superseiyan Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 **Crossposted with Political Science in Professional Programs Forum, Moderator, I don't know which forum it's more appropriate for** Hi. There's so much I want to ask, but just to give a quick background of myself: Background: I'm from east africa. Working at an large and prominent International Organization (under the UN system) in Washington, DC. Not as a professional position but admin work. Pretty much I'm an admin assistant. I'm 27 yo. Graduated undergrad 5 years ago, in Political Science. Not the strongest undergrad GPA, it wasn't impressive. Honestly I figure I shouldn't even bother with Georgetown. SAIS I can't because of my work. Basically, I'm looking to get back into school and do a masters in International Affairs. I am in the process of learning the Italian language. I am currenlty on a ~40K salary. Unfortunately, because of my living situation (married, live in a different country from immediate family) I will have to work through graduate school. Goals: I'd like to stay in the UN system organization - DC, Geneva, Rome, Paris or Nairobi (I think thsoe are the main cities with UN agencies). I left out New York, as I don't want to live there. I wouldn't mind working with an Embassy in a consulting role. I'm weighing focusing on security/strategic focus or development. I am very weak in numbers, charts and formulas, but I love to write. Now given my age, and my modest and probably unimpressive work experience, what I'd like to ask is: - Is it siginifcantly harder to apply and be accepted into grad school after having worked that long, as opposed to straight out of school? - Given my goals, what are the advantages or disadvantages of development vs. security studies? Should I be looking at communications as a third option? - How long does a typical MA in International Affairs take if one is doing it part-time as opposed to full-time? - If I'm to get a loan, are payments immediately due, or they're due after graduation? - Are all the DC are aschools - American, GW, George Mason (Public Policy), Maryland (Public Policy) similar in prestige? - What's the typical salary jump from where I am now to entry-level positions in similar organizations AFTER I get my masters? This is an exciting field, and I'm eager to see where I can go. I love that there is the win-win scenario of impacting the world as well as travelling and experiencing new cultures as part of your job. Regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now