Government Affairs 2014 Wrap Up - Final Decisions

[Swedishcoffee]

Now that most people have received the majority of their decisions, I think it's time to start a wrap-up thread for those who are ready to contribute. I know in my decision-making process these past threads were enormously helpful to me (in fact, perhaps one of the most helpful resources during the application process).

 

 

 

The past threads helped me determine exactly where to aim my applications based on previous applicants' experience, and I did really well in my application cycle because of it.

 

So now for our turn. Be as specific or vague as you want, but whatever of the following information you are willing to give is immensely helpful to others. For the future students!

 

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:

Edited March 20, 2014 by Swedishcoffee

[Swedishcoffee]

I'll start:

 

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Big US state school
Previous Degrees and GPAs: Three majors and 4.0
GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 165/163/5.0
Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 2 years full time in pretty cool private sector job that gives me a lot of travel and responsibility, but unrelated to public service. Internships with State Dept, human rights org, and UN
Math/Econ Background: A few econ classes, but no math since high school
Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Highly proficient in one non-native language, basic skills in two others

Intended field of study: Masters
Long Term Professional Goals: Use my private sector skills in the public service. Particularly interested in human rights
Schools Applied to & Results: Harvard Kennedy (accepted), Tufts Fletcher (accepted), Columbia SIPA (accepted), Johns Hopkins SAIS (accepted), and Georgetown SFS (accepted)
Ultimate Decision & Why: Leaning toward Harvard Kennedy if all funding is basically equal, but I could still be swayed. HKS is my dream school, and I'm truly honored to have been accepted.
Advice for Future Applicants: I wrote my essays within a week or two of the applications coming out. That left three or four months for fine-tuning my narrative. I really recommend that. I also recommend working hard to get a good GRE score. Studying pays off (I personally am a fan of Manhattan prep), and high GREs is a quick way to improve your application. You can't change your undergrad GPA or get three extra years of work experience by the time you apply in the fall, but you can improve your GRE score with a few months of focus.

[MPAallday]

The previous two links didn't work so I went ahead and reposted them in workable links  :

[Swedishcoffee]

The previous two links didn't work so I went ahead and reposted them in workable links  :

 

Thank you!!

[TimB]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Syracuse (ranked 31 when I enrolled, in the 60's now)

 

Previous Degrees and GPAs: Psychology, 3.83

 

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): V 169/99th, Q 154 /57th, W 5.0/93rd

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 4, 2 years random work during the heart of the recession, 1 year with a large federal government agency (FEMA), 1 year in health policy in NC.

 

Math/Econ Background: stats, stats for the social sciences, research methods (all A's). Macro and econ grades at community college pending as I applied. 

 

Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): none

 

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International law, democratization, and national security

 

Long Term Professional Goals: Long: Policy adviser on senate/house committee relevant to foreign relations and/or national security, counsel at CIA, State Department, or NGO. Medium term: would like to return to FEMA, considering JAG, Foreign Service, private firm focused in security/int law.

 

Schools Applied to & Results: (2013) Columbia, admitted, NYU Wagner, admitted, The New School admitted, not enough $, reapplied. (2014) Duke, admitted with $, accepted.

 

Ultimate Decision & Why: Duke. I already live in Durham and it's the only place I applied in 2014. When I didn't get the funding I wanted at NYC schools and simultaneously had decided that I no longer wanted to live in NYC after 3 years there, I pretty much settled on Duke as my ideal target school. Coming from a middle class background and going to failing inner city schools, the concept of networking was totally out of my frame of reference as an undergrad. I know I'll do better making connections in a smaller program. Duke's small class size and excellent faculty in my area of interest sold me on attending. Moving to Durham just to maybe get accepted to Duke with adequate funding seems crazy I'll admit, but it ended up working for me. I'm also leaning more and more towards a JD/MPP so with UNC a top 30 law school, and Duke a top 10, there are two great options for me going that route.

 

Advice for Future Applicants: Really take your time in figuring out where you want to go and don't get too hung up on name brands. For me the chance to attend an Ivy almost overwhelmed my better judgement to the extent that I considered taking on $100k+ in 5.6% debt for a masters degree! That amount of debt would basically have made it impossible for me to work for a smaller non-profit, and if I still wanted a JD after that I would either have to compromise a lot on where I attended or take on over a quarter million in loans, not a good plan.

 

Apply to multiple schools! The funding I received is quite generous, but I'm not coming out debt free. When you let the school know you're only applying to that one program it kind of undercuts your bargaining position. I've since read of lots of people getting schools to raise their aid offers by showing them better offers from peer schools. It's worth the $75 application fee to expand your options and increase your bargaining power. 

 

Finally, don't write over dramatic personal statements (which I kind of did)! I just read an article on this from someone at UC Berkeley's Law adcomm talking about how they roll their eyes every time a SOP opens with action scenes and launches into a long narrative on how special you are. People in law (and government affairs) will never write like this in their careers. SOPs are not novels. By all means, lay out your reasons for wanting to go to school and include personal experiences as evidence, but with 50+% of people trying to make themselves sound like Indiana Jones, you probably want to lay off the narrative stuff because it will seem cliche to people who read SOPs for a living. 

