Fall 2010 Admitted/Rejected Thread

[gurf]

Program Applied To: IR

Schools Applied To: Georgetown, American, Syracuse Maxwell, UCSD, Denver Korbel, George Washington, Duke Sanford

Schools Admitted To: Syracuse, UC San Deigo , Denver Korbel

Schools Rejected From: George Washington, Duke Sanford

Still Waiting: Georgetown, American (by now, I'm assuming I didn't get in)

Undergraduate institution: University of California

Undergraduate GPA: 3.0

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable):

Undergraduate Major: Criminology, Law

GRE Quantitative Score: 700

GRE Verbal Score: 600

GRE AW Score: 4.5

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 6

Years of Work Experience: 4

Describe Relevant Work Experience:

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

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

Other: I filled this out because I wanted to let others who have a mediocre GPA know that it's not the end all be all. My GPA is far below the average of every institution I applied to but I made it up with taking 5 community college courses and receiving all A's. 2 of those courses were micro and macro econ, which I believe helped greatly to mitigate my GPA. In my essays (SOP and Optional Essay) I explained my lack of focus during my undergraduate years and the reason for underachieving ( I got a D in Greek Mythology!).

However, my GPA and so-so GRE scores did stop my from applying to the IVY's. In particular, Johns Hopkins, Columbia, Tufts. However, in retrospect, I wish would have applied to Columbia because seems to be quite a few stories of people with similar stats either being accepted or put on the waitlist. Also, I personally have a friend who had GRE scores considerably below mine, but better GPA and got in.

I believe it also helped that I've had some experiences since graduating. My experience includes working in International Business, independent international travel for 1 year, and working at a small university that focused on the global community and producing global citizens.

Edited March 17, 2010 by gurf

[SOLID]

Program Applied To: IR

Schools Applied To: Johns Hopkins SAIS (DC), Columbia SIPA, Tufts Fletcher

Schools Admitted To: Johns Hopkins SAIS (DC) - $0, Tufts Fletcher - $0

Schools Rejected From: None

Still Waiting: Waitlisted at Columbia SIPA

Undergraduate institution: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Undergraduate GPA: 3.96

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): more or less the same

Undergraduate Major: Computer Engineering

GMAT Quantitative Score: 48 (83%)

GMAT Verbal Score: 44 (97%)

GMAT AW Score: 6

GMAT Overall Score: 740

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 7

Years of Work Experience: 7

Describe Relevant Work Experience: 5 years at a large consulting firm doing tech consulting work. 2 years at a small tech startup.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Focused on my interest in the field and how my background fits in. Wasn't able to articulate specific or concrete career goals, however.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): One from my current boss, one from a partner at the consulting firm I used to work at, and one from a professor of IR that I had during my study abroad in Korea. I have good relationships with the writers of my professional LORs so I'm guessing they were much stronger than my academic LOR. I asked the professor of IR for a recommendation out of the blue after I couldn't reach an engineering professor I did research under. However, he graciously accepted my request and I guess it didn't hurt that he became dean of a school that is a member of APSIA (Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs) albeit in Korea.

Other: SAIS - DC was my top choice and since I didn't get funding from any schools, I'm probably going to go there.

Edited March 18, 2010 by SOLID

[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), Wisconsin ($0), Johns Hopkins ($0)

Schools Rejected From: None

Schools Waitlisted At: Texas

Still Waiting: American, Chicago, Georgetown, George Washington, George Mason

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.

[gen518]

Schools Applied To: I am looking to do a joint-MBA/MA degree. I applied to: Johns Hopkins SAIS, Tufts Fletcher, Harvard Kennedy School, Yale IR, University of Virginia IR, Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, Yale School of Management, UVA Darden, Dartmouth Tuck

Schools Admitted To: Johns Hopkins SAIS ($15K), Tufts Fletcher ($15K), Harvard Kennedy School ($?), Yale IR ($35K), University of Virginia IR ($10K), Yale School of Management, UVA Darden

Schools Rejected From: Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan

Schools Waitlisted At: None

Still Waiting: Dartmouth Tuck

Undergraduate institution: Calvin College

Undergraduate GPA: 3.9

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

Undergraduate Major: English

GRE Quantitative Score: 800

GRE Verbal Score: 760

GRE AW Score: 4.5

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 5

Years of Work Experience: 1 year teaching, 4 years management consulting

[tortoise]

Huh. I find these extremely interesting to read through. Thanks everyone for sharing!

I only discovered this site last week: after I got my first acceptance letter I looked around curious whether other people were announcing their application results.

I went through the application process as though in a vacuum. I don't think I would have done anything differently if I had been accessing this sort of information, I just would have been even more painfully stressed. I am glad I was not thinking about these things even more than I was; such is my temperament.

