Fall 2010 Admitted/Rejected Thread

[agh423]

In this post, those who have been accepted and/or rejected from schools can post their experience. Like most other people on this board, I used these kinds of topics to help guide my graduate school application process. So let's help out all future grad school applicants!!

Use this format to keep things uniform:

Program Applied To: (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.)

Schools Applied To:

Schools Admitted To:

Schools Rejected From:

Still Waiting:

Undergraduate institution:

Undergraduate GPA:

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable):

Undergraduate Major:

GRE Quantitative Score:

GRE Verbal Score:

GRE AW Score:

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable):

Years of Work Experience:

Describe Relevant Work Experience:

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc):

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc):

Other:

[Bubbins]

I'll bite, and I'll update as applicable.

Program Applied To: MPA, MPP, IR, pretty much everything haha. Professionally, I am leaning more towards public admin/policy than IR.

Schools Applied To:

Carnegie Mellon- MSPPM

GWU TSPPA- MPA

American SPA- MPA

Maryland- MPP

Texas LBJ- MPA

Texas A&M Bush- MPSA

Pitt GSPIA- MPA

Denver Korbel- MAIR

Seton Hall Whitehead- MAIR

Georgetown SSP- MAIR

Schools Admitted To:

American SPA (awaiting funding info)

Seton Hall Whitehead (awaiting funding info)

Schools Rejected From: None so far, but I'm sure that will change soon haha

Still Waiting:

Carnegie Mellon

GWU TSPPA

Maryland

Texas LBJ

Texas A&M Bush (invited to interview)

Pitt GSPIA

Denver Korbel

Georgetown SSP

Undergraduate institution: CC, transferred to UC San Diego

Undergraduate GPA: 3.58

Undergraduate Major: Political Science focus in IR

GRE Quantitative Score: 740

GRE Verbal Score: 550

GRE AW Score: 4.0 lol

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 1

Years of Work Experience: around 2 years of internships

Describe Relevant Work Experience: tutored/mentored high school students (1.5 years), intern with DC consulting (3 months)

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Strong enough to outweigh my poor writing score on the GRE haha

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I would imagine pretty strong (waived rights), one was from a CC professor.

Other: Due to my strong but not stellar GRE scores/GPA and lack of real professional experience I went with a shotgun approach, applying to a smattering of programs and schools. I took stats, research methods, and math up to calc 2 during my undergrad, but have no foreign language skills. I'm also an underrepresented minority with previous minority scholarship awards.

[natalou]

I'm planning on adding to this post, but I'm going to wait until I get at least one acceptance (ahem!).

Bubbins, when did you hear from American SPA I haven't seen anything on the results board yet.

[Bubbins]

I'm planning on adding to this post, but I'm going to wait until I get at least one acceptance (ahem!).

Bubbins, when did you hear from American SPA I haven't seen anything on the results board yet.

I heard back in middle of January.

[HOUBMA]

Program Applied To: MPP, IR

Schools Applied To:

NYU Wagner

University of Pennsylvania

Seton Hall Whitehead

DePaul University

Ohio Northern University (J.D.)

Schools Admitted To:

Seton Hall Whitehead

Schools Rejected From:

None...yet!

Still Waiting:

NYU Wagner

University of Pennsylvania

DePaul University

Ohio Northern University

Undergraduate institution: Bluffton University (Ohio)

Undergraduate GPA: 3.62

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 3.77

Undergraduate Major: History/ Political Science

GRE Quantitative Score: 620

GRE Verbal Score: 530

GRE AW Score: 4.5

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable):

Years of Work Experience: 2

Describe Relevant Work Experience: I have worked for the local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity planning projects. I have also done two internships with a Crime Victims' Advocacy organization.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc):

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I had my two LOR's come from my history professors, who are well regarded in their field. I expect they wrote excellent recommendations for me. I had a third written by my internship supervisor at CVA (where I interned for a year). I know for a fact he wrote a stellar recommendation.

Other: I have been very active on campus, leading the student government, serving on the executive committees of three other organizations, and serving on our schools accreditation committee. I have also had one of my undergraduate research papers selected to be placed in several historical society archives around the area (since it relates to the history of this area).

