What to aim for? (Dutch student looking for an IR Graduate)

[Mesijs]

Hi people,

recently I started my search to apply for an American University. Let me first tell you my (academic) background.

This June I finished my Undergraduate at the Leiden University in The Netherlands for Political Sciences. In the Dutch system, my average score was 7.6 out of 10, which is equal to a GPA of about 3.3 or. My Undergraduate Thesis about democratic consolidation in Bolivia scored 8 out of 10, which is like a GPA of 4. Other notable study results include a Cum Laude notification for my first year certificate (inlcuding a perfect 10 out of 10 for the Statistics and Research Methods I course) and already a strong international focus in my Undergraduate education.

I am aiming for a Master education in International Relations. I speak Dutch and English fluently and also speak Spanish quite well (I used Spanish sources in my academic work as well).

At this moment, I am on a crossroad about the whole applying process. I know for myself that I am a very ambitious student, although the results of especially my second year are a bit disappointing. I know that I can reach intellectual heights if I want to and I have proven this with my good first year and good thesis.

However, like a lot of Dutch students, I did not do anything that could be considered as 'special extracurricular activities'. I didn't win any academic award (that thing doesn't even exist in The Netherlands), I didn't do any amazing internship, nor was I in any commission, Model United Nations or whatever.

Again, like a lot of Dutch Undergraduate students, I do not have 'real' (relevant) job experience yet. I have always had jobs, but more like side jobs and not in my field of study. I did work at the Dutch tax department but that was to finance my travel to South America, where I also learned Spanish. I'm also an editor of a video gaming website, the 2nd biggest of The Netherlands, and right now I am working at a company that specializes in e-communications between the medical sector and farmaceutical industry (but bluntly said, I'm just working at a slighlty upgraded callcenter).

Now, I don't want to downplay myself at all. I got some good marks, a good thesis, I speak three languages, I am ambitious and I can provide a strong sample and motivation. (Letters of Recommendation I don't know yet, I know one teacher that can provide me a good one but I will have to contact some others again to ask for it.) BUT I do have to be realistic. I do realise that there are, for the graduate degrees, a lot of students that simply have a more impressive curriculum. So my vital question is: what to aim for? I have to find the sweet spot between a university as good as possible, and a university where I can realistically get into. I know that the very top tier universities are simply totally out of reach. They ask for most excellent students (with a higher GPA) with years of job experience.

As for my aims: I do not aim for a Ph.D., but I do want to have a good education to be able to work in an international organization. I am committed to have a strong academic background, but with the specific target of using it in a practical sense. I will not become a researcher or a professor.

But what kind of institutions would fit into my profile? Johns Hopkins, Yale, Harvard, Tufts, Columbia, Princeton and universities like that are totally out of reach. However, NYU and the University of Chicago caught my interest. About International Relations at NYU: I have no idea how strict they are with applying, as I couldn't get any indication of what they are specifically looking for. And University of Chicago fits within my ambitions and does not sound impossible.

Another note: I would love to stay in a big city like NYC, Washington or Los Angeles.

I would greatly appreciate any support from you about how to continue this process and what schools to aim for. Thanks a lot!

[HisRoyalHighness]

International relations programs love international applicants, but you've not indicated what subsection of IR you're interested in - security, humanitarian, international studies? "IR" is a general field, I need to know more specifically what you're interested in.

The Global Affairs program at NYU SCPS is a great program. But then again I'm biased as I graduated from NYU. I have concerns about the program at the University of Chicago. I don't believe one year is enough time to become learned in IR and the program at UC is a one-year program. Anything less than a full two-year program requiring a thesis, internship and second-language ability is not acceptable. The University of Chicago is also not a member of ASPSIA, You should check out their listings of full and affiliate members.

You also need to start studying for the GRE as your score there is a strong determinant of where you'll be able to get in.

[Mesijs]

International relations programs love international applicants, but you've not indicated what subsection of IR you're interested in - security, humanitarian, international studies? "IR" is a general field, I need to know more specifically what you're interested in.

The Global Affairs program at NYU SCPS is a great program. But then again I'm biased as I graduated from NYU. I have concerns about the program at the University of Chicago. I don't believe one year is enough time to become learned in IR and the program at UC is a one-year program. Anything less than a full two-year program requiring a thesis, internship and second-language ability is not acceptable. The University of Chicago is also not a member of ASPSIA, You should check out their listings of full and affiliate members.

You also need to start studying for the GRE as your score there is a strong determinant of where you'll be able to get in.

Hi, thank you for your response.

I am most interested in security and conflict subsections and also in diplomacy. A particular area of interest is Latin America. I speak Spanish and travelled there already. I will also do volunteer work in Peru the coming months.

I kind of agree with you that a quick, one-year master could be short. I am very interested in an internship and also in elevating my Spanish to an academic language level. And a thesis is a crucial part of an MA in my opinion.

Can you please tell me a whole lot more about the NYU program. I do love New York as a location and I think the internship possibilities must be endless there as well. Can you tell me about the details of the programs and especially about the competitiveness of the appliants? I am quite confident about taking a new challenge, but I must be realistic if the applicant pool is extremely strong. So I would like to know more about this, thanks in advance!

[HisRoyalHighness]

I don't know a huge amount about the NYU program but I do know someone who's in it who's major is Latin American studies and he seems quite pleased with the program so far. It is not highly competitive, meaning it's not ranked in the top 20, but it's a good solid program nonetheless. If you live in NY you're going to have very high living expenses - so be prepared for that.

I'm an international security major but do not focus on Latin America and speak French rather than Spanish.