Program Applied To: MPP

Schools Applied To: UC Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon (MSPPM), U. Michigan, U. Chicago, Harvard

Schools Admitted To: Carnegie Mellon [$17k/yr], U. Michigan, U. Chicago

Schools Rejected From: UC Berkeley, Harvard

Still Waiting: nope, all done.

Undergraduate institution: UC Berkeley

Undergraduate GPA: 3.1

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable):

Undergraduate Majors: Mathematics, Political Science

GRE Quantitative Score: 800

GRE Verbal Score: 750

GRE AW Score: 5.0

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 4

Years of Work Experience: ~3.5

Describe Relevant Work Experience: two short internship stints at a tech-policy-focused non-profit public interest law firm. 3 yrs doing policy and legal compliance at a web 2.0-ish company.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Berkeley is the only one of the programs I applied to that asks for anything of real length. The others were all just dinky little things.

As others above noted, Cal's deadline was a month+ earlier than any others. I slaved months on my long piece for Cal, and believed it a great essay. So did the biased friends and family who read it for me. I recounted my passion and the importance of my work of the past few years, and crowned it with a tiny paragraph about pursuing a graduate degree. It was a splendid piece of writing, in my humble humble self-emphatuated opinion, but I can imagine three potentially huge problems with it in the eyes of a reader:

- too passionate. I acknowledge that I am capable of sounding a bit crazy.

- too focused on a particular topic. To someone looking for a candidate with my interests, surely I must look great! To someone not looking for that, surely I must look notgreat!

- not enough about the value I anticipate deriving from pursuing a Master's in public policy.

As for all the dinky essays... this aspect of the application process is what annoyed me most: every program asks the same thing, with slightly different permutations of word count limits for answering each part. I haphazardly sliced and diced my Cal essays to fit the requirements of the other programs.

[[back during the application season, I was actually thinking about putting my essays up on the web. I didn't have any particular reason to, it just struck me as the sort of thing that probably most people would shy away from without reason. The couple people I mentioned this intention to were like "OMG you can't do that!" and I was like "orly?" and they were like "at least not until after application season!" and then I guess I kinda forgot about it.

Do you guys share those here? [or I suppose I could search for related topics...]]]

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I don't know. I didn't read any of them. Not as great as they could have been

2 from people at work I believe competent to speak to my work performance and abilities, who I think could have interestingly different perspectives. 1 from a prof I took a graduate seminar with my last year at Berkeley.

I actually took several relevant grad classes in my last semesters, with great faculty at the top of their fields, @Boalt, SIMS and GSPP. I didn't establish strong relationships with the profs, and didn't keep in touch with them.

Here's a piece of serious advice for anyone still in undergrad: develop real relationships with your profs, and keep those relationships alive after you graduate! Or tell them about your future plans (public policy is commonly an "after a few years of work" sort of thing) and have them write a letter for you to keep on record with your school for later use.

Other: It was by no means a certainty in my mind, going in, that anything could overcome my horrendous undergrad transcript. My GRE was reasonable, and I think my resume looks pretty good. But I honestly expected to not get in anywhere.

It's nice when going through something like this to have a job you don't completely hate.

[hall0822]

Now that my own process has somewhat concluded I can reply to this thread. Very interesting to read through these!

Schools Applied To: NYU Wagner (MUP), UCL (MSc Int. Public Policy), Michigan Ford (MPP), Carnegie Mellon (MSPPM, OSU (MPA)

Schools Admitted To: NYU ($0), UCL ($0), CMU ($21K Admitted to their Adelaide program instead of Pitt), OSU (Full Tuition + Stipend)

Schools Rejected From: Michigan

Schools Waitlisted At: None

Still Waiting: None

Undergraduate institution: University of Minnesota

Undergraduate GPA: 3.54

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

Undergraduate Major: Marketing & Public/Non-Profit Management

GRE Quantitative Score: 680

GRE Verbal Score: 550

GRE AW Score: 4.0

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 1

Years of Work Experience: 1 Full Time

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Current AmeriCorps VISTA, Former State Senate Intern

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I began the process without clear direction but as I thought about my journey to this point and my experiences (work, personal and education) everything became more clear and easier to write. I think I tied everything together really well...but who knows really.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I'd say average...this was probably my weakest part. 2 professors at the Humphrey Inst. whose classes I enjoyed most and excelled in. Also my VISTA supervisor.

Other: I studied in Denmark for a semester which contributed to my reasons for wanting to focus on international public policy. Also when I was in high school I was an active City Council student rep. which also worked it's way into my SOP. I intend to go into international economic development so that's why I think CMU admitted me to their Adelaide campus...I never applied or wanted to go there but after admission I did consider it. This process has definitely affirmed for me that most grad school admission committee really do take a thorough approach to each candidate and consider their long term goals in the selection process.