[timeismoney]

Program Applied To: IR

Schools Applied To: Syracuse Maxwell, Tufts Fletcher, GW Elliott, Georgetown MSFS, JHU SAIS

Schools Admitted To: Syracuse Maxwell

Schools Rejected From:

Still Waiting: Tufts Fletcher, GW Elliott, Georgetown MSFS, JHU SAIS

Undergraduate institution: Pepperdine University

Undergraduate GPA: 3.99

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 4.0

Undergraduate Major: 1st: Economics

2nd: Italian

GRE Quantitative Score: 790

GRE Verbal Score: 630

GRE AW Score: 4.5 (I thought this was going to be my best section)

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 0

Years of Work Experience: (About 1 1/2 years)

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Spent 3 months interning with a leading global logistics company in Italy, 6 months in school's International Students office where I processed Homeland Security forms, 5 months with Italian Chamber of Commerce in L.A.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I would say about average compared to others. Definitely specific in direction, but not a lot of work experience to point as to why my interests are what they are. Not a strength but certainly not a weakness.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Above average. Very well-known economics professor, and the president of my university. Other one was somewhat unknown.

Other: Good luck to everyone. My interests are in Eastern and Southern Europe, global markets, comparative economic/political systems

[gazelle]

Program Applied To: MPIA, MIA

Schools Applied To: UCSD IR/PS, Columbia SIPA

Schools Admitted To:

Schools Rejected From:

Still Waiting: UCSD IR/PS, Columbia SIPA

Undergraduate institution: University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Campus

Undergraduate GPA: 3.12

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): Unknown

Undergraduate Major: Chemical Engineering, Chemistry

GRE Quantitative Score: 730

GRE Verbal Score: 520

GRE AW Score: 5.0

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 2

Years of Work Experience: 2

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Two years teaching in Japan with the JET Program; not "relevant" per se, but relevant in the context of international experience and working towards my goal of a Japan-focused career.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Had a really strong, defined one for UCSD, and felt that the SoP, along with the supplemental essays, really gave the admissions committee a pretty comprehensive overview of myself. I feel quite strongly about my UCSD SoP, essays, and overall application, despite it being the first school I applied to. When I sat down to write my SoP for Columbia, I struggled; the format was much different (broken into three questions, with a 400 word limit for describing my background, goals, etc., a 400 word limit to discuss my most significant volunteer experience, and 200 words to tell the admissions committee anything else I wanted. The latter two parts came out well I think, albeit with short word limits, but I really struggled to squeeze everything about my goals, how my background has prepared me for graduate study, people I want to work with, etc., into those first 400 words while still managing to sound strong. I also would've liked to expand a little more on that last 200 word section, as that's really only about two paragraphs of information.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): One should be glowing from an East Asian studies professor of mine who went to Cornell, one should be pretty good from a history PhD who was my supervisor at my campus job in a demographic research office where I worked for three years as an undergraduate, but in retrospect I think the third one, written by a chemical engineering professor of mine, will be very blah, and I wish I would've asked someone else, although I didn't see the letters so I can't say.

Other: I spent two years as an undergraduate volunteering in a Japanese garden, and as mentioned spent three years in a demographic office doing research. My undergraduate program is a top-three chemical engineering program at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, notorious for grade deflation (I got a C in calculus 3, with a final grade of about 82%...), though going into IR, I can't imagine the committees would know either of those facts. Also as an undergraduate I held a graduate student teaching assistantship for two semesters being a lab T/A for general chemistry, which was another step towards JET, and another step towards my goal of a Japan-oriented career. I also took as many East Asia studies courses as I could shoulder on top of my engineering coursework, including beginning Japanese. I also have proficiency in German, as indicated by a proficiency test at my college after two years of study. Between being a T/A and my undergraduate research position, and another job prior to being a T/A, I worked 40 hours a week throughout college to support my mom and myself which forced me to make substantial academic sacrifices. Furthermore, my mom died of brain and lung cancer as an undergraduate at the onset of my junior, and coincidentally most difficult year in the chemical engineering program. Needless to say, my last two years saw a bit of a downward trend. I should also say that I am turning 26 this month, as I was in school for six years because I switched from liberal arts to engineering after 1.5 years, so I graduated with 181 credits.

[scholl43]

Program Applied To: MPP, MIA, MA

Schools Applied To: Denver (Korbel), American (SIS), HKS, Columbia (SIPA), Johns Hopkines (SAIS), U of London (SOAS), Tufts (Fletcher)

Schools Admitted To: U of London (SOAS)

Schools Rejected From:

Still Waiting:

Undergraduate institution:

Undergraduate GPA: 3.78

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable):

Undergraduate Major: History, with a couple of certificates and a minor in Black Studies

GRE Quantitative Score: 610 (50th)

GRE Verbal Score: 730 (99th)

GRE AW Score: 4.0 (44th)

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 1 year out

Years of Work Experience: Working temporarily outside of anything relevant

Describe Relevant Work Experience: A couple of internships in an extremely impoverished country. One relevant, another not so.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I think they're pretty strong, but I'm not exactly objective.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): One extremely strong from top person in his field, an adjunct/practitioner that shuold be very strong, and another very strong Ass. Prof. who is kind of seen as up and coming in his area of History.

