM'ed you!

 

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MA/MALD/MIA
Schools Applying To: SFS, SAIS, SIPA, Fletcher

Undergraduate institution: Ivy
Undergraduate GPA: 3.2 (3.5 in last 60 credit hours)
Undergraduate Majors: Political Science, minor in Economics (Major GPA 3.5)

GRE Quantitative Score: Taking next week - practice tests point to ~160
GRE Verbal Score: Taking next week - practice tests point to ~165
GRE AW Score: Taking next week

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 1 year
Years of Work Experience: 3(?)
Describe Relevant Work Experience: Internships at a U.S. Senator's office, a small microfinance organization (small, but with a lot of clout) and a large international human rights organization. 1 year fellowship abroad (currently in progress) in a developing country providing consulting services to low-cost private schools.
Languages: English, Spanish
Quant: Economics Minor - did fairly well but not stellar.

Strength of SOP: Very strong based on multi-sector experience in development and tying in lessons learned as an NCAA Division 1 student-athlete.

Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): Senior seminar professer, supervisor at human rights organization, current fellowship field manager.

[Tsetso_BG]

Schools I'm interested in so far:  Harvard Kennedy School (MPP), Columbia SIPA (MPA), Georgetown PPI (MPP). I had the chance to meet with admissions officers at Columbia and Georgetown. I guess I left a good impression. 
Undergraduate institution: University of Sofia, Bulgaria. One year (2012-2013) abroad at the American University in Washington, DC. 
Undergraduate GPA: 6.00/6.00 University of Sofia, 3.86/4.00 (expected) American University
Undergraduate Majors: B.A. Political Science, Minor in Mathematics; Focus on American government and public policy while at American University

GRE Quantitative Score: N/A
GRE Verbal Score: N/A
GRE AW Score: N/A 

 

I plan to take the test twice - this summer and probably in November. I am pretty good at math so I expect to score high on the quant section. However, the verbal section will be a challenge. I guess this is the case with all international students.

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): I plan to go straight from college. However, I have had five internships so far and I plan to work during my last year at college starting this fall.
Years of Work Experience: More than a year if I combine all internships. 
Describe Relevant Work Experience:

• The Brookings Institution, Advanced Industries Intern (4 months). Worked in partnership with McKinsey & Company on high-level project to deliver to Tennessee leaders actionable strategies to advance the state automobile industry. Assembled, manipulated, and examined cross-state data on primary, secondary, and higher education and mid-skilled workforce. Performed quantitative and qualitative analysis of state demographic and economic trends using public and private datasets. Prepared Spring Intern newsletter featuring over 10 interns and initiated various events to engage Metro team of over 80 people across 5 programs at Brookings.
• Office of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Economic Development Intern (2 months). Authored memos assessing competitiveness of priority business clusters in Bulgaria, as well as evaluating effectiveness of different
  cluster promotion strategies. Developed comprehensive database on Bulgaria’s major export and import products compared to other European Union countries.
• Teach for Bulgaria, Education Policy Intern (8 months). Produced topic-specific reports and memos on education reform and policy, teaching quality, student learning outcomes and educational attainment, workforce demographics and skills. Participated in development of questionnaires for teachers, principals, and students as part of pilot study on mathematics and reading literacy in middle school. Analyzed quantitative and qualitative data on Bulgaria’s performance at international assessments
• Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Bulgaria, Economic Policy Intern (2 months). Drafted Minister’s positions for European Union Economic and Financial Council (ECOFIN) meetings. Coordinated and optimized mechanism for travel expenses reimbursement. Initiated and created detailed report with recommendations for internship program improvement. Constructed agendas and minutes for series of meetings on elaboration of roadmap for euro adoption in Bulgaria as only of 20 interns invited to attend.
• National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, International Affairs Intern (3 months). Conducted legal research and prepared Committee’s reports on bills amending and supplementing Diplomatic Service Act and Military Police Act and bills ratifying other agreements and conventions. Produced Chairman’s media statements and news releases for Parliament official website. Wrote editorials and analyzed international press and advised experts on current foreign policy issues.

