Advice: Fletcher/HKS and Fellowships

[StormHur]

Hi!

 

I am mainly going to focus on Fletcher's Map Your Future program... I am very interested in applying this fall (I will be a senior graduating May 2016), but am not sure how I can strengthen my application to make myself more competitive. I would really appreciate some advice, especially because I am lacking foreign travel/studies experience. 

 

I am also considering applying for fellowships.. The main one on my radar at this point in time is the Pickering Graduate Fellowship. Does anyone have any suggestions on others I should look at based off of my profile? Do you think I'd be competitive for Pickering?

 

I do plan on applying to HKS for the MPP should I decide that I am going to apply for Pickering. However, I am aware that my lack of full-time work experience would make things quite tough.

 

Any suggestions of jobs I should look at for post-undergrad graduation?

 

If you wish to have a better idea in regard to my formal writing capabilities, please read an article I wrote titled "From Churches to Mosques: We Need to Include Every Faith Community in the Fight Against HIV", which focuses on the need to expand faith-based HIV prevention and treatment efforts to include Muslim communities due to current North African immigration flows,

published today!  http://www.poz.com/articles/faith_based_communities_2959_27430.shtml

 

School requirements:
Fletcher MALD Map Your Future Program:

GPA: 3.4-3.8

GRE: Verb (77-96 percentile) // Quant (61-84 percentile) // Writing (49-92 percentile) 

 

GPA:
3.8GPA 

GRE score:
I have not taken the GRE yet, but when I was prepping for the LSAT I was scoring around a 168.

Work experience (top duties listed for each position):

Host Country Affairs Intern at the Untied States Mission to the United Nations (current)
I am not going to provide anything about work being done here until I am finished with the internship.

Research Assistant at the Darnal Award for Social Justice
• Conducted comparative effectiveness research
• Assisted in research on social justice issues occurring in Nepal in regard to Dalit rights
• Participated in think tanks with the goal of improving dialogue and inspiring discourse on topics concerning social justice for Dalits via a web-based platform

Public Policy Intern at GMHC (formerly known as Gay Men's Health Crisis)
• Wrote an article titled "From Churches to Mosques: We Need to Include Every Faith Community in the Fight Against HIV", which focuses on the need to expand faith-based HIV prevention and treatment efforts to include Muslim communities due to current North African immigration flows. 
• Interviewed GMHC clients
• Drafted call-to-action letters addressed to New York State government leaders
• Drafted public comments on GMHC’s response to New York State’s Compassionate Care Act

Research Associate at the India China Institute
The Sacred Himalaya Initiative: Sacred Landscapes and Sustainable Futures, is a new Luce Foundation funded initiative which builds on the successes of the Everyday Religion and Sustainable Environments in the Himalaya (ERSEH) initiative. For the next three years (2014-2017), ICI will be working with a team of researchers from India, China, Nepal and the United States to study and document relationships between religion and ecology, sacred landscapes, pilgrimage routes and ecological, economic and cultural sustainability and resilience in the Himalaya.

Paralegal Intern at Children's Rights
• Executed data and factual research on child welfare systems
• Created memorandums of senate hearings that dealt with policy developments in the child welfare system
• Proofed and cite-checked legal documents
• Worked on creating an exhibit list and other trial preparatory materials

Policy Intern at the Midtown Community Court
• Drafted Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) for programs mandated by the Midtown Community Court through the Center for Court Innovation
• Co-Facilitated workshops for non-custodial fathers with the UPNEXT program for workforce development and fatherhood engagement

Legal Intern at the New York City Criminal Court under Judge Felicia A. Mennin, A.J.S.C.
• Sat bench with Judge Felicia A. Mennin, A.J.S.C.
• Attended workshops on the New York Criminal Justice System
• Visited and attended trials at multiple courts throughout the five boroughs of New York City

 

Academic Involvement:
Chair of University Student Government
*successfully negotiated with the Board of Trustees to create two Student Trustee positions with full voting power
Member of the Disciplinary Review Panel at University
Member of the Security Advisory Committee at University

Honors:
Point Foundation Semifinalist (Point Foundation empowers promising LGBTQ students to achieve their full academic and leadership potential – despite the obstacles often put before them – to make a significant impact on society.)
University Student Leader of the Year for 2014-2015 Academic Year
Dean's List
College Scholarship

Volunteer Work:
2015 NYC AIDS Walk

Relevant Coursework (including first semester of senior year):
International Human Rights Law (graduate-level)
Critical Security Studies (graduate-level)
Displacement, Asylum, Migration (graduate-level)
Human Rights Research & Advocacy Methods (graduate-level)
Rights of the Accused
Spatial Thinking with GIS
Settler Colonialism, Indigenous Resurgence, and the Politics of Climate Justice
Statistics with SPSS
Seeking Refuge- Cambodia
Stealth Journalism
Web Coding for Interactive Design
News, Narrative, and Design 1 & 2
Global Economics
Microeconomics
Modern Political Theory
Encountering Religious Pluralism
French 1-3
French Grammar/Composition 1
Arts & Neuroscience

Language skills:
French Intermediate (at this point, it seems I just need to be immersed in a French-speaking country to become advanced/fluent)


Overseas experience (work, study and teaching):
This is what I fear will be my pitfall. I have not studied abroad due to financial difficulties. I want to apply for jobs post-undergrad abroad, but am not banking on being offered one. Do you think this will serve as a large issue for me?

Statement of Purpose:
I think that my SoP will be strong... For the Point Foundation Scholarship, I had to write about 10 different types of SoPs and made it to the semi-finals. I'm pretty confident in this section...

 

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!