Other:

Edited February 12, 2010 by scholl43

[Diverchica]

Program Applied To: Duke MEM (The other two are MS programs)

Schools Applied To: Duke

Schools Admitted To: Duke MEM

Schools Rejected From: None yet......

Still Waiting: UNC Chapel Hill; NC State

Undergraduate institution: University of Delaware

Undergraduate GPA: 3.79

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable):

Undergraduate Major: Wildlife Conservation

GRE Quantitative Score:620

GRE Verbal Score:560

GRE AW Score: 5.0

EW to the above, I know.

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 1

Years of Work Experience: Combined probably 1.5

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Work for the State of delaware Dept of Natural Resources (DNREC) Since July, worked for the GLobal Forum on Oceans Coasts and Islands/UD center for marine policy while in school; senior thesis marine science work.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Good; honed in on the importance of integrating policy and science, Duke's main focus for the Coastal Environmental Management program

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Undergrad research advisor; administrator of the Coastal Programs at current job; supervisor at current job. I had asked the woman from my previous job, who wrote my recs for my first round that I didnt get in. This time, she told me she would do them, and never did! Luckily I got a back up, and it all worked out fine.

[broadinterests]

Program Applied To: MPA at CIPA and Wagner and MPP at GSPP and GW Trachtenberg

Schools Applied To:CIPA, Wagner, Trachtenberg, and GSPP

Schools Admitted To: CIPA

Schools Rejected From: None

Still Waiting: Wagner, GSPP, Trachtenberg

Undergraduate institution: University of Oregon and Washington Bible College (and various others)

Undergraduate GPA: 4.05 @ UO and 3.93 @ WBC (cumulative 3.75)

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 4.0+

Undergraduate Major: Biblical Studies and International Studies

GRE Quantitative Score: 770

GRE Verbal Score: 710

GRE AW Score: 4.0 (apparently liberal arts and theology have not served me as well as I thought)

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): Complicated, but 1 year out of undergrad... kind of.

Years of Work Experience: 6 total including 5 with US Army/National Security Agency and 1 yr with a humble plumbing company.

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Language and intelligence analysis, administrative work, some supervisory and mentoring experience.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Excellent. I poured over the SOP for hundreds of hours, read several books on content (I highly recommend Donald Asher) as well as others on writing style in general (don't forget to review Strunk and White's classic, it will keep your style crisp-unlike this rambling reply). I also incorporated feedback from a Journalism & English major who graduated from GW as well as other capable writers and professors. It took me 4 months and more than 40 drafts.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): 2 Outstanding from people whom I have worked closely with and had ample time to impress (1 of whom served as my undergrad advisor and has decent connections in academia) and 1 letter from a professor whom I am sure thinks highly of me but who is not, in my opinion, the most articulate (in other words, 1 okay rec). I approached my recommenders months before I knew I would need a recommendation, though after I had already narrowed the schools, and wrote each of them a flattering-but sincere- letter explaining how their teaching and mentoring had impacted my way of thinking and future career direction. I requested a meeting to pick their brains as to possible directions for my career. During the first meeting one of the professors immediately offered (before I could bring it up) to write me a letter. I had no need to ask if it would be a good letter because of his apparent enthusiasm. The same with one of my other recommenders. The third recommender had to be explicitly asked for a letter after a few meetings but once asked he expressed his full support and said he could write me a good recommendation. All those conversations during office hours bore fruit both in my education and in their willingness to help out.

Other: I was a little nervous due to lack of quantitative preparation. I took college Algebra a decade ago and received a D (yes, there was a member of the fairer sex involved) so I took a CLEP test to receive the credit for it a few years back. No other college math courses on my x-scripts. I also had only one intro level econ course, also taken a decade ago. I appended a memo to my application explaining that I thought my GRE a better indicator of my quantitative aptitude and assuring the admissions committee I would refresh my econ and math before the fall (which I have).

On the good side I am a veteran, am fluent in Russian and semi-fluent in Spanish, come from a sordid family background (i.e. economic diversity), and have a a LOT of volunteer experience with the urban and peri-urban poor, including a project I started on my own a few years back. I also have received various military honors/awards.

To all the future applicants, good luck with your applications!

