Fall 2015 IR Masters Applicant in need of advice/school suggestions

[ivanleterrible]

Hello Government Affairs,

 

I am a rising undergraduate senior who is interested in applying to a multitude of graduate school programs to pursue a Masters in International Relation/Development. I wanted to share my statistics and experiences on here to see if anyone had any advice for strengthening my application, any program/school suggestions based on my interest, and any of advice if it would be best to take some time off after undergraduate to gain more experience.

 

Profile:

Undergraduate Institution: Top 20 Public University(USA)

Major: Political Science Minors: Human Rights, English

GPA: 3.80 (should increase once I receive Spring 2014 grades)

GRE: Will be taking in September(Kaplan GRE PREP class this summer)

University Honors Scholar(Honors College)

Undergraduate Thesis on refugee education(2014-2015 Academic Year)

Graduating in May 2015

 

Awards:

College of Liberal Arts and Science Deans List: All semesters(six)

University Leadership Scholarship:1/2 tuition scholarship for all 4 years

University Scholar Award:Maintaining at least a 3.7 GPA for two consecutive semesters

University Social Science Research Grant(Spring 2014): $2000

Human Rights Research Grant(Summer 2014): $1000

Political Science Honors Department Research Grant: $1250

Alpha Lambda Delta National Freshman Honor Society(Fall 2011)

Golden key International Honour Society, which signifies that I am in the Top 15 % of my class (Spring 2012)

Sigma Alpha Lambda National Leadership and Honors Organization (fall 2012)

American Political Science Association(APSA) National Conference:Poster Presenter

 

Activities:

Research Intern and Project Lead at respected Foreign Policy Think Tank(Washington DC, Summer 2013)

Honors Research Assistant for Professor In Poli Sci Department (Fall 2013-Present)

Research Assistant for well-known Political Public Opinion Institute(Fall 2014)

Research Intern at HKS(International Development)(Summer 2014)

Research Intern at International NGO in Middle East(Summer 2014)

University Model United Nations Director(UNICEF and Human Rights Council)

University Newspaper - Staff Writer

Political Blog:- Foreign Affairs Staff Writer

University Student Government- Senator

Residential Hall Association: Vice President

University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Student Representative on Board of Directors

Community Outreach: Alternative Spring Break Trips to New Orleans, Louisiana and Tampa, Florida

University Medical Center- Volunteer

International Relations Organization: Secretary

 

Many more unrelated extracurricular activities such as freshmen mentoring and intramural sports. 

 

Quantitative Courses:

Micro Economics(A) Macro Economics(A) Calculus 1(A -) Statistics 1010(A) Statistics 2215(A) Poli Sci Quantitative research methods(A) Graduate Statistical Analysis Course at Duke University(A)

 

Additional skills:

Languages: English(Native), French(Fluent), Arabic(Beginner)

Computer Skills: Microsoft Office, Minitab, R, STATA, and I will be learning SPSS this summer.

Saxophonist: Have played for seven years with Concert and Jazz Bands including performing at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.

 

Future Career Aspirations: Political Officer in the Foreign Services at the U.S. State Department, NGO worker in International Relations, or possibly work at an IR think tank abroad.

 

If anyone has any suggestions about what schools I should be looking at with my credentials thus far, I would love to hear them. I have roughly made a list with my adviser and mentors but I would love to hear additional suggestions and recommendations.'

 

Does anyone have any suggestions for skills, programs, or experiences that I can improve or participate in to strengthen my application for the upcoming cycle?

 

Also would anyone recommend me taking time off prior to graduate school in order to strengthen my application? (Peace Corps, International Volunteer, Teach English Abroad).

 

Thank you for reading this and I can't wait to hear from you all.

 

I hope the end of your semesters and application cycles are treating you well. Have a fantastic summer!

 

 

 

[WinterSolstice]

Just a heads up, there's a whole thread dedicated just for these kinds of posts, the 'am i competitive' thread! You might be able to share ideas with others in similar positions to yourself.

