<p>what is IR/PS?
do you mean Princeton University?</p>
<p>No, IR/PS is at UCSD. Princeton is Woodrow Wilson.</p>
<p>with score I have,
do I have a decent chance at SAIS/Fletcher/SFS/SIPA/Woodrow Wilson?</p>
<p>choeandrew,</p>
<p>Yes, you have a decent shot at any of them. However, you really really really need to look at IR/PS, as it's one of the best (if not the best) program for East Asia.</p>
<p>Interesting thread. I'm applying to SAIS/SIPA for Fall 2008 and I'm right at that point where I'm panicked about my qualifications. There are a lot of impressive resumes on the sites for these universities. My job experience consists of two years clerking and one as an attorney at a small litigation form in Minneapolis. Is that going to help or hurt me? I wish there were someplace you could go to have the strength of your application assessed.</p>
<p>I was also interested in the points made by UCLAri and salmonite regarding the need for a strong career plan and quantitative focus. I interned for the State Dept. during law school and have strong interests in government work, particularly security, but no real job title I'm seeking. I decided part-way through law school that practice didn't interest me and focused on international law classes, but haven't had a lot of luck with jobs. I mostly want to break out of litigation by changing my resume and exposing myself to networking. Should I reconsider attending at all? Is an academic interest in security and conflict resolution enough to justify an IR degree?</p>
<p>GopherGrad,</p>
<p>Depends. Do you mind taking a huge pay cut for the love of the subject?</p>
<p>I think the quant skills are over-emphasized sometimes. It really depends on what you want to end up doing... It would affect what schools you get into as was already said, and it was hammered into our heads in orientation that we needed to take quant classes.</p>
<p>But I just don't see such a value in it if you're not going into business-related areas after you graduate.</p>
<p>So it's important (again, already said) to make sure you're applying to the right school for what you want to do.</p>
<p>My impression is that you need really good scores and a business-oriented mindset to get into SAIS. But I've seen a wide variety of scores and personalities and work experience get into the other schools.</p>
<p>My recommendation is that you try to apply because there's no real formula for getting in. Work experience really helps but is not the only determining factor. Your statement of purpose can make a huge difference to tie everything you've done together. Look at it from the applications review board's point of view: how do you decide what sort of person will make a good foreign policy or conflict mgmt. student? Do you really think it's just going to be about what your GRE or econ scores were?</p>
<p>GopherGrad and choeandrew, I better see you folks applying...don't just give up before you even try!</p>
<p>Volscio,</p>
<p>I disagree. The quant skills are important because they differentiate job applicants, and demonstrate a level of ability that may not be easily discernible if a job applicant has only policy courses.</p>
<p>Plus, who knows where you'll be after 2 years of school? Hedging one's bets is never a bad thing.</p>
<p>I think that they both should apply, but I also think they both should be realistic about these degrees. The return on investment can be incredibly low, especially if you cannot go into government because of a botched security clearance (or non-citizenship.)</p>
<p>UCLAri,</p>
<p>I don't mind taking a pay cut from the lifestyle persepctive (particularly if I can get a job overseas), but I'm not sure my loans could bear it if I don't get some decent repayment options. I suppose many government jobs help out that way, but then I hear about this botched clearance. Crap. Of course, I had a clearance with State, so unless my frequent travel habit affects things...</p>
<p>Another question: how much does GRE score affect chance of admission? I'm sure that a really low one can work to exclude, but does a significantly higher than average GRE give one any sort of boost? I'd guess not.</p>
<p>Volscio,</p>
<p>Thanks for the encouragement. You can be sure I'll apply.</p>
<p>I'm curious, though; I'm not a terribly quant-minded guy, but I think you'd need some good econ, at least, to understand IR in any sort of whole or academic manner. What role do you think quant-type courses should play in the schooling of someone interested primarily in security and conflict management?</p>
<p>You cannot understand IR without a strong econ background. I'm serious, econ adds a completely new dimension to your thinking. Unless you want to write op-eds for the rest of your life, you need, at a bare minimum, Micro, Macro, and some sort of statistical analysis class. Econ is also valuable because it gives you certifiable skills that you can fall back on if government doesn't work out (i.e. you don't get cleared) and you don't want to do non-profit work. Serious econ coursework also allows you to use the degree like an MBA and opens up consulting/banking/intl. business opportunities.</p>
<p>All the IR master's programs require some econ coursework in the program in order to graduate. You can't avoid it. The issue is whether you're going to spend your entire two years doing econ classes.</p>
<p>When I see people who go this route, I think, "should've done an MBA but couldn't get in to a business school".</p>
<p>I'm aware that IR people are very mobile within the different sectors, but there's some balance involved... Hopefully you can pick classes that build on econ skills and apply them to something else...to me, that's the value of the IR master's.</p>
<p>Hi, just one more question:</p>
<p>I'm 21 years, still studying undergrad in Economics and Business/Management in the European Union, but I would like to pursue some IR degree like the ones mentioned.</p>
<p>Now, I noticed how competitive their admission processes really are... and to be honest I have completely no experience as yours, except for some temporary volunteering - but in a field totally irrelevant to IR.
