Wrapping It All Up: Government Affairs 2012 -- Final Decisions!

[Dal Espyrn]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): University of Houston

Previous Degrees and GPAs: BA in history, minor in journalism, 3.12

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 170/168/5.5

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 13 years as a (mostly) government/investigative reporter, 2.5 years in union communications

Math/Econ Background: Practically none

Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): high school and minimal college Spanish

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Tax/budget policy, labor/workplace policy

Long Term Professional Goals: Policy analyst for economic/labor institution -- my models are the Economic Opportunity Institute in Seattle and the AFL-CIO

Schools Applied to & Results: Berkeley ($5k), Michigan ($20k), Washington, Oregon. I also applied to Notre Dame and Illinois for different programs and was rejected by both.

Ultimate Decision & Why: Berkeley. I live in California, so the in-state tuition is a huge bonus. But it also feels like the best program for me. Between the professors in Goldman and the professors in the other schools, I can really get the education I need. Plus, the school is incredibly welcoming. I got so many helpful calls from students and alumni, which I didn't get from the other schools.

[meichen_l]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): 50 LAC

Previous Degrees and GPAs: B.A., GPA: 3.67

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): v710, M780, AW4.5

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 0

Math/Econ Background: intermediate level economics courses, high level statistics courses, entry level math (Calculus)

Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Chinese (native), French( intermediate)

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International Relations (Intl law/human rights)

Long Term Professional Goals: PHD in IR and then IGO work

Schools Applied to & Results: Tufts Fletcher (Rej), HKS(Rej), Yale Jackson(Rej), Stanford IPS(Rej), Chicago CIR (Ad), Columbia SIPA(Ad), JHU SAIS(WL), Syracuse Maxwell(Ad), GWU elliott(Ad)

Ultimate Decision & Why:Chicago CIR. It was an ultimate choice between CIR (academic track) and SIPA ( professional track). Given that I do want a PHD and the fact that I want to work in China (where the program you studied does not matter, what matters is the name of school), I chose Chicago as it definitely has a good reputation in academia/strong phd placement/ high ranking (for Chinese taste), and ultimately, cheaper than SIPA (CIR is one yr program)...

Advice for Future Applicants: Professional work experience does matter... I'm still confused as why SIPA admitted me..HKS and Fletcher made it pretty clear that they do not want ppl with no professional work experience...

[KJ90]

Previous Schools: Cornell University

Previous Degrees and GPAs: B.A. in China & Asia-Pacific Studies (3.57)

GRE Scores: M157/V158/A5.5

Previous Work Experience: No full-time experience. Extensive traveling experience with internships.

Math/Econ Background: Calc (B+), Intermediate Micro ©

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Strategic Studies/China Studies

Schools Applied to & Results: HKS (Rejected), SAIS (Admitted), SIPA (Rejected but was told if I had work experience I'd be admitted), Georgetown-SFS (Admitted), American SIS (Admitted), GWU-ESIA(Admitted), Syracuse SPA(Admitted)

Ultimate Decision & Why: SAIS, I want to attend graduate school to get more depth in my education. It's more professional oriented and teaches applicable skills. Not the best place for academia but it has what I want. Also, it's Strategic Studies and China Studies departments are top tier. While Georgetown and George Washington offer comparative programs (and perhaps even stronger than SAIS), the SAIS brand name is invaluable. I was told by my friend that he gets the impression that SAIS runs D.C. Overall, the decision boils down to location, brand, and focus.

Advice for Future Applicants: As you can see above I have a number of disadvantages. SAIS has a quantitative emphasis yet I visibly demonstrated that math and economics are not my strong points. I do not have any work experience and the entering class' average age is 26. Only about 10% of the incoming class will be straight from undergraduate. These things made me conclude that my strengths were my SOP and letters. My SOP placed a emphasis on my major, which is a unique in its requirement to write a thesis while studying in D.C. and to study at Peking University. I was clear in what I wanted to do at SAIS, namely wanting to strengthen my understanding of economics and to study under renowned China experts. My letters were amazing as well. They were from the director of my major and a previous internship employer.

