While I do not plan on applying to grad school for at least a year, I do plan on preparing for the process by working towards a goal. In other words, by the time this thread has been exhausted, I would like to have a few programs in mind that I can work towards earning admission. Simply put, I’ve had a very difficult time finding accurate admissions data/profiles… I am hoping you guys can take a look at my undergraduate achievements and match me with some colleges. I understand that without GRE scores this task is rough at best, but I am only looking for ballpark suggestions. I would like to note that based on some GRE practice questions that I’ve sampled, I have quite a bit of studying to do… I hope a years’ worth of part-time studying can get me to at least a 310! In terms of location, I have no requirements. I think it could be a great opportunity to travel, yet I live around some of the best programs in the nation (Washington, D.C.).
…Here’s the low-down: I am a 2015 graduate from a New England liberal arts college with a B.A. in Politics. I have a genuine interest in both public and international affairs and I am looking to further my education. I currently work as a paid intern at a highly regarded government relations/lobbying firm in Washington, D.C. I hope to move on to a full-time role within the coming months. Previous experiences include work with a small New England business consulting firm and a congressional internship on Capitol Hill.
…Here’s some stats: 3.3 Cumulative, 3.6 Major GPA (top 15% of my class, my college is notorious for its anti-grade inflation policy), national political science honors society member, international social sciences honors society member, heavily involved with student organizations at my college.
I’d like to sincerely thank you for your advice and opinions!
If I were you I would just stay in D.C., that’s where you will find some of the best programs that you looking for.
In D.C. you got Georgetown, George Washington, and American. All of them are good schools with good programs and if you want the opportunity to travel, they all have great study abroad programs as well as opportunities to travel around the country.
I would also look at schools in New York. NYU, Marymount Manhattan, Syracuse, and a few more in the city are good.
If you live on the Maryland side of the border for 12 months, you can be eligible for in-state tuition at U. Md. However, you have to make sure everything is transferred to a Maryland residency, including voting address, drivers license, etc.
On the Gradcafe website, many grad school applicants post info. about their acceptances, rejections and aid offers for various types of grad degrees and universities. If you do some searches of that info, it may give you some idea of the relative difficulties of admittance and of obtaining aid for various programs.
Gtown, JHU, Tufts, Harvard, Columbia,Princeton, GW, and LSE, would be the schools I would look at, if going to the top programs is a priority. As mentioned above, I would do some specific research as to their respective areas of strength.
If you establish residency in Va. for 12 months, you can be eligible for in-state tuition at GMU’s and UVa’s public policy programs. UVa’s program is relatively new, but is well-funded (thanks to the founder of the Weather Channel) and is becoming much more popular with applicants.
The big private universities in DC all have very expensive public policy programs. There is some merit-based aid for these types of grad programs, but usually is not much need-based aid.
You also might look for a job that offers tuition reimbursement. However, I’ve read that many federal agencies have cut back on tuition reimbursement.