Decision: Ultimately I will end up at UCL assuming no major financial aid from NYU.

[Minerva473]

Program Applied To: Joint MPA-MAIR, MPP, MALD, MPA, MIA

Schools Applied To: Maxwell (Syracuse; joint MPA-MAIR), Georgetown Public Policy Institute (GPPI; MPP), Fletcher (Tufts; MALD), SIPA (Columbia; MIA), HKS (Harvard; MPP), Woodrow Wilson School (Princeton; MPA)

Schools Admitted To: Maxwell (Approx $19k in aid per year), GPPI ($20k scholarship per year) and Fletcher ($7k scholarship per year)

Schools Rejected From: Woodrow Wilson School, HKS, SIPA

Still Waiting:None

Undergraduate institution: Top 20 U.S. institution

Undergraduate GPA: 3.9

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): Same as above

Undergraduate Major: Literature and foreign language, studied abroad in Europe for a semester; one intro to micro course and a linear algebra course during undergrad as well. I've been doing distance learning stats, macro, micro and math this year while applying.

GRE Quantitative Score: 770

GRE Verbal Score: 710

GRE AW Score: 5

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 4

Years of Work Experience: 3 (also did a one-year MA in Latin American Studies focused on history before starting to work)

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Fundraising and partnership working/capacity building of partners for local nonprofit

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I really struggled with these because I didn't know what I wanted, particularly with the earlier ones. I do think given that I applied towards doing international development, my work experience isn't in that area, and my academic background is humanities focused, I wasn't the most competitive applicant at SIPA, HKS and of course Woody Woo. But I also think it's no coincidence that I was rejected from the 3 schools with the earliest deadlines... I really just could not articulate where I thought their program could take me because I felt very insecure as to whether international development / affairs was really what I wanted or how my work experience would connect with that. I also don't think I tried very hard for HKS because I know how little aid they give out and just did not think it worth it to pay $120,000 for an MPP. In the last three and especially the GPPI and Maxwell, I was able to connect my background or interests to something specific about the curriculum, and I think that's what got me the aid from these schools.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I waived my right to read these because I know at least one of my profs considers it improper for recommendees to be able to read them, but I'm fairly certain they were quite strong. Both of my academic recommenders were from my first master's degree and I excelled in both of their classes. It was a small program so they knew me quite well; one was my thesis advisor and I did really well on the thesis. I'm guessing the professional recommendation was fairly strong and focused on my writing and analytical abilities.

Other: I am fluent in Spanish and speak French fairly well

Decision: I haven't decided where I'm going but I'm leaning heavily towards Maxwell right now, simply because it feels right in its practical focus and I've just heard great things about both the MPA and IR programs. However Fletcher and the GPPI are interesting in their own ways so I'm not closing any doors yet. Unfortunately can't visit any of them... really wish I could!

Edited March 19, 2010 by Minerva473

[dublin]

Program Applied To: MA-IR, MPA

Schools Applied To: SAIS, SFS, WWS, SIPA, YaleIR

Schools Admitted To: SAIS, SFS, SIPA

Schools Rejected From: WWS, Yale

Still Waiting:None

Undergraduate institution: UPenn

Undergraduate GPA: 3.6

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 3.7

Undergraduate Major: International Relations, East Asian Studies

GRE Quantitative Score: 760

GRE Verbal Score: 700

GRE AW Score: 6

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 2

Years of Work Experience: 1 (not professional, few internships)

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Fulbright Scholar, research intern

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Had to revise a lot with help of friends. Probably got stronger and more precise for the ones that were due later.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): No idea. Nobody famous, regretted not developing close relationships with professors beforehand.

Other: 3 languages

Decision: SFS or SAIS

[SdeS]

Program Applied To: MPP, MA, MIA, MALD, MSFS, MPA

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

Schools Admitted To: HKS, SAIS($15k+ loans), SFS, SIPA($25k), Fletcher ($35k)

Schools Rejected From: None

Still Waiting: WWS (waitlist)

Undergraduate institution: Top 20 Liberal Arts

Undergraduate GPA: 3.95

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

Undergraduate Major: International Relations, Econ (minor)

GRE Quantitative Score: 650

GRE Verbal Score: 690

GRE AW Score: 4 (not sure why!)

Years Out of Undergrad(if applicable): 4

Years of Work Experience: 4 (full time) + 1 (internships)

Describe Relevant Work Experience: 4 years with an international human rights NGO in NYC directly related to the field I want to pursue post-graduation. Some leadership experience as well.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Honestly,the whole process of writing was horrific. I chose the worst possible time to really question what I wanted to do with my life etc. At the end of the day Ithink I put out a fairly focused and straightforward SOP, but it certainly lacked creativity.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I waived my right to read them. Overall I’d say they would be pretty strong-I have good relationships with my recommenders and I’ve worked with my professional recommenders for 4+ years. I was a bit nervous about some of my academic references though, since it had been a while.