I felt outgunned reading the applicant profiles above. But I do have to make a point that no work experience or a extensive background in math/economics can be overcome with an inspiring SOP and great letters. Also, internship/volunteer experiences are essential. Instead of full-time experiences, I've volunteered as a ESL teacher on the Tibetan Plateau, volunteered as a teacher for immigrant children for 5 years, worked at a agribusiness consulting firm, worked for a U.S. think tank's China office.

Edited April 27, 2012 by KJ90

[PeterP]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Top 100 liberal arts

Previous Degrees and GPAs: BA Economics and International Relations; GPA: 3.8/4.0

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): v-168, q-152, aw-4.5

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 0; three internships (US Congress, State Department, Legislative Affairs at a Fortune 500 company)

Math/Econ Background: Econ major; Applied Calculus

Foreign Language Background: 4 yrs of college Spanish

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: MPP/IR

Long Term Professional Goals: Diplomacy, Trade policy

Schools Applied to & Results: SFS (Rejected), SAIS (Accepted) Elliott (Accepted, $10k), UCSD IR/PS (Accepted), Michigan MPP (Rejected), UCLA MPP (Accepted, $15k), UMD MPP (Accepted, Full Tuition), LSE MSc in Political Economy of Europe (Accepted)

Ultimate Decision & Why: Maryland- couldn't pass up the funding! I was very impressed after my campus visit. The International Security & Economic Policy faculty are great, especially in trade policy. Proximity to DC was also a plus.

Advice for Future Applicants: It's possible to be admitted to IR/MPP programs straight out of undergrad. I think the key is to articulate your passion for public service and explain how internships/part-time work/volunteer work have given you career direction. On the other hand, additional work experience probably would have increased my chances of being admitted to SFS and Michigan, and possibly would have increased my fellowship offers at other schools.

Edited May 3, 2012 by PeterP

[Eclectic4]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): University of Arizona, Arizona State University

Previous Degrees and GPAs: Bachelors in Psychology, 3.93 gpa; Masters in Secondary Science Education, 3.83 gpa

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): GRE, 1300; GMAT, 710 (better;)

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type):

Teaching middle and high school, 3 years. Two in Teach for America and one year in China with a non-profit.

Psychology research, 2 years

Operations and business, 3-4 years.

Math/Econ Background: Undergrad (honors) and grad level stats.

Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program):

Spanish: 4 years of study + study abroad in Central America;

Mandarin: 1 year of study with living one year in China

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Masters in Public Administration with focus on international development

Long Term Professional Goals: International non-profit and goverment work with focus on sustainable development

Schools Applied to & Results: Columbia SIPA (accepted, 0 $), UPenn Fels MPA (accepted, $$), Johns Hopkins Global MBA (accepted, $$$), UC Berkeley GSPP (accepted, 0 $), Stanford MBA (rejected), UC Berkeley MBA (still waiting), NYU MBA (rejected), University of Virginia MBA (waiting), Thunderbird School of Global Management MBA (accepted, $)

Ultimate Decision & Why: Columbia SIPA. Even though I did not receive any scholarship my first year, the MPA-DP at Columbia is perfectly aligned with my interests. Many of the other MBA's or MPA's held a possibility of my entering my dream jobs and field, but they would have represented a circuitous route there. I decided to follow the heart, not fear.

Advice for Future Applicants: Try your best to focus in on your long-term goals and what schools are aligned with that, as this will really help you focus your applications. Furthermore, do not sell yourself short and shoot high. I went to schools that are not tier one but worked really hard there, including doing research and honors programs. Finally, I went and did some public service for a while. I shot high and got accepted to some solid tier one programs.

[3eid]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): University of Minnesota

Previous Degrees and GPAs: B.A. French Studies; 3.75 GPA; 3.9 degree GPA

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 680V/730Q/5.0AW

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 1 year Arabic-English news translation; 2 years security and political consulting (all in the Middle East).

Math/Econ Background: Micro, Political Econ, Stats...all very basic.

Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Fluent French, Fluent Arabic, Intermediate Farsi

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Public Policy & the Middle East

Long Term Professional Goals: Policymaking position in the US Government (DoD, DoS) or private sector work overseas.

