How many is too many?

[HerrDBoo]

I posted this in the main thread and someone suggested to post it more specifically here. 

 

How many schools is too many when it comes to applying to IR programs? I have 12 on my list. Is this too many? Can it take away from me focusing more intensely on a few schools and thus hamper my applications?

 

Thoughts?

[Plate77]

I'd say the marginal cost of applying to more programmes is very low. Once you've done the top schools which require tailored answers to some specific questions, the rest is just a matter of modifications to your SoP. I don't think there is a chance of spreading yourself out too thin.

[hedong123]

12 seems a little high.  Why do you feel the need to apply to so many different programs?  So are you going to approach people for a LOR and have them submit it two 12 different programs?

 

My list is two.  I'm doing everything I can to ensure that my applications are tailored to each program, attending the open houses, asking the admissions office questions, etc.  I think that it's very important to not only show a genuine interest in the field, but also one in the program.  

[BurmeseAlien]

I knew of a girl who applied to 16 schools and she got into all of them. Needless to say, she had a really hard time deciding where to go.

 

She chose John Hopkins SAIS in the end. 

[HerrDBoo]

I knew of a girl who applied to 16 schools and she got into all of them. Needless to say, she had a really hard time deciding where to go.

 

She chose John Hopkins SAIS in the end. 

Seems like a good problem to have if you ask me!

 

Hedong, my opinion is that two is too few. I am definitely on the other end of the spectrum, so maybe somewhere in the middle is the best. 

[hedong123]

Hi Herr,

 

I'm only applying to two programs because I actually have a pretty decent job at the moment.  The only problem is that it's not in my field and I'm not passionate about it.  So the only way I feel I can justify leaving it is to get into a top program.  SAIS and SFS are the only programs that fit this requirement.  I know there are other great programs, but I don't want to relocate (I already live near DC).

 

If I already didn't have a decent job and grad school was my only option then I'd apply to six programs.  Two dream schools, two that I felt I was a competitive applicant and two safety schools.  12 seems pretty high...I'd look into them and eliminate a few to focus on the ones that I'd actually would want to go to.  But hey, if you have the time and energy to apply to 12 then go for it.

 

Care to share your list?  I'd be interested in seeing it.

[HerrDBoo]

Given that, I understand your reasoning. I wasn't trying to offend by any stretch. 

 

Like you, I want to go to a higher ranked program for sure (who doesn't?). Georgetown is my dream school. It's followed by GW, American, Fletcher and UT LBJ. Korbel, NYU, BU, Northeastern, Seton Hall (I'm from NJ and this school is right around the corner) and Maryland round out the list. These aren't in any particular order, more like clusters. The first are on the higher end, the next are in the middle and the last are lower tiered. I was teetering on Texas A&M as well.

 

I am open to any suggestions, thoughts, whatever.

Edited November 25, 2013 by HerrDBoo

[katethekitcat]

I think it matters why you're applying to each of the programs - is it because you absolutely love their program, or because you think you'll be admitted? In paranoia of not being accepted anywhere, I applied to ten schools. However, after recieving my first acceptance and thinking with a clearer head, I can take a step back and say there was never any chance of my attending at least 3/10 of those schools, even if it meant I had to wait another year and re-apply. I was just tacking them on to my applications because it was easy and I wanted to hear back from a university quickly. 

 

Personally, I don't think you can have too many "dream programs" - even if they're a stretch for your applicant profile, take the shot. The worst that happens is you lose an application fee. What you can have too many of is safety schools. You really only need two, maybe three - there's a reason they're safety. In the end, you can only go to one place - so unless you're truly passionate about every one of those 12 schools, is it worth the time? Are there any you'd be pretty apathetic about, regardless of what the acceptance/rejection e-mail says? Drop them.

[HerrDBoo]

Good points. I guess in my case, a school like Northeastern is probably one that I could get rid off. Their program for IR is in its first year and not that it CAN'T prepare me for a job in the field, but I believe even in comparison to the mid-tiered schools, it would not help as much. 

 

The number of schools I am applying to, and the caliber, also has something to do with the fact that I believe that I didn't push myself enough in undergrad. It's sort of personal thing that I need to accomplish. Either way, I think that it would be highly improbable (fingers crossed haha) that I could get rejected at all 10-12 and even striking out at ALL of my higher tiered schools. 

