I narrowed my schools down but.....

Graduate School
1

<p>Something just doesn't feel right. I had a very large list of schools just over a year ago and I was determined to apply to at least ten, but now after doing more research I have only been able to come up with five "matches" for me as far as interests are concerned. Whether or not I will get accepted to either of them is a different story. I still have to take standardized tests but I have already begun the application process for a couple of them (some apps are up Electronically).</p>

<p>Anyway, I feel like I need some more choices. All of them, with the exception of one, are reaches for me, but still worth a shot. I have a much better idea of where I want to go with my life and I have a couple of ideas about what kind of MA thesis I would do (for the programs that require one). </p>

<p>A bit of background info:</p>

<p>I will graduate (FINALLY!!!!) in April 2007 with:
BA in Linguistics
minors in French & Italian
certificate in W. European Studies
possible internship with study abroad office</p>

<p>GPA will be about 3.6 at the time of application, will all As the last two terms-summer & spring. By the end of the fall term, I will probably be close to a 3.7....by the time I graduate, I am sure I will have at least a 3.7.</p>

<p>I would like to use my language skills in whatever I do, but don't want to continue with linguistics or go into academia. I am very interested in a career that would have me living or traveling frequently to Europe. I thought about Hotel and Hospitality Management, but haven't found a program that I fully click with. I haven't ruled it out completely though. If I find the right program, I'll add it to my list to broaden my options.</p>

<p>Here are the five schools that are on my list right now--in no particular order:</p>

<p>Northeastern U (MBA/MS Accounting...designed FOR NON-business majors)
NYU (MA in European Studies)
Yale (MA in Central and Western European Studies)
JHU-SAIS Bologna (MA in International Relations)
Penn-Lauder (MBA/MA International Studies with French as my language concentration)</p>

<p>I'm applying to Northeastern because of its excellent co-op with nearly 100 percent job placement at the firm used for the co-op. It's designed for lib arts majors and it's in a great location for someone like me that doesn't drive.</p>

<p>NYU's program seemed interesting. I'm a bit skeptical about moving to NYC, but I think it's worth considering. It actually used to be my first choice for undergrad, but I never app'd. </p>

<p>Yale's program is interesting because it would also allow me to take a look at Central Europe....I am particularly interested in Hungary. I studied intensive Hungarian and was told by Yale that if admitted, I could arrange for additional study in Hungarian. </p>

<p>SAIS didn't impress me at first, but I would really like the chance to study on the Italian mainland for an extended period of time. I woudl take more advanced Italian and I would enroll early to take the two Econ classes required prior to the official start date of the program. I woudl also consider applying to do the MA in International Affairs, which would allow me to spend an additional year at Bologna (this option is only offered to a few students and is based on initial performance at the Bologna Center). Otherwise I would continue normally with one year in Italy and another in DC.</p>

<p>Penn's program is appealing because it would allow me to continue with French. I would also continue with my Italian, but through extracurricular activities. For the purpose of school, however, I would focus on French. It has an abroad component and an MBA so it's just great! Plus, I love the location.</p>

<p>If I were to attend Northeastern, I would try to get a job at a firm that has international oppertunities (I've already looked up the firms that they work with and all the biggies have offices all over the world and offer various programs for employees). After working for a couple of years so as to gain experience, I would apply for a government job, probably with the Foreign Service.</p>

<p>If I go to one of the other schools, I'm not exactly sure what I'd be doing immediately after graduation. I'd likely still apply for a job with the Foreign Service though. In the meantime, I may consider trying to get an office position in a study abroad office or program abroad.</p>

<p>SO what's the problem? Based on my interests and career prospects, I feel like I should have a lot more schools listed, but I don't. I have been looking and tweeking my list now for the past two years and I went from 16 to 5 schools and can't seem to find any more that I think are a "fit" for me. Does anyone here have any suggestions? Pardon the length and sloppiness of this email, but I wanted to be as detailed as possible.....this is the real deal people because I've started applying! Thanks in advance.</p>

2

<p>You're all over the place there. You planning on taking the GMAT and GRE?</p>

3

<p>Yes I will be taking both since two require the GMAT and the rest require the GRE.</p>

4

<p>My suggestion is that you maybe work for a while. You don't really seem to have a concrete plan of what you want to do, and many of the programs you're applying to are going to be looking for professional experience anyway.</p>

<p>And SAIS is the best in its class, just to let you know. It's very competitive.</p>

5

<p>What are your goals for a graduate program? You don't seem to have a clear career goal, and from your list, it sounds like you don't even know what you want to study. At this point, broadening your options should mean multiple programs in the same field -- increasing your chances of acceptance -- not applying for everything from hotel management to IR to business to European studies... With this list, your future will be decided by the admissions process: You might get into the accounting school, then suddenly you are on the path to becoming an accountant.</p>

<p>My advice is to think hard about what you really want to do someday -- or, at least, what you really want to study. Then apply to multiple schools that offer the same type of program. This might involve applying for a couple of different degrees in similar subjects (like the Yale and the NYU programs, different but still in the same area.) But you should know whether you want to study business or language or Europe or IR before you commit to a graduate program.</p>

<p>Then again, maybe your approach will somehow work out for you. It sounds crazy to me, but I don't know you -- maybe you are the type of person who likes it when chance events dictate your next move. Perhaps you can't decide on your own, and you prefer to plan your career based on the luck of the admissions process. I think you should decide what career you are aiming for here (or at least, what type of career) and go from there, but that's just my opinion.</p>