Edited March 20, 2014 by TimB

[berriez]

What a great idea! I wish I had seen these threads when I was applying ...

 

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): top-5 for undergrad, large state school for grad

Previous Degrees and GPAs: interdisciplinary Bachelor's with heavy computer science/psychology slant, ~3.4; Master's in elementary education, ~3.8

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 164/168/5.5; submitted GMAT, too, since the total score was higher

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): almost 2 years as a teacher at a Title I school via Teach For America; previous internships in product management and software engineering at tech companies of all sizes, including a year as the product lead at an ed-tech start-up I co-founded

Math/Econ Background: lots of computer science and applied math/statistics courses in that field, some linear algebra and multivariable calculus, introductory micro/macro

Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): basically fluent in one non-native language, elementary in two more

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: MPP/MBA

Long Term Professional Goals: domestic social policy, particularly with regards to education and labor policy

Schools Applied to & Results: HKS (funding pending), GSPP (tuition + stipend), Harris (half), Ford ($20k); somehow got lucky and got in everywhere I applied

Ultimate Decision & Why: The choice is coming down to HKS and GSPP, and it will depend somewhat on funding. But regardless of funding outcomes, I'm leaning toward HKS for the diversity of its network and an opportunity to be somewhere new. (I've been a West Coast kid my whole life!) The decision is far from solidified, however. I'll be using the upcoming admit days to help nudge me one way or the other.

Advice for Future Applicants: Start writing those SOPs early! I started in the summer, and even then, I found my mission statement wavering up until pretty much the last available moment. Also, be careful in choosing your recommendation providers. I won't get into the details, but let's just say that I lost out on an MBA program I really liked because one of my providers didn't deliver until considerably after the deadline despite a bunch of reminders ...

[quincepessa]

For the future students!    (And many thanks to everyone who shared their info in past years -  it was so, so helpful.)

 

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Yale
Previous Degrees and GPAs: BA Political science & religious studies 3.28; started but did not finish MA in theology at UChicago Divinity School
GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 170v 163q 5.0aw
Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 8+ years as political organizer for domestic nonprofit; 3 years in the Peace Corps in West Africa
Math/Econ Background: Multi-vari calc and micro econ in college; took macro this summer & studying stats at community college right now to prepare
Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): strong French; a little Djoula (west-african language) for fun
Intended Field of Study in Grad School: international development
Long Term Professional Goals: I'd like to work in international development either via the government or an intl non-profit. Probably focusing on Africa.
Schools Applied to & Results: Princeton - WWS (nope); Syracuse-Maxwell (yes +generous full ride); UW-Evans (yes + small funding); CMU - Heinz (yes + nice funding); Fordham IPED (yes + waitlisted for funding)
Ultimate Decision & Why: I'm headed to Syracuse. The funding is top priority for me, as we're expecting a baby this summer. I cannot believe we're going to be able to do this without (more) massive debt. I also think Maxwell's dual MPA/MAIR is a good match for what I want to learn, and that my wife and I will really enjoy being in a smaller city for the next few years.
Advice for Future Applicants: As above - start early! I think it really helped that I took an econ class this summer and could report getting an A in my applications.

 

I was terrified that my early misadventure in grad school (dropping out of divinity school) would be held against me, but being able to explain clearly why it happened, and how that experience pushed me towards public service, seems to have worked.

 

I think I would also add - know your priorities when you apply to school. For me, it was funding, so I applied only places I thought I could get funding. I also didn't want to burnout my recommenders with more than 5-6 applications, so I tried to be really targeted in deciding where to apply. Other folks seem to have applied to more, but I felt like narrowing my choices helped me make those applications as good as possible.

 

And lastly - good luck to all!

[TimB]

Congrats, Syracuse is in a lovely part of the country with the Adirondacks near by. Just make sure to purchase a snow-shovel by mid-September

[TeeCo10]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Grinnell College (Small private liberal arts college)

Previous Degrees and GPAs: B.A. Political Science, ~3.57 

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 164/156/4.5

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): Part-time job in high school, part-time job sophomore-senior year of college, summer full-time unpaid internships for the Iowa Senate Democratic Research Staff and Democracy for America (PAC), abroad 6-week full-time internship in the House of Commons working for the Scottish National Party  

Math/Econ Background: calculus I, stats, Principles of Economics (how Grinnell does intro econ, one semester combined macro/micro), Intermediate Microeconomics 

Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Intermediate (though fallen by the wayside) ability in Spanish, one year into Russian which will be my focus in my career (attending immersion program this summer and will be taking classes in grad school), one semester of Danish 

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: M.A. International Affairs (or some variation)

Long Term Professional Goals: State Department/Foreign Service/private sector working with Russia, United States foreign policy, and defense policy

Schools Applied to & Results: SIPA (reject), SAIS (reject), Elliott (reject), GT MSFS (assuming r), SIS (A), Boston University (A), Fletcher (W). No funding, yet.

