Government Affairs 2013 Wrap Up - Final Decisions!

[harrista]

I know that when I was researching programs a year ago, threads like this were really useful so I thought we should do one for next year's aspiring MPA/MPP/ID grad students.  You know the drill -

 

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier):
Previous Degrees and GPAs:
GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing):
Previous Work Experience (Years, Type):
Math/Econ Background:
Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program):
Intended Field of Study in Grad School:
Long Term Professional Goals:
Schools Applied to & Results:
Ultimate Decision & Why:
Advice for Future Applicants:
 

[Denisse]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Private University in the Northeast, Tier 1
Previous Degrees and GPAs: B.S in Business Administration and B.A in International Relations - dual degree program: 3.22

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 167/155/5.5
Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 2.5 years teaching in urban school (will be 3 in June), TFA Alum; internships in international development (focus on LA w/in field of farming technology, adult education), international internship university partnering organization, and cross-cultural consulting.
Math/Econ Background: Micro/Macro, Calculus I and II, Finance major in B.S.B.A. degree, International Econ. and Business major in B.A in IR degree
Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Native Spanish, basic French skills
Intended Field of Study in Grad School: MPA
Long Term Professional Goals: Ideally, I'd like to work in non-profit project management with projects directly related to economic/education development in Latin America. I could see myself doing private sector work in something related to Latin American market/economics, etc. for a couple of years right after grad school.
Schools Applied to & Results: Wagner/SAIS/Elliott/SIS/Fordham IPED/SIPA (all accepted); Georgetown (rejected)
Ultimate Decision & Why: SIPA. I feel like SIPA's program is a great fit for me. I intend to do Economic and Political Development, with my electives relating to education development, the Management specialization (focusing on project management) and clustering all my electives around economic policies and Latin American. I feel like it's the only school from the above where I was able to tailor my two years to my interests as clearly and precisely.
Advice for Future Applicants: Begin searching for fellowships/scholarships as early as possible, especially if you are working full-time and can't devote as much time to it with an approaching deadline. It's the only real thing I regret not doing as much of.

Edited March 22, 2013 by Denisse

[cunninlynguist]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Public University, Northeast, Regional Tier

Previous Degrees and GPAs: B.A. in Political Science, 3.4 w/ strong upward trend

 

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 166 / 162 / 5.0

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): ~1 year total in relevant positions and internships

Math/Econ Background: Statistics, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, upper-level quantitative Poli Sci courses

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

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: MEM

Long Term Professional Goals: Environmental consulting and policy analysis, with the eventual goal to counsel companies and governments of developing nations during energy resource booms.

Schools Applied to & Results: Duke Nicholas (Accepted), Yale F&ES (Rejected)

Ultimate Decision & Why: The Nicholas School at Duke. I only applied to two schools—the best environmental programs—and F&ES heavily emphasizes work experience. All of the reputable MPP/MPA programs with environmental concentrations don't offer enough specialized knowledge. Got into Duke and Michigan SNRE last year, but decided to decline and improve my credentials. Paid off, literally, in the form of a much higher funding package from Nicholas.

Advice for Future Applicants: Don't underestimate the numeric components of your application where funding is concerned. As most of us can attest to, there are two phases of the application process: 1) waiting for decisions and simply hoping for acceptances; 2) grappling with the financial realities of acceptances and wondering what you could've done differently for more money. Get the strongest recommendations in terms of content, not by referee position or title. Supervisors and professors who litter the letter with meaningful anecdotes and actual insight can help mitigate lesser qualities (in my case, a bad GPA). If a program explicitly states work experience is a big factor, don't assume you're special and a strong personal statement will override their preference. Before you apply, give yourself enough time to plan what curriculum and academic opportunities are possible at each school; don't apply without knowing what you'll be getting in the most tangible sense, as it will be a significant investment of money and time.

[skemp]

Previous Schools: University of Washington

Previous Degrees and GPAs: Biochemistry, 3.70

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 168, 162, 4.0

Previous Work Experience: Supervisor at UPS and cable technician at Comcast before returning to school, 3 years in tuberculosis research after bachelor's degree

Math/Econ Background: Through calculus 3, as well as 2 quarters of physical chemistry (calculus-based phys/chem basically), 300-level stats class, no econ but my blog illustrated a basic understanding of economics and finances I think

Foreign Language Background: Nothing meaningful

 

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Master in Public Administration, focus on transportation, urban policy, and government program efficiency

Long Term Professional Goals: Leadership position at local, regional, state, or federal transportation/land use organization or think tank--something like the Metro of various cities, Amtrak, various housing authorities, Brookings, etc.