Other: Very glad I minored in Econ in college (and got good grades). Spent a year studying abroad in France and I also speak two additional foreign languages. Not sure how much these are taken into consideration but also graduated Phi Beta Kappa, Magna cum Laude.

Decision: Trying to enjoy the moment, but am anxiously waiting on the $ decisions.

Edited March 20, 2010 by SdeS

[BoSoxFanatic245]

Here's my update

Program Applied To: MPA, MPP

Schools Applied To: American (MPA), George Washington (MPA), Harvard (MPP), Syracuse (MPA), Princeton (MPA), UNC (MPA), UCal-Berkeley (MPP), Maryland (MPP)

Schools Admitted To: Syracuse, American, George Washington, Maryland

Schools Rejected From: Harvard, Princeton, UNC, UCal-Berkeley

Still Waiting: none

Undergraduate institution: Brandeis

Undergraduate GPA: 3.79

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable):

Undergraduate Major: Politics, French and Francophone Studies

GRE Quantitative Score: 770

GRE Verbal Score: 670

GRE AW Score: 5.0

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): none

Years of Work Experience: N/A

Describe Relevant Work Experience: none out of undergrad, but 2 summer internships with my congressman in his district office and 1 summer internship with a thinktank in D.C.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I don't think my SOP was either outstanding or terrible. I was honest and wrote about my desire to hold elected office someday and my ability to accomplish what I've done so far with no real help through connections.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): 1 from a professor who is my senior thesis advisor and 1 from my internship director in D.C. (I didn't read either of these because they were submitted online but I'm sure they're well-written). A third LOR from the district director of the congressman's office where I interned. I think it was well-written and accurate.

Other: I studied abroad for a full year in Paris and took classes at Sciences Po, a prestigious political university. I also co-founded Brandeis Students for Barack Obama on campus.

Will most likely be attending Syracuse Maxwell School for the MPA program next year.

[cosmike10]

i'm ready to update too.

Program: MPA, MPP, & MSPPM (CMU)

Schools: USC MPA, Chicago MPP, George Washington MPA and MPP, Georgetown MPP, and Carnegie Mellon MSPPM

Schools Admitted To: USC MPA (18k/year), CMU MSPPM (8k/semester), George Washington MPA, George Washington MPP (waitlisted)

Schools Rejected From: Chicago and Georgetown

Undergraduate GPA: 3.2

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 geared towards politics, policy, or law. Lived and worked 2.5 years in Latin America, mostly in teaching with some leadership experience.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): USC and CMU were obviously the successful ones. Interestingly, they are also the only two essays I wrote without worrying about hitting all these points that people say a good sop needs. I thought the essays I submitted to GW and Georgetown were very well written, but maybe I tried to do too much with them. My essay for Chicago was uninspired. I don't know what I wanted from that program. I just love the city. In retrospect I should have applied to HKS instead. waddayado?

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 both told me they would write "a very good letter."

 

It's between Carnegie Mellon and USC. I'm going to both open houses and will be asking lots of questions.

[JBrodsky]

Final update

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

Schools Applied To: WWS, Fletcher, HKS, Harvard RSEA, SIPA, Yale, SAIS, Oxford, Cambridge

Schools Admitted To: Fletcher, HKS, Harvard RSEA, SIPA, Yale, SAIS Oxford

Schools Rejected From: Cambridge (oh well)

Waitlisted: WWS

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 different 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: Others have said this before, but I think that the importance of building a narrative in one's SOP is critical. I have done a lot of things that if viewed correctly follow from one another, but if I presented them poorly would make me seem scattered. I was fortunate to only be outright rejected once, and Cambridge was the first school that I applied to- I felt rushed. Other than that, working for 3 years after undergrad and getting international language experience was a great decision in retrospect.

Deciding Between: Harvard, Oxford, Tufts, SAIS. SIPA and Yale both didn't give me any money and weren't high on my list for various reasons. I'd love to be outside of DC for a bit, but SAIS is great for what I do. I guess I'm leaning towards Harvard or Oxford, pending funding, but Tufts is a very strong contender as well.