 

That being said, you definitely have a strong application, but my general attitude is to always get as much professional experience as possible before going to grad school. In general, I would say admissions committees look very favorably on candidates who have a professional background in tandem with a strong academic record. 

 

As for schools, it'd probably be easier to give you advice if you provided the list of schools you're looking at and what it is you're looking for in a school.

[Bunsen Honeydew]

I recommend joining the Kurdish Resistance in Syria.  Should really round out your resume. 

[chocolatecheesecake]

I'm sure what Bunsen Honeydew is pointing out ever so bluntly is just your lack of professional work experience so far. I second WinterSolstice in saying that work experience is super helpful not just for applying to school but for helping you figure out what you want to do. You only mentioned very briefly your future career aspirations -- I would suggest figuring out what areas you want to focus in would definitely help you, especially when it comes to looking at programs. As for the programs, spend some time on their websites and read about their focuses and faculty. First-hand research is sometimes best. Enjoy! 

[ivanleterrible]

@WinterSolstice Thank you very much for your insightful response. I will definitely be posting in the AM I Competitive thread on this forum. Also I figured that gaining professional experience prior to applying to graduate school would benefit my applications as well as help to narrow down my interests.

 

My list of schools are generally the top programs in the field: HKS, Tufts Fletcher, JHU SAIS, Columbia SIPA, Georgetown SFS, GW Elliot, and American SIS. I am aware that all of these programs love applicants with professional experience, however, there are some applicants accepted straight out of undergraduate.

 

@chocolatecheesecake Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. I would definitely agree that seeking out professional experience will be greatly beneficial to my future career. If taking a year or two office between undergraduate and graduate, does it matter exactly what kind of experiences you have? I would assume that it would be beneficial to try to work in the field related to what you want to pursue in graduate school. I will start looking more into the concentrations offered at these schools/programs and the faculty that I would like to work with.

 

Thanks again for all of your help.

Edited May 12, 2014 by ivanleterrible

[lbjane]

Will you have undergraduate debt?  How do you plan to finance your graduate studies?  Do you have experience earning money, having taxes/social security taken out, and living off of what's left over?  If not, you should spend some quality time with someone who has and/or an online budgeting tool to get a good picture of how loan payments can affect your standard of living after graduation. 

 

The career options your list are not especially high-paying.  For example, if you start out as a federal employee with a masters degree and no real full-time work experience you'll be making about 55k/year.  After taxes and social security, you'll be left with somewhere around 40k/year.  If you want to live in Washington or another expensive city, it'll be manageable on 40k/year, but that'll be a lot more difficult if you're paying $600-900/mo in loan payments like you'd have to if you take out $60K-$80K in loans.  Also, even if you think that's manageable, consider that 100k in loans with a 10-year repayment at 6.8% interest equals a $1,150/mo payment and, with the interest you actually end up paying $138k.  That's a house in some parts of the country and at least a decent chunk of a condo in a place like DC.  The opportunity cost is higher because if you invested that $1,150/mo in a fund with a 10% annual return, you'd have $237k after 10 years.  Even if your investment only hit 5% a year, you'd still end up with $179k in the bank after 10 years.  So, not only are you paying $138k, you're not saving or investing that same money, so you're losing out on interest and investment gains.

 

You've got impressive stats, and it wouldn't surprise me if you get in to some great programs.  However, your lack of professional experience will also hurt your competitiveness for funding.  So, you might consider casting a wider net when you apply to increase your chances of getting funding somewhere, so you don't start your professional career under a mountain of debt.  Certainly apply to top-tier programs, but maybe check out the next rung down, too.  Getting a full ride at a top 10-20 school could open up more doors than a top 10 education with crippling debt that limits your options since you have massive loan payments. 

Edited May 13, 2014 by lbjane

[ivanleterrible]

@lbjane Thank you very much for your insight on debt and budget management. This was very important question that I forgot to inquire about in my original post.

 

Fortunately, I will be completing my undergraduate degree debt-free. For graduate school, I am planning to finance that through fellowships, outside scholarships, and loans. However, I would be more than willing to reapply to schools if I do not receive sufficient funding to minimize my debt. Gaining professional experience seems to be the path that will offer me the most opportunities and insight to the future.