Languages: Bulgarian, English, German (basic)

Activities:

• Starting the first charter in Europe of the Golden Key Honor Society in a few months.
• President of the Student Club of Political Science at Sofia University.

I have participated in numerous other organizations but I will focus on these two, especially my achievements there. I know this will be an important part of the application for Harvard, which is my top preference.

 

Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): One from my supervisor at Teach for Bulgaria (He's a Harvard grad, pretty good at writing recs. I also built a very close relationship with him and stayed in touch after I left the organization). One or two from professors in Bulgaria (I have worked with them on different projects/papers and took numerous courses with them). I am not sure if a recommendation from Brookings will be a good idea because I worked with multiple people, not with one single supervisor and I am not sure whether any of them can show that he/she really knows me well. Same with profs at American University (they will be always willing to write a rec for me but what they can say about me after taking only one class with them)

Other: To be honest, I really like the east coast and that is why I'm not planning to apply to schools on the other side (Berkeley for example). I would like to work after that in New York or DC and I guess this is a wise decision. My dream is HKS and I am wondering whether I stand a chance with this profile. 

[MPPgal]

I'll appreciate any input about if I am competitive for programs such as ksg, wws applying this fall.   - non-traditional in mid 30s, senior engineer at a tech corporation, lead a team of engineers for software products, ten yr work ex - planning to switch career out of engineering and into public service in long term - ug well regarded international college in engineering, MS (engineering), gpa 3.5 - strong community involvement, lead role at a nonprofit, volunteer work with a humanitarian organization - gmat 730 (49q, 40v), awa 4   My questions are, -Would a higher gmat/gre score make up for work experiences suitable for such program? - Do admissions to these programs emphasize soft (ECs, volunteer work) factors more or quant factors like jd admissions? - how much do LORs matter? My recommenders are going to be colleague managers from my work ex, who can comment on my work on engineering projects. are there any specific traits LORs expected to highlight due to extremely competitive pools to these leading programs?

1- yes, remember there are people coming straight from ug, howver most programs dont accept gmats instead of gres. 2,3 well it all depends, can you tie any of your stuff with lets say development, enviornmental-science policy? With 10 yrs WE you probably can, doing some volunteer work and maybe geting a LOR from them to showbyour soft side would be a plus, but I think it really has to do on how well you tie your experience with public policy and simply asking your reccommendeds to do the same.

[MPPgal]

I would however add that KSG and WWS executive 30+ programs are geared for people with a lot of experience in the sector, so for those two you might not be an ideal match, yet for any other (check out carnegie mellon as they are very engineering focused) you should be fine

[NGP]

I'll appreciate any input about if I am competitive for programs such as ksg, wws applying this fall.

 

- non-traditional in mid 30s, senior engineer at a tech corporation, lead a team of engineers for software products, ten yr work ex

- planning to switch career out of engineering and into public service in long term

- ug well regarded international college in engineering, MS (engineering), gpa 3.5

- strong community involvement, lead role at a nonprofit, volunteer work with a humanitarian organization

- gmat 730 (49q, 40v), awa 4

 

My questions are,

-Would a higher gmat/gre score make up for work experiences suitable for such program?

- Do admissions to these programs emphasize soft (ECs, volunteer work) factors more or quant factors like jd admissions?

- how much do LORs matter? My recommenders are going to be colleague managers from my work ex, who can comment on my work on engineering projects. are there any specific traits LORs expected to highlight due to extremely competitive pools to these leading programs?

 

Look at the MCP program at MIT DUSP.

[korman]

Previous Schools Computer Science and Engineering, country's TOP engineering school [Our students go to MIT + Berkeley + UIUC ]
Previous Degrees and GPAs: 3.26 [Had to work a lot]
GRE Scores : Q:163 + V: 159, 3.5 writing
Previous Work Experience (Years, Type):

1. 3 years fulltime in country's largest R&D company (for profit)

2. 4 years (part time ) of Volunteer activities. worked in rural areas

3. Founder of a youth org.

4. Involved with our CSR department.

5. Published 1 book + 2 more books are coming by early next year. [native language]

 

Foreign Language Background  Native + English + Hindi [intermediate] + French [basic]

IELTS: 8

 

Interested in HKS -MPP / SIPA MPA-DP/ Other universities which has enough funding opportunities except WWS.