Ultimate Decision & Why: Decision coming between SIS and BU. SIS better fit, far cheaper than BU. If BU offers me a grad assistantship with a good faculty member in a later round of aid, I'll choose them. If Fletcher, in a timely manner, admits me off the wait-list and offers me aid to make them the cheaper option, I'll choose them. Money is guiding me, but I will be evaluating whether or not I'm willing to go into more debt for a better program.

Advice for Future Applicants:

 

If grad school is your dream right out of undergrad, you can do it.

1. Start early.

2. If you're right out of undergrad, barring some amazing achievements (experience/GPA/GRE/language), don't expect funding and apply to as many outside sources as you can as early as you can.

3. You might get some pretty harsh R's, but none of them mean your life is over--even if they're all R's.

4. Have as many people as you can read over your personal statement.

5. You may not have the amount of experience that others do going into the cycle, but it's all about how you frame and sell yourself to the AdComm. Be realistic (because this process costs a lot of money, time, and mental energy), but don't be entirely self-defeating. However, if you are by all objective measures grossly under-qualified for some programs (as I was for many), be realistic about it. If you think you can sell it, go for it. But if you can't, apply somewhere else where you have a better shot at admission--and ergo, funding. 

6. Don't waste money on applying to schools that aren't a good fit (GT MSFS/SIPA) just for the name. You can make your program work for you and reflect as a high a quality education as you would receive at another school. 

Edited March 20, 2014 by TeeCo10

[jerbear]

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

Previous Degrees and GPAs: B.A., Political Science, 3.7

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 165(V), 161(Q), 5(AW)

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 3.5+ years at one org, the National Endowment for Democracy. Foundation that supports democracy abroad by funding civil society organizations.

Math/Econ Background: Stats for poli sci, intro micro

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: MPP concentrating on program evaluation and analysis (with an int'l development, foreign affairs angle).

Long Term Professional Goals: evaluating and conducting oversight of democracy assistance, foreign affairs policies and programs

Schools Applied to & Results: Georgetown MSPP (accepted with $30k/year), GWU Trachtenburg (accepted, 80% funding +$16,000 GAship), Maryland SPP (accepted, full funding), AU MPP (accepted, no funding), GMU MPP (waiting...)

Ultimate Decision & Why: I'm still making my decision (will update this post later). It's down to GWU vs. Georgetown. I'm asking Georgetown for more money and if they come back to me with more than 80% funding, I'll decide on the merits of the two programs. It seems like Georgetown has more electives, the student body is more cohesive, and I like the fact that there are policy research centers and lot of events. However, I get the feeling that career services may be better at GW. Going to the admitted student's days to get more info.

Advice for Future Applicants:

GRE: start studying early, early, early. I started late (October) and was pressed for time in November (took my first test in late Nov and had to sign up for the second testing just in case, thus losing money when I canceled my second test). Not worth the stress. The Manhattan Prep books are excellent I think, but even better were the many practice tests that came with it. Study, take the ETS practice test, study more, take the Manhattan tests, study, then take the second ETS test one last time before you take the GRE for real.

 

SOP: Give yourself time for this, but start out with the school with the smallest word limit to help you focus your thinking. Then expand the essay out for schools that give you more space. Once you are happy with the drafts, send it to some trusted friends but honestly, resist the urge to keep tinkering with it until the deadline.

 

Preparation: If you are still in college, make sure you are boned up on quant. It is one of my big worries. If you really wanna get a lot out of the quant side of an MPP degree, some good preparation and background will allow you to delve deep into the topic instead of just playing catch-up.

 

Fin aid: I took the advice of some of the posters from last year (HillDog2016, I think) and went back to Georgetown for more money. We'll see if it works, but the admissions department was very much receptive to my asking and are "advocating for me" in front of the scholarship committee. This is a truncated draft of my email (I don't know how good it is, but I know I really wanted an example when I was drafting this):

 

Hello,

 

I was very excited when I learned of my admission to the MPP program at Georgetown. I was even more encouraged by the offer of $15,000 in the form of a graduate tuition scholarship for each of my first two terms of school.

 

Though I know it's likely that there are qualified admitted students marked as alternates for funding, I am wondering if there are additional scholarships I qualify for. If there are not any right now, can you give me a sense of the timeline, and when you will know about additional funding?

 

I'm emailing because, from the outset, Georgetown has been my program of choice. However, GW's Trachtenburg School, another one of my top programs, gave me the equivalent of full funding for the cost of the program, in addition to a graduate assistantship. Though Georgetown remains my top program, the difference in cost, even after your generous initial offer, makes my decision much harder.