Schools Applied to & Results: Accepted to the three I applied to (GWU, UW, USC), ranging from zero funding to full tuition scholarship

Ultimate Decision & Why: USC. It offered a full tuition scholarship which was reason enough, but this also opens up the possibility for a dual degree in Public Administration and Planning. The school's focus and the city's political environment seems best suited to my goals as well.

Advice for Future Applicants: I was confident in my academic attributes, but I was coming from a completely different background career-wise, so I recommend that anyone in a similar situation do everything they can to demonstrate a sincere commitment to what they're pursuing. For me that took the form of volunteering for a progressive policy organization and keeping my own blog on the subjects I was interested in, but obviously this needs to be tailored to your own interests. The other big one would be to apply fairly broadly--I only applied to three schools and was lucky to find one that found me appealing enough to offer a full-tuition scholarship, but the others didn't offer much help financially and if things had gone just a little bit differently I might have ended up with no great financial aid offers. You never really know how admissions departments will see you or how you'll fit into their institution, so applying broadly can help to offset some of the random chance associated with applications. A few hundred extra dollars and a dozen more hours of time is worth it for the chance at saving literally tens of thousands of dollars.

[gatsby8724]

Previous Schools: Top tier private institution in Washington, D.C

Previous Degrees and GPAs: B.A, International Affairs & Anthropology; 3.7 with honors

GRE Scores: V:164, Q:155, AW:4.0

Previous Work Experience: 6+ in the non-profit sector; international development with a focus on democracy and governance

Math/Econ Background: Statistics, Micro/Macro, International Trade/Finance

Foreign Language Background: Seven years of French

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: MPA/MPP with a concentration in Democracy, Development and Rule of Law

Long Term Professional Goals: USAID Foreign Service

Schools Applied to & Results: Accepted: Columbia SIPA-MPA ($$), Stanford University IPS-MA, University of Chicago Harris-MPP

                                                   Rejected: HKS-MPP, Princeton WWS-MPA

Ultimate Decision & Why: Currently deciding between SIPA and Stanford IPS

Advice for Future Applicants: Take the time to really figure out what you want to get out of a Masters program before going back.

[JMO]

Bump

[Goose1459]

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

Previous Degrees and GPAs: Political Science/Economics - 3.22 (3.5 last 60)
 

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 161/153/4.5
 

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 1 year full time out of undergrad, around 3 when you add up the internships. 
 

Math/Econ Background: Economics Minor (Micro/Macro/Econometrics/Public/Trade)
 

Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Intermediate Spanish but am looking to add one more. 
 

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International Relations 
 

Long Term Professional Goals: U.S. Foreign Service or Intelligence Community
 

Schools Applied to & Results: Accepted: Columbia SIPA-MIA, Johns Hopkins SAIS-MA; Waitlisted: Tufts Fletcher-MALD;

Rejected: Georgetown SFS-MSFS
 

Ultimate Decision & Why: Johns Hopkins SAIS. I've wanted to be in DC for a while. I think that SAIS has the program that can help me beef up my quantitative skills, give me a curriculum with both breadth and depth, as well as provide opportunities to form the connections with my peers and the International Relations community to be succesful afterward.
 

Advice for Future Applicants: Assemble a large team of people who are willing to help you with your application. Around 10 people helped me with revisions for the SOP and analytical essays and I am grateful for their support.

 

I also wish that I would have started applying for funding earlier. I think when I committed myself to working on applications would have been a great place to start. 

 

If taking the GRE in a developing country that is not your own, don't drink the water from the water cooler during the break. I was sick in bed for the next three days. 

Edited March 25, 2013 by Goose1459

[bfoo]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Fordham University, private, top 60

Previous Degrees and GPAs: Political Science and International Studies, 3.85

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 165/162/4.0

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 2 years in the army, 1 year full time at an IR thinktank

Math/Econ Background: 'A' level maths, intro microecons, a couple of political economics classes

Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Fluency in Mandarin Chinese, 1 year of French at college
 

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International relations and security
 

Long Term Professional Goals: Civil-military cooperation at the UN, or political risk consulting
 

Schools Applied to & Results: Fletcher MALD and Georgetown MSFS - accepted to both. Scholarship from Fletcher, and waitlisted for a scholarship at MSFS.
 