[La Voz]

Schools Applied To: Denver (Korbel), American (SIS), Chicago (Harris), Georgetown (SFS), George Washington (Elliot), George Mason (SPP), Johns Hopkins (SAIS), Wisconsin (LaFollette), Texas (LBJ)

Schools Admitted To: Denver ($15k/yr)

Schools Rejected From:

Still Waiting: All others

Undergraduate institution: Texas State University

Undergraduate GPA: 3.81

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 3.82

Undergraduate Major: Economics

GRE Quantitative Score: 670

GRE Verbal Score: 780

GRE AW Score: 5.0

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 0

Years of Work Experience: 10yrs full-time (in Information Technology)

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Just began internship for Microfinance non-profit

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Hard to be objective, let's say middle-of-the-road

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Good (3 letters from professors I have some kind of project experience with)

Other: Study Abroad to Mexico for a 5-week semester. Only two other international trips (one to Guadalajara, MX and another to Paris, each for one week). 6 semesters of Spanish, though only a rudimentary grasp of the language at this time (if you don't use it, you lose it). An undergraduate thesis on creating an online student resource for Economics. Model OAS experience. That about sums up my application.

[RH7]

Program Applied To: MPP/MPA

Schools Applied To: HKS, SIPA, TSPPPA, GPPI, Ford School, LSE (x2)

Schools Admitted To: LSE

Schools Rejected From: LSE

Still Waiting: HKS, SIPA, TSPPPA, GPPI, Ford School

Undergraduate institution: School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London

Undergraduate GPA: Upper Second Class Honours 2.1 (very big range 3.0-3.7 probably. I'd say I have a 3.3-3.4)

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): N/A

Undergraduate Major: Economics & Politics

GRE Quantitative Score: 720

GRE Verbal Score: 490

GRE AW Score: 6.0

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 0

Years of Work Experience: 1

Describe Relevant Work Experience: 2.5 month research internship at a Manila-based think tank, 2.5 month internship at a UK development consulting firm in their Asia-Pacific Regional Office, 6 months part-time training contract at the same consulting firm in London.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Entertaining?

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Nothing special I'm sure. All Oxbridge/Ivy professors, but none I know too personally.

Other: I'm deferring my entry to LSE and any other school I end up getting for sure. Might re-apply for entry in 2001/2012. Going to work for UNDP in Aceh next year!

[SpS4]

Program Applied To: MA

Schools Applied To: Korbel School (Denver), Elliott School of International Affairs (GWU), The Fletcher School (Tufts)

Schools Admitted To: Korbel School ($15k/per)

Schools Rejected From:

Still Waiting: Elliott, Fletcher

Undergraduate institution: Public university

Undergraduate GPA: 3.90

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 4.0

Undergraduate Major: International Studies w/ a concentration on the Middle East

GRE Quantitative Score: 680

GRE Verbal Score: 560 (ouch!)

GRE AW Score: 5

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): Zero

Years of Work Experience: About a year and a half combined full-time work

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Internships: World Affairs Council of Oregon, The Embassy of Afghanistan in DC, Hudson Institute (DC), U.S. Department of State, U.S. Senator's state office + 2-year internship at a bank (unrelated to field of study)

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Obviously I can't offer an objective description here, but I think they were fairly strong. I spent a lot of time carefully researching the programs of interests, faculties, research opportunities et cetera and did my best to tie these potential opportunities with my undergrad experiences.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I think that I had strong LORs, but they weren't anything above and beyond -- I have a couple from faculty that know me/my academic and research interests pretty well and a couple from previous supervisors from internships.

Other: Studied language skills: 5 years of French (w/ an internationally-recognized certificate) and about 3 years of Farsi. I know that the weakest parts of my application are my GRE scores and my lack of study abroad experience. Also, @ Elliott I applied for the Security Policy Studies program, not Int'l Affairs.

Good luck everyone!!!

[Ashlee]

Program Applied To: MPA, MALD, MAPP, International Development

Schools Applied To:

WWS Princeton

Tufts Fletcher

American SIS

NYU Wagner

Mundus MAPP (European joint university masters degree)

Will also be applying to Australian National University soon.

Schools Admitted To:

None yet

Schools Rejected From:

None yet

Still Waiting:

All!

Undergraduate institution: University of Technology, Sydney (including a semester abroad at University of Westminster, London)

Undergraduate GPA: N/A but guesstimate from WES was 3.7

Undergraduate Major: Communications (Journalism)

GRE Quantitative Score: 680

GRE Verbal Score: 580

GRE AW Score: 5.5

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3.5

Years of Work Experience: 4

Describe Relevant Work Experience: 1.5 years working in Indonesia on a newspaper, 2 years working at a local newspaper in Sydney on political and urban development rounds, 6 months on another newspaper, more than 1.5 years volunteering for community and non-profit media

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I think my statement of purpose was strong, linking my experience working in Indonesia and my journalism background to my desire to study the field, but I think my policy statement for WWS was a bit weak because I've never done one before. There was so much more I could have said in the SOP, so I hope I chose the right things to focus on.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): One from the head of my former uni's journo school, two from former editors. I think they all would be strong, all three know me well and are very awesome people.