 

Please let me know if I can send on any documentation that may be helpful for you or if I should forward this email to another department. I'm eager to learn more about the MPP program at Georgetown, especially on the April 4th admitted student's day.

[saffron238]

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

Previous Degrees and GPAs: BA Psychology, 3.72
GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 164v 159q 4.5aw
Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 2 yrs in the Peace Corps in West Africa, 2 yrs in development at an int'l school, 2 yrs teaching English in Japan, 2.5+ yrs working in development/communications at a domestic nonprofit; 

Math/Econ Background: Calc and stats in college, studying microecon now to prepare
Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): advanced level French and Pulaar, adv-intermediate level German, low-intermediate Japanese, some Italian
Intended Field of Study in Grad School: nonprofit management
Long Term Professional Goals: domestic nonprofit program management 

Schools Applied to & Results: NYU Wagner (accepted, no funding), New School (accepted, 40% tuition reduction), Penn Fels (accepted, $8500 scholarship), UVermont (waiting to hear, but likely accepted), Monterey Institute (accepted, waiting to hear on funding), UW Evans (accepted, in-state tuition+stipend)
Ultimate Decision & Why: Depends on funding at the remaining schools, but UW is the front runner for now. Money is a big factor for me.
Advice for Future Applicants: I'll second "know your priorities" - if it's funding, research where you are most likely to get the most funding, if it's program, research the exact curriculum of each school and see if it meets your needs, if it's jobs/internships, research where the most (of your ideal) jobs are, and apply to schools in that city/region, where the school is likely to have good connections.

 

Good luck!

[S.E.]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): top university in my home country, double diploma program with a liberal arts college in US

Previous Degrees and GPAs: International relations and political science, 3.81/4.00
GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 160/159/4.5

TOEFL: 116
Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): right out of undergrad, over 2 years as a part-time translator, semester-long internship at a conflict resolution NGO in NYC, research assistanship position at my university for a year

Study abroad: Semester in NYC, summer language study in Germany
Math/Econ Background: calculus, microeconomics, quantitative methods, history of economic thought, international political economy
Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): my native language, fluent English and intermediate German
Intended Field of Study in Grad School: international relations, concentration in conflict resolution and/or humanitarian assistance
Long Term Professional Goals: think-tank job, PhD 
Schools Applied to & Results: Josef Korbel, DU (full tuition scholarship and an RA position), SIS, American University (RA position), Milano, New School (60% tuition scholarship), Fletcher, Tufts University (waitlisted), Global Affairs, Yale University (rejected)
Ultimate Decision & Why: Josef Korbel, the program perfectly fits my academic interests, amazing funding, and location (for personal reasons)
 

[Shelton]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Mid-Atlantic medium size state school, mid-tier

 

Previous Degrees and GPAs: BA w/ Distinction in International Relations, BS in Economics; overall GPA 3.77

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 158 V, 158 Q, 5.5 W

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): Applied directly out of undergrad, so no formal work experience. During the latter two years of undergraduate studies, I worked as an Get-Out-The-Vote/Operations Coordinator for a State Senator.

 

Math/Econ Background: Plenty of economics courses due to degree; Calc I & II; and basic Statistics courses.

Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Fluency (speaking only) in Mandarin, intermediate (reading/writing) in Spanish

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: MPP- interest in the intersection between Economic Development policy and Human Rights (specifically women's & LGBT) policy.

Long Term Professional Goals: Medium-term: Relocate abroad  to find a position with an IGO or NGO that operates on the ground working with indigenous organizations in improving their infrastructure to better advocate for human rights reforms.

Long-term: Management in larger organizations such as UN, USAID, etc.

 

Schools Applied to & Results: Georgetown McCourt (accepted, no funding), Michigan Ford (accepted, 10k fellowship),  Chicago Harris (accepted, half-tuition scholarship), London School of Economics (accepted- MSc Gender, Policy, & Inequalities), Harvard Kennedy (rejected), Berkeley Goldman (rejected)

Ultimate Decision & Why: Will defer because I accepted an offer with Teach for America starting this summer. That being said, I will likely defer Chicago in the hopes that in two years I will receive a similar or better aid package. I plan on reapplying to Georgetown, Berkeley, and LSE in two cycles to see if I can gain admission/receive more aid the next time around. At the same time, the fact that my teaching experience with TFA might potentially change my career path isn't lost on me, so this could all change.

Advice for Future Applicants: 1) Don't be afraid to go big when applying for graduate school. With no work experience, I was fully ready to receive only rejection letters from every school I applied to...and that didn't happen!

 

2) Have many, many, MANY people your Personal Statements. From friends to professors to advisors. You'll go through dozens of iterations of each statement-which is just another reason you need to start early. Be real, be direct, and be specific...there's no need to try to make everything into some monumental or moving story, sometimes you just need to tell it like it is. In the end, you do need a narrative or theme that ties your entire application together and drives home to those reading it, why you exactly you are applying for graduate school and what attending that specific program will do you help you achieve your career goals.