Ultimate Decision & Why: Georgetown MSFS - it's been a dream program since my college days, plus the DC location is very hard to beat. Also, I've been told that I apparently have a crush on DC.
 

Advice for Future Applicants: Get a fantastic set of writers who are willing to help with recommendation letters. Keep in touch with admissions, visit the programs if you're able to, and try to contact professors with whom you'd like to work or study under. Also start writing your SOPs very early - I must've had about 8 drafts before I was ready to submit, and even then I wasn't satisfied.

Edited March 25, 2013 by bfoo

[DaniCM]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Georgeotwn University, private, top 25

Previous Degrees and GPAs: Bachelor's of Arts (major: Government, minor: history) 3.6
GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 160, 153, 4.5 (I'm not a great standardized test taker...womp womp)

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 2 years professionally, analyst with homeland security. various internships, to include Peace Corps headquarters and Capitol Hill. volunteer experience in Peru and Colombia
Math/Econ Background: calc, stats, macro, micro
Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): proficient Spanish and beginner French
Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International Security Studies and Conflict Resolution
Long Term Professional Goals: Foreign Service, international security policy, state building work (ie USAID), IC analysis
Schools Applied to & Results:SAIS, SIPA, Fletcher, SIS (admitted to all with $19k/year scholarship from Fletcher)
Ultimate Decision & Why: Fletcher. I really like the community at Fletcher, as well as the flexibility of the program. They seem very hands on and personally invested in the success of their students. Plus, they gave me $19k/year, work study, and the possibility of additional second year funding. ( :
Advice for Future Applicants:

 

start looking for and apply to grants/fellowships/alternative sources of funding as early as you start thinking seriously about grad school. Most application deadlines for major fellowships and grants are concurrent with grad school deadlines. It's hard to juggle both. For many people, getting accepted into a school you can't pay for is the same thing as being rejected. Don't put yourself through that disappoint by banking on financial aid from programs to which you are admitted. It's a miracle I got such a huge scholarship from Fletcher. Without it, I wouldn't be going to grad scool this year, despite having been accepted to every program to which I applied.
 

Do not underestimate the narrative and conviction of your SOP and LORs. As you can see, my GPA is good but not exceptional, and my GRE scores are actually pretty shitty...yet I was admitted everywhere I applied (including 3 of the top 5 schools for IR in the world) with an enormous, meritt-based scholarship from Fletcher.

 

Be fairly open-minded when considering where to apply (at least initially). Take time to really look into the meritts of competing programs. I wasn't originally planning on applying to Fletcher, but was convinced to do so by a Fletcher rep at an ASPIA grad school fair. I owe the next 2 years of my life (and a $38K scholarship) to that woman. That said, don't apply everywhere just for the sake of casting a wide net and hoping for a big haul. Applications are expensive and time consuming. Apply to programs you actually want to go to and put the appropriate amount of time and energy into personalizing each application to demonstrate your strengths specific to that program. In other words, quality over quantity. 7 decent apps aren't as likely to produce big payoffs as are 4 strong apps

[harrista]

Previous Schools : one of the top Australian universities

Previous Degrees and GPAs: Combined Bachelor of Arts and Law, 3.72 overall
GRE Scores : V 170, Q 164, AW 5.5
Previous Work Experience : 6 years public service

Math/Econ Background: no math since high school, no econ ever
Foreign Language Background : fluent French (C2), advanced Spanish (C1)
Intended Field of Study in Grad School: political economy

Long Term Professional Goals: dream job would be at the OECD but open to suggestion
Schools Applied to & Results: Carnegie Mellon Heinz ($32k), Berkeley Goldman ($10k), Chicago Harris (tuition + stipend), NYU Wagner ($0), Washington Evans ($0).  Princeton WWS - rejected
Ultimate Decision & Why: Chicago.  I still have undergraduate loans so the chance to graduate debt free is one I absolutely can't pass up.  The quant focus at Harris makes it a very portable degree, the brand recognition is so strong for economics and business and the city has a good job market for my partner, low living costs and tons of exciting things going on, like two Ironman 70.3s within a 90 minute radius.  If money was equal for all the offers, I would have gone with Goldman because the course looks awesome, the prestige factor high and the location sunny and beautiful. 

