Naive to apply for top IR MA degree?

Graduate School
1

<p>My background: I graduated from U.Va. with two majors in history and foreign affairs in 2006. After graduation, I moved to Phoenix, AZ to teach sixth grade with Teach for America in a diverse, high-poverty setting. At present, I am in my third year of teaching and looking to apply to programs at Columbia, Johns Hopkins (SAIS), Harvard, Georgetown and GWU.</p>

<p>During my undergraduate experience, I never studied abroad (except for a spring break trip to London), but I did take two years of Spanish (just short of a minor). Over the course of the past two years, I spent the summer before last traveling in Central America/Mexico and this past summer visiting Peru and Ecuador. (This summer, I plan to visit Eastern Europe). Also, this fall I am completing classes in micro and macroeconomics at a local community college to compensate for a deficiency in that area.</p>

<p>Because I never studied abroad in college (even though I majored in Foreign Affairs), I don't think I ever truly came to understand my passion for the international field as I have now after having visited quite a bit of Latin America.</p>

<p>THE BIG QUESTION: With a 3.6 GPA (major GPAs are higher) from a top school (University of Virginia) and high GRE scores, do you think I would have a chance of being accepted to top IR programs to focus on Latin America and human rights (specifically educational access)?</p>

<p>I would think that I would frame my application in the context of evolving interests and also translate my Teach for America experience in an elementary school on the frontlines of the immigration debate as contributing to the evolution of those interests.</p>

<p>Basically, I'm looking to see if you think admissions officers at the SAIS, SIPA and SFS schools would "laugh" at my application?</p>

2

<p>Studying abroad is only one way of demonstrating your interest in international affairs. The school will not, by any means, laugh at your profile. You sound like a good candidate, to be honest.</p>

3

<p>They wouldn’t laugh but your application certainly isn’t a slam dunk. A 3.6 GPA is right at the median for some of those schools and UVA, although a good school, wont give you much of a bump. Furthermore, IR schools usually like to see foreign affairs or international experience, not domestic experience spun as international work. Have you considered applying for a masters in education policy or a MPA/MPP? Youre profile doesnt really sound IR-ish to me.</p>

4

<p>it’s never Naive to apply. I went to a crappy state school then get a job with one of the best companies to work (one of the big four) mainly becaused i applied EVERYWHERE. as long as you don’t mind investing the time and money, it isn’t a waste. who knows maybe something in yuor background hits a soft spot with the adcom.</p>