 

3) The GRE is absolutely beatable. Goes without saying that it's beneficial to start studying early. I did not take my advice and made a lackluster effort at studying which is reflected in my mediocre scores; but if you put in the time, you can certainly do very well.

 

4) School is not cheap. Don't rest your hopes solely on internal funding/scholarships from the schools you apply to. Look for external funding and scholarships! It takes a simple google search to find scholarships that you could qualify for due to ethnic, economic, etc. background. An example would be the Point Scholarship for LGBT applicants. Go to your department or advisor b/c they will certainly have some information on outside scholarships to apply for!

[gwualum4mpp]

Previous Schools GWU
Previous Degrees B.A., Philosophy and Political Science, 3.69
GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 155 V, 153 Q, 4.5 AWA
Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 2 years as an education policy and research specialist for urban schools in DC; 1 year working for UT Austin via Americorps VISTA, expanding a pre-college program in Title I schools

Math/Econ Background: Pre-Cal, Survey of Econ, and Micro courses in local community college while working
Foreign Language Background: Native Spanish, Beginner French
Intended Field of Study in Grad School: MPP focusing on program evaluation and policy analysis
Long Term Professional Goals: Professionally research and address effects of school district programs and practices, ultimately assisting in improving school district infrastructure (to better tack disparities in our education system). Increasingly considering PHD
Schools Applied to & Results: GWU Trachtenberg MPP (admit), UT LBJ MPAff (admit), Berkeley Goldman MPP (admit), NYU Wagner MPA-PNP (admit), Georgetown MSPP MPP (waitlist), Columbia SIPA MPA (waitlist)
Ultimate Decision & Why: Berkeley MPP! Their program is the highest ranked in policy analysis and one of the most affordable schools I applied to.

My strategy was to aim high and just wait to see what my options would be. Once I started getting results though, compatibilities (or lack thereof) became pretty obvious. SIPA used to be a dream for me - the prospect of joining a highly international student body (and possibly earning a second degree abroad via GPPN) was appealing. Barring that I was waitlisted, I realized that a regimented MPP program like Goldman’s, with it’s strength in social policy, better aligns with my professional interests than an MPA at SIPA.

Advice for Future Applicants:

 

With applying, I only wish I hadn’t procrastinated those SOPs. I did write early versions, but somehow on the due date I found myself sweating trying to get my “perfect” SOP on time, which was stressful. Also:

 

Prospective Goldman-ers – Use this service! http://gspp.berkeley.edu/student-life/gspp-student-groups/students-of-color-in-public-policy-scipp I had a Q&A sesh on the phone with a Goldman student to frame my SOP, and later had another student look over my SOP and she was incredibly nice and thorough. Interestingly, I did not mention or credit SCIPP in my SOPs due to time constraints (see above)

 

Prospective Wagner-ers – Don’t skip the video essay. It was the most painful application component, but I know it helped because the NYU SOP was my worst. Just do it. I used a free trial of final cut pro X for mine, which did the job.

 

Undergrads - do your best to think ahead, but do not rush it either. You are capable of more than you think! Hang around people whom you admire, and who remind you of this as well. Definitely stay in touch with superiors and mentors.

 

*Edit* I forgot to mention that the best advice I was given is to make sure your entire application fits into a neat concise package. I had each recommender represent a different aspect 1) professional 2) academic 3) volunteer and asked that they emphasize this, pointing to parts in my SOP they could address. I made sure that each part of my application added something new. I heard this in the HKS and SIPA blogs which became a great source of suggestions and advice for crafting a good application package.

Edited March 24, 2014 by gwualum4mpp

[ddittmar]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Big state school
Previous Degrees and GPAs: B.A. in Political Science (3.7), B.A. in Economics (3.5)
GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 160/155/5.0
Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): Six years in local government
Math/Econ Background: A B.A. in Econ, with lots of statistical analysis and econometrics. Service learning economic analysis of a county in my state for my ECON capstone. 
Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Not as applicable, but intermediate in French.
Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Master's of Public Administration 
Long Term Professional Goals: City Management
Schools Applied to & Results: CU Denver (AMPA), University of Washington Evans (MPA), Portland State (MPA), University of Oregon (MPA)--Accepted into all. 
Ultimate Decision & Why: University of WA, this program was my top choice for the location and funding.
Advice for Future Applicants: Be certain about what you want to do! I'm going in straight from my undergraduate, and four years ago I was certain I would go into IR. After sampling other courses I found a passion for PA, as well as mentor who has been instrumental in helping me to find focus. Grad school is too expensive and too important to not be sure. Good luck everyone!

[CarefreeWritingsontheWall]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Tier 1 Canadian University, top 25 in the world.

Previous Degrees and GPAs: Joint Honors Political Science/History, CGPA: 3.72 Poli GPA: 3.9

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 154/149/5* (See Explanation Below)

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 1.5 years formal RA work with a top ranking researcher/professor.