Advice for Future Applicants: If attending grad school is dependent on funding, it's worth applying to a few more schools because you never know what will turn up.  I applied to WWS because of their funding policy even though it wasn't a good fit - in hindsight I should have applied to a different reach school with a better fit.  Use gradcafe wisely: pre-application, I got super intimidated reading all the amazing profiles when trying to figure out which schools I would have a shot at, when all I've done is invent the piano key neck tie. 

 

The best advice I found trawling the forum before applying was that it's an equation, so if you're slightly weaker in certain areas you just better damn well make sure that everything else that you have control over is solid.  In my case, I had zero math/econ so I studied like mad for the GRE and made sure I emphasised any math I've done through work in my SOP.  As an international applicant I also had to make sure that I answered the question of why study in the US when I've been working in domestic policy here. 

 

Everyone recommended that you assemble an army of people to review your SOP but I didn't get any feedback because I wanted it to be purely my voice without help from my gifted wordsmithing friends and it turned out ok.  I did however start writing them in early September so I had months to revise a multitude of drafts.  When writing my SOP I aimed to make it a narrative of why I would be great at that particular school and I tried to make it as interesting as possible for admissions instead of it reading like a wordy resume.  Not start-with-a-knock-knock-joke interesting but highlighting things that I think would contribute to a public policy learning environment.   

 

As everyone says - get started early!  I started getting my recommenders onboard even before some of the applications opened because being 6 years out of undergrad, it could have taken some time to find an academic referee which luckily it didn't.  Two schools required a degree equivalence report which took about two months. 

Edited March 27, 2013 by ironhidalgo

[tribesdude]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): UBC, Public, Top 30 Worldwide, top 3 Canada
Previous Degrees and GPAs: Bachelor of Commerce, Finance, 3.5 GPA
GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 158/160/5
Previous Work Experience (Years, Type):0 Full time, 9 months if you count internships (I am straight out of Undergrad)
Math/Econ Background: Calculus (both intro ones), Micro, Macro, Advanced Macro, International Trade, Discrete Mathematics with application to computer science, and several Finance courses
Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Fluent in Russian, and Uzbek, several years of Spanish (however I am fairly rusty at Spanish, I would say begginer level at this point given that I havent used it in 4 years)
Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International Development
Long Term Professional Goals: Development Bank
Schools Applied to & Results: In my signature
Ultimate Decision & Why: NYU Wagner, it is the best school that I got into. It has a fairly good program in public policy, plus it is located in New York which will give me opportunities to apply for some private firms prior to filly committing myself to the public sector. Plus most of these development organizations generally require 2-3 years of work experience so I feel like the quality of the program at NYU, coupled with its location will allow me to pursue
Advice for Future Applicants: Start applying early. I started applying to mine at most a week before the deadline. Also, spend a lot of time with your SOP, have other people take a look at it and provide you with advice. Make sure you send your SOP to the people who are writing you a reference so that they can give you a much better SOP. Also, study for the GRE in advance. I only spent two days studying for it, and although I am happy with my results given how little I focused on it (I had a lot of other things going on) if you can demonstrate through your GRE that you are capable, it could, at least imo,make up for a lower GPA. I regret not having focused for a month or two on it, because I feel like I truly could have gotten a near perfect score (I am a fairly good test taker). 

[Tolchy]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): USC 
Previous Degrees and GPAs: 3.8, double major in International Relations and Econ
GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 162 / 162
Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 0!

I got accepted straight out of undergrad. I had however had 2 previous internships, a job on campus for 3 years, and a lot of involvement with a development org on campus working to build a bridge in Mali. Both of the internships were with professional orgs relevant to my career field. The job was as a program coordinator for a center on campus doing community outreach. The campus org I think helped show my passion for development and conflict and it gave me a lot to talk about in my SOP

Math/Econ Background: Econ major - I think ultimately this really helped especially with SAIS
Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): lots of language experience, but in terms of the language that is actually relevant to my field of study (french), I started learning it a year before I applied
Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International Development / Conflict Management
Long Term Professional Goals: US foreign policy to conflict affected states
Schools Applied to & Results: SAIS ($20k), GWU ($10k), SIPA, Fletcher - waitlisted, Yale Jackson - rejected
Ultimate Decision & Why: SAIS!!!!!!!!!! Conflict Management concentration, its in DC so I can get more professional experience while also going to grad school, and they gave me so much money I thought I was going to have a heart attack from happiness when I saw the e-mail

 

Important things that I think helped me get in: Internships, passion for development, quantitative background, and LORs

Advice for Future Applicants:

 

DONT BE AFRAID TO APPLY STRAIGHT OUT OF UNDERGRAD!

