Low GPA/High Ambitions - Looking to get some Feedback

[PoliJunkie]

Hi all,

 

I graduated with a 2.3 GPA in an undergraduate degree in political science from a Canadian university. I am currently working as a special assistant to a sitting Member of Parliament, and am looking to make a change out of a position that probably seems like a dream job for down-and-out poli undergrads wondering how they'll find work (this included me). Thing is, once the excitement dies down, one realizes that you're in a low-paying, low-mobility, and low-status position thats ultimately a dead end. Not to mention the glaring lack of job security; my MP's seat is very much in jeapordy for 2015. And the plum positions in politics still go the MBA's and JD's. So I'm looking to go back to school. I did write my LSAT and scored very high, still not enough to offset my terrible GPA.

 

I'm wondering if I might be able to leverage my work experience, extracurriclar experience and languge skills to take a shot at a top political science, international relations, or public policy grad program in the States; possibly the middle top tier; Columbia, Chigaco, Georgetown, Darthmouth and above. I'm aware that this is a hard sell for me, and would require at the very least a top GRE score, but I'd like your feedback whether this is outright impossible. The following is my relevant work experience;

 

1 research position with federal government ministry; 6 months, paid

Provincial Consituency Assistant; 4 month Summer Student, paid

3 Campaign Organizer positions; 6-12 months each, unpaid

1 paid Campaign Manager positions; 2 months, slave labour wages

Provincial Parliamentary Reseracher; 6 months paid,

Parliamentary Special Assistant; 1.5 years, full-time paid

 

In addition, I speak Arabic, Farsi/Dari, Pashto, Urdu/Hindi fluently and am working on French, which I have a somewhat conversational ability in. I'm natively Afghani but English is my first language. Also, I have travelled extensively, and have some effective networks in a few international political scenes.

 

I have a vague sense that I have a strong base to shoot for a decent grad program despite of my low GPA. Can anyone tell me if I might be mistaken?

 

Thank you and sorry for length,

[PolicyGrad92]

Your work experience is great, I think you can apply to the biggies. Was your GPA low because of a particular class or particular classes? From what I know, more than your overall GPA, they look at specific scores. For example if you aced your IR class but did badly in say, linguistics, you're fine. In the optional essays, you can explain that the reason you did poorly in X subject is because of Y reason. However, if your grades in politics/econ classes is low- then maybe taking up some community college courses or a diploma programme and acing them will offset our scores. That's just my opinion.

 

I think Kaneisha, who frequents these forums, is exceptionally good at transforming challenging cases. You can try contacting her. Her website is artofapplying.com. I find her blog posts useful as well.

[hope2121]

I'm sorry that this doesn't answer your question, but your work experience is very impressive... and is exactly what I want to do following graduation this April. Do you have any tips on how to get those kind of positions/internships/jobs? 

[Gov2School]

It might be helpful if you could enroll in a few courses now, either through your local university or community college, so you can show some recent academic work that's top form.  Economics or statistics courses might be especially good ideas, since those tend to be a big part of the MPA/MPP curriculum these days.  If you do well in your courses you can point to that as evidence of academic ability, even if your academic record is not outstanding. 

[PoliJunkie]

Thanks alot for the replies everyone.

Edited November 13, 2014 by PoliJunkie

[Kaneisha]

Hey everyone! Kaneisha here. First, THANK YOU, Arabiatta for the awesome endorsement! I'm glad you find my blog helpful. Secondly, I wanted to correct the URL of my site. It is http://theartofapplying.com. (There's a pesky "the" in there.)

 

My three most important pieces of advice for PoliJunkie are:

• Rock the GRE. You need to get a high score to offset the low GPA. Self-study didn't work for me, but if it does for you, make sure you give yourself enough time to take the test 2-3 times before the deadline to make sure you have enough time to get your target score.
• Take supplementary coursework in (in order of importance) Microeconomics, Calculus, Statistics, Accounting, Finance, and Excel Modeling. Take the most basic University-level version of these courses at a community college or online via UCLA, UT Austin, BYU, or Coursera. Get a B+ or better in each of these courses.
• Write amazing essays. Your essays are going to matter a ton. Don't leave these to the last minute. Have them read by at least 3 different people: someone who knows you academically, someone who knows you professionally, and if possible, an alum from the target school. Be sure to write the optional essay explaining your GPA.

Best of luck! I've gotta get back to answering the 23 emails in my inbox during this busy time.

 

Kaneisha