Math/Econ Background: Basic statistics/quantitative methods, economics minor at the undergraduate level

Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Fluent in French, basic Italian knowledge

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International Trade Law/Financial Crises. This tends to fall under an International Law concentration, or an International Relations degree with a concentration in international political economy. Different schools organize it differently.

Long Term Professional Goals: Originally considered trade law and policy analysis to be my route of choice, that is a more practically oriented career.

Schools Applied to & Results: Georgetown MSFS, Johns Hopkins SAIS and Graduate Insitutute Geneva - Rejected from all schools.

Ultimate Decision & Why: Staying at my undergraduate institution for an MA program (likely fast-tracked) before applying again for Fall 2015 or 2016.

Advice for Future Applicants:

 

Oh boy where do I start. I think the first thing I can say here is that I'm surprisingly not upset (though perhaps that will come later). I really only decided to pursue a graduate degree last April. I had been recruited as a research assistant for one of my professors earlier in the year. Discussions with him, and the research process itself, made me reconsider staying in school beyond my BA. Come May I knew I had to write my GRE, but I was also lined up to do RA work remotely from home on top of a full time retail job. Looking back, I realize now the combination was pretty toxic. My retail job would not allow me to prioritize anything else, but I couldn't walk away from it because of financial needs. I also walked into it thinking my manager would be someone else. Come June I signed up for a basic 'at your own pace' Kaplan prep course and set my test date for late August. I started studying in June, but my work was again derailed by my retail job. By the end of June those hours pittered out, but I began to have personal problems crop up. July I traveled, and studied hard. My test date was just after the middle of August. I buckled down, cut my retail hours down to ~11 a week. RA work dissipated (prof knew I was set to write ad was traveling himself). The week of my GRE test date, however, my aunt had a breakdown and was hit hardest by her depression for the first time in some years. My Mum leaned on me for support as we helped her sister. At the same time my best friend had a personal crisis and breakdown, and as a result I was fielding phone calls and messages every hour at least, if not more so. I considered moving my test date, but as I was returning to school and starting my final year of undergrad, I decided I could handle it. I crammed, I practiced. I did everything right and was confident going in. Right after I submitted my second essay there was a power outage to the building, however, and while it came back on immediately my computer took 35 minutes to restart. All the while I had to follow procedures, stay put, and remain silent. I am going to be honest here: I panicked. As a result, my essay writing score was a 5 with really limited effort, and my Verbal and Quanitative scores suffered as a result. I knew my focus was shot right away, but I couldn't afford to re-write the test, nor did I have the time to (I would have to schedule it 30 days from then by my university). I submitted my scores and walked away from it. I thought the rest of my application could make up for it, and I was (at the time) considering schools that didn't need the GRE. I was also told by my thesis advisor and professors that they could, to a degree, explain the results in their LORs. I didn't think much of it after it happened, just that it was an absolute nightmare of an experience. Looking back on it now, I realize it was detrimental to apply to the programs I did with scores like mine.

 

So, my advice to people who have to write the GRE is to run through practice tests like none other. I focused on timed sections (I would run through a fake quant section timed etc.) not full tests which left me unprepared for the actual exam. It helps you get used to how long it is. At the same time, I would also suggest taking it twice, because the actual experience of writing it in that test center was extremely unnerving. That said, it's a test you can master (as others have said) so I will be preparing for it again and writing it a second time this summer.

 

My second bit of advice is that for a practical program, experience counts. By experience, I mean travel and work experience (study credits abroad, a month in a different country, formal internships, jobs etc.) I lacked this and had thought my research assistant work counted toward that. At the end of the day, my research work came off as more academic. This is not to say that you cannot get in without this (some people go straight through) but I think it does help your application, particularly to programs like SFS and SAIS which are practically oriented, not academically.

 

Third, I think that when it comes to applying for these programs you really have to ask yourself if you want to work in a practical capacity, or an academic one. I was directed to these programs by people I spoke to about graduate school options precisely because I told them I felt I wanted a more hands on approach to policy. Looking back at myself and the things I've done, it's evident to me that I may be more academically oriented. I really love the reseach process, as well as writing papers (including my senior thesis this winter). As a result, I know that come next year I will be applying to more academically oriented degrees, and perhaps a few PhD programs because research may be the end game for me. Still, at the end of the day not knowing what you want is fine as well. Who is supposed to when they're 21? Or at any age for that matter. Not getting into these programs may be a blessing in disguise (as much as it's painful to know how much I've spent on the whole process). I think it also shows that having top practictioners and even alumni from the schools in question behind you does not mean everything. Given how holisitic the review process for applications is in the US, I think it's important to consider each component of your application individually, while understanding that some weaknesses are a given. In my case, my LORs and Academics were above average, but they could only compensate for so much. My GRE scores are very weak compared to the likes posted on this board. My lack of experience drags me down further. But drive and the motivation to try again is everything. So bottom line, don't rejection hinder you for a second.