[dearestpriya]

Final update

Program Applied To: (MPA, MPP

Schools Applied To: HKS, SIPA, LSE, NYU, Duke, USC

Schools Admitted To: USC, Duke, SIPA

Schools Rejected From: None

Waitlisted: HKS

Undergraduate institution: University of KY

Undergraduate GPA: 3.9

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

Undergraduate Major: Biology/Economics

GRE Quantitative Score: 790

GRE Verbal Score: 610

GRE AW Score: 4.5

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3

Years of Work Experience: 1.5

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Research Assistant in Public Health at Indian Institute of Management. Published 2 papers.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Wrote very last minute, about a week from deadlines.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): My boss is PhD in Econ from Harvard, his letter was strong. One from an undergard prof and the last one from a previous boss who has a PhD in public health.

Other:

Deciding Between: Duke vs. SIPA

[Hopster]

Program Applied To: MIA

Schools Applied To: SIPA (the only school I really wanted to get into) Likely to deffer to jan 10 even if I got admitted for Sep 09.

Schools Admitted To: SIPA

Schools Rejected From: none

Still Waiting: 

Undergraduate institution: One of the top French business schools) I also hold a master's degree in finance from another top French Business School. I have studied in London in a top 10 Uni. TOEFL: 107/110

Undergraduate GPA: 3.6-3.7 equivalent

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

Undergraduate Major: International Business Management +Finance

GMAT: 620/800

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 2

Years of Work Experience: 3

Describe Relevant Work Experience: 2 years as Management Accountant in 2 Investment Banks in london+several other internships including one for an International Court working as intern in the cabinet of the registrar

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Really worked a lot on it. Took me more about 18 months between the day I became interested in applying and the day I submitted the application. I had the SOP plan ready, but I wrote it down only a few days before the actual deadline.  

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): one is the CEO of my former Inv Bank (I was working with him), another one is the director of the International Court (stayed in touch with him) and the last is a finance teacher. 

Other: My advice would be to really think of what you want to do, and more importantly, think about something different you could bring to your application. Something not many people are likely to think of. Saying "I want to work in Central Africa for a Microcredit NGO" won't get you far I think. But also, don't undervalue yourself, bear in mind that not everybody who's 24-26 at the time of the application has climed up Everest or worked with Nelson Mandela!

I'm a native French speaker. I also speak fluently German (900/990 at WIDAF) and English (Toefl 107/120)

Good luck to next year's applicant!

[econister]

Schools Applied To: SAIS (MA), SIPA (MIA), KSG (MPP), WWS (MPA)

Schools Admitted To: SAIS, SIPA

Schools Rejected From: KSG, WWS

Undergraduate institution: UCLA

Undergraduate GPA: 3.8, lots of research and involvement in professors' work, okay but not great math scores

Undergraduate Major: Economics

GRE Quantitative Score: 770

GRE Verbal Score: 720

GRE AW Score: 4.5

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 1

Years of Work Experience: 2

Describe Relevant Work Experience: California government -- policy development work, but nothing particularly glamorous

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): My WWS and KSG SOPs weren't very focused, but who knows how much that affected me, since both of these applications were long shots anyway. SAIS and SIPA were better -- both focused on topics I had spent my undergrad working on and am passionate about.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): A mix of professional and academic references, all of whom I have worked closely with and I'm sure were very positive.

Other: Intermediate Spanish (improving this will be my summer project), years of volunteering and community involvement

Edited March 23, 2010 by econister

[DL2K10]

Schools Applied To: SAIS, MSFS, Harvard KSG, GWU, Fletcher, NYU Wagner, Berkeley GSPP

Schools Admitted To: SAIS, GWU, NYU

Schools Rejected From: KSG, Berkeley

Waitlisted: Fletcher

Still Waiting: MSFS

Undergraduate Institution: UT Austin

Undergrdaute GPA: 3.7

Undergraduate Major: Hispanic Studies

GRE Quant: 610

GRE Verbal: 640

GRE AW: 4.5

Years out of Undergrad: 5

Years of Work Experience: 5

Work Experience: Peace Corps volunteer 2.5 years, private sector health care management 1.5 years

Strength of SOP: Outlined a skeleton proposal for an NGO I would like to start, added as supplement to SOP

Strength of LOR: 1 from my capstone undergrad Honors Thesis course professor, 1 from CEO of my present company, 1 from Peace Corps colleague who worked for Plan International, all positive I assume

Extra: Fluent in Spanish, Intermediate-Advanced proficiency in Portuguese, 4 semesters of Italian Undergrad

[egmpp2010]

Program Applied To: MPP (except WWS where its an MPA -- Master's in Public Affairs)

Schools Applied To: HKS at Harvard, WWS at Princeton, GSPP at Berkeley, Harris at Chicago, GPPI at Georgetown, SPPD at USC

Schools Admitted To: HKS ($?), WWS ($$$), GSPP ($0), Harris ($$$), GPPI ($), SPPD ($$)

