Lots of International Experience but little work Experience-

[wjibara]

Hey this is my first post.

I'm applying to IR related programs with one year of full time work experience (legal assistant) that is somewhat relevant to what I want to do. I also well as two internships (one with an NGO in Europe--- if that matters) and three part-time positions that I had as an undergrad under my belt. With these positions I've written a lot of articles and stuff about international topics... so I guess that makes me published.

GRE Q- 630 V- 590 W-4.5

undergrad, top 5 liberal arts college- 3.6

Grad school- MA at top 10 research university- 3.9

I've have a lot of study abroad experiences though, mostly for research and language study: I've been to Egypt twice (for study/research), Italy three times (again study/research) and Spain (study) and Morocco (language study). Now, I've won a scholarship to study in Kuwait this year.

The schools I'm looking at are WWS, KSG, Yale and possibly Fletcher MIT MA in poli sci. My LOR should be solid, from recent employers and past advisors.

I'm a horrible standardized test taker plus am currently broke, so retaking the GRE isn't happening. I honestly don't know if I would do any better.

So all this is to ask, what do people think about having lots of international experience but being without several years of work experience. I figure I will try and apply and see what happens, but I am interested in other people's perspectives. Thanks.

[wjibara]

Somebody.. Anybody with some insight on this... please

[riz1]

I'll be starting Fletcher in January, and I had a similar experience -- lots of overseas travel, a study abroad in college, and six months living in India as a part of my first job out of undergrad. But my work experience hasn't exactly been cumulative -- in fact, none of it is directly related to what I will study in grad school. But I have been observing for the past 3 or 4 years some common threads in my life that have linked together my experiences, and I wove those threads into a clear and straightforward story in my personal statement.

With that said, I don't think I would have been accepted to Fletcher if my GRE scores (700Q/660V/5.5AW) and other metrics weren't solid. What helped me study well for the exam was the Kaplan GRE Prep book. It doesn't cost much, and if you really are in a tight bind, most public libraries carry a copy. You can make it work. As for the test itself, the ETS does grant a very limited number of GRE exam fee waivers -- you might be eligible for that, based on the details of your financial situation.

Finally, I don't think your "published" status (which is very impressive!) would carry much weight for most of these schools. The only ones who might be interested are Yale (right, Cornell07?) and MIT (to which I applied as well -- rejected -- and I know they have a strong academic slant to IR study).

Best of luck!

[wjibara]

Thank you for the insight riz. May I ask, were you able to secure funding from Fletcher as well?

[riz1]

Yes, I did receive some funding -- but every school is different, and the bulk of Fletcher's scholarships and grants go out in small increments to many people, as opposed to just a few people in the entering class getting close to a full ride and everyone else getting zilch. Annual tuition at Fletcher is about $35k, and I didn't get anywhere near that amount in funding -- really more of a goodwill gesture, I feel -- but in the end what I did get was better than nothing.

[wjibara]

oh ok I see Riz. Thanks for the heads up.

Anyone out there know what the funding situation is like for the Yale MA/IR? Or anyone else care to take a stab at my question?

[riz1]

Great person to answer this question is Cornell07. I'll reach out to him, as I haven't seen much activity from him on this forum. Then again, school has just started and he's knee deep in Yale MA/IR courses ...

[Cornell07]

Quickie reply as I am busily prepping my first big class presentation. Riz can't fully appreciate how knee-deep I am for another few months :shock:

1) Yale would probably be impressed by someone who has published as this is program historically has been more research oriented than most (though they are trying to shift away from that)

2) Funding is not great at Yale. I got zilch, just like 70% of the people here. Consequently, a large number of people have outside funding like the Peace Corp volunteers, a Pickering fellow etc... Among those who got $, I think 2/3 tuition is the most anyone got but I cannot say for certain. I hope there will be more funding next year because our tiny tiny program just got a $50 mil. donation. There are gobs of funding for summer internships. 2nd years can get merit based funding. TF (aka TA) pay is very good -- 4k-8k-10k per semester depending on the role (i.e. grader vs. section leader).

[wjibara]

ok, so the biggest hurdle is finding 50 some K for the first year? That is good to know thanks Cornell07 and Riz

[carpecc]

Wjibara, I would definitely suggest you just make an appointment and get in touch with the admissions office (or faculty) of schools you want to apply for and tell them your story. I was just in NYC and DC visiting schools last summer. I made some appointments, told them my story (low undergrad GPA, great intl experience, 8 yrs out of school) and asked them to give me an honest assessment of where I stood and what I need to do to make my application competitive.

This was very helpful. Talk to them on the phone as opposed to just email preferably, and send them your resume beforehand so you can discuss it with them. Some of these are actual admission faculty, some are just plebeians that run the phone desk, but still have a good idea of what makes a competitive candidate. I was surprised to learn that I stood a chance at some schools such as Columbia and SAIS, that I might not have had the confidence to apply to if I hadn't asked them directly. I also learned that some programs were more interesting for my goals then others.

Similarly, if you're not a competitive candidate for the schools you want, it will be good to know upfront, so you can rethink your strategy and not waste time on those applications.

Anyways, all of the non academic IR programs look to be about the "big package" (i.e. recs, statement of purpose are very big) and you can totally swing your GRE score by focusing on the other stuff. Give them a call.