An evaluation of my academic profile

[correlatesoftheory]

Greetings everyone.  As the title suggests, I was wondering if I could get an evaluation of my academic profile in light of the schools I intend to apply to, which I will list below. I have yet to finish my degree, and I intend to get some work experience after I graduate. Also, I am studying abroad at SciencesPo for the 2014 spring semester.

 

Prospective schools:

GWU Elliott (MA in International Affairs)

Georgetown Edmund Walsh School (MSFS)

American Univ. School of International Service (MA in International Affairs)

Columbia SIPA (MIA)

MIT (S.M. in Political Science)

University of Chicago CIR (MA)

Yale Jackson Institute (MA in Global Affairs)

Harvard Kennedy School (MPP)

Princeton Woodrow Wilson School (MPP)

Johns Hopkins SAIS (MA in International Affairs)

Cambridge University (MPhil in International Relations)

Oxford University (MPhil in International Relations)

SciencesPo PSIA (MA in International Security)

London School of Economics (Msc in International Relations)

 

University: Community college then transferred to top-ten public research university (UC Davis)

GPA: Comm. college--3.39; UC Davis--3.86; Major--3.81; Cumulative--3.63

Work experience: two years as a junior analyst at a small real estate firm

 

Undergraduate institution:  Community college then transferred to top-ten public research university (UC Davis)

Undergraduate GPA: Comm. college--3.39; UC Davis--3.86; Major--3.81; Cumulative--3.63

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 3.86

Undergraduate Major: International Relations (focus on Peace and Security)

 

Languages: French (intermediate, expecting to be proficient after I return from France)

 

Quant/Econ: Intro to macro and micro; I also intend to take precalculus and two “short-calculus” courses before I graduate.

 

Other:

• Completed an honors thesis, which I received an excellent grade on. It may also get published in the undergraduate research journal.

• My first two semesters at community college I went part time and received lower grades because of financial difficulties.  However, from my third semester on, my grades drastically improved.

• I think I’ll have strong letters of recommendation. My honors thesis adviser will most definitely give me a strong LOR, and I am confident the two other people I’m considering will give me strong LORs.

One question I have is will my mediocre performance at community college harm my chances of getting into these schools? Most of my professors that I have talked to have said this should not be a big deal, considering how I drastically improved my grades, especially in the courses that pertain to my major.

Second, how do I improve my profile? I understand that gaining work experience and some calculus courses are important. But beyond this, what can I do, considering I want to apply to such competitive institutions?

Final question: given my academic profile, and the competitive nature of each school I would like to apply for, am I basically screwed out of gaining admission to any one of these?

 

[TakeMyCoffeeBlack]

Sounds fine, but you're sure to get a better evaluation and advice from the government affairs section of Grad Cafe. This part of the forum is mostly interested in academic political science (Ph.D.s and research). For what it's worth, you sound like you're in good shape. Study for the GREs. Maybe start learning another language (if European, German, but otherwise consider Turkish, Arabic, Chinese, etc.).

[zudei]

If you're coming to Scpo for the spring semester, it really shouldn't be hard for you to get into PSIA afterwards. You have a good academic record as well. However, I am not so sure if you'd get financial aid, the program's quite competitive among international students and there are only so few Emile Boutmy scholarships available. Good luck, and enjoy Paris!