Schools Applied to & Results: Harvard Kennedy MPP (Accepted; $0), Yale Jackson MIA (Accepted; $25k/year); Tufts Fletcher MALD (Accepted; $12k/year); Cornell CIPA MPA (Accepted, $30k/year); Columbia SIPA MPA (Accepted, $0), Princeton WWS MPA (Rejected)

Ultimate Decision & Why: The Kennedy School. I'm still not sure whether I want a professional or an academic program (much less career path) and think Harvard's name at the very minimum would make me competitive whatever direction I choose. While I received very generous offers from other schools, it's surprisingly easy to turn anyone down for Harvard. Even friends who are alumni of Fletcher and Yale conceded that, whether it's fair or not, the name carries disproportionate weight.

Advice for Future Applicants: There is no reason not to crush the GRE. If you study words for a month straight and the "tricks" behind the math (both of which I wish I had done) you can really boost your chances. Other than that, it's crucially important to show (with your personal statement) that your life has direction. Find some way to connect all the dots and then have arrows pointing directly at [insert school here]. Also, do a bit of research into the professors and the course offerings, weaving that into the narrative. (i.e. ...Professor x's research interests in a, b, and c overlap with my own...). Beyond that, if you don't have an extensive quant background, take a community college or online course to shore that up (or at least say you're going to).

[Helpplease123]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Top 10 UK

Previous Degrees and GPAs: BSc. Psychology; 3.5 GPA

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 165V (96%)/159Q (82%)/5.5AW

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 1 year Events/Production; 2 years management and operations roles in retail.

Math/Econ Background: None from undergrad - studying calculus, stats, micro, macro now online.

Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Good German, average French, basic Spanish

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Nonprofit management

Long Term Professional Goals: Start own nonprofit

Schools Applied to & Results:

Accepted - USC (1/2 tuition), NYU, Columbia SIPA, Texas LBJ

Rejected - UNC Chapel Hill

Ultimate Decision & Why: USC. The program is really established and international. There are professors doing some really great research in the field that I am particularly interested in and the course seems to have a good focus on nonprofits rather than just on government policy. Since I don't want to work in Washington afterwards this was positive for me as some of the other programs were all about the policy side.

Advice for Future Applicants: Don't let people freak you out about directly relevant work experience. Picking up necessary skills such as leadership, organisation etc. can be done in any field and your interest in public admin/policy can be shown through volunteer work and your SoP. Make sure you have clear goals and can articulate them well in your essays.

[rebmaLS]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): George Mason University

Previous Degrees and GPAs: BA, Global Affairs - 3.5

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 167V (98%)/159Q (82%)/4.0AW

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 3 years defense contracting (international but not directly aligned with my intended focus in grad school)

Math/Econ Background: Calc/Stat in HS and repeated at "Grad School USA" (DC)//Principles of Micro/Macro plus two other econ courses

Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Minored in French

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International Affairs: International Economic Growth & Development

Long Term Professional Goals: World Bank? USAID? Probably try and give private sector a shot immediately following graduation

Schools Applied to & Results:

Accepted - GW-Elliott ($15k/yr); NYU-Wilf Poli Sci; Georgetown-MSFS; Johns Hopkins-SAIS Bologna ($12k/yr); Tufts-Fletcher ($8k/yr); Univ of Michigan-Ford ($10k/yr)

Waitlisted: Columbia-SIPA

Rejected - American-SIS

Ultimate Decision & Why: SAIS-Bologna. This was a very difficult decision for me (almost went with Fletcher), but ultimately I chose SAIS for the following reasons:

- offered me 2nd highest funding

- "best of both worlds": one year in Bologna to really focus on academics and not work, one year to balance my academic goals by interning and jump-starting my career search as I shift focus from defense to econ

- reputation and focus in my field of interest: intl econ

- opportunity to gain a European persepective on intl affairs and be in a student population that is ~55% non-American

- the obvious bonus: living in Italy for a year. every single alumni I spoke with absolutely raved about the Bologna experience, "best year of my life!" "you'd be crazy to turn down!", etc.