Everyone really really emphasizes work experience for grad school - implying it has to be full-time work experience after you graduate. WRONG. While schools do accept a very small percentage of students right out of undergrad, I think that is mostly due to the fact that we are SO pushed away from applying by all of the negativity. I thought I was wasting my time applying to SAIS, I really did. Being a senior IR major nowadays is so rough, getting a job in your career field (especially if its development) is near impossible and 2-3 years of work experience seems to be the ultimate Catch 22. You can't get into grad school without it, but you cant get a job without it. I think there are a lot of misconceptions out there about this. So many undergrads have incredible internships now, and I think these can really help you get into a great school. Of course, strong LOR and SOP is very important as well (I think my LORs helped me a lot as I had 2 professors who knew me well and my internship supervisor who is awesome). 

 

The end point of this long ramble is: IT IS WORTH IT TO APPLY!

If your goal is to go to grad school and you are ready to go to grad school, you should apply. It's worth a shot. Especially if you have internships, which so many of undergraduates do. Don't be afraid to apply to the top schools. I spent about 2 weeks of winter break cranking out all my apps. It's worth it to try for a top school because you never know... you could get in! Don't let yourself get beaten down by all the pessimism. So many of my friends with similar qualifications to me didn't try for grad school because they didnt think they could get in to a good one.

 

 

If any other undergrads thinking about applying to grad schools have questions or want advice, fell free to message me!

Edited March 28, 2013 by Tolchy

[flyingjellyfish]

 I was going to have a heart attack from happiness when I saw the e-mail

Yay, congrats!  

[MTJ]

DONT BE AFRAID TO APPLY STRAIGHT OUT OF UNDERGRAD!

Everyone really really emphasizes work experience for grad school - implying it has to be full-time work experience after you graduate. WRONG. While schools do accept a very small percentage of students right out of undergrad, I think that is mostly due to the fact that we are SO pushed away from applying by all of the negativity. I thought I was wasting my time applying to SAIS, I really did. Being a senior IR major nowadays is so rough, getting a job in your career field (especially if its development) is near impossible and 2-3 years of work experience seems to be the ultimate Catch 22. You can't get into grad school without it, but you cant get a job without it. I think there are a lot of misconceptions out there about this. So many undergrads have incredible internships now, and I think these can really help you get into a great school. Of course, strong LOR and SOP is very important as well (I think my LORs helped me a lot as I had 2 professors who knew me well and my internship supervisor who is awesome). 

 

The end point of this long ramble is: IT IS WORTH IT TO APPLY!

If your goal is to go to grad school and you are ready to go to grad school, you should apply. It's worth a shot. Especially if you have internships, which so many of undergraduates do. Don't be afraid to apply to the top schools. I spent about 2 weeks of winter break cranking out all my apps. It's worth it to try for a top school because you never know... you could get in! Don't let yourself get beaten down by all the pessimism. So many of my friends with similar qualifications to me didn't try for grad school because they didnt think they could get in to a good one.

 

 

If any other undergrads thinking about applying to grad schools have questions or want advice, fell free to message me!

 

Haven't made my final decision yet, but just want to give a quick +1 to this sentiment. If you have higher-than-average stats, good recommenders, and (very important) a clear enough idea of what you want from grad school to write a solid SOP, it's absolutely worth applying straight out of undergrad. I was fully expecting to only be accepted to one or two of the programs to which I applied, and to receive little to no funding. Things turned out much more positively than I expected, and my undergrad institution is barely top 100. 

[JFactor]

Haven't made my final decision yet, but just want to give a quick +1 to this sentiment. If you have higher-than-average stats, good recommenders, and (very important) a clear enough idea of what you want from grad school to write a solid SOP, it's absolutely worth applying straight out of undergrad. I was fully expecting to only be accepted to one or two of the programs to which I applied, and to receive little to no funding. Things turned out much more positively than I expected, and my undergrad institution is barely top 100. 

 

I agree with all of this completely. In addition to very good GPA/stats and internship experience, you need to have a pretty good idea what you want your focus to be/you're not just floating around. Then you have a chance of getting even into the top programs. Of course, even though I basically applied straight after undergrad (0.5 of work experience), I'm a little older (26 years old) and I have some military leadership experience from my home country etc. so my situation is a little bit different from a 22 year old American. But still, if you have 2+ relevant and substantive internships and good stats and LoRs, go for it. It's not impossible even though people strongly say you shouldn't do it. It all depends on whether you're mature enough and you know what you want to do.