<p>Also, talk to your faculty advisors about this. (how do they feel about writing five different recommendations for all of these different degrees?)</p>

6

<p>I haven't spoken to my faculty advisor about it yet...she's on sabatical this term too so I won't be seeing her unfortunately.</p>

<p>I want to study a combination of language, Europe, and business because ultimately I would like to work for the State Department, preferably in an office in Europe. Even if I don't start out working for them, that is where I would like to eventually end up and, hopefully stay. I like the business programs because I can learn some particular skills that would be useful and will help getting my first real job a little bit easier. I of course want to continue with language so the language components/requirements are major draws, and my area of interest is Europe. Many of the programs I listed kind of have everything combined in some way or are at least flexable enough to provide for my interests, with the exception of the Northeastern program, which is fixed. The reason I am still considering it is because its the most practical and results in a job most of the time unless you really screw up big time. </p>

<p>It's not that I am a person that makes random decisions, but I did pick the schools based on interest and practicality. It would be pretty tough to find a job after I graduate with my BA because my degree is very academic and I have no interest in teaching. To be honest, if I could start all over, I would have applied to the undergrad business school and just double majored in business (accounting) and languages like many of my classmates did. </p>

<p>Thanks fo rthe advice and sincere responses all and thanks also for reading my ridiculously long post :)</p>

7

<p>IMO you have done exactly what you needed to do in terms of graduate study. You have researched the various programs, compared what they have to offer with your previous experiences, and considered how attending these schools would affect you during the course of study and in the future. The fact that they are all different scenarios is a plus rather than a minus as it suggests a degree of flexibility that could serve you well in the future. I'm not sure you need additional schools to apply to unless your ultimate goal is to get in somewhere. If your goal is to pursue one of your stated academic and career paths, then you may need to work in the area before grad school if you do not get in at first. If your goal is grad school acceptance then you should probably add some other programs that will be matches instead of reaches. You might find some of these matches away from the coasts and in the heartland.</p>

8

<p>If you're so interested in IR junkie, why don't you also apply to Georgetown's MA programs? FS, European Studies, etc.</p>

9

<p>bonafide,</p>

<p>If you're interested in State, then I recommend a few thing:</p>

<p>-- try to get in with your BA. Go a few rounds with a crappy low GS job if you have to. That work experience will really benefit in getting into top programs.</p>

<p>-- consider dropping the business programs. I'm sure someone will disagree with me, but most MBA programs are focused on the PRIVATE sector. If you're really interested in IR, State, and things like that, look at IR programs primarily. I do, however, like the Penn program. Look at places like GTown SFS, American, GW, Monterey, Harvard KSG, Columbia SIPA, etc. They're really what I would consider "best in class" for Europhiles. </p>

<p>-- Consider the cost/benefit ratio of the MA. Do you REALLY need it to do what you want?</p>

10

<p>It sounds to me like your over-riding goal is to get a job in the Foreign Service. So, why attend grad school at all?</p>

11

<p>Oops, I didn't read UCLAri's last thread; so, I'm just reiterating the third point.</p>

12

<p>hmmm, aren't foreign service jobs highly coveted and required post graduate studies.
i honestly dont' have any idea.</p>

<p>If I were you, i'd take a year off, travel europe, maybe fall in love with a spanish woman or swedish woman. of course, don't just travel western europe, but go to eastern europe and live the high life on a great exchange rate.</p>

<p>after spending a lot of money, get a job, even its ****ty, and look into graduate programs.</p>

13

<p>You'd be amazed how high you can climb in the GS ladder without a grad degree.</p>

14

<p>Grad school isn't required for the foreign service, but it sure does help when you're taking the test and doing the interview. You could try to do it without, and if you get through, you've saved yourself a bunch of money. If you don't, go to grad school. As far as advancement in the foreign service, experience counts as much - if not more - than education.</p>

15

<p>^ Yeah, that's my plan as of now. I'll be a lowly Freshman this fall at Tufts double-majoring in IR and History, and I plan on taking the foreign service exam the spring of my senior year, as well as applying to the top 7 or so IR M.A. programs.</p>

16

<p>hi you guys...ahvent been on lately but havent forgotten about this thread....just settling back into my apt..i'll make this brief and check back in later.</p>

<p>I keep saying Foreign Service because I know that they send people to work in Europe......is it possible to work for a consulate or other overseas government office without actually joining the FS? I want to end up in Europe. I'd consider the private sector except for the fact that working in the private sector doesn't offer the job security I am looking for. </p>

<p>Both of my parents have been working in personnel management and human resources working for the gov't for over twenty years (well, my father for about ten, after he retired from the army, but my mother for well over 20)......niether of them have college degrees and although they dont make much money, they have the security of knowing that they have a job at least untill they either quit or retire. That kind of security attracts me to the government, but my main thing is wanting to work in Italy or France.</p>

<p>Anyway, I'll make additional comments later, but thanks agian you guys for your insight.</p>

17

<p>Just TAKE the FS exam- you never know! But you can still apply for IR programs at the same time if things don't work out :)</p>

18

<p>Oh... did I mention that it's an advantage to have languages under belt...?</p>

19

<p>One of the problems with State is that you may not be able to choose where you are sent. I would agree that you should take the FS exam and see but also pursue IR, which may require taking some time off after college to work, for SAIS or a similar program that will be a necessity and it may give you some new perspectives and ideas on what you want.</p>