<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I'm looking to apply for an MA (or PhD, but that seems to be beyond my reach) in IR. What are my chances? Where would you recommend?</p>
<p>Graduated 2007 - Top 50 US School (with multiple honors)
3.8 Undergraduate GPA
Studied abroad in Australia & England
speak 2 languages fluently
720V/790M/6.0 GRE
about 1 yr of work experience currently, but not fully in IR arena</p>
<p>one negative aspect - about 6 months of no work/no school following graduation for various personal and professional reasons...</p>
<p>I've looked at Georgetown, George Washington, Yale, Princeton, London School of Economics, Tufts, Chicago, American, and Columbia...I'd really prefer not to spend $1k on applications.</p>
<p>Besides rep and opportunity, funding/aid would be a big issue for me.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>I would say you have a fair shot at some of those schools. Your scores are fantastic, obviously, but your experience abroad is a little weak (assuming it’s just Australia and England). Your work experience is also weak. If you could work for another year or two in the field, you could be a lock for nearly all of them. You should also consider SAIS at Johns Hopkins. Here’s my breakdown for you:</p>
<p>Safety:
GW, American, Chicago, LSE (though it depends on the program you apply to as some are easier than others; however, they care less about work experience and more about scores, which makes you a lock, in my opinion)</p>
<p>Target:
Columbia (though apps were up 15% last year, who knows if the trend will continue) and Tufts</p>
<p>Target-Reach:
Johns Hopkins, Georgetown</p>
<p>Reach:
Yale (17% acceptance rate), Princeton (like 10% acceptance rate)</p>
<p>As far as funding, Princeton is your best bet…I believe all or nearly all of their students get full funding. Funding at Tufts and Johns Hopkins is decent, I don’t know about Georgetown. Yale…I’ve heard you can either get a ton (full or half tuition) or nothing at all. Columbia is stingy for the first year, but you can get quite a bit (up to $40k) for your second year if you do well during your first semester. GW is pretty good about funding, as I think they try hard to attract top candidates away from the first tier schools. No chance of funding at LSE.</p>
<p>As far as where you should apply, that really depends on your interests. Certain schools are better in different areas. If you can tell a little more about what you’re looking to pursue, it’d be easier to pin down a few of the schools for you.</p>
<p>Thanks! I’m not 100% sure on what I’m looking for. In that sense, I don’t have no idea, just that I like a lot of things. I am interested in international security, ethnic conflict, and terrorism/counterterrorism issues. However, it seems that many positions focus on development, which I enjoy as well, though not as much. In the long term, I am generally interested in International Law, including treaties, etc. and I’ve considered Columbia to be a good option for that.</p>