 

I did not take much econ/stat courses which I can show them

Edited May 9, 2013 by korman

[MPPgal]

Previous Schools Computer Science and Engineering, country's TOP engineering school [Our students go to MIT + Berkeley + UIUC ]

Previous Degrees and GPAs: 3.26 [Had to work a lot]

GRE Scores : Q:163 + V: 159, 3.5 writing

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type):

1. 3 years fulltime in country's largest R&D company (for profit)

2. 4 years (part time ) of Volunteer activities. worked in rural areas

3. Founder of a youth org.

4. Involved with our CSR department.

5. Published 1 book + 2 more books are coming by early next year. [native language]

 

Foreign Language Background  Native + English + Hindi [intermediate] + French [basic]

IELTS: 8

 

Interested in HKS -MPP / SIPA MPA-DP/ Other universities which has enough funding opportunities except WWS.

 

I did not take much econ/stat courses which I can show them

Neither SIPA nor HKS give a lot of financial aid, it is a lot easier to get into SIPA though, for better financial aid check out Carnegie Mellon (good for engineering backgrounds), LBJ, GWU, NYU, Duke.

[EvenK]

Perhaps this is the wrong thread because I am less interested in how competitive I am at the moment regarding admission. Rather, I would very much

appreciate some feedback on people admitted to programs mentioned on how I may strengthen my application, i.e. what moves should I do at this point in order to prepare myself (this is mostly aimed at professional experience, but all suggestions are welcomed).

 

Programs Considered: MPP or MIA, HKS, SIPA, WWS, Fletcher, IHEID, Ox, LSE
Undergraduate institution: Top 20 LAC
Undergraduate GPA: 3.6
Undergraduate Major: Political Science 
Study Abroad: I am a Norwegian native, so my entire undergrad was "abroad."
GRE: To be taken in the future.
Years Out of Undergrad (by enter date): Graduated in 2012, so possibly 3-4 years before applying.
Years of Work Experience: Post graduation, I have at this point had one full year working.
Describe Relevant Work Experience: 

- I took a gap year after high school where I worked in a marketing company. I was quickly promoted to team leader and led a team of about 10 people all over Norway while on a marketing 'tour'.

- I spent one summer interning with UNDP as a communication analyst. 

- I interned with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs during my entire senior year.

- Post-graduation I worked part time for the Norwegian MFA and part time for a consulting firm.

- I am currently working as a project manager for Red Cross Kenya in Kenya.

 

Languages: Norwegian, English, Swedish (intermediate), Spanish(basic), Swahili (basic).

 

My other question is if anyone has any experience being admitted to a program which would prepare you well for both government (foreign ministry) and the private sector (e.g. consulting). Having talked to several people in the Norwegian MFA, they have advised me to get some business experience prior to applying for our foreign service program. What graduate program would be good for combining the two? I have already heard that SIPA might be a good choice. 

 

Thanks!

[MPPgal]

Perhaps this is the wrong thread because I am less interested in how competitive I am at the moment regarding admission. Rather, I would very much

appreciate some feedback on people admitted to programs mentioned on how I may strengthen my application, i.e. what moves should I do at this point in order to prepare myself (this is mostly aimed at professional experience, but all suggestions are welcomed).

 

Programs Considered: MPP or MIA, HKS, SIPA, WWS, Fletcher, IHEID, Ox, LSE

Undergraduate institution: Top 20 LAC

Undergraduate GPA: 3.6

Undergraduate Major: Political Science 

Study Abroad: I am a Norwegian native, so my entire undergrad was "abroad."

GRE: To be taken in the future.

Years Out of Undergrad (by enter date): Graduated in 2012, so possibly 3-4 years before applying.

Years of Work Experience: Post graduation, I have at this point had one full year working.

Describe Relevant Work Experience: 

- I took a gap year after high school where I worked in a marketing company. I was quickly promoted to team leader and led a team of about 10 people all over Norway while on a marketing 'tour'.

- I spent one summer interning with UNDP as a communication analyst. 

- I interned with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs during my entire senior year.

- Post-graduation I worked part time for the Norwegian MFA and part time for a consulting firm.

