<p>Hi everyone,
Let me start by giving some of my credentials.
Im a recent graduate from Tulane University with a double major in English Literature and Political Science and a 3.6 cumulative GPA. I was the only student selected to spend one year studying at Trinity College in Dublin, IR, where I maintained a 3.6 GPA and worked as a fact-checker for the universitys newspaper. My senior year, I was also chosen as one of forty students to participate in a class led by Democratic political correspondent James Carville.</p>
<p>Aside from academics, I was very involved with many on-campus and off-campus organizations, including student government, Amnesty International, American Red Cross, and the Orleans Public Defenders office. I also worked as a staff writer for the universitys newspaper where I was a political correspondent and opinions writer.</p>
<p>I passed the FSOT exam in 2011 and continued on through the written assessment, but was passed over before the OA (Im sure due to lack of experience!). While I would love to become a Foreign Service Officer, I have had my hopes set on becoming a war correspondent or working for NGOS in war-torn countries. As such, Ive been really interested in working in the Middle East and Africa, and as a result I tailored my political science classes to the languages, histories and cultures of the regions. </p>
<p>Im currently working as an Americorps VISTA volunteer for a small non-profit organization dedicated to developing a comprehensive policy and plan for evacuation procedures across the Greater New Orleans area during hurricanes. </p>
<p>I plan to go to graduate school afterward, and I have been researching many different schools to decide which one would be the best fit for me. Im interested in AUC for the Middle East Studies program and its location in Cairo, which I think will offer various opportunities and experiences to really get involved in the organizations Im interested in. But Im worried the specificity of the program may make it difficult for me to transition into another arena, if I decide to. Im also really interested in studying Conflict, Security and War Studies, which has made Kings College London really appealing. These programs will allow me to concentrate some of my coursework on the Middle East, while also casting my net a bit broader.</p>
<p>Im really interested in hearing about my chances of getting accepted to either of the programs. And please feel free to share any thoughts, concerns, ideas and/or suggestions that maybe I havent thought about. </p>
<p>Any help is greatly appreciated! </p>
<p>Thanks,
bringmewellies</p>