Chances of getting into a graduate school

[wanderlustskies]

So I'm currently in my last semester and appropriately freaking out. In Spring 2014 I'll be graduating with BA in International Studies. After thinking long and hard I think I've weeded out my three choices (right now) for Grad school:

 

1. Graduate Institute in Geneva (Cheaper than programs here in the states and located literally footsteps from the places where I would like to work)

 

2. Milano School of International Affairs- The New School (The program looked interesting but what are the stats on this school?)

 

3. Anyplace that has a application deadline after Jan 15th

 

 

Here is what I have to offer

 

2.9 (should be 3.0 by graduation) gpa, I"m taking 16 credit hours my last semester and retaking a class for grade forgiveness

1 year study abroad experience ( in which I made a 3.9 gpa in both semester but unfortunately that coursework does not affect my gpa, sadly)

Interning for 2 summers for a non profit organization in New York

Currently a Resident Adviser

Pursuing Arabic as a second language ( semi fluent)

Active board member of a school organization

*taking my GRE in about 16 days, aiming to do really well (thats the plan)

 

 

 

 

 

How good are my chances at getting into one of the programs of my choice and are there any other International Studies degree holders that have no idea about what to pursue their masters in? 

Thanks!!

[jjduval]

Hey bruh,

 

You and I have similar credentials and hurdles, so I'm going to give you my experiences so far. 

 

I'm 25, and graduated from a large, public university with a 2.68 GPA, and applied to graduate schools in my last semester at school. As an undergraduate, I studied Arabic for 2 years and spent a summer in Cairo. That's all I had, okay? You've got some extra credentials in there that'll make you more competitive than I was coming out of undergrad. Right now, I'm applying to GW's Elliott School and AU's School of International Service.

 

First piece of advice, homie? Go into the schools' websites and fish out those stats you need. In our field of study, most schools will never say outright what their required "stats" are. It's the most frustrating thing on this planet, but that's just how they do things. Instead, they'll say shit like "Oh, our admissions process is holistic," or "we look for well-rounded candidates who can fit in well." They will, however, almost always give a candidate profile. For example, they'll give an average age, average uGPA, average GRE scores, average years of work experience, etc. Use that to measure your odds.

 

Second piece of advice: I was just not competitive coming out of undergrad. That first round of rejections hurt, man. I don't know the specifics on the programs you're looking at, but I can close-to-guarantee that they'll be all about some relevant work experience or work abroad. Your foreign language creds will help a lot, but you may want to think about putting some time into the work sector. With my uGPA, that's what I've had to do.

 

I graduated from my university in 2010. Since then, I took a year of graduate level courses in International Affairs at my old university, worked for a year on the 2012 Presidential election, and am now teaching English in South Korea. I've had to pay my dues, but I'm also applying to some hot-shit programs.

 

Your last question is telling: when I graduated from college, I knew that I wanted an MA, but I didn't really know what in. My time in the workforce has given me some perspective on the world, and I now have a very specific interest in what I want to study. I'm sure you know that these schools ask for a Statement of Purpose in which you have to take all of your experiences and future plans and tie them together into a subject of interest. I hated hearing this shit when I was applying at first, but you may need some time outside of academia to figure out exactly what you want to do. Or not. I'm just some text on the webs, homie.

I hope this helps a little, bruh. It's good to know what you're getting into and what your odds will be. If you want it as bad as I do, you'll do anything to get it.

Edited December 18, 2013 by jjduval