I have 2 years left until I graduate, so I'd like to ask you what I could do as internships/free-time to improve my odds of getting accepted.</p>
<p>My main problem is of bureaucratic nature:
I lived in different countries in the EU since I was a kid, but hold no EU nationality (i.e. I'm a legally residing immigrant). And from what I've seen all undergraduate/graduate programs and internships at the EU institutions and/or foreign services are exclusively for EU nationals.
Now, I speak 6 languages, out of which 4 EU languages fluently (by which I mean that I also speak the "technical" language related to economics, IR, etc.) So I could do something that could put to use that as well.</p>
<p>My friends suggest me to keep my business relations and do something there, but I would like to do something more directly related to IR.</p>
<p>Any suggestions?</p>
<p>"...and to be honest I have completely no experience as yours..."</p>
<p>Are you referring to me? I've been told that job experience is a weakness in my application...</p>
<p>Anyway, don't let that get you down. You need internships, certainly, and you may wish to consider looking for jobs upon graduation and taking anything IR that comes your way for a year or two.* You have plenty of time to get diverse experience, get your Master's and start a career. I'm an old man at 26; you're just a pup!</p>
<p>You're right that most foreign services employ citizens exclusively. Still, you must be a citizen somewhere, right?</p>
<p>If your "home" foreign services don't appeal to you, you sound like a poster child for a multi-national NGO, particularly bodies like the UN and ICC that stress diversity. I'm not sure what your nationality status is, but if you are somehow a refugee or from a persecuted group, you're even more well situated (you know, for a UN gig). </p>
<p>Keep in mind that larger super- or inter-national NGOs often have separate internship offerings listed by branches. Look first for NGOs or non-profits that do the things that interest you, but don't balk at taking something outside your focus. You can build a lot of interesting skills and gain new perspectives and depth. Plus, it's only a few months, right? Don't count out business, either. Any internship that deals with international commerce will boost your resume, particularly if the other alternative is nothing. Finally, consider research either in addition to or, if you're stuck, in place of an internship. In my (relatively worthless) opinion, a terminal Master's program will rather see practical experience, but top programs will require you to prove academic prowess.</p>
<p>In short, apply for TONS of stuff. Provided your academics are in order, your amazing language talent and diverse residency will catch someone's eye.</p>
<p>*Employment not only gets you experience, it earns you money. Don't scoff at that, saving a little money, replacing some of your raggedy threads and actually getting a dental check-up and hot meal will help you stay physically and financially healthy and committed during grad school. You'll also get some of the spending/partying bug out of your system. Coming to school a little older, wiser and with some non-academic experience to reference IS really helpful. There's a good reason grad schools like to see some work experience.</p>
<p>Hi GopherGrad, thanks a lot for replying and your advice!</p>
<p>I was referring to "you", in general. But even you personally seem to have a lot more experience then myself. Yeah, maybe it's due to our age differences, but also - I think - to the different levels of engagement in our countries, and to our exposure, opportunities, etc.</p>
<p>Anyway, I'm officially a citizen of Sri Lanka and have already applied for second EU nationality a few years ago - I must wait a long time (even up to 10 years) until they process it. Not a refugee.</p>
<p>Indeed my "home" foreign services don't appeal to me very much because they're quite out of the focus of my personal interests and actually my whole cultural background. I do have ties to my "home" country, but even my personal "diplomatic" foci lie elsewhere.</p>
<p>By ICC do you mean intl. crime court or intl. chamber of commerce or..?</p>
<p>Indeed, NGOs seem okay, but even those (EU Parliament, UN, etc.) often seem to require an EU state nationality. I don't know whether this is because I'm checking from the EU and therefore I see only offers targeted at people from here. I'm gonna research more on this anyway.</p>
<ul>
<li>And you're right on employment as well :) But hey, I'm just trying to do something more "official" and/or directly relevant to my future objectives :P</li>
</ul>
<p>Thanks again.</p>
<p>I have another question that is related to the citizenship issue.</p>
<p>What if you have dual-citizenship and want to work in foreign services or the UN, etc? How does that work?</p>
<p>The UN probably couldn't care less. Governments will.</p>
<p>Hi everyone. </p>
<p>I also have some questions regarding my chances in getting into some of the top-notch programs in MA in international affairs - such as SAIS, SIPA, Fletcher, and so on.</p>
<p>I graduated from Northwestern University with a 3.03 GPA in Political Science and International Studies, and I worked with a professor (in Kellogg business school at Northwestern) doing research/consulting work for a year (On top of 2 years of part-time/summer research assistant experience during college). Originally, I wanted to apply for MA this year, but realized that my credentials are not competitive enough for some of the top programs in this field. </p>
<p>On top of the weak GPA, I have only taken one Econ class., which I thought I may want to cover that by taking some online econ courses before applying. I think I will be able to get some strong recommendations and strong GRE scores, and I'm also planning to work/volunteer 1-2 years abroad in non-profit sector to build more experiences before I apply.</p>
<p>I guess I need some input as to whether I am on the right path. Is my decision to strengthen my credentials and increase work experiences a smart move? I guess I'm just worried about my weak GPA...</p>
<p>Working for a few years will help make up for your relatively weak GPA. I recommend it.</p>
<p>The obsession with IR degrees never ceases to blow me away.</p>
<p>jmleadpipe:</p>
<p>Are you still an undergrad?</p>