[deadhead47]

Undergrad: Top 50 LAC (Top 10 in California)
GPA: 3.673 (expected to rise)

GRE; V: 150 Q: 156 AW: 4.0

WE: No work/intern experience. Some part-time jobs.

Econ Background: Intro to Econ; currently taking Macro

Language: Native Japanese, fluent English, intermediate Spanish, and beginner level French and Chinese.

Field of Study: International Econ and International Relations (Conflict Management or Strategic Studies)
Professional Goals: The private sector first to earn money and then to the multilateral.

Decision: SAIS MA Bologna - Quantitative skills and the location attracted me.

Advice: Make sure you have strong recommendation letters.

[Pinkman]

Hate to sound arrogant but looking at these threads and the SAIS acceptances, I really am shocked at not being admitted! Congrats to everyone though.

[soaps]

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

Previous Degrees and GPAs: 3.8, double major in International Relations and Econ

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 162 / 162

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 0!

I got accepted straight out of undergrad. I had however had 2 previous internships, a job on campus for 3 years, and a lot of involvement with a development org on campus working to build a bridge in Mali. Both of the internships were with professional orgs relevant to my career field. The job was as a program coordinator for a center on campus doing community outreach. The campus org I think helped show my passion for development and conflict and it gave me a lot to talk about in my SOP

Math/Econ Background: Econ major - I think ultimately this really helped especially with SAIS

Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): lots of language experience, but in terms of the language that is actually relevant to my field of study (french), I started learning it a year before I applied

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International Development / Conflict Management

Long Term Professional Goals: US foreign policy to conflict affected states

Schools Applied to & Results: SAIS ($20k), GWU ($10k), SIPA, Fletcher - waitlisted, Yale Jackson - rejected

Ultimate Decision & Why: SAIS!!!!!!!!!! Conflict Management concentration, its in DC so I can get more professional experience while also going to grad school, and they gave me so much money I thought I was going to have a heart attack from happiness when I saw the e-mail

 

Important things that I think helped me get in: Internships, passion for development, quantitative background, and LORs

Advice for Future Applicants:

 

DONT BE AFRAID TO APPLY STRAIGHT OUT OF UNDERGRAD!

Everyone really really emphasizes work experience for grad school - implying it has to be full-time work experience after you graduate. WRONG. While schools do accept a very small percentage of students right out of undergrad, I think that is mostly due to the fact that we are SO pushed away from applying by all of the negativity. I thought I was wasting my time applying to SAIS, I really did. Being a senior IR major nowadays is so rough, getting a job in your career field (especially if its development) is near impossible and 2-3 years of work experience seems to be the ultimate Catch 22. You can't get into grad school without it, but you cant get a job without it. I think there are a lot of misconceptions out there about this. So many undergrads have incredible internships now, and I think these can really help you get into a great school. Of course, strong LOR and SOP is very important as well (I think my LORs helped me a lot as I had 2 professors who knew me well and my internship supervisor who is awesome). 

 

The end point of this long ramble is: IT IS WORTH IT TO APPLY!

If your goal is to go to grad school and you are ready to go to grad school, you should apply. It's worth a shot. Especially if you have internships, which so many of undergraduates do. Don't be afraid to apply to the top schools. I spent about 2 weeks of winter break cranking out all my apps. It's worth it to try for a top school because you never know... you could get in! Don't let yourself get beaten down by all the pessimism. So many of my friends with similar qualifications to me didn't try for grad school because they didnt think they could get in to a good one.

 

 

If any other undergrads thinking about applying to grad schools have questions or want advice, fell free to message me!

 

It's really a question of whether it's in your interest to go straight to these programs without full-time work experience, not whether it's possible or not. How much is a public policy degree going to help you without any prior work experience? The average age of entrance is also 26 to 27, so I wonder how easily a 22-year old would fit in. 

[adollarninetynine]

He will learn how much it sucks to go to these programs without work experience when he is struggling to find a job or an employer who will touch him over someone who does have work experience.

[JFactor]

It's really a question of whether it's in your interest to go straight to these programs without full-time work experience, not whether it's possible or not. How much is a public policy degree going to help you without any prior work experience? The average age of entrance is also 26 to 27, so I wonder how easily a 22-year old would fit in. 

