Military Transition

[ondeau]

First, I apologize if I missed a required introduction format. I searched around the forum to see if there was a template for intros but did not find one. Second, I did a search to see if there were already discussions related to this post. Again, did not see much. However, I am on an iPhone. If someone knows of something in relation to this post, I will direct myself there.

Anyway, I am a U.S. Army Ranger looking to transition away from the Military and into grad school within the next few years (2017-18?). I initially wanted to apply to an IR Program after undergrad, but probably would have settled for a program as I didn't have work experience. Instead, I decided to commission as an Army Officer and pursue special operations.

I went to Michigan State for undergrad where I got a 3.6 in economics. I have no yet taken the GRE, pretty much due to optempo, but plan on it within the year.

I want to pursue a Master's in IR. Having said this, what should I be thinking about as a potential applicant? What should I do to prepare? I know the "am I competitive?" question is often overused here, but how does my work experience set me apart, if at all?

Goal sheet would be JHU, Georgetown, Princeton, Columbia, etc... Looking to focus on counter insurgency/global security.

Thank you for the insight. I've been lurking around in the shadows on this forum enough. I look forward to helping however possible.

RLTW

[.letmeinplz//]

Thanks for your service (my father is a Lt. Col. in the USAF so the military has always been important to me).

 

As far as prepping... For your GRE, try to get on a study plan (I used magoosh mostly but also bought a bunch of different GRE books from Amazon) and get materials that work best for you. Magoosh makes a good point in that the GRE most of all tests your ability to take the GRE. So the more you deal with it the better you will do on test day.

 

And obviously your work experience sets you apart from most, but I have no experience in IR so I can't speak on any of that.

[ondeau]

Awesome, man. That is good advice.

I understand that finding a professor whose research interests align with yours are important. Is this something I should start thinking about? Is it too early to contact a professor? Again, it won't be for a while, but I am a very timeline and goal driven person (I blame the military). I just want to find out as much as I can before I start so that I am able to get into a top tier program. I've been reading some of the other applicants bios and realize that they are leagues ahead of me.

[MidwesternAloha]

It's never too early to contact professors. While you may not want to boldly ask "are you going to be taking new graduate students?" just send them an email with the title "inquiry from a prospective graduate student" and ask a concise but thorough (maybe a paragraph in length, professors are busy people) set of questions about the program and research going on at their institution in general. Ask what advice they have for preparing: this is an underutilized approach and you are a few years away from applying, so they will be a gold mine for this type of guidance and it won't count against you when the time comes. Honestly, graduate programs give a lot of preference to prior military. Like the first respondent suggested, there are great GRE prep guides and a lot of free practice tests to familiarize yourself with the format on the Princeton Review website, I believe. Sidebar: are you currently at Fort Bragg? My husband is in a similar situation and will be applying around the same time as you, although his is a requirement to make Major.

[sixfoxtrot]

Ondeau, thank you for your service!

If you're looking at MA programs, you'd probably be better served in the Government Affairs forum next door (under Professional Programs) - that's where most of the IR MA discussion is. That said, I did an IR MA with a focus on global security and worked in admissions, so here's some info to get you started:

1. All of the programs you list are excellent, but Georgetown would probably be your best bet with your focus.

2. What's the end game? You don't have to have a specific job in mind, just a general idea - government? If so, which branch? Private sector? PhD? Georgetown will prepare you well for any of these, but think about what you want to do with it once you're out. Do you have a regional interest? Languages? Interest/specific experience in tech (e.g. GIS)?

3. Your experience will set you apart from many students coming straight from undergrad, but there are quite a few ex-military applicants to all of these programs every year. This doesn't mean you won't do well in the application process, though.

4. You don't need to find faculty with similar research interests at the MA level for IR - that's for PhD applicants. You won't be going in to work with/under a specific professor, that's not how these programs are structured. All of the schools on your list will offer strong security courses by solid faculty. Most will ask you to define a secondary focus, kind of like a minor, so you can start thinking about what that might be (e.g. a region, US foreign policy, development, etc). E-mailing professors won't accomplish very much because most of these programs are professional, not research-oriented. You can still do a full MA thesis if you'd like to keep the option of a PhD open down the line, but many programs will offer a capstone project instead.

5. Your GPA may be a little low for some of the schools on your list, so I would balance it with a strong CV and statement of purpose. By "strong CV", I mean not just listing what you did, but really thinking about which accomplishments you'd like to emphasize. Bear in mind (I've read many ex-military CVs) that military-specific accomplishments (e.g. honor guard) may not translate well to all members of the committee. Don't leave them off, but add more analytical and judgment-focused things to both your CV and your SOP. Take care to avoid platitudes ("I was driven to serve my country") - explain why.

Hope this helps!

[ondeau]

All-

This is fantastic advice.

Aloha- I am not at Bragg... Thankfully, the southern heat and I do not get along. Ironically, I am currently in the Aloha State.

6Fox- this is great to know. I definitely am not the "honor, country, duty" type, and would never use that as leverage in an application. Instead the professional, personal, and cultural development is much more significant. Don't get me wrong, it is incredibly rewarding work and a privilege, but it is also more if you want it to be.

Considering my lower than average GPA, and the fact I'm sure a lot of Military Officers apply for such programs, is GRE my greatest factor in pushing my packet? LORs? I was a congressional staffer before I Commissioned and still somewhat keep in touch with people on the Hill.

