<p>So, since I'm in the midst of application deadline hell, does anyone else want to commiserate with me? I just sent out my top-choice IR application last week, and I have two other schools with a January 15 deadline that I can't motivate myself to deal with. And one of my three references, who's had about 6 weeks to get the letters to me, still hasn't prepared three out of the four.</p>
<p>Last night I was going to finish up my second personal statement but got sucked into the vortex of a Law & Order: SVU marathon.</p>
<p>I was like you last year. I was so lazy that I didn't even apply to any graduate schools despite final deadlines being in March/May and etc...</p>
<p>Eventually I talked to a professor of mine and he told me that he worked directly after his undergrad and that if I were unsure as whether or not to return to graduate school I should probably do the same.</p>
<p>This year I put in so much time into my UM application that even my mom told me to chill out (and she's the one always trying to get me into grad school and etc.). Maybe you should go work for a bit and see how you feel about not being in school anymore. It might help motivate you like it did for me.</p>
<p>But as my friend would like to put it, I'm just going back to drink and watch football :)</p>
<p>I totally feel you with the LOR, I hate not having control. But there really isn't anything you can do about it. Just do your part and hope for the best.</p>
<p>Well, I finally got my remaining LORs today, so at least that's taken care of. Now I just need to finish a conclusion for program #2's personal statement, and then I can send it out tomorrow. Slowly but surely....</p>
<p>Actually, UCSD has some excellent Latin America people. It's the WHOLE Pacific Rim. Though I understand not wanting to move far for school, don't make the mistake of imagining that IR/PS doesn't cater to Latin Americanists. In fact, I think almost 1/3 of the incoming class this year is tied to Latin America and not Asia.</p>
<p>Actually, the only cities I really considered were NY and DC because I don't want to move too far away from my life. DC is only 3.5 hours away from NY, after all.</p>
<p>It probably sounds provincial, but I really don't feel like starting all over again from zero. I'm too old to move someplace where I have no friends, lol.</p>
<p>I'm just waiting on my recommenders to submit...they've done the letters, at least. I think they're a bit baffled by submitting things online, or something!</p>
<p>The person I talked to at SAIS was extremely friendly and pleasant over the phone. (and the information session was fun) UT Austin's rep was nice too. I reached grumpy people at Georgetown, McGill, and Columbia though -- it sort of sours my impression although it's a small thing.</p>
<p>Just those LORs...what stress! Especially since two of my recommenders were in other states so I had to deal with them over the phone/e-mail!</p>
<p>What are you applying for? Development/IR? SAIS people have been almost ridiculously kind and responsive - it's really frightening. I decided not even to apply to Georgetown, in large part because I'm just not comfortable with the school's religious focus but also because I was never able to reach a human at the office and no one called me back, so whatever.</p>
<p>SIPA is notorious on the discussion boards. It's almost like their attitude is, "We're SIPA, so we don't need to be competent."</p>
<p>If you're applying to SIPA, weren't the recs supposed to be in this past Friday?</p>
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I'm just not comfortable with the school's religious focus
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<p>To be fair, tons of Muslims and Jews are at SFS. It's actually known as being the school for Arab elites to send their kids for a master's in IR. The Catholic thing gets largely drowned out from what I know.</p>
<p>SIPA...ugh. Great program, but no support. The most supportive programs during app time were SAIS and IR/PS. One of the admissions guys at IR/PS actually remembered me by name.</p>
<p>American SIS has been really helpful. I went to an open house there a few weeks ago, and the staff and professors who were there seemed very engaged. It does seem a little bit like a "lite" program, in that it's not as economics-focused and has lots of professors interested in touchy-feely things like the gender aspects of development, etc. But they have a reputation in DC for being extremely good at getting graduates jobs and being sort of a networking motherlode. Also, anyone I know who's gone to that program absolutely seems to love everything about it, and that certainly has not been the case when I've talked to SAIS grads and people from other schools.</p>
<p>I am so unmotivated to finish my SAIS essays. I've got lots of notes written down for both of them but can't get energized to start typing. The 1200-word American personal statement kicked my ass. Feh.</p>
<p>in the middle of applying for six schools. It's for fine arts, so I get the added fun of making portfolios for each individual school.</p>
<p>Just submitted online apps for three of the schools, and am mailing out portfolios, essays, and resume to two of them tomorrow. Hope to get two more done by the end of the week, and the last within three weeks.</p>
<p>I would kill for a 1200 word allowance.... mine seem to think that I can tell them who I am, what I've been doing, what I want to be doing, and how their school fits into that, in 500-700 words. That just seems ridiculous to me.</p>
<p>I'm gonna join your guy's thread, cause I've had a devil of a time trying to find anyone on the web that's applying for the Security Studies Program (SSP) at Georgetown. I'm hoping to get my Master's in U.S. National Security Policy right out of undergrad (applied for Fall 2007). I'm also considering SAIS, SIPA, GWU, and AU.</p>
<p>I've talked to several SSP grad students already, but does anyone else have insider knowledge of the program or about Gtown itself? I found the grad admissions staff to be most unhelpful, but the students there seem nice.</p>
<p>My stats: GPA 3.8, 680V/650Q, 1 Conference attended, two summer internships (both in D.C., one related to policy research for Homeland Security). Think I have a shot even though I lack any longterm work experience?</p>