- I'll admit it: rank and brand name

I'll also say that this decision will put me into a fairly large amount of debt as well as put me in a long-distance relationship I ultimately justified that based on the above points and my overall value in the experience of grad school rather than viewing it as a "means to an end."

Advice for Future Applicants:

- Shoot for the stars and you will reach the moon! I was terrified I wouldn't get in anywhere, and I got into several top schools. Don't let apprehension about aspect(s) of your application prevent you from applying to your dream school(s).

- Narrow down your choices before you apply - I applied to 8 schools. This was expensive, time-consuming and very stressful.

- Study for the GREs, starting with vocab as this is a longer term effort - it can make a big difference.

- Get started on your SOP early - mine went through more iterations and transformations than anticipated.

- Don't discount the other aspects of the application. For some schools, these additional requirements can also be very time-consuming.

- If you have the time and resources, consider taking classes at a community college to boost your academic background in quant or a language and demonstrate your commitment.

[piquant777]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Ivy

Previous Degrees and GPAs: 3.6+

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 170V/169Q/5.5AW

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 4 years in non-profit, 3 in my geographical region of expertise


Math/Econ Background: micro/macro in college, A-. absolutely no math


Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): fluent in two of the (difficult) UN languages, native English


Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International development


Long Term Professional Goals: INGOs, UN, contractors, election monitoring...haven't quite figured it out yet.


Schools Applied to & Results: Fletcher (Board of Overseers $$), Georgetown MGHD (full tuition $$$), WWS (full tuition+stipend $$$$), Yale Jackson (full tuition+stipend $$$$), SAIS ($)


Ultimate Decision & Why: My month+ decision time was a huge roller coaster ride. Fletcher and SAIS were crossed off early for $ reasons, though I think both are excellent programs. Princeton flew me out from abroad to go to their admitted weekend, but I also was able to attend most others'. I was completely sold on Georgetown's program, which despite being brand new offered a curriculum uniquely catered to development professionals, and amazing personal attention from the director and faculty in a cohort of only 20. Yale offered me an extra assistantship on top of full tuition+living costs and the Jackson director called to talk at length about the changes in their curriculum this year (new Core courses with hand-picked phenomenal teachers, more practically-minded). However, ultimately WWS's admit day sold me on how unbelievable the alumni network is, allowing you to basically call up anyone around the world and have them offer you a job (only slight exaggeration). That reputation and alumni base was something both other programs lacked due to their "newness." I admittedly went with the most risk-adverse choice.


Advice for Future Applicants: Assemble a "team" of people, both those also going through this process and those that have finished it, that will help you read various SOP drafts and cheer you on when you are overwhelmed. If you apply to even 5 or so schools, you will have SO MANY statements, mini-essays, policy memos, etc. to write that you may well produce 20 relatively distinct pieces before you're finished. Your eyes will cross if you don't have fresh ones to look them over for you, and it's too much to burden one person with so you need at least 3-5 people I would say. Not ashamed to say that being on GradCafe helped me immensely because it was a built-in community of other people juggling the same multitasking and agonizing through the process, from GREs to apps to waiting to decision-making. When you eventually make the decision, be sure to talk to current students and alums as much as you can for the "real scoop."

Keep in mind that the hardest thing is not just to get in, but to not go into tons of debt for your dream degree, and for getting $ I think test scores/GPA prob matter somewhat more than for admissions. To me it seems like the greatest irony to get a degree designed to help in a career in international development, pay full sticker price, and never be able to pay it off/be forced to veer off of your career track due to debt.

Edited May 10, 2012 by piquant777

[legallyproper]

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MALD (Law & Diplomacy), MIA, MPP, MPA/MAAAD, MIR, MAGES (German & European Studies), MIA-EPGA, MIPS (Int'l Policy Studies), and MA-INTS (int'l Education Policy), MAGG (Global Governance), MA-IR/MA-IPE

Schools Applied To: Monterey Institute for International Studies, Central European University, Georgetown (MAGES), Harvard, Tufts (Fletcher-Map Your Future Candidate), American, Syracuse, Indiana Bloomington, NYU (Steinhardt), Columbia, Florida Int'l University, University of Texas- Austin, Johns Hopkins, Institute of World Politics, Dual Sciences Po & London School of Economics

