<p>I am graduating this fall with a GPA of 3.1 in Poli Sci (major) and a minor in International Politics. I have done three internships over the past 4 years; a law firm and an international development firm. I am doing a second paid internship this summer with the same international development firm. In addition, I have been a part of my school's Model UN team for the past 3 years. I transferred from a CC to public state university and declared my major once I transferred. My gpa is pretty low for a poli sci major, but my overall major gpa is a 3.3-3.4. I also speak 3 languages: Bengali, Urdu and Hindi..and am fluent in all three. I am poor in math and science, and most of my Cs came from those two courses and acting which are basic gen eds. I am pretty concerned about making it to a decent reputable graduate school at this point. Please let me know if you think my chances are really bad of making it to a grad school or how i can improve my application for grad. Thanks</p>
<p>To improve your graduate school odds, you’d need to take a couple more advanced poli sci/IR classes, preferably from a reputable school near where you’re working. (This may not be easy depending on the time of the classes. If that school offered one 3hour undergrad or grad class, it’d probably make things easier for you.) Show you can have lots of A’s in your chosen subject.
The internships are excellent, especially if paid. Keep doing that, try to turn the internship into a job, and work for a couple years. That’ll add something substantial to your resume.
Finally, when you decide to take the GRE, prep as hard as you did for the SAT.</p>
<p>If you are poor in math then I would highly suggest staying away from a polisci graduate degree which requires quite a bit of statistics. Not to mention the job market for PhD’s in the social sciences are pretty dismal</p>
<p>What are your career goals? What type of graduate program are you interested in, and why? When would you want to attend graduate school? I wouldn’t think that a graduate degree in poli sci would open up too many career paths for you. </p>
<p>A graduate degree in business (MBA), public policy, urban planning or public health might open up more career paths, but are better applied to after having some work experience first.</p>
<p>Graduate schools id like to join are : American University (SIS), College Park’s Government & Politics. I have taken several upper level poli sci courses which is why my GPA is a B+ instead of an A. I hope they take that into consideration. </p>
<p>Also, is it possible for me to do my masters in business with an undergrad poli sci degree? i have taken two econ courses and a basic business course during my time in undergrad. </p>
<p>What are your career goals? If you are interested in IR - your language fluency is probably your best asset. I agree with Sacchi - my kids are getting MPA’s, but they had 3-5 years of full-time work experience under their belts before applying. That made them more attractive candidates – my d. was offered merit aid at a lot of schools - and also allowed them to waive out of internship requirements at their respective schools. My son’s school looked primarily at grades from the last 2 years of college – so you might want to recalculate your GPA for those years only – I don’t remember any of the programs my d. applied to having the same policy however.</p>
<p>graduate schools will look at your advanced courses in the field you’re applying for and will want to see A’s. Sometimes they recalculate GPA with only classes in the field of study, and sometimes only junior-senior year classes.
The languages you speak are going to be huge asset - do you have certification for what level you have in all skills for each one?
I think the Hindi/Urdu Critical Language Flagship is at UT Austin - look into it. It’s a prioritized program for languages deemed critical by the DoD, Homeland Security, sec of State office, Congress, etc. The focus is on APPLIED use, ie., within the context of another field.
MBA’s require at least 2-3 years of work after college graduation - they’re professional degrees, for professionals. It is absolutely possible to do an MBA with an undergrad poli sci degree and 3 years of work experience.</p>
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<p>Yes, MBA students can have any undergrad degree - there is no requirement for a business undergrad degree. However, many MBA programs either require or strongly recommend work experience. Look into MBA and MPA programs at schools in the geographic area you are interested in and see what their requirements are.</p>
<p>I have a major gpa of around 3.3-3.4 with mostly upper level courses. In addition, I am fluent in both Hindi and Urdu, but i cannot write. In bengali, i am fluent and I am able to write. However, I am in doubt about doing my masters in IR and may opt to do my MBA or a masters degree from schools in the DC/MD area. I am not too sure about the demand for MBAs but it will surely aid me more than a PHD in poli sci. </p>
<p>I am also considering taking another modern language from a CC after grad which should boost my resume a bit more. Maybe Arabic or French, and I may take an IT course or two from the CC to brush up my computing skills. I will try to find work for a year or two before I apply to grad schools. Do you think I am heading in the right direction?</p>
<p>Your plan is a bit scattered -if you work on modern languages, focus on gaining 4-skill proficiency in Urdu and Hindi.
You have different main paths:
1° find work (thanks to your internships), work for 3 years or so, do a great job, do an MBA
2° continue with academics
3° find a way to combine your language skills and your academic/professional interests - in which case I would strongly suggest you apply to the graduate program at UT Austin.
Here are your choices (all stellar, but McCombs would be a good combination between MBA and Master’s!)
<a href=“http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/degreeprograms/mpaff/dual/asia”>http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/degreeprograms/mpaff/dual/asia</a>
<a href=“http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/degreeprograms/mgps/dual/asia”>http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/degreeprograms/mgps/dual/asia</a>
<a href=“http://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/MBA/Full-Time/Academics/Dual-Degree”>http://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/MBA/Full-Time/Academics/Dual-Degree</a></p>