- I am currently working as a project manager for Red Cross Kenya in Kenya.

 

Languages: Norwegian, English, Swedish (intermediate), Spanish(basic), Swahili (basic).

 

My other question is if anyone has any experience being admitted to a program which would prepare you well for both government (foreign ministry) and the private sector (e.g. consulting). Having talked to several people in the Norwegian MFA, they have advised me to get some business experience prior to applying for our foreign service program. What graduate program would be good for combining the two? I have already heard that SIPA might be a good choice. 

 

Thanks!

SAIS and Tufts both have a more "business aspect inside" for both I think you will be very competitive, don´t bother with Ox if you do not have a 3.7, the UK only sees your GPA when they do the initial cut, you should be fine with LSE. MPP is hard without work experience but SIPA should be fine

[looking_to_sea]

Schools I'm interested in so far:  UT-LBJ (first choice even if they offer me nothing), and though I am still unsure on the others, I am thinking UT Dallas EPPS (MPA), SPEA (MPA), and perhaps I will roll the dice and throw an app at Syracuse? suggestions would be appreciated.
Undergraduate institution: 3rd highest ranked UT system school, 2nd if by name recognition
Undergraduate GPA: Ouch. 2.64, originally a 2.7 which trended downward my final 2 semesters (i'll elaborate on this in a minute)
Undergraduate Majors: B.A. Political Science, Minor in Public Administration and International Studies

GRE Quantitative Score: 148 (yeah...if you thought the gpa was bad)
GRE Verbal Score: 153
GRE AW Score: 4.5

(definitely planning to devote the summer to endless studying and a retake)

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 5 months, close to a year by application time
Years of Work Experience:  1.5 years of employment, hoping to up that to 2 by app time, plus a few years of substantial volunteer work
Describe Relevant Work Experience: just shy of 1.5 years working in everything from customer service to banal administrative positions to eventually concrete work organizing on grassroots local, state and federal political campaigns. In addition, I have been volunteering here and there throughout the community for the past 3 years or so.

Languages: Spanish (intermediate), French (elementary), and I am perhaps looking to take up a third?

 

Activities: rich history of extracirricular involvement, from co-founding and co-chairing the Young Democrats chapter to serving on student government's sustainability subcommittee, to organizing voter registration drives and staffing events featuring past gubernatorial candidates and even a former president (bubba!). I'm not sure it fits here, but I also recieved an award for a proposal on sustainability reforms that were eventually successfully implemented by the university's dining service, and completed a research design of original material focusing on public opinion of health care reform by income level.

 

Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): One from my old supervisor who now works for UT as a coordinator within one of their research centers and with whom I had a very close connection with. She has a number of connections to LBJ faculty/staff. One from an Assistant Professor who knows me well and with whom I have excelled academically (well-respected Comparativist, PhD from Delaware). One from a Senior Lecturer fresh from UT's Government PhD whose class is one of the few where I managed to build a close relationship with the instructor; knows a number of Dep't of Gov't and LBJ School officials personally. All were (more in a second) quite enthusiastic about writing LORs and I hope that remains true this fall.

Other: Here is my funny story. I applied last fall and was recommended for admission by LBJ and awarded a full tuition fellowship. About a month later, my status on bealonghorn changed to 'denied'. Prabhu led me to believe that I was still in, just conditionally (because of the GPA), and told me all was well. A month later, I recieve an email from the Associate Graduate Dean informing me that a poor record in my final semester (a D in an unrequired International Econ elective and a C in some low-division Geography elective) has prevented her from approving the school's recommendation for admission a day after I had sent my enrollment confirmation form. I also had some personal issues I had to deal with in undergrad (like poverty and drug addiction and depression) that kept my grades a bit stifled, but I did not mention that at all in my SOP as I thought it felt unprofessional.

 

To say that I have had quite the month since would be an understatement. So basically, though academically my record seems to leave much to be desired, I have made my passion about this field clear through involvement and a nicely done SOP. It was enough to get in, though not enough to get final approval (I heard that the assoc. dean was quite unruly this year on a number of individuals for some reason) and I am just trying to regroup and get in somewhere next year. Any and all feedback is appreciated.