All- I apologize for the post in this forum. I actually never searched the professional forum, oversight on my part. So, I will unfortunately post my OP in there. Sorry, it is not my intent to litter the forums.

RLTW

[ondeau]

6fox-

I forgot to answer your #2....

My desired endstate is more than likely public sector. Possibly State Dept, DIA, Policy... Academia would be awesome, I just am in my mid twenties, will be early 30s before I am done with MA. Phd would be daunting that late. Private sector would be cool by me as well, I'm just not sure what I would do outside of defense contracting. Thoughts?

[ondeau]

Again, another oversight. I am on iPhone.

I went through DOD training in Mandarin, so regional interest would be Asia with focus on counter insurgency/security... In a perfect world.

[sixfoxtrot]

Don't worry about "littering" the forums, I think many people naturally come to the poli sci board looking for info on international politics/policy, so it's probably quite beneficial to have this thread here. I'd also ask over there to get more perspectives. 

 

Re: balancing out your GPA - it's going to be a combination of everything. You want everything to be as strong as possible for all of the programs you listed. I know this isn't really helpful, but just shoot for the best you can do on all components. A stellar letter from a lesser-known person beats an okay generic letter from a Congressman or something, btw.

 

While Columbia and Princeton are obviously excellent schools, I would advise leaning toward SAIS or Gtown just because of the location. You can work while in school, at least part-time, and you'll save yourself the stress of job-hunting trips/interviews just by being here and playing your cards right. It is absolutely possible to graduate with a job in hand, and your "transition" will simply be showing up to work the day after graduation. Many people from DC-area schools have hard offers on the table even before their last semester. 

 

Based on your interests and background, I'd recommend breaking down your field options into three broad groups: DOD, intel, and the Hill (handling national security for someone, armed services committees, etc). I would strongly advise against DHS - it is apparently the worst agency to work for in the govt, and everyone I know there is absolutely miserable. You could also do some cool stuff with NATO.

 

The private sector is a curious beast right now because Afghanistan is winding down - lots of places are cutting staff for lack of money, contracts are petering out, and it's flooded with recent returnees. I work in the private sector (we do not, as a matter of policy, go for govt contracts, even though the exec suite is ex-gov), and we got - no joke - 200 applications for a security consulting job, the vast majority early 30s ex-mil. What it'll look like 3-4-5 years out is anyone's guess, depending on whether we put boots on the ground somewhere else. There are lots of private security companies that don't focus on defense contracting and work all over, but their bread and butter has been Afghanistan/Iraq, so whether they'll refocus or close up shop completely is anyone's guess. 

[The_Space_Cowboy]

25th ID? I'm also a currently serving Army Officer and am just now getting decisions back from my applications this year. I went from Armor to Space Operations a few years ago and got picked up for ACS. The catch was that the degree had to be a space-related degree, and my undergrad was in IR. Also, my GPA was 2.82 and GRE scores were 162V/158Q/4.0W, not great for a STEM focus. Not thinking I had a snowball's chance in hell, I applied to a Space Engineering program (at one of the top programs in the country) and was somehow accepted. It seems that some colleges will heavily value real-world experience (and external funding, lol). 

 

That all said, what kind of COIN experience do you have? I assume you're an 11A, probably with several deployments. I would emphasize your practical experience in your personal statements and tie that into how you want to use your degree in the future. 

 

As an example, I also applied to a Geography program with an intent to concentrate on geospatial analysis and intelligence. In my statement, I discussed how valuable applications like TIGRNET, FBCB2, and CIDNE were downrange to conducting successful operations and mitigating risk. I discussed my desire to participate in the development of these systems and combine my space experience to locate and combat new threats in the EM spectrum. 

Edited February 14, 2015 by The_Space_Cowboy

[AmericanQuant]

I just am in my mid twenties, will be early 30s before I am done with MA. Phd would be daunting that late.

 

One thing you should be aware of is that you don't need a master's degree to start a PhD program.  If you're interested in doing a PhD, you should apply to those programs straight away (assuming your GRE scores are decent).  They'll pay you to attend and will give you a master's degree on the way. If you decide academia / a PhD isn't for you, you can walk away with a free master's degree.

[lurker15]

For what it's worth, I'm at Yale and there are some guys in the program here who served as Army officers prior to beginning the program. I think there is a first year who's late 20s/early 30s, and a second year who is mid-late 30's. Both are combat vets and their perspective on IR and security broadly, is from my understanding, very highly regarded and respected in the department. Both of them are working with Jason Lyall, who is a leading scholar on insurgency and has done a ton of fieldwork in Afghanistan.

 

Obviously if you aren't looking to do a PhD anyway, you should go the MA route. But I just wanted to throw it out there because I'd hate to see you pass on the opportunity simply because you think you'd be too old (the avg starting age of this year's 1st year cohort is 27), or because you think you'd be the only military guy. I know a number of other military vets in econ PhDs, etc. It's a good community for the right person.

 

PM me if you want more info. Good luck!  

[BillyBillyBilly]

On the subject of GRE scores, if you have the time and extra cash, taking a prep class with an instructor who really knows what they're doing could make a big difference. Even if its just an extra push to help give your own studying some structure. Taking a class helped me a hell of a lot!