Other: Indonesian language to intermediate-ish level

Edited February 16, 2010 by Ashlee

[fadeindreams]

Program Applied To: MPP/MPA/MAIA/MIA/IR - International Policy/Affairs degrees, essentially

Schools Applied To: University of Denver - Korbel; Columbia University - SIPA; University of Washington - Evans; University of Michigan - Ford

Schools Admitted To: None yet

Schools Rejected From: None yet

Still Waiting: All

Undergraduate institution: Major public research institution (>20,000 students)

Undergraduate GPA: 2.98 (freshman GPA was below 2.0 due to a lack of focus/desire in my first program (engineering))

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 3.6

Undergraduate Major: History

GRE Quantitative Score: 720

GRE Verbal Score: 560

GRE AW Score: 5.0

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 5

Years of Work Experience: 5

Describe Relevant Work Experience: JET program, teaching English in Japan, for 2 years; International Student Recruiter for a major public institution with over 1000 international students

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Mediocre for SIPA as it had the first application deadline but I refined it as the process rolled along. I'd say in the end I was still unhappy with my SOP. So, let's just say disappointing and move along... You asked me to be honest!

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Hopefully excellent. I didn't read any of them so I wouldn't know, would I? All the same, I had a professor who still remembered and respected me from taking classes from him more than 5 years prior, my supervisor from my time on JET and my current supervisor all write letters. The quality of the recommenders was excellent. As for their letters, I'll never know. Scout's honor.

Other: Intermediate in Japanese; have traveled extensively across Asia and Europe - backpacked for three months on a tight budget through over a dozen countries; My wife applied to all of the same programs I did so we're looking to find a home together. Her GPA is higher, academic background a bit better (she attended an Ivy League) and her quant is 780.

[mppgal55]

Program Applied To: MPP, or MPA if MPP was not offered

Schools Applied To: IU-Bloomington, IU-Indianapolis, Michigan (Ford School), Duke, CMU (Heinz - 2yr DC track), GW, UMaryland, UMass- Amherst, UMN-Twin Cities, UWI-Madison

Schools Admitted To: UMN-Twin Cities, GW, IU-Indianapolis

Schools Rejected From: none, yet

Still Waiting: IU-B, Michigan, Duke, CMU, UMaryland, UMass, UWI

Undergraduate institution: 

Undergraduate GPA: 3.86

Undergraduate Major: Political Science and French

GRE Quantitative Score: 630

GRE Verbal Score: 590

GRE AW Score: 4.5

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 0

Years of Work Experience: 0

Describe Relevant Work Experience: I've had 6 relevant government/legal internships, including a semester interning in DC in a policy/research position

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I think it was decent; my passion was portrayed, but I hate writing these so who knows.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I submitted 4 whenever I could, one from the Dean of the Honors College, one from a professor I've done significant research and class work with, one from the chair of the political science department, and one from a professor in poli sci. The poli sci professor's isn't that great, so I've heard, but the other 3 are very strong.

Other: I studied abroad for a semester in France and spent a semester in DC, I currently work as a tutor and formerly was a TA. I have had a lot of leadership opportunities - President of the Honors student government, President of the political science honorary, vice president of french club, active in mock trial and in my sorority. I've also presented papers at national conferences, and my highest GPA semesters have been the last 3.

[JBrodsky]

Program Applied To: (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.) A range

Schools Applied To: WWS, HKS, Fletcher, SIPA, Yale, SAIS

Schools Admitted To: Fletcher

Schools Rejected From: None so far, though I expect that to change in March

Still Waiting: WWS, HKS, SIPA, Yale, SAIS

Undergraduate institution: Large public

Undergraduate GPA: 3.79

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 3.88

Undergraduate Major: Political Science and Asian Studies

GRE Quantitative Score: 700

GRE Verbal Score: 750

GRE AW Score: 6.0

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3

Years of Work Experience: 3

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Interned in a non-profit in NYC and a think tank in DC before working for a year and a half in a small think tank in DC. Currently spending a year in Asia researching international relations.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Stronger than usual; I started my SOP for a major fellowship and made the final round. I spent a good deal of time revising, and the later applications probably benefited. It's worth noting that while I did put in the hours for the initial application, I had to do it in a very compact period of time due to unavoidable previous commitments. The stress was not fun, but it goes to show that there is hope for those of us who because of work/personal reasons have trouble devoting due diligence to the process many months before the deadline.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I would say very strong. One professor known in my field who was educated at Harvard, former high-ranking executive branch appointee from whom I took a class, and a former boss who has a senior position at one of the big IGOs, and (for one program) my mentor who is a well-known alum of the school. I saw three of the letters after they were sent (I waived but saw two anyway). I'm also good personal friends with most of my recommenders, and all, bar one, have written recs for me before.