 

But hey, shoot high and see what happens, right?

[NPRjunkie]

Only about 6 public policy or IR schools are worth going to depending on whether you get funding. My opinion is that there should be no mid to lower tier "safety" schools in public policy if going to one poses a significant financial burden. The only ones that may (and I do say may) be worth a bit of a financial burden are top branded schools. The others--the other 6, whatever they may be--would almost certainly not be worth the financial burden if you get no aid.

 

It also depends on what you want to do. Applying to 12 seems to imply you'll take the best one you get into. That is faulty logic. It imposes a false dilemma: that you have to choose a school you were admitted to. Apply again until you get into a better program, hopefully with funding. GTown, HKS, Columbia, Tufts, and SAIS may be the only schools worth a bit of financial burden, but not an extravagant one (I exclude WWS because it poses no financial burden). It's almost silly considering even these programs with no financial aid, but the others you should definitely only consider with a serious scholarship/fellowship package.

Edited November 27, 2013 by NPRjunkie

[HerrDBoo]

Sage advice once again, NPRjunkie!

[BurmeseAlien]

Right now I am applying to three schools: SIPA, SAIS and GU. Of all schools, I am having the most trouble with SIPA.. compared with SAIS and GU, SIPA stretches farther from the two and seems more public policy oriented. I am thinking three schools is too little. I don't know! I am lost! Help!

[Kaneisha]

Hi Burmese,

 

If you are looking for a straightforward answer, I offer this: Apply to SIPA. You don't have to go, and as MPPGal always reminds us, it's a very low marginal amount of extra time and effort (and the application fee). I think you would keep questioning yourself and wondering, "What if?" if you didn't apply to SIPA. If you have the time and energy, go for it. Also - consider LBJ at UT Austin. I am biased though as an Austin native.

 

Kaneisha

 

Right now I am applying to three schools: SIPA, SAIS and GU. Of all schools, I am having the most trouble with SIPA.. compared with SAIS and GU, SIPA stretches farther from the two and seems more public policy oriented. I am thinking three schools is too little. I don't know! I am lost! Help!

[Jufarius87]

I think it depends on how badly you need to get the degree.

For example as a 26 year old military applicant with a cutoff age of 31, I have time before I have to goto ROTC. So I only applied to dream shools this year (HKS/WWS/SIPA/CIPA) knowing if I go 0/4 (yikes) I can beef up my work profile and try again with a few safeties a couple years down the road. Military is a rare beast though, but basically look at how badly you need a guaranteed spot in an MPP/MPA and apply accordingly.

[NPRjunkie]

Right now I am applying to three schools: SIPA, SAIS and GU. Of all schools, I am having the most trouble with SIPA.. compared with SAIS and GU, SIPA stretches farther from the two and seems more public policy oriented. I am thinking three schools is too little. I don't know! I am lost! Help!

 

All three of these schools are traditionally international affairs programs and have very little to do with "public affairs," a category for which there is very little definition/meaning in the first place. Columbia does not offer much outside international affairs within SIPA itself, but the school is amorphous with many departments/programs so you can customize your degree by availing yourself of the entire university (thus "public affairs" encompasses more at Columbia than what SIPA alone may offer in terms of its own courses). Its MPA and MIA differ little substantively. SAIS may offer the most narrow/limited choices since it lacks any real connection to the larger university community. I can speak from experience that I wish I had access to an interdisciplinary environment with however many departments, institutes, schools that were all in one location. GTown packages its degrees very differently (and thus preserves the illusory prestige of its MSFS program) but I'm not sure it offers any more/less in the "public affairs" category than SAIS or SIPA.

 

None of them are "public policy" programs in the same league as HKS or WWS. SIPA, GTown, SAIS, and Fletcher are all (really) international affairs programs that also masquerade as public affairs ones. That is why they are all unfairly disadvantaged on the US News rankings (or don't appear at all). Their Politics and International Affairs ranking provides a more accurate picture for traditional international affairs programs.

 

Hope that helps.

Edited December 12, 2013 by NPRjunkie