[garlica]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier):State school
Previous Degrees and GPAs: BS in Economics, 3.45
GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing):V-167 Q-153 AW-3.5
Previous Work Experience (Years, Type):While I was an undergraduate I had a research assistant position at my University's school of government. I also did an internship and a nonprofit in SE Asia, and an internship and an environmental policy nonprofit. During my year out of school I am an Americorps VISTA
Math/Econ Background: Econ undergraduate major, Calc I-III, linear algebra (but I got a C-), econometrics, statistics I & II
Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program):None, sadly
Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Environmental Policy- with a focus in conflict resolution and collaborative governance
Long Term Professional Goals:Government, Nonprofit, consultants...maybe Phd?. Whereever I can work on collaborative governance around common pool resources
Schools Applied to & Results:

Oregon State University- Accepted with $$$$- Attending (probably)

Indiana University- Accepted with $$

University of Michigan- They accepted me but gave me $3k, which is kind of a joke compared to their astronomical tuition

University of Oregon-MA Environmental Studies- Rejected

York University- MA Environmental Studies-Rejected
Ultimate Decision & Why:

It was really hard deciding between Indiana and OSU. Indiana has such a great reputation and my hero Elinor Ostrom's Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis is housed there. They gave me a generous offer, graduate assistantship with 50% off tuition, but it would still mean a significant increase in my student debt burden. When it comes down to it I want to choose post-grad school job based on it being a badass position, not because I need the highest paying job position possible to make my higher-than-rent student loan payments.  On the plus side for OSU, I love living the the northwest and want to get a job out here after grad school. Oregon State may not have the name recognition as Indiana because it's a new program but it does have a lot of great resources. 
Advice for Future Applicants:

1. Start early!

2. Don't underestimate how annoying seemingly mundane application tasks can become. Professors that you take for granted will write you a recommendation can take months to respond to your email (or not respond at all even after you leave them a message on their phone! At least send a email declining, jeez). The GRE is a torture device, study up and get it done early. 

3. I'm really glad I didn't go straight to grad school. Americorps made me realize that I wanted to go in a less academic, more real world direction.

[ohmyohme]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Public school, not that great
Previous Degrees and GPAs: Philosophy major + philosophy minor, cum. 3.29, major 3.5, minor 3.6
GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 159 V, 160 Q, 4.5 AW
Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 1 year teaching + travel in Latin America, Peace Corps China
Math/Econ Background: None really
Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Intermediate-advanced Spanish, intermediate oral/written Mandarin
Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International development
Long Term Professional Goals: Analysis/evaluation of development policy
Schools Applied to & Results: Columbia SIPA - accepted (no $), Fordham IPED - accepted (waitlisted for $), Georgetown MSPP - accepted ($17.5/year), Johns Hopkins SAIS - accepted ($15k/year)
Ultimate Decision & Why: Georgetown was my top choice as their program focuses on development policy as opposed to project development. They provided me a nice scholarship which definitely was encouraging.
Advice for Future Applicants:

-First and most important, don't be afraid to apply to top tier schools even if your GPA/GRE scores are mediocre. Mine were, at best and I focused my efforts on developing international experience to make up for that.

-That being said, you can retake individual portions of the GRE. If you're satisfied with one section but not the other, you can study for a retake just that section; and believe me, it's easier to focus for two hours on one section than retaking the whole test! 

-Write your personal statements early! I started mine six months before the deadlines and I still felt like I was rushing to make final edits in the weeks and days before I hit submit.

-Tailor your statements to each program. Some of my friends applied to similar programs but didn't bother rewriting their statements except for the final paragraph. It showed in their admission results. Schools can tell whether you write each essay for their school and it can often make a difference, or seems to anyway.

-With your statement, address any negatives in your application positively. Instead of pointing on my crappy cumulative GPA, I pointed out that I received exceptional marks in my major and minor courses and often in graduate level seminars and those were most indicative of the level of work I am both capable of and determined to complete at XXXX. Most applications allow you to address any extra parts of your application that don't reflect you at your best. Take advantage of it.

 

Good luck! Hope to see some of you this fall!

[MJA87]

 

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Public school, not that great

Previous Degrees and GPAs: Philosophy major + philosophy minor, cum. 3.29, major 3.5, minor 3.6

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 159 V, 160 Q, 4.5 AW

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 1 year teaching + travel in Latin America, Peace Corps China

Math/Econ Background: None really

Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Intermediate-advanced Spanish, intermediate oral/written Mandarin

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International development

Long Term Professional Goals: Analysis/evaluation of development policy

Schools Applied to & Results: Columbia SIPA - accepted (no $), Fordham IPED - accepted (waitlisted for $), Georgetown MSPP - accepted ($17.5/year), Johns Hopkins SAIS - accepted ($15k/year)

Ultimate Decision & Why: Georgetown was my top choice as their program focuses on development policy as opposed to project development. They provided me a nice scholarship which definitely was encouraging.

