<p>I've been offered admission at Elliot School (George Washington University) for a Master's degree in International Affairs. While the program appears attractive with the obvious advantages of GW being located in DC, I'm interesting in knowing whether the program is focussed on preparing students for professional careers. For someone who'd like to work in organizations like the World Bank or the UN, would doing an IA course be the right path to follow? Do these organizations recruit students from schools like GW right after graduation? Also, I'll be graduating this June, so I'm not sure if I should do a Master's without obtaining any work experience. </p>
<p>Could someone please offer an opinion and help me take a decision?</p>
<p>GW is a great program and certainly prepares you for a professional career in DC. That said, I think it'll be much, much tougher for you to get a job without any work experience whatsoever. There will be plenty of people with a master's who also have work experience, so just remember that you'll be competing against them for job openings. The World Bank and the UN in particular look for substantial work experience on top of a master's degree.</p>
<p>From what I've heard, though, GW's program allows you to attend part-time, so perhaps you could get some form of work experience in DC while getting your master's.</p>
<p>I had originally wanted to jump straight from undergrad into grad school, but instead I took two years off and worked...I'm so glad I did. Not only will I have some work experience to back up my education when I graduate from an MA in IR program, but it's really given me a greater appreciation for the academic life after the drudgery of a 9-to-5 job. I actively miss going to class (wasn't necessarily the case in undergrad) and will be more committed to my studies when I begin in the fall. That aspect might depend on the person (perhaps you don't need that perspective to be committed), but something to think about.</p>
<p>I'm really grateful for your inputs. I do agree that it would be rather difficult to get a job without prior work experience. I could therefore, ignore this offer and work for some time. The only problem with this is the "relevant work experience" part. My location in India and background in engineering means that the only experience I will be able to muster would be in technology. I'm not sure if that counts as relevant work experience, and there aren't many opportunities related to International Affairs here (or perhaps I'm not aware of them). </p>
<p>Any thoughts on what kind of experience could prove to be useful if one would want to work in the UN/WB in future?</p>
<p>I would take the offer. I am an undergrad in Elliot, and I know a couple of grad students, and most of them have internships during the day and take classes at night. I think a lot of grad students do this because being in DC is a big reason why students choose GW, so a lot of people take internships during the day. Actually, I knew a couple of people that interned at the World Bank as undergrads, so not only can you get a good education at GW, but you can gain prestigious and valuable internships at the same time.</p>
<p>It's nice to hear from someone who's actually attending the school. Internships are definitely going to be valuable, especially those at places like the World Bank. However, as previously stated, a lack of work experience could prove to be detrimental to my chances of securing a good job after graduation - this is what I'm most worried about. It seems WB and UN prefer substantive work experience in related fields before recruiting someone.</p>
<p>Any idea about the placement/job scenario after graduation (especially for people without work experience)?</p>
<p>To be honest, I think the internship opportunities touted at GW are not really as great as they seem. I mean, I could always quit my job and intern somewhere without getting paid or getting paid very little. Why should I be paying tuition in order to do this? Also, the fact that almost everyone interns or works so many hours indicates to me that the curriculum isn't very rigorous. That was my impression, anyway, which is why I turned it down.</p>
<p>I would definitely recommend doing some kind of job before going into graduate school for a professional degree. Spend a few years figuring out what you want to do (or don't want to do). You're obviously a strong candidate if you've been accepted right out of undergraduate; waiting a few years won't change that. If you're dead set on working in DC, find an unpaid internship to get your foot in the door. </p>
<p>On the other hand, it seemed like a large number of people there were right out of undergrad, and they do have a strong career service office. If you're just dead set on going to school right now, GW is not necessarily a bad option. I just think it's better to spend a few years working so you really know what you want out of such a program.</p>