Schools Admitted To: Monterey Institute for International Studies, NYU, Florida int'l University, Tufts, American, Indiana SPEA, Syracuse, Columbia, UT-Austin, IWP, Sciences Po & LSE, Central European University, Georgetown, Harvard

Schools Rejected From: SAIS

Decision: Central European University ('13); Georgetown University (MAGES '15; accepted/deferred) *(Both fully funded)

Undergraduate institution: Elon University (NC)

Undergraduate GPA: 3.65

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 3.87

Undergraduate Major: International Studies, Political Science, and Public Administration (not major but concentration)

GRE Quantitative Score: 163

GRE Verbal Score: 168

GRE AW Score: 6.0

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): N/a; Graduate May 19, 2012

Years of Work Experience: a few months

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Interned with the Office of the Prime Minister of Malta (Human Rights/Migrant Transport Intern); Interned for Jesuit Refugee Services (Refugee Legal Services intern); Volunteered at Marsa Open Centre and taught English and career development to newly arrived migrants into Malta; Selected out of a national pool to be a Charles B. Rangel Scholar in summer 2011 (Foreign Service; Int'l Relations scholars program funded by US Department of State/Howard University); Interned at the Bureau of African Affairs in Nigeria conducting research for Consular Services; currently a Virtual Student Foreign Service intern for the US Department of State (Embassy of Croatia)

Languages: French (fluent), Maltese (proficient), and beginning to study Spanish and Italian

Int'l Travel Exp: France, London; Ireland; Nigeria; Malta; India; Morocco

Quant: Int'l Political Economy, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Quantitative Research, International Relations Quantitative Analysis, Political Science Research Methods, and a plethora of independent research projects in the fields of international relations, political philosophy, political science, and public administration

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Statement of purposes are extremely tough and the most important part of the application. After a excrutiating Fulbright process i was able to master the skill of writing, editing, revising, and finalizing SOPs. That is why I was able to make each of my SOPs for all the schools I applied to unique and personable and different (do not continue to repeat each SOP w/ the same statement because majority of the time you make the frequent mistake of naming the wrong university or program and you automatically get penalized for that with the admissions committee (Be careful!). Lastly, I have submitted all of my applications except for UT-Austin (deadline is March 1st for Rangel Fellow applicants) so if you have any questions and such let me know. I gained the key points and tips from the dean of admissions at schools like Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, American, Johns Hopkins, etc. about how to create a successful application even with coming right out of undergraduate without years of work experience in the field. So, if that's you just contact me and we can chat about this!

Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): I received academic references from my academic advisor & MUN advisor, then my SGA advisor, and the dean of my university who I have grown closely with and even traveled abroad with him.

Other: I attended a very competitive scholars programs that is a target for APSIA schools where they visited us during a VIP meeting to recruit. schools like Harvard, Columbia, American, etc. (basically all the schools I applied to were there). Also, the benefits of being a Rangel Scholar I paid $0 for my application fee waivers and met with many of the Dean of Admissions for schools so I am well knowledgeable about the programs I applied to so if you need help please don't hesitate to ask. If people are interested in the Foreign Service after obtaining their master's definitely talk to me because that is the route i am taking.

Research was accepted to top undergraduate research conferences (Presentations made at: Rome, Italy; Gottenheim, Germany; Gozo, Malta; Budapest, Hungary; Las Vegas, NV; NCUR 2012 in Utah; Harvard University and William & Mary) and to present at a conference call with high officials of the Council of Foreign Relations.

Those interested in the Foreign Service with the US Department of State should really consider fellowship programs like Thomas R. Pickering and Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellowships*

Edited December 4, 2012 by legallyproper

[nisyum]

Hi, I know this is a fairly old post but wanted to open it up and ask you about the Sciences Po-LSE dual degree program.

Why didn't you take the offer? that is currently my first choice at the moment but I know they wont reply until late in April and I have to make other decisions before then and lose out on a few funding opportunities as well.

 

So far I've been accepted into 

LSE MPA
Cornell MPA

GWU MIA

 

Also still waiting on a few others but wanted to know what you thought and what made you decide on those choices.