Edited May 12, 2013 by looking_to_sea

[Kevin1990]

I was wondering if anyone could chime in on my mine even though it has some gaps in regards to the GRE+no Work

Experience

 

Schools I'm interested in so far: Kings College London (War Studies), GT-Security Studies, MIT Security Studies, GMU-MPP in International Security/Transnational Crime, UMD-International Security, GWU-Elliot School Security Studies, American SIS International Politics-Security Studies & Transnational Crime concentration,
 

Undergraduate institution: a public research university outside of a major city on the Eastern seaboard. (My school has been consistently ranked as an up and coming college for several years now and is well known in the policy community. PM me if you want to know the school I’m currently attending.

 

Undergraduate GPA:  3.36(Deans List)
 

Undergraduate Majors: B.A. History, Minor(s) in International Studies and Intelligence Analysis
 

GRE: N/A-Have not taken the GRE yet.

Years out of Undergrad (if applicable): Still wrapping up my senior year.
 

Years of Work Experience:  Still an undergrad
 

Describe Relevant Work Experience: None doing an “actual” job, but plenty of internships throughout my undergrad career. I have been an intern with at least 3 political campaigns. I also did an internship with the foreign policy/defense analysis department of a major think tank and just finished interning in the office of a very high ranking member of Congress. I am also set to begin a summer internship with another foreign policy think tank as well.

 

Quant: Not my strength at all, but I have taken two semesters of basic college math, + a methods course that is highly quant oriented.
 

Languages: French (intermediate), German (intermediate)-don’t ask me speak ether!, May take another after I graduate.

 

Study Abroad: Summer School at Kings College London- International Relations

 

Activities:  Involved: Helped found a foreign policy club at my school, have been holding an officer position in another, Young Professionals in Foreign Policy, Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society, Past Student Senator, and I am in a Social Fraternity.

 

Strength of SOP: I haven’t written my SOP yet since it is still very early. I have a one that I can rehash from my cover letter that shows a lot of interest and enthusiasm. In addition I think it shows a strong career plan with what I would want to do with an MPP.

 

Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc):  I can count of letters of recommendations from at least two tenured professors who are well published in the areas I am interested in. I can probably get an LOR from an experienced professional who is an adjunct at my college. In addition to the LOR’s I can receive from people I’ve done work for at my previous internships +one from the Congressman I worked for as well.

[Jufarius87]

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MPP
Schools Applying To: Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Brown, Cornell, Brandeis, Georgetown, George Washington, Rutgers, Syracuse, CUNY-Baruch 

Undergraduate institution: SUNY, BA
Undergraduate GPA: 3.74 MCL/PBK/Thesis
Undergraduate Majors: Philosophy and Mathematics

Graduate institution: Yale Divinity School, MAR

 

GRE Quantitative Score: 700-780 (estimated)
GRE Verbal Score: 600-700 (estimated)

GRE AW Score: 4.5-5.0 (estimated)

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3
Years of Work Experience: 3
Describe Relevant Work Experience: One year teaching high school religion and history at a reform oriented school, 2 years enlisted Army as a Chaplain Assistant hoping to promote to Sgt before applying.

Languages: None

Quant: Single and Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Proofs and Theory, Probability Theory, Game Theory, Masters level Macroeconomics, Honors-Intermediate Microeconomics, Econometrics.

Strength of SOP: I am a good writer, and I am confident that I can tie a public policy degree to my goals for ROTC and Commissioning.

Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): Undergraudate Advisor, Yale Divinity Professor I took about 25% of my degree with, my Army Officer... Strength unsure due to time separated from school.

Any words of wisdom, or advice on my chances?         

[justsomeguy75]

Schools I'm interested in so far: Mainly Harvard MPP 
Undergraduate institution: University of Paris 1 - Sorbonne (ranked best University of France in my field according to QS and 40th in the world in Economics). 
Undergraduate GPA: Not so good the first two years 3.3 or so but 4.0 the last year ranked (not sure but I assume) 2nd or 1st out of 634 students 
Undergraduate Majors: Economics major and Law Minor 

GRE Score: Not taken yet

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 1
Years of Work Experience: 1
Describe Relevant Work Experience:

 

- Interned at the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations in New York as a political adviser in political affairs and the Security Council - 3/4 months. 