Other: Though it's too soon to tell, if I end up doing well, it will probably because I was able to put together a strong narrative based on my study and work experiences in Asia and the Middle East. My Mandarin and Arabic are research level and intermediate, respectively. However, perhaps even more important than language skills, as nearly as I can tell, is the fact that I narrowed my career goals and was able to reference som interesting experiences when talking about why I wanted to pursue said career goals. It's probably a tired old saw, but I'd definitely echo the oft-repeated advice to get some work experience prior to applying for these types of programs, if at all possible. Also, this is probably not practical for most, but I think that taking the paper-based GRE was probably an advantage for me, though I can't really compare because I only took the test once. It's only offered in certain countries, however (I think). Anyway, it's worth thinking about if the chance arises.

Best of luck to everyone in the run up to March/April.

[Cadmiel]

Program Applied To: MPP, MA (various)

Schools Applied To: HKS, Yale, Fletcher, SAIS, SFS, Korbel

Schools Admitted To: Korbel

Schools Rejected From: None (yet)

Still Waiting: HKS, Yale, Fletcher, SAIS, SFS

Undergraduate institution: Large Public

Undergraduate GPA: 3.38

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 3.5ish

Undergraduate Major: Anthropology

GRE Quantitative Score: 770

GRE Verbal Score: 730

GRE AW Score: 4.5

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 6

Years of Work Experience: 5

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Volunteered with an adult literacy program, then 4 years of Peace Corps in two different countries, teaching English and lots of secondary projects related to youth and community development. I've also done projects relating to women's development and anti-trafficking in persons initiatives.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Hard to say. Strong in terms of connecting my work experience with my goals for the future, perhaps not so strong in relating them to the specific programs. I'm in a rural area with sporadic internet access so I couldn't spend that much time researching programs or communicating with professors.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Strong, but no academic recommendation as I did not keep in touch with any professors after I graduated and the only one I would have felt comfortable in contacting again after so long a period recently passed away. All three recommendations came from people familiar with my work abroad. My eventual goal is to work for the State Department or for a large international NGO, and my recommenders have high-level experience in both.

Other: I'm banking on good GRE scores and PC experience to get me into schools. I speak Bulgarian and Mandarin Chinese at intermediate/advanced levels, though my vocabulary and accent is more suited for a village bar than an academic environment.

[tammy-san]

Program Applied To: MPP/MPA

Schools Applied To: Duke, Indiana-Bloomington, Syracuse, George Washington

Schools Admitted To: George Washington

Schools Rejected From: None-yet...

Still Waiting: Duke, Indiana, Syracuse

Undergraduate institution: Duke

Undergraduate GPA: 3.6

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): n/a

Undergraduate Major: Political Science

GRE Quantitative Score: 770

GRE Verbal Score: 660

GRE AW Score: 5.0

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3

Years of Work Experience: 3

Describe Relevant Work Experience: 2 years in the Peace Corps; currently working for a Fair Trade non-profit

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Rather subjective, don't you think? Obviously wrote about Peace Corps, undergraduate research work, internships, and how this fits into my graduate/career goals and objectives for international development policy, blah, blah blah

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): two undergrad professors and my APCD from Peace Corps...both professors really liked me and took the time to talk to me about grad school, even though it had been 2 years + since I last spoke with them. And am assuming APCD wrote a good letter for me.

Other: All other years, I would be confident; but this year, since EVERYONE is applying to grad school, am feeling nervous about the strength of the applicant pool. Don't know if I really want to go back to Duke for grad school (Don't get me wrong; LOVED Duke as an undergrad) Just, not sure if it would be repetitive since I've already taking some similar classes as an undergrad...applied to Duke b/c they have a Peace Corps Fellowship.

[spottedtoad]

Program Applied To: MPA (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.)

Schools Applied WWS

Schools Admitted To: None

Schools Rejected From: None

Still Waiting: WWS

Undergraduate institution:Swarthmore

Undergraduate GPA: 3.7

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): About same

Undergraduate Major: Biology (graduated in 3 years)

(Also M.Ed. in Science Education, Brooklyn College, 3.93)

GRE Quantitative Score: 800

GRE Verbal Score: 800

GRE AW Score:5.5

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable):10

Years of Work Experience:11

Describe Relevant Work Experience: 1 year CityYear Americorps, 2 years Teach for America corps member in South Bronx, 6 years as founding science teacher at new public school in Manhattan, 2 years as a high school Biology/Environmental Science teacher out in the burbs. I was also a TFA advisor and an instructor for some science education courses along the way.