Schools Rejected From: None

Undergraduate institution: Top 10 research

Undergraduate GPA: 3.96

Undergraduate Major: Public Policy with Honors

GRE Quantitative Score: 770

GRE Verbal Score: 690

GRE AW Score: 6.0

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3 in June

Years of Work Experience: 3 + summer internships in college, part-time school year jobs

Describe Relevant Work Experience: 1.5 years at an economic development nonprofit doing program tracking, reporting, and evaluation; 1 year at a family foundation doing research on public/private partnerships and on civic engagement; internships at a foundation and two nonprofits during summers in college; worked part-time for a nonprofit during my sophomore year of college and as a research assistant for a Poli. Sci. professor as a senior

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Started in October and got comments from friends, family. Kept honing it. Spent a lot of time trying to flesh out the sections about how I plan to use the degree and what my career goals are (even though those goals were a bit vague). Personally, I found it easier to write about my past than my future and my friends who are current grad students helped push me to add detail around my future. Didn't add a ton of specifics about each school; just a paragraph where I tried to discuss 3-4 strengths from my perspective -- a professor or research center with interests aligned with mine, how a curriculum requirement like a group project or master's thesis would benefit me.

I wanted to add that, for the policy memo for WWS and HKS, I picked a fairly narrow issue having to do with tax deductions. It was timely but not-all-over-the-news and something I knew a good deal about. I think it probably worked well because I could do the issue justice in a few pages and come off as an expert in something probably no one else (or almost no one else) wrote about.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Probably very good. One Poli Sci professor who was my undergrad thesis advisor, one Poli Sci professor who I worked for as a research assistant, and my boss from the family foundation who is more a mentor than a supervisor.

Deciding Between: GSPP and WWS primarily; waiting to hear if I got any aid from HKS and still mulling over Harris' generosity.

[mwg4]

Updated.

Program Applied To: Varied depending on the school, but looking to concentrate in International Development

Schools Applied To: WWS MPA, Fletcher MALD, SIS MAID, Elliott MAIDS

Schools Admitted To: Fletcher ($7k/yr), Elliot ($15k/yr), SIS (full tuition)

Schools Rejected From: WWS

Undergraduate institution: Duke

Undergraduate GPA: 3.79

Undergraduate Major: Poli Sci

GRE Quantitative Score: 790

GRE Verbal Score: 790

GRE AW Score: 6.0

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 2

Years of Work Experience: 2

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Since undergrad, I've been teaching at an international school in the Middle East. Not directly relevant, but it's international experience and I teach a high school course on international issues. Also, I did a summer internship during college with a microfinance institution in India, and have done various volunteer projects in the Middle East.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I think it was quite strong, and had a number of people edit it, but doesn't everybody? Writing does tend to be one of my strengths, so I would say overall it was probably very good but not knock-your-socks-off spectacular.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Not sure, probably could have been stronger. Two professors from college, one of whom I knew quite well (probably a very strong letter) but one of whom I was not as close to, and which may have been a little generic. I also got a letter from my assistant principal at work, which was likely quite favorable, but which of course would have been better coming from a professional in IR or IDev.

Other: I never took any intro econ courses, but plan to take them either online or at a local college before I attend. Also, I am hoping that a high GRE quant as well as the fact that I taught an econ half-credit course on microfinance my senior year can make up for a lack of intro classes.

Edited March 25, 2010 by mwg4

[amanda1985]

Program Applied To: MPA: Indiana University SPEA, New York University Wagner, MPP: University of Michigan Ford, Master of International Public Affairs: University of Wisconsin La Follette

Schools Admitted To: Wisconsin (La Follette) Indiana (SPEA)

Schools Rejected From: Michigan

Still waiting to hear from NYU

Undergraduate institution: Indiana University

Undergraduate GPA: 3.87

Undergraduate Major: International Studies and Psychology, minors in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures (Arabic) and Environmental Science (Through SPEA)

GRE Quantitative Score: 560

GRE Verbal Score: 480

GRE AW Score: 4.5

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 2

Years of Work Experience: part time job throughout undergrad, volunteer experience at NGO, policy work at IU

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Basically I studied abroad in Cairo, Egypt, studied Arabic

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): For IU: one of my recommenders is a professor in the SPEA graduate program, another one was the Director of the International Studies major

Deciding Between: Decided on IU SPEA

[amanda1985]

Program Applied To: MPA: Indiana University SPEA, New York University Wagner, MPP: University of Michigan Ford, Master of International Public Affairs: University of Wisconsin La Follette

Schools Admitted To: Wisconsin (La Follette) Indiana (SPEA)

Schools Rejected From: Michigan

Still waiting to hear from NYU

Undergraduate institution: Indiana University

Undergraduate GPA: 3.87

Undergraduate Major: International Studies and Psychology, minors in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures (Arabic) and Environmental Science (Through SPEA)