- Interned at the Turkish Parliament - joint with the Turkish Ministry of Justice at the European Affairs - 3 months

- Interned at the French Parliament - Lower house - as an assistant of French deputy - 3 months. 

- Interned at the European Parliament - as an assistant of European deputy 3 months. 

 

- Very briefly worked for the Turkish Ministry of Youth at a European workshop on the Integration of the Turkish diaspora in Europe. 

 

Languages: fluent in English, French and Turkish. 

Activities:

- 1 Year of intercultural dialogue at an NGO in Paris 

- 1 year of Inter religious dialogue at an NGO in Rome 

 

Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): European MEP, Ambassador of EU to UN, French MP, Turkish Secretary General of the Turkish Parliament ... ARE people I could have letters from but didn't really focus on that yet. 

Other: 

- From a very modest background - a non-european european (I am from a minority obviously) - 

- Graduated from one of France's best High School after graduating from a ghetto Middle School

- Won a European Scholarship for X reasons

- Won the Scholarship on Merit from the French Ministry of Education for outstanding results. 

 

-> Just if you could briefly tell me if HKS is realistic? :-) 

Thanks!

[MPPgal]

Schools I'm interested in so far: Mainly Harvard MPP Undergraduate institution: University of Paris 1 - Sorbonne (ranked best University of France in my field according to QS and 40th in the world in Economics). Undergraduate GPA: Not so good the first two years 3.3 or so but 4.0 the last year ranked (not sure but I assume) 2nd or 1st out of 634 students Undergraduate Majors: Economics major and Law Minor GRE Score: Not taken yet Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 1Years of Work Experience: 1Describe Relevant Work Experience:   - Interned at the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations in New York as a political adviser in political affairs and the Security Council - 3/4 months.  - Interned at the Turkish Parliament - joint with the Turkish Ministry of Justice at the European Affairs - 3 months - Interned at the French Parliament - Lower house - as an assistant of French deputy - 3 months.  - Interned at the European Parliament - as an assistant of European deputy 3 months.    - Very briefly worked for the Turkish Ministry of Youth at a European workshop on the Integration of the Turkish diaspora in Europe.    Languages: fluent in English, French and Turkish. Activities: - 1 Year of intercultural dialogue at an NGO in Paris  - 1 year of Inter religious dialogue at an NGO in Rome    Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): European MEP, Ambassador of EU to UN, French MP, Turkish Secretary General of the Turkish Parliament ... ARE people I could have letters from but didn't really focus on that yet.  Other:  - From a very modest background - a non-european european (I am from a minority obviously) -  - Graduated from one of France's best High School after graduating from a ghetto Middle School - Won a European Scholarship for X reasons - Won the Scholarship on Merit from the French Ministry of Education for outstanding results.    -> Just if you could briefly tell me if HKS is realistic? :-)  Thanks!

No, you need a lot more work experience and even then it is always a shot in the dark with HKS

[MPAallday]

No, you need a lot more work experience and even then it is always a shot in the dark with HKS

It seems like it's always a shot in the dark when you get that high up into the public policy school hierarchy. I feel like justsomeguy75 has a chance tho.

Edited June 4, 2013 by MisterKhalil

[fenderpete]

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MPP

Schools Applying To: Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Brown, Cornell, Brandeis, Georgetown, George Washington, Rutgers, Syracuse, CUNY-Baruch 

Undergraduate institution: SUNY, BA

Undergraduate GPA: 3.74 MCL/PBK/Thesis

Undergraduate Majors: Philosophy and Mathematics

Graduate institution: Yale Divinity School, MAR

 

GRE Quantitative Score: 700-780 (estimated)

GRE Verbal Score: 600-700 (estimated)

GRE AW Score: 4.5-5.0 (estimated)

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3

Years of Work Experience: 3

Describe Relevant Work Experience: One year teaching high school religion and history at a reform oriented school, 2 years enlisted Army as a Chaplain Assistant hoping to promote to Sgt before applying.