 

This is true to an extent, definitely. If I was an American and could get a job just with a BA (in Europe it's worthless, in the US there are visa difficulties etc.), that would definitely be my choice as well. But everyone's situation is unique so I'm wary of giving very general advice. As a general rule, yes, if you can work in the field in which you want to pursue your MA in, then seriously consider doing that because it's usually the smartest thing to do. But if your circumstances are different etc., don't think the general guidelines (you have no chance to get into a top program without full time work experience, you have no chance of getting a good job after MA without full time work experience etc.) are the ultimate truths. But if you don't have full time experience and decide to go the MA route, you really need to know what you're doing.

[cunninlynguist]

Not sure it's so simple.

 

One major element of employability will be the marketable skills and experiences you acquire in the program. If the degree ends up as a collection of classes with no substantive, real-world applicability, your employment prospects will suffer. However, if you land a good internship, participate in research, establish a strong network, connect with alumni, are involved in other professional activities, etc. you can sell yourself a lot better.

 

I agree generally, though -- the degree itself won't be a substitute for relevant experience. (Nor will experience always substitute for an advanced degree. If it's required for a position, you will be competing against other people with the necessary education).

[PrattIAFF]

I know that when I was researching programs a year ago, threads like this were really useful so I thought we should do one for next year's aspiring MPA/MPP/ID grad students.  You know the drill -

 

Previous Schools Middle Tennessee State University, Motlow State Community Collegy
Previous Degrees and GPAs: B.S. International Relations/B.A. Political Science (GPA - 3.7), A.S. Psychology (GPA - 3.4)
GRE Scores: Verbal - 159, Quant - 148 (w/o calculator.... would be funny if it weren't horrifying), Analytical - 5.5
Previous Work Experience: 2.5 yrs/ Internships in Washington, D.C. and abroad + Independent research for  months.
Math/Econ Background: Intro to micro/macro (6 credits, A/A)
Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Advanced Swahili, Elementary French
Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International Affairs, Security
Long Term Professional Goals: U.S. Foreign Service
Schools Applied to & Results: Accepted to all: Syracuse Maxwell (MAIR), Tufts Fletcher (MALD + $22k/yr), Georgetown (M.A. Government), Georgetown (MSFS + $10k/yr), American SIS (MAIA-CRS), George Washington Elliott School (MAIR + $15k/yr)

 

Also applied and was awarded the Rangel Fellowship ($20k/yr)

Ultimate Decision & Why: GWU Elliott School MA International Affairs:

Financial: Offered $15k/yr, which means a full ride with the Rangel Fellowship

Location: Heart of D.C.

Curriculum: Flexible MA, emphasis on professional skills, and courses are in evening allowing me to take advantage of all that D.C. has to offer during the day, more opportunities to network, and additional French language study.

V.S. other schools: After all considerations of what I want out of a graduate program, it became a choice of going to GWU for free or going to Georgetown for a total of $30k... Even though Georgetown has the prestige of being #1, I decided that the benefit of going there would not be much greater than GWU since I am going directly into the Foreign Service. $30k saved is $30k earned. Also, after speaking with Georgetown students, it sounds like they're drowning in academics, and aren't as plugged into the DC. community as other students... If Georgetown were also a full ride, or if I had to pay $30k for GWU, it might be a different story.

Advice for Future Applicants:

My advice would depend on what the applicant wants to do academically and professionally, but I would say that you should seek out strong recommendations, don't ever think that you're too overqualified to apply for internship positions, know the ins-and outs of what each graduate program offers, speak with current and former students of the program (go through the admissions office to ask if they can put you in contact with any of them, seek and apply for allllll sources of additional funding you can muster...

 

Feel free to contact me if you want some custom-made advice

Edited March 30, 2013 by PrattIAFF

[deadhead47]

This is true to an extent, definitely. If I was an American and could get a job just with a BA (in Europe it's worthless, in the US there are visa difficulties etc.), that would definitely be my choice as well. But everyone's situation is unique so I'm wary of giving very general advice. As a general rule, yes, if you can work in the field in which you want to pursue your MA in, then seriously consider doing that because it's usually the smartest thing to do. But if your circumstances are different etc., don't think the general guidelines (you have no chance to get into a top program without full time work experience, you have no chance of getting a good job after MA without full time work experience etc.) are the ultimate truths. But if you don't have full time experience and decide to go the MA route, you really need to know what you're doing.