 

I will definitely be dropping by the office of the financial counselor at my university ti discuss funding for graduate school as well as loan repayment strategies.

 

I would definitely agree with checking out some of the schools a level below the top tier to increase my chances for obtaining greater funding. Do you have any suggestions for these schools, the only ones my adviser and other Poli Sci staff have recommended would be Ohio State and Pittsburgh.

 

Thanks for all of your help, I greatly appreciate it!

[chocolatecheesecake]

One way you may be able to find more "second-rung" schools is to take a look at what's below the top rankings on US World and News. Another could be to talk to professors at one of those schools, and ask them about comparable programs at other institutions, which they'll have heard a little about too since that's their competition.

[Bunsen Honeydew]

Looking here  will give you a feel for how much funding each school provides.  You can also find people with your similar background and see how they fared. LBJ, Korbel, and Maxwell seem to give out a lot of full-ride + stipend offers comparably to other schools.  

[leon32]

Your stats are good, and you would probably get into at least one or two of the top programs, and maybe get some money.  That being said, I think waiting a while is a good idea, and not just for the professional experience but for the life experience.  I can just about guarantee you that spending a year or two not in school doing anything will change how you think about things, and I think that you would appreciate the grad school experience more.  That's just my opinion, as someone now at one of the schools you mentioned, knowing how different I looked at things while I was in undergrad compared to now.

[ivanleterrible]

@chocolatecheesecake Thanks for the advice about looking for "second-rung" schools that fit my graduate school interests. I will definitely start looking at the USNews and other ranking lists to compare schools. I plan to get in contact with some of the faculty at my school's Poli Sci department to gain additional suggestions and opinions on these schools.

 

@Busen Honeydew Thank you for the useful link to decisions for the government affairs thread. I have been scavenging through these forms to see the outcome and funding that similarly situation applicants have received in their respective cycles. It definitely appears that having professional work experience prior to applying to graduate school can drastically improve your funding. I have also see alot about LBJ, Korbel, and Maxwell in this thread and will do some independent research on those programs.

 

@leon32 Thank you for the life advice on gaining experience prior to graduate school not just for improving my application but for helping me to figure out where my interests really stand. If you don't mind me asking, did you go straight from your undergraduate to a TOP graduate school without any professional experience? I know it can be done but wanted to see how your experience has been thus far.

[hj2012]

With your background, I would definitely look into programs like Pickering, Rangel and Payne that provide significant funding for grad school. Also look into programs like Fulbright or Boren  as a post-grad option; out of my Fulbright cohort, lots of people transitioned into top IR masters programs with really strong funding packages.

 

Good luck!

[leon32]

Hi, no I had a few years of professional and international experience first.  I've met a few students here, at Fletcher, who came straight from undergrad, but not many.  It can be done, and looking at your stats, I think you have at least a decent chance, but no idea about funding.  Most people here are in their late 20's early 30's, but a few are younger.

[ivanleterrible]

@hj2012 Thank you so much for your advice on fellowships to fund graduate school. I am actually working with the office of national scholarships at my university to create applications for practically all of the opportunities that you suggested. I really appreciate your input and assistance.

 

@leon32 Thanks for the clarification. I feel that going straight out of undergraduate would hinder my funding opportunities as well as fitting in with my older peers at these graduate programs. Would it be fine to apply to graduate schools this upcoming cycle and then if i do not like my outcome(acceptances/funding), I could take some time off to work and reapply after a year or two?

[leon32]

Sure, you could apply now and if you get a good offer go, or just wait a few years to apply again.  It will cost a few hundred dollars and be annoying, but there is nothing to stop you from doing so.

[ivanleterrible]

Thanks, I will probably apply to a handful of schools this cycle to see the outcome and reapply later on if need be.

[WinterSolstice]

Sure, you could apply now and if you get a good offer go, or just wait a few years to apply again.  It will cost a few hundred dollars and be annoying, but there is nothing to stop you from doing so.

