<p>Hello everyone!</p>
<p>I am currently a senior undergrad Global Development Studies major at Hendrix College. While I do not plan to pursue a graduate degree for at least three years, I am concerned about how my GPA might affect my chances of getting into one of the programs that I hope to enter.</p>
<p>For reference, I hope to be accepted into a Development Studies program at one of the following (in order of preference):</p>
<p>Oxford University, MPhil in Development Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), MSc in Development Studies
Johns Hopkins SAIS, MA in International Development
London School of Economics (LSE), MPA in International Development
Columbia SIPA, MPA in Development Practice</p>
<p>I consider myself relatively accomplished in terms of experience in my field, but I cannot help but worry about the beginning of my college experience and how my mediocre grades might come back to haunt me. In a nutshell, during my first two years I received mostly Bs with a few As thrown in. I received a D in Introductory French during my freshman year, and as a sophomore I failed an introductory IR class. However, this was due to significant mental issues (I was diagnosed Bipolar I the summer after sophomore year) and having not attended a single class as a result. Upon receiving proper medication, I earned all As during my junior year and I am currently maintaining a 4.0 for the first semester of my senior year.</p>
<p>I'm hoping that the grad schools will notice the dramatic improvement and consider it alongside other accomplishments, but the fact that I have a D and an F seriously worries me.</p>
<p>Here's an overview of my undergraduate career
College: Hendrix College in Conway, AR
GPA: 3.43
Major: Global Development Studies
Relevant Courses (Not all of these count towards my major):</p>
<p>Economics and Math-
ECON 200 Intro Microeconomics
ECON 210 Intro Macroeconomics
Development Economics (Study abroad at Oxford)
MATH 215 Statistics for Social Sciences</p>
<p>Political Science-
POLI 250 Theories of International Relations
POLI 260 Political Economy
POLI 282 Comparative Foreign Policy - Africa
POLI 283 Model UN
African Politics (Study abroad at Oxford)
POLI 3xx Africa and the United Nations (Independent Study)
POLI 326 International Human Rights
POLI 363 Conflict Management & Resolution
POLI 400 Methods in Political Analysis</p>
<p>Sociology/Anthropology-
ANTH 240 Applying Anthropology
ANTH 250 Visual Anthropology
ANTH 300 Ethnographic Methods
SOCI 390 Social Inequality and Identity</p>
<p>History-
HIST 130 Colonial African History
HIST 214 Poverty and Welfare
HIST 280 Contemporary Africa
HIST 334 Comparative Genocides</p>
<p>Relevant accomplishments:
* Have been involved with community development projects and/or NGOs in Uganda (2005), Rwanda (2007), Burundi (2007), Tanzania (2009), and South Africa (2010). I will be returning to Rwanda this summer.
* Conducted independent research with Alan Eastham, US Ambassador to Malawi and Congo-Brazzaville (he's a Hendrix grad)
* Presented research on post-conflict transformation in the Great Lakes region at undergrad research conference
* Raised $16,000 for Ugandan children through a nationally televised fundraiser
* Moderator of Amnesty Int'l campus chapter
* Currently applying for the Watson Fellowship
* Plan on joining the Peace Corps for two years after graduating (assuming I don't get the Watson, which I probably won't)</p>
<p>References:
Ones I'm most proud of are from a US ambassador, a Professor of Development Studies at Oxford, and an employer who graduated from Harvard Kennedy School</p>
<p>I'm hoping that the last 2 years will show that I have genuinely improved and that I can be taken seriously as an academic candidate. While I won't be applying for a few years, I'm hoping that I can get some honest input on whether or not I should even bother applying to places like Oxford and Columbia. </p>
<p>Thank you all for taking the time to read all this junk!</p>
<p>Adam</p>