I live fairly close to WWS, and with a hefty mortgage and two small kids, I'm not eager or able to move away for grad school, or to pay for grad school for that matter. I applied last year to the mid-career MPP program, and was wait-listed. I got some feedback from the admissions people, and it helped me re-write my resume, SOP, and policy memo, and also change one of my recommenders.

If I don't get in this time--- I guess I'll teach another twenty years! There are worse fates.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Trying to condense 11 years of experience into a single 1000 word narrative is challenging. I think I did a better job of it this year than last, emphasizing my perspective more than my accomplishments, and trying to keep things focused on a single theme, of science education for citizenship.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Great letter from NY principal, great letter from biology prof at Brooklyn I did research with, decent letter from current principal (he likes me a lot, but he's not the best writer...)

Other: Before I applied last year, I had a gut feeling that I stacked up better against the MPA applicants than the mid-career applicants, especially academic record seemed to be stressed more in the MPA pool. This year, I'm told that the competition is even more intense, so I'm not feeling particularly confident.

[DCApplicant]

Program Applied To: (All domestic: MPA, MPP, MSPPM)

Schools Applied To: Heinz, Maxwell, GPPI, NYU, UW Madison, Hopkins, SPEA, SIPA, Brandeis, Ford School, Harris School, Evans

Schools Admitted To: Maxwell

Schools Rejected From: (none yet)

Still Waiting: Heinz, GPPI, NYU, UW Madison, Hopkins, SPEA, SIPA, Brandeis, Ford School, Harris School, Evans

Undergraduate institution: Small public school

Undergraduate GPA: 3.02

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): Prob the same - 3.0ish

Undergraduate Major: Humanities

GRE Quantitative Score: 710

GRE Verbal Score: 630

GRE AW Score: 3

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 4

Years of Work Experience: 4 (around 6 if you want to count internships)

Describe Relevant Work Experience: I work for a large research org with a range of federal clients

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I really like my SOP and I had a team of friends edit and give me feedback. Two of which have MPPs.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): One from first job, one from professor and one from my current job. I made sure to be super organized and gave each a write up to help guide them on what I am up to currently and some of the highlights of my time working with each of them.

Other: I never thought I'd get into Maxwell! Goes to show that grades aren't everything.

[natalou]

Okay, I'm feeling better about this now!

Program Applied To/Schools Applied To: Georgetown (MPP), American SPA (MPP), Duke Sanford (MPP), Maryland (MPP), George Mason (MPP), NYU Wagner (MPA), GWU Elliott (MIA), Seton Hall (IR)

Schools Admitted To: American, Maryland

Schools Rejected From: None yet but I know at least 2 are on their way

Still Waiting: Gtown, Duke, GMU, NYU, Elliott, Seton Hall (They lost my LoRs...!)

Undergraduate institution: U of Tennessee Knoxville

Undergraduate GPA: 3.98 (Major: 4.0)

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 3.8? Don't know.

Undergraduate Major: Honors Political Science and French (Minor Global Studies for what it's worth lol)

GRE Quantitative Score: 610

GRE Verbal Score: 690

GRE AW Score: 4.5

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 1

Years of Work Experience: I worked part time during undergrad and I've been a full-time secretary since graduating because I couldn't find anything else in my home town (I wanted to stay here before grad school). Don't give up hope, secretaries!

Describe Relevant Work Experience: My PT job in undergrad was working in a policy center's political archives but I wouldn't say I did any relevant work. I did an internship at a community social justice nonprofit and took a few grassroots organizing training course from them, but that's about all.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I didn't have any one edit mine, but I think it turned out okay. I don't think I had a very interesting personal story but I was extremely specific about what I want to study and what I want to do for a career and I think I made the few qualifications I have shine as brightly as I could!

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): All three of mine were from professors (one thesis advisor) and I'm afraid that may work against me. I'm not even very close to any of them but I did good work in their classes and I'm sure they had enough to say.

Other: My interests are international development, intl aid, and Africa. I studied abroad and I had 8 years of French.

I didn't think I would get in anywhere without any experience and mediocre LoR's but I'm so glad I talked myself into applying this year!

[cosmike10]

Program Applied To: MPA, MPP, & MSPPM (CMU)Schools Applied To: USC MPA, Chicago Harris MPP, George Washington MPA and MPP, Georgetown MPP, and Carnegie Mellon MSPPM

Schools Admitted To: USC MPA, George Washington MPP (waitlisted)

Schools Rejected From: we'll see

Undergraduate institution: University of California San Diego

Undergraduate GPA: 3.2

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): NA

Undergraduate Major: Political Science: Public Policy & Linguistics: Language Studies

GRE Quantitative Score: 720

GRE Verbal Score: 590

GRE AW Score: 5.0

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 2 by the time I enroll in the fall

Years of Work Experience: 2.5

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Nothing directly geared towards politics, policy, or law. Worked abroad mostly in teaching with some leadership experience.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Can't really say. I wrote a different essay for each school.