 

This is actually what I did. I applied straight from undergrad to gauge where I was at without professional experience, and got into a handful of mid-tier programs and Elliott, waitlisted from top tier programs. It gave me a decent idea of what areas of my application needed work. With that knowledge plus professional experience, I got into the schools I wanted when I applied last year.

[chocolatecheesecake]

Sure, you could apply now and if you get a good offer go, or just wait a few years to apply again.  It will cost a few hundred dollars and be annoying, but there is nothing to stop you from doing so.

 

While it's clear that this is an option, I think it's probably not a great idea. Applying to schools should be taken rather seriously, and taking the GREs or asking for recommendation letters, etc. is something that you really only want to go through once. I frankly think it's a waste of time and money if you already know that getting work experience first is going to help and get you better funding.

 

More importantly, you can get all the feedback you can get back from admissions committees through their decisions by doing the work of researching these programs, talking to professors/staff at programs you are interested in, current graduate students, alumni, and generally tapping your network for information and advice. 

 

In high school or even college, there's some sort of distinction to being young and precocious. You can skip grades, or put in your time and just get out; it's not as important because it's more or less for a piece of paper so you will be hireable (high school more so than college, obviously). I used to think that grad school was just another step up on the ladder, but graduate school is very much optional. You do it for yourself, not other people. You get more out of it if you bring a lot to it, and full-time work in the real world changes you a lot. Just because you can get in and out before the age of 23 doesn't mean it helps you. Especially when you're going for a professional degree, I do not think it will be an advantage to be the youngest person in the room.

[X-Thor]

Hello, Ivan.

 

I'd definitely recommend getting some work experience first. Like it's been said here before, it will both strengthen your application, it will make things clearer for you, and you'll benefit more from grad school after a couple of yearsof actual work (real life) experience.

 

I finished university (Poli Sci in a Mexican university) when I was 21 years old. Back then, I was convinced I wanted to pursue a PhD in PoliSci in a top 10 US University. Then I started working in the Mexican Government and a lot of things (how I saw life, myself, my goals, some attitudes I had) changed dramatically. Indeed, contact with the "real world" can be a big eye-opener. Now, 4 years later, I'm about to go to Fletcher for the MALD. I am grateful every day for NOT going straight to a PhD. I can truly said I learned as much outside school as I did inside.

 

From what you post about yourself, I'd say you can probably be accepted in any of the programs you mentioned... That being said, I do believe you should at least consider working in something more "applied", even if it's not on your field of interest... After 2 or 3 years, apply to grad school, after researching every program you could be interested in. Keep in mind that most programs expect the recommendation letters to come from both professional and academic sources.

[X-Thor]

Also: keep in mind what you want to do after grad school. Consider that you'll be competing against people with a Master's Degree + Work Experience. Unless you're aiming for an academic kind of job or are willing to instead take a lower salary/position (one that, say, wouldn't require a Master's Degree), you might find yourself be at a disadvantage.

 

Also, I'm definitely no expert on the field, but I imagine actual work experience is important in a field like human rights.

 

Since the GRE is valid for a relatively long time, you might want to take it soon. You'll have your math fresher that way.

[riverguide]

Your stats are good but your language abilities and overseas experiences are lacking. I would recommend the Boren/Fulbright to fill in the gaps. I would also suggest that you attend the Middlebury Summer Intensive Arabic Program at Mills to hone your Arabic skills. You need more study abroad experience and/or overseas internships/work experience. If you have that, you would probably be accepted to most of the programs in which you are interested. Your future professional goals should dictate where you should go. Obviously I'm partial to SAIS where I attend grad school. I was admitted immediately following my undergrad studies. In this field I would definitely recommend a DC grad school and there are only two. SAIS and Georgetown. SAIS has a rigorous economic component and usually takes 2 years to complete their program. Georgetown usually takes a year and a half to complete. International economics are a salient component of any International Relations career. There are many good grad schools in this field but DC offers a moveable feast for serious students in the field…just my 2 cents and I'm sure others would differ.

Edited August 24, 2014 by riverguide