GRE Quantitative Score: 560

GRE Verbal Score: 480

GRE AW Score: 4.5

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 2

Years of Work Experience: part time job throughout undergrad, volunteer experience at NGO, policy work at IU

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Basically I studied abroad in Cairo, Egypt, studied Arabic

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): For IU: one of my recommenders is a professor in the SPEA graduate program, another one was the Director of the International Studies major

Deciding Between: Decided on IU SPEA

did anyone have a worse GRE score than me? hahaha

[washndry]

Program Applied To: MPA, MPP, MA (Intl Sci & Tech Policy), MS-STS (Science and Technology Studies)

Schools Applied To: Virginia Tech (STS), RIT (STS), GW Elliott (MA-ISTP), American U. (MPA), SUNY Albany Rockefeller (MPA), U Mich Ford (MPP), IU SPEA (MPA), U Mass Amherst (MPA), Syracuse Maxwell (MPA)

Schools Admitted To: All of the above

Schools Rejected From: None

Waitlisted: None

Undergraduate institution: Top 10 University

Undergraduate GPA: 3.2

Undergraduate Major: History and Physics

GRE Quantitative Score: 720

GRE Verbal Score: 750

GRE AW Score: 6.0

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 5

Years of Work Experience: 5

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Worked as an Business/IT consultant for a small firm, had a lot of Fortune 500 clients. Not public service, but I did get a lot of exposure to operational and management skills (and lots of frequent flyer miles.)

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I think mine was good, but not the best thing I ever wrote. Then again, I don't think I'd apply that description to anything. I spend a good part of a few weeks on it, went through multiple drafts. Overall was pleased with it, but at the time thought it could have bee a little more specific. After talking to other admitted students though, it didn't sound like everyone had nailed down their interests as narrowly as I had been led to believe, and heck, my SOP worked, so must have done something right.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I can't say for sure since I waived my rights, however I got one from my undergrad thesis adviser (who was definitely pushing the idea of grad school to me, and we have a good relationship) and two from co-workers/managers at my previous firm, both of whom we worked together extensively and went through a lot together. I was a little concerned about not having 2 academic letters, but the other professor I had lined up fell through pretty late in the game, so my 3rd LOR writer drafted on short notice is a hero as far as I'm concerned.

Other: as far as funding, Virginia Tech (RA-Full tuition), RIT (?), GW Elliott (half tuition), American U. (?), SUNY Albany Rockefeller (GA-full tuition), U Mich Ford (?), IU SPEA (?), U Mass Amherst (?), Syracuse Maxwell (5k/yr)

Deciding Between: Honestly getting in to all these programs was way beyond my expectations. I'm visiting as many schools as I can before the 15th, so it's hard to pick between them until that's done. I will say though that Syracuse, GW, and Albany are all attractive since they give me money. American I visited and was impressed by the faculty and other admitted students as well. I think at this point I'm leaning away from the more research/academic programs at VT and RIT (always time for a PhD later?) I'll doubtless be posting here soon frantically looking for decision advice soon.

Edited March 28, 2010 by washndry

[coaks]

Program Applied To: MPA and MPP with dual applications to the MBA program at each school (with one exception, Goldman doesn't offer a dual degree program with Haas)

Schools Admitted To: UMich Ford (MPP), Carnegie Mellon Heinz (MSPPM), NYU Wagner (MPA), Pepperdine SPP (MPP)

Schools Rejected From: UC Berkeley GSPP (MPP), UChicago Harris (MPP)

Waitlisted: Duke Sanford (MPP)

Undergraduate Institution: Top 3 Public

Undergraduate GPA: 2.9

Undergraduate Major: English

GRE Quant Score: 790

GRE Verbal Score: 650

GRE AW Score: 5.5

Years Out of Undergrad: 3 at matriculation

Years of Work Experience: 3 at matriculation

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Demographic, cost/benefit analysis, project management and internal consulting for two for-profit companies. So relevant in role, not company function.

Strength of SOP: I think it was very solid, though I didn't get a start until November, after I finished my GMAT prep. I started on the Goldman application which was good, since it was the longest by far and requires you draw from so many aspects of your history in each statement. That along with the business school prompts (which are more focused and varied) helped me refine the basic outline I had for the Goldman application, cut the fluff and add some important goals.

Strength of LORs: I worked hard for the companies that hired me so I had great recs. I had one academic LOR from a continuing ed professor, one past supervisor and one current supervisor. I saw two of the three after they were submitted and they were fantastic. I wouldn't have been able to write them better myself. My refs really took care of me.

Other: Pepperdine, Heinz and Wagner added funding at 33%, 20% and 5% COA, respectively.

[SAISDC]

Program Applied To: Masters Int'l Affairs - Johns Hopkins SAIS, Columbia SIPA, Georgetown MSFS, Harvard KSG, London School of Economics, HEI (Geneva).