Early on my SOP went through many drafts. My first draft was very long, but my former professor said he liked it. I wasn't satisfied though because I thought it made my focus too specific. As the deadline got closer I studied everything I could for how to write an SOP and found tons of advice, lots of it contradicting. After several drafts I was beginning to get dismayed because I felt like I had too much to do. It was hard to follow all the guidelines given and I thought I had to hit a home run with it since I was conscious of my lower than average GPA the entire application process. By the time I applied to my last schools, I had it figured out. In the midst of all the things people say about what a good SOP is, I would like to throw in my two cents. If you research it too much, and overexert yourself while writing it, you won't be happy with the result. Don't worry about making yourself seem all diverse, about sounding all flashy, or about having this laser-focus on what you want to study. It is a statement of purpose. All you really need to do is tell them why you want to go to school there. If you are passionate, your essay will show it. Just write about your purpose.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I only read one of the three, so I don't know. The one I read was very good. It came from my former employer who is also an attorney. The other two came from former college professors. They told both told me they would write "a very good letter."

Other: I really think all this comes down to confidence. I was always aware of having a lower GPA than most other applicants at the schools I applied to (thanks to two years of head up assitis as an undergrad). Thankfully there is a trend of improvement evident in my transcripts. I did OK on the GRE and literally put months of work and thought into my SOP. I think by the end I was able to write an essay that read like it was written with confidence.

Just apply to where you want to go, and do so confidently. People with lower grades and test scores get into good schools, why can't it be you?

[DeepShadeofBlue]

Program Applied To: MPA, MPP, & MSPPM (CMU)Schools Applied To: USC MPA, Chicago Harris MPP, George Washington MPA and MPP, Georgetown MPP, and Carnegie Mellon MSPPM

Schools Admitted To: USC MPA, George Washington MPP (waitlisted)

Schools Rejected From: we'll see

Undergraduate institution: University of California San Diego

Undergraduate GPA: 3.2

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): NA

Undergraduate Major: Political Science: Public Policy & Linguistics: Language Studies

GRE Quantitative Score: 720

GRE Verbal Score: 590

GRE AW Score: 5.0

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 2 by the time I enroll in the fall

Years of Work Experience: 2.5

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Nothing directly geared towards politics, policy, or law. Worked abroad mostly in teaching with some leadership experience.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Can't really say. I wrote a different essay for each school.

Early on my SOP went through many drafts. My first draft was very long, but my former professor said he liked it. I wasn't satisfied though because I thought it made my focus too specific. As the deadline got closer I studied everything I could for how to write an SOP and found tons of advice, lots of it contradicting. After several drafts I was beginning to get dismayed because I felt like I had too much to do. It was hard to follow all the guidelines given and I thought I had to hit a home run with it since I was conscious of my lower than average GPA the entire application process. By the time I applied to my last schools, I had it figured out. In the midst of all the things people say about what a good SOP is, I would like to throw in my two cents. If you research it too much, and overexert yourself while writing it, you won't be happy with the result. Don't worry about making yourself seem all diverse, about sounding all flashy, or about having this laser-focus on what you want to study. It is a statement of purpose. All you really need to do is tell them why you want to go to school there. If you are passionate, your essay will show it. Just write about your purpose.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I only read one of the three, so I don't know. The one I read was very good. It came from my former employer who is also an attorney. The other two came from former college professors. They told both told me they would write "a very good letter."

Other: I really think all this comes down to confidence. I was always aware of having a lower GPA than most other applicants at the schools I applied to (thanks to two years of head up assitis as an undergrad). Thankfully there is a trend of improvement evident in my transcripts. I did OK on the GRE and literally put months of work and thought into my SOP. I think by the end I was able to write an essay that read like it was written with confidence.

Just apply to where you want to go, and do so confidently. People with lower grades and test scores get into good schools, why can't it be you?

I totally agree with you!! Many schools will indicate a mid-range of average GPA or GRE scores on their website, but that doesn't mean the school doesn't accept students with lower averages. If there's one thing this whole application process has taught me, it really IS about having a "complete package." Congratulations on your acceptances! Where is your top choice?

[cosmike10]

I can't really say I have a top choice. I didn't apply anywhere that I wouldn't be happy attending. The outlook I have is that where I get in and any funding I get will tell me where I am supposed to be. I will consider myself lucky to get two or more great offers and to have to make the decision about which one to go for.