<p>I was wondering if anyone has heard about Seoul National University School of Ineternational Studies. I’m interested in attending and was looking to see if anyone has heard anything on it?</p>
<p>Thanks for your input. However, looking at what everyone here has to offer I can hardly believe I am above average. What puts me in this category?</p>
<p>Dear all, I´ve been reading the forum and I can see you have pretty good knowledge about universities. This is a very long process and many options in the way. I prefer Europe for my master and think being in Geneva is a key aspect if I want to enter a OI afterwards, right? Does anybody has an opinion on the International Affairs program on The Graduate Institute in Geneva? I am thinking in applying there as well as Scince Po and LSE. If non of these work then I´ll sit for GRE and apply to the USA (but for 2011, long way…)
Opinions welcome!</p>
<p>After reading this thread I feel like I don’t have a chance at getting into any grad school for IR. I live in Canada but really want to go to school in the States as I would have access to more resources and opportunities. </p>
<p>After grad school, I want to pursue a non academic career in international development or international affairs. My GPA isn’t that impressive, probably about a B. I’m heading into my last year of undergrad so I’m aiming to get it up to a B+ or A-. Hopefully I can get a good GRE score come October. I don’t have any work experience at all. But I did volunteer at an NGO in Tanzania last summer. </p>
<p>Am I a good candidate for any of the top schools? I know most look for 1-2 years work experience but I would rather do masters right out of undergrad. Are there schools that don’t require a lot of work experience?</p>
<p>I should also mention that I’m fluent in French, Kutchi and familiar with Spanish, Swahili, Urdu and Hindi (thank you bollywood lol).</p>
<p>Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advanced!</p>
<p>After reading through this thread, I see that many people are asking about their chances of getting into competitive IR programs (and admittedly, I am one of the curious cats). I think many of us prospective students overthink things and get worried about our chances, particularly with all this information we’re getting that programs are very competitive to get into. I don’t doubt that some programs, like SAIS, HKS, and Georgetown, are difficult to get into. But honestly, there isn’t really one profile that everyone has to fit into to get accepted into these programs. </p>
<p>I think what would be helpful is if people who are following the thread that have been offered admission or are currently in a grad program could list where you got into/where you’re going, and your basic profile (GPA, GRE score) and work/abroad experience prior to getting accepted. I think this would be very helpful for many of us who are considering applying in the upcoming year or years to come and perhaps even take away some qualms that many of us have. This would give us a general sense of where we fit in generally. Of course, for prospective students, this should not be used as a strict guideline for us to follow but a general idea of how competitive these programs may be. </p>
<p>So, if anyone could help me out with this, it would be very much appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>I know that this thread is filled with people like me asking about chances to get into grad school, but I am leaving to study abroad in the Middle East for the next semester and am applying once I get back to Johns Hopkins, George Washington, American and Denver. I am wondering if I should go to grad school directly after undergrad and if I even have a legit shot at these programs without work experience.</p>
<p>I will have good Recommendation letters, a 3.6 gpa, a study abroad experience in Egypt under my belt, an intermediate level of Arabic and I just took the GRE and got a 670 V, 740 Q. </p>
<p>Should I be looking to get work experience to have a prayer at financial aid or even admission to these programs?</p>
<p>Most masters programs don’t provide financial support other than loans (If you are offered money, consider yourself lucky and go there). One of the best ways to get funding is to use the department of education’s Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowship. You need to research which schools host which languages however. Getting a masters in IR is not a huge career bump by itself. You need to develop or cultivate contacts in organizations that have to do with your interest. That is why schools like JH, GT, and American University are highly ranked. They are in the middle of the action and you maximize your exposure to potential employers.</p>
<p>And whatever you do, do not go to grad school directly after undergrad. Go work for an NGO somewhere, teach english abroad, get job with an MNC abroad, etc. It is difficult to develop any focus in your studies without some outside experience. The people that go directly into a Phd without leaving the university ever are especially clueless. Semester study abroads are not real life experience.</p>
<p>lcspider: Denver gives automatic scholarships, looks like you’re eligible for $10,000. Info here: [Josef</a> Korbel School of International Studies | University of Denver](<a href=“http://www.du.edu/korbel/admissions/financialaid/scholarships.html]Josef”>http://www.du.edu/korbel/admissions/financialaid/scholarships.html)</p>
<p>hekster: Wholeheartedly agree that getting work experience is a valuable asset to your graduate experience. That said, you seem to make that comment more towards PhD candidates…not sure if it’s “necessary” for master’s students to do well in grad school, as like you said, plenty of profs out there with no “real world” experience. ;)</p>
<p>Just to add to what someone asked regarding stats (entered in fall 2008): I had a 3.4 GPA and 590V/630Q/6.0A GRE scores. Aimed (too) high, applying to Tufts, GWU, Gtown, American, Denver, and 2 programs at my undergrad and another state school in my state as backups. Accepted to Denver and those 2 “backup” programs off the bat, waitlisted at American before later being offered a spot. Now at Denver, and more than willing to give candid info on the program if anyone’s interested.</p>
<p>I would definitely like to know more about Denver’s program! What are you studying there? Will you do the Washington DC campus in a year? </p>
<p>hekster: I appreciate the input and it helps me with thinking about what I will do. Thanks.</p>
