Chances at these schools for IR?

[HopefulIR]

Where I applied in no particular order: Korbel, Maxwell, SFS, GSPIA, BostonU, Columbia (regular MA in comparative not SIPA), CUNY MA (safety.)

GPA: 3.59 cumulative (they wouldn't give me that 0.01 for magna cum laude) and major gpa 3.62 (Government with special emphasis on Comparative/IR- Europe,Africa,Latin-America,Diplomacy)

GRE: 630V, 660Q, 4.5AW (I honestly don't know why the writing is low.  I did exactly what the review books told me to do. Whatever.)

During my undergraduate career, I worked full time for a year and a half; also did internships/part time... I'll round it to say 2 1/2 years of full time work exp.  All of it in journalism, as a copy editor and reporter.  

I graduated in the spring 2009 and while I panicked for a month trying to find a job, I reached out to a former professor that introduced me to a retired colleague of his that still publishes.

So presently, I'm working as a research assistant for this prof emeritus that specializes in comparative/political theory.  I was lucky in the fact that he was working a half-finished manuscript when I hopped in and it'll probably be done soon after some editing/rewriting introduction.  So as he's putting his last word on our first piece, he's given me a 2nd manuscript he's written a long time ago to criticize/edit.  Hopefully we'll be done before the fall starts; he said he would include me in the publication/share of royalties.  

I know many successful IR applicants have done study-abroad/international experience; I have absolutely 0.  I have not traveled outside the US since I was 12.  However, I don't know if this makes up for it or not, but I am of Chinese/Cambodian descent, with semi-fluency in two different Chinese dialects along with some high school/college Japanese.  (I have no idea why I took Japanese, I think it's because we had sushi fieldtrips in high school.)

Now that I have told you my life's story, will someone please put a end to my misery by telling me I'll get rejected from every single school but CUNY?

[spottedtoad]

Not that this is answering your question, but there are worse places than CUNY. It's cheap as dirt, and the class size is tiny. I did a biology master's there, and while most of the teaching was mediocre, I had two great professors. I did research in one of their labs, and in spite of the lab's dollar-store accoutrements, she was publishing more and better research than the big-shot Princeton professor I worked for another summer.

[Aunuwyn]

You are in at Korbel no problem. If not PM and I'll send you a check to buy you a beer.

[flyers29]

You are in at Korbel no problem. If not PM and I'll send you a check to buy you a beer.

Seconded. I'd say you should be fine with all of them...SFS and Columbia could go either way, though I'd still feel comfortable with those stats.

[HopefulIR]

Seconded. I'd say you should be fine with all of them...SFS and Columbia could go either way, though I'd still feel comfortable with those stats.

SFS really? Either way as in 50/50?  I was thinking 5/95. My quantitative score is kinda low and so is my writing score for that matter.   

By the by, SFS still hasn't received one of my transcripts.  I talked to a guy 3 weeks ago and told me that if it didn't turn up in 2 weeks, I should resend it.  To make a long story short, I sent a request for another one last week and called today to check the status:  the lady tells me they were out most of the week because of the snow (reasonable I suppose, can't blame em.)  

I told her I was freaking out because the deadline was a month ago and I was afraid that I'm being kept out of deliberations because of an unfinished file (I paid my app fee I think I deserve at least a glancing over before they reject me.)

And then she tells me: "Don't worry about that, the lady that handles admissions for security studies hasn't picked up any apps from the office (as in she haven't started reading them.)  

Am I being bs'd here?  Know anyone that got a decision already?

[flyers29]

SFS really? Either way as in 50/50?  I was thinking 5/95. My quantitative score is kinda low and so is my writing score for that matter.   

By the by, SFS still hasn't received one of my transcripts.  I talked to a guy 3 weeks ago and told me that if it didn't turn up in 2 weeks, I should resend it.  To make a long story short, I sent a request for another one last week and called today to check the status:  the lady tells me they were out most of the week because of the snow (reasonable I suppose, can't blame em.)  

I told her I was freaking out because the deadline was a month ago and I was afraid that I'm being kept out of deliberations because of an unfinished file (I paid my app fee I think I deserve at least a glancing over before they reject me.)

And then she tells me: "Don't worry about that, the lady that handles admissions for security studies hasn't picked up any apps from the office (as in she haven't started reading them.)  

Am I being bs'd here?  Know anyone that got a decision already?

I meant as in 50/50. Your scores are around the median, no? Admissions work in mysterious ways. Don't let yourself be driven crazy over it.

[HopefulIR]

I meant as in 50/50. Your scores are around the median, no? Admissions work in mysterious ways. Don't let yourself be driven crazy over it.

I believe I'm a tad under the median.  But seeing their list of where their students have interned/work in... World Bank, UN, State Dept, I have none of that.  Just some lousy private work that has nothing to do with IR.  And I only started research this summer.   Seeing all those big names makes me feel wholly inadequate.

[HopefulIR]

Not that this is answering your question, but there are worse places than CUNY.  It's cheap as dirt, and the class size is tiny.  I did a biology master's there, and while most of the teaching was mediocre, I had two great professors.  I did research in one of their labs, and in spite of the lab's dollar-store accoutrements, she was publishing more and better research than the big-shot Princeton professor I worked for another summer.

Ah sorry I overlooked this post.  Yeah actually the prof I'm working for now is retired from NYU.  He told me to apply to CUNY for dirt cheap tuition, compared to NYU's.  However, my main goal is a professional degree rather than an academic one.  I applied to Columbia simply because if I pursued a MA there, there might be some cross-listing for SIPA IR courses.  For CUNY, this would not be the case.

Although it still beats Plan C: start working out hardcore and prepare for OCS in one of the military branches.

Edited February 13, 2010 by HopefulIR