Advice for Future Applicants:

-First and most important, don't be afraid to apply to top tier schools even if your GPA/GRE scores are mediocre. Mine were, at best and I focused my efforts on developing international experience to make up for that.

-That being said, you can retake individual portions of the GRE. If you're satisfied with one section but not the other, you can study for a retake just that section; and believe me, it's easier to focus for two hours on one section than retaking the whole test! 

-Write your personal statements early! I started mine six months before the deadlines and I still felt like I was rushing to make final edits in the weeks and days before I hit submit.

-Tailor your statements to each program. Some of my friends applied to similar programs but didn't bother rewriting their statements except for the final paragraph. It showed in their admission results. Schools can tell whether you write each essay for their school and it can often make a difference, or seems to anyway.

-With your statement, address any negatives in your application positively. Instead of pointing on my crappy cumulative GPA, I pointed out that I received exceptional marks in my major and minor courses and often in graduate level seminars and those were most indicative of the level of work I am both capable of and determined to complete at XXXX. Most applications allow you to address any extra parts of your application that don't reflect you at your best. Take advantage of it.

 

Good luck! Hope to see some of you this fall!

 

 

Thanks for the advice, especially about not being afraid to aim high when applying.

 

Is the portion I made red in the quote true? I've never heard of this and it would be HUGE for me. I've only seen the full test offered, how were you able to only retake only one section?

[bktz]

Thanks for the advice, especially about not being afraid to aim high when applying.

 

Is the portion I made red in the quote true? I've never heard of this and it would be HUGE for me. I've only seen the full test offered, how were you able to only retake only one section?

 

I am pretty sure this is NOT true. You have the option of sending schools your scores from a test you took one day and not another time (meaning there's no disadvantage to retaking the test), but you send them the scores from one single day, not section-by-section. 

[ohmyohme]

Thanks for the advice, especially about not being afraid to aim high when applying.

 

Is the portion I made red in the quote true? I've never heard of this and it would be HUGE for me. I've only seen the full test offered, how were you able to only retake only one section?

 

 

I am pretty sure this is NOT true. You have the option of sending schools your scores from a test you took one day and not another time (meaning there's no disadvantage to retaking the test), but you send them the scores from one single day, not section-by-section. 

 

I took the GRE three times and did exactly what I mentioned. The first time was during my junior year of undergrad when I took the entire test, and I took it again twice four years later (first time all 3 sections, the second time only the Q section). You have to pay for the entire test but you do NOT have to take the entire test. You "skip" the sections of the test you do not want to take. You take each part within the section of the test you want, ie all 2-3 Q sections OR all 2-3 V sections OR both AW sections, whichever you are trying to improve.

 

For example, if you only want to take retake the Q sections, you "skip" the V and AW sections and it records your V and AW scores as NS (No Score). When you submit your official scores, the schools receive the score you received for the Q sections you took and an NS for the other sections. (Vice versa for Q or AW). 

 

That's what I did and it helped me improve the math section from a 152 to 160. You can call ETS and verify but I'm speaking from my own experiences that it is completely true.

Edited March 25, 2014 by ohmyohme

[bktz]

I took the GRE three times and did exactly what I mentioned. The first time was during my junior year of undergrad when I took the entire test, and I took it again twice four years later (first time all 3 sections, the second time only the Q section). You have to pay for the entire test but you do NOT have to take the entire test. You "skip" the sections of the test you do not want to take. You take each part within the section of the test you want, ie all 2-3 Q sections OR all 2-3 V sections OR both AW sections, whichever you are trying to improve.

 

For example, if you only want to take retake the Q sections, you "skip" the V and AW sections and it records your V and AW scores as NS (No Score). When you submit your official scores, the schools receive the score you received for the Q sections you took and an NS for the other sections. (Vice versa for Q or AW). 

 

That's what I did and it helped me improve the math section from a 152 to 160. You can call ETS and verify but I'm speaking from my own experiences that it is completely true.

 

That's really interesting... so it's true then that ETS reports your full score for the day, but you just get "NS" next to any sections you decided to skip? Any idea how schools view seeing NS on certain sections? (I'm not considering this strategy myself, I'm over and done with the GRE and apps - just genuinely curious how this works.) 

[ohmyohme]

Yeah, you select the date or dates of the test scores you want to submit but if you only retook one section, the school will see that score and NS for any sections you skipped.

 

Regarding admissions departments and how they view a NS on certain sections? Maybe some departments view it differently but SAIS, SIPA, MSPP and Fordham didn't seem to care. They all saw that I took the GRE three times and that I received a NS for V and AW on the third time.

Edited March 25, 2014 by ohmyohme

[TimB]

I imagine ad comms would catch wise to this the second they see 3 score submissions with "NS" for the other two sections. 

[quincepessa]

Alot of schools say they'll take your best section scores across different testing dates though - I imagine this system would work just fine in those cases.