Languages: None

Quant: Single and Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Proofs and Theory, Probability Theory, Game Theory, Masters level Macroeconomics, Honors-Intermediate Microeconomics, Econometrics.

Strength of SOP: I am a good writer, and I am confident that I can tie a public policy degree to my goals for ROTC and Commissioning.

Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): Undergraudate Advisor, Yale Divinity Professor I took about 25% of my degree with, my Army Officer... Strength unsure due to time separated from school.

Any words of wisdom, or advice on my chances?         

 

 Your profile looks great to me.  You should definitely apply to Princeton WWS.  We admit a good chunk of active/former military and I for one think it makes our program a lot stronger.  Good luck.

[kdavid]

Hello All,

 

I'm interested in going for an MA/PhD in International Affairs, with a focus on China.

 

Please let me know what you think:

 

Undergraduate/GPA: Major: English; Minor: History; summa cum laude, 3.65

Graduate: MA in Chinese History, focusing on 20th century; completed at a Chinese institution alongside other Chinese students (i.e. not a program designed specifically for non-Chinese); has involved writing a thesis (in Chinese) utilizing primary sources (in English and Chinese)
GRE score: 156V, 150Q, 5.0AW
Work experience: 8+ years teaching, 7+ years running a small business in China
Language skills: Fluent in Mandarin
Overseas experience (work, study and teaching): 1 year in Europe, 7+ years in China

I know my GRE Quant is low, but this is after 10+ years of having not set foot in a math classroom. Not sure I can do much better.

 

In case it's relevant, I'm American who's I've just turned 30. I have a wife and four-year-old son.

 

I'm interested in going for a PhD, and then into academics and/or a think-tank job.

 

Thoughts, comments, and suggestions appreciated!

[mrgreen102]

Hello All,

 

I'm interested in going for an MA/PhD in International Affairs, with a focus on China.

 

Please let me know what you think:

 

Undergraduate/GPA: Major: English; Minor: History; summa cum laude, 3.65

Graduate: MA in Chinese History, focusing on 20th century; completed at a Chinese institution alongside other Chinese students (i.e. not a program designed specifically for non-Chinese); has involved writing a thesis (in Chinese) utilizing primary sources (in English and Chinese)

GRE score: 156V, 150Q, 5.0AW

Work experience: 8+ years teaching, 7+ years running a small business in China

Language skills: Fluent in Mandarin

Overseas experience (work, study and teaching): 1 year in Europe, 7+ years in China

I know my GRE Quant is low, but this is after 10+ years of having not set foot in a math classroom. Not sure I can do much better.

 

In case it's relevant, I'm American who's I've just turned 30. I have a wife and four-year-old son.

 

I'm interested in going for a PhD, and then into academics and/or a think-tank job.

 

Thoughts, comments, and suggestions appreciated!

It might be helpful for you to think about what kind of program you are interested in: an academic program or a professional one. Are you interested in a broader international affairs program or a "China Studies" program?  If you are interested in a professional international affairs program, you should consider taking both an introductory Macroeconomics class and an introductory Microeconomics classes.  Many international affairs programs require these courses.  It might help the quant side of your application if you do really well in these courses.

Edited June 7, 2013 by mrgreen102

[kdavid]

Are you interested in a broader international affairs program or a "China Studies" program?

 

My line of thought is that by getting a PhD in IF with a focus on China I am employable as both an academic and a think tanker.

 

 

If you are interested in a professional international affairs program, you should consider taking both an introductory Macroeconomics class and an introductory Microeconomics classes.

 

Thank you for this suggestion. Is this absolutely necessary? I ask because this would require I enroll in a university as a self-funded, non-major student for a semester or two. This is not ideal as I'd like to begin an MA/PhD program fall 2014. (I'm currently finishing my stint in China, so enrolling now or next semester is not an option.)

[IRToni]

Are you looking at actual academic PhD programs or more at policy PhDs (like SAIS, Fletcher etc.)

[kdavid]

Are you looking at actual academic PhD programs or more at policy PhDs (like SAIS, Fletcher etc.)

 

@IRToni

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

I suppose I'd be more interested in policy PhDs (right?). Ideally I'd be equally employable as both an academic and a policy advisor; or at least equally attractive to both types of institutions.