Schools Admitted To: Johns Hopkins SAIS ($$$), Columbia SIPA, Georgetown MSFS, Harvard KSG, London School of Economics, HEI (Geneva).

Schools Rejected From: n/a

Undergraduate institution: University of Melbourne

Undergraduate GPA: 3.6

Undergraduate Major: Public Policy and Management

GRE Quantitative Score: 800

GRE Verbal Score: 740

GRE AW Score: 4.5

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 2.5

Years of Work Experience: 2 years Gov't foreign policy, 1 year teaching China, 6 months research assistant/tutor.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I felt it was strong - spent about a month rewriting. Started with an anecdote - covered overseas childhood, explaining how I've ended up where I am, how I developed my interest in the field. Clearly articulated goals and why further study is the next step towards achieving them.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Two academic, one professional. Didn't see the academic references, though have good relationships with both so was confident they would be strong. Professional reference was very strong - a good means of highlighting the work I do now.

Deciding Between: SAIS was my top choice, and they've given me funding...

[thombo]

First off, I want to say that I am very happy to be providing this information, as I know what a great resource it can be for future applicants. I definitely used last year's data to help me determine where to apply and how to gauge my expectations - so thanks all for your past and continuing input.

Program Applied To: IR programs (MSFS, MALD, etc)

Schools Applied To: Georgetown MSFS, Johns Hopkins SAIS, Fletcher School at Tufts, GW Elliott School

Schools Admitted To: MSFS, SAIS, Fletcher ($), GW ($)

Schools Rejected From: None (by some strange stroke of luck)

Still Waiting: None

Undergraduate institution: Wake Forest

Undergraduate GPA: 3.7

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): not really sure who calculates this or why it's relevant...

Undergraduate Major: Political Science (minors in Spanish and LatAm studies)

GRE Quantitative Score: 710

GRE Verbal Score: 650

GRE AW Score: 4.5

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 4

Years of Work Experience: 3.5 (I'm not counting undergrad interships)

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Spent first year after graduating living and teaching in Costa Rica; last 2.5 years I have been managing int'l government relations for a large consulting firm (private sector)

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Can't say it was blow anyone out of the water good, but it was effective and efficient. I don't have a particularly interesting story to tell. For me it was about mapping my past experience, starting with my honors thesis research in undergrad, then through my abroad experience and most recent work experience, then linking it all to how it's lead me to this point (applying to grad programs) and to what I want to pursue post-grad school (recommendation: be as specific as you can as to why you think grad school is the right choice and what you want to pursue after graduating). I wrote my SOP, started over, wrote it again, started again, edited down, sent to friends who were already in programs I was applying to, had them edit, edited again, rewrote sections, ad nauseum. This is an important process, especially for programs that appreciate succint, concise writing - so GIVE YOURSELF TIME.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Only read 1 (which was from a colleague, and I helped him write it), but another was from a very highly distinguished practitioner in the IR field, and also got assurances from my professor that his was very good. Overall, I would recommend that you take the time to speak with all of your recommenders about what programs you are applying to, why you are applying, and what you want to do with the degree. It is very helpful for them to be able to speak to specifics in their letters. Plus they will appreciate you giving them some direction.

Other: I still have not made up my mind as to where I am going, but I am leaning very heavily toward Georgetown MSFS. I already live in DC and have a network of friends and people in the industries I want to get into after graduation, so I'm inclined to stay (rather than move to Boston for Tufts). For those intersted, I'm looking to get into trade policy and commercial capacity building in emerging markets (looking at WTO, UNCTAD, World Bank, etc). Some say that would lead me to go to SAIS... I don't think I can go wrong with either, and my gut tells me to go to GTown, plus I'm actually looking forward to having the campus/student environment that GT provides (whereas SAIS is just a collection of buildings).

Finally, to all those potential applicants, remember: Work experience is your best friend - for SO many reasons. It not only differentiates you as an applicant and improves your chances of acceptance, but it also allows you to get a feel for what you truly do or do not want to do. I cannot overstate the importance of this. When I graduated undergrad, I assumed I wanted to either go to Law School or get an MBA and go into private sector work. My goals are very very different now that I've had time to reflect and get experience in the field. Do yourself a favor, don't be in a hurry, and don't make a huge investment in grad school until you are certain you know what you want out of it.

[HOUBMA]

did anyone have a worse GRE score than me? hahaha

I look at the percentiles and see, for example, that a 750 or above would be in the 90th percentile for the quantitative section. Therefore, chances are that 9 out of 10 people will have scores below that. Its weird because hardly anyone on this message board has a score below that. Either people are fudging numbers or we have a smart collection of applicants!