Yeah, at least in Japan, most employers don't expect/require you to have any work experience.

Having MA first is a smarter option since you can get a better job without wasting a few years of your life earning $2,000 a month.

Then when you feel like quitting your job, you have some work experience already and can get a job elsewhere...but probably not in Japan since they tend to dislike those who quit their job.

[Blake091]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): University of Western Ontario 
Previous Degrees and GPAs: BA - Honors Specialization International Relations; Major Sociocultural Anthropology - 81% Average (~ 3.4GPA)
GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): N/A
Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 2010-2013 I worked in a Non profit on Campus initially in an administrative support role and then worked my way up to director of on campus fundraising. Also Completed an International Development Internship (3 Months) in rural Kenya through this Organization. 
Math/Econ Background: Intro Micro/Macro
Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Intermediate Level French 
Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International Affairs & International Security 
Long Term Professional Goals: Either Private National Security Firms OR the Canadian Government (DoD, DFAIT, etc.) 
Schools Applied to & Results: University of Calgary (Master Strategic Studies); Carleton University - NPSIA (MA International Affairs); University of Ottawa ( MA Public & International Affairs); University of Western Ontario (MA Canadian American Relations) 

Accepted to all, but still havent heard from Ottawa (its not near the top of my list)
Ultimate Decision & Why: University of Calgary (Master Strategic Studies) - I chose this program over the others for several reasons. First, it is extremely specific to the field I would like to study; Second, the program is quite small which I think will benefit my personal ambitions in the long run; Third, a paid Co-Op is possible once course work is completed; and lastly the funding package was PHENOMENAL, $18,000 for the first year with money also available by application for conference/research related travel. 

NPSIA, was initially my top choice however, I was placed in an International Development stream, which didn't align with my overall goals, and they also did not offer funding. Furthermore, on the website they did not specify a specific grade needed to fulfill the Economics requirement - had I known my grades from my first year of undergrad were not sufficient I would have retaken them at an earlier date, and at this time I am not in a position to do so. 
Advice for Future Applicants: Be in contact with the graduate advisors/administrators for each of your programs, they're there to help you through the application process and may tip you off to some hidden requirements of the program! 

[elohelay]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Large public state school in the South (think football = religion)

Previous Degrees and GPAs: Journalism and French (3.32 collectively - too lazy to remember the specifics, sorry)

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 159 V, 151 Q, 5 AW

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 1 year teaching English in France, 2 years in online marketing, currently about 6 months into a communications-related position at a local university. 

Math/Econ Background: 1 intro macroecon course in undergrad. This was by far the weakest feature of my application.

Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): BA in French with one summer study abroad and one year post-college teaching in France. I intend to apply this toward my regional concentration in European affairs.

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Global communications, technology, media strategy

Long Term Professional Goals: Media consultant and/or public affairs officer for an embassy or large IGO/NGO

Schools Applied to & Results: GWU Elliott for Global Comm. (accepted, $10k/year), American SIS for International Affairs (accepted, no funding), Denver Korbel for International Studies (accepted, no funding)

Ultimate Decision & Why: GWU Elliott for Global Communications. As anyone reading this may have gathered, I was not the perfect student nor an aspiring academic; I much prefer working in a professional setting, and from my research, GW offers the most well-balanced program with professional skills courses and academic rigor. Though I won't lie - since it was the only school that provided some funding, it made the decision easier. 

Advice for Future Applicants: Stop doubting yourself. As prestigious and "glamorous" as Hopkins, Georgetown, and all of these schools sound, they are by no means impossible to get in; there are plenty of testimonies scattered around this forum of those who didn't fit the "mold" of IR professionals or academics, and they still got in. Quit comparing your stats with whatever you see on these forums and others and just apply! I almost didn't apply at all because I believed for the longest time that I didn't have as strong of a background in econ; I'd been out of college for too long; my resume goes all over the place; thinking, "if these people with 3.9 GPA and Peace Corps experience are worried about getting in, I should just quit"; it's all crap - if you are passionate about this field and get excited over the courses you read about, for goodness sake, just fill out that application! I honestly regret somewhat not applying to SAIS or Georgetown. And as obvious as this last piece of advice may sound, highlight your SOP, especially if you're insecure about your stats; you can't do anything about those, but you can write and explain why you're still a viable candidate. Just do it!