<p>lcspider: I’m in the security program, so I have a lot to say about that (and can answer general questions about the school as well). I’m not doing the DC program this fall as I’m taking an extra courseload to finish a quarter early and thus have to stay in Denver to do that. What sort of specific questions did you have?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Is that automatic $10,000 scholarship a one time amount or per year? </p></li>
<li><p>How do you feel about the quality of the education you are getting?</p></li>
<li><p>What do you think about the networking opportunities at Denver? Does the career center do a good job of working to get their students noticed?</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>I think it’s a one time deal.</li>
<li>I’d say the faculty is very good, and we actually have a good number of real-world professionals teaching as adjuncts–especially surprising since Denver isn’t perceived as any sort of “IR hub.”</li>
<li>Don’t have a standard to measure against, but they seem to do a good job. They actually set up a trip to Washington in December and then one to NY/Boston in the spring where students can network with alumni.</li>
</ol>
<p>Wow what a very informative thread! </p>
<p>It was hard to come up with a question that wasn’t answered already, but I think I have succeeded (at least, it was asked but not thoroughly answered)</p>
<p>First, my profile: </p>
<p>Majored in history minored in politics at U.C. Santa Cruz
3.46 GPA
Studied abroad for 8 months in Germany
Can speak German
Have had side jobs as I went to school, nothing related to IR or prestigious
Planning on taking 1-2 years off to get work experience/save money</p>
<p>My first question is, how important is a top-name IR school. I have virtually no contacts/network, and other then getting my masters for furthering my education, I would want to create a network at a grad school to secure some kind of employment afterwards. I am faced with a problem right now not being able to find work, mostly because I don’t have a network. I understand NYC and DC are the places to go, but if I am content with working in California afterward, how important is it? Can the much cheaper state schools (CSU Sacramento or San Francisco) suffice? I am very worried about cost. I already have $30k in debt from undergrad, and am weary of taking on loads of more debt and getting a job that barely pays my minimum payments. Going to a state school would dramatically cut on the cost of getting a masters.</p>
<p>If I were to apply to these top schools, I understand I would definitely need to have some related work experience and/or volunteer experience, since my initial app isn’t too strong. Unfortunately, being on the west coast and living back at home again (my parents would NOT be able to support me living on my own) my options are limited. How would I go about getting this kind of experience? I’ve read other responses to this question that are simply “apply to NGO’s or the State department” but considering my situation, it is difficult to imagine applying (how do you even apply in the first place?) and getting accepted somewhere for a non-paid or low-paid internship and able to live on my own.</p>
<p>I’ve also looking into the Monterrey Institute. How is this school/would my money be wasted? It costs about the same as the big-name schools (around 30k, though they offer up to $6k in aid to those who qualify…). Is it sufficient to find work in California in the IR field? How about elsewhere? </p>
<p>One last question is I have very little econ and math experience (I took AP classes in HS, so never had to take them in college, though I did take one American Econ class for fun). Would my app be strengthened if I took some econ/stat classes at the local community college? </p>
<p>Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated! </p>
<p>I have done a lot of my own research, and will try to give back to this thread with advice when more posts come in.</p>
<p>I should also say I did volunteer at a non-prof advocacy group for human rights while in Germany (Pogrom).</p>
<p>I am in my last year (5th) at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus, majoring in psychology, but my plan is to do a master’s degree in International Relations. I have taken about 21 credits in political science courses, but I have been feeling kind of overwhelmed with all the info that I have been founding about the colleges, and I just don’t know how to pick one or a few to apply to. I am really interested in SIPA, but from what I have read they don’t usually take students straight of from their bachelor’s. Some don’t really specify the requisites, but I have taken 2 courses in statistics and I will take macroeconomics and microeconomics in my last semester,I speak, spanish, english, and i am currently studying french. I am not that involved in extracurricular activities, but I participated in a student exchange to Spain for a whole semester and I am planning to apply to an internship at the Department of State the summer before I am supposed to start graduate school. What is the recommended GRE score, and which universities ask for it, do I need to take the toefl (since I am not a natural english-speaking person), what’s the minimum gpa? what should I write in my personal statement? does the minority law applies? I really hope you can help me, I am going crazy.</p>
<p>pds,</p>
<p>SIPA specifically likes work experience (and that’s going to be a big plus at any program, really). Average GPA is usually around 3.5-3.7 for many schools, average GREs 650-670 on V/Q and 5-5.5 on A section. So if you’re looking to go straight from undergrad, you’re going to want to have a very good academic record, good letters of rec, and a strong personal statement (basically write about what your goals are etc). Your native Spanish is also a big plus, but I’d look at the specific requirements for taking TOEFL. Finally, there’s no “minority law” out there, but some schools are into the whole affirmative action thing. <em>shrug</em></p>
<p>Hello, I was wondering if you guys could take a look at my profile and let me know your thoughts about getting into a good/top IR program.</p>
<p>–Graduated with a double major in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry from the University of Minnesota (the U of M ChemE department is a top-three year-in year-out alongside Berkeley and MIT)
–3.1 overall GPA
–Also took 5 or 6 upper division EAS courses (GPA in those classes is a 3.83 or so)
–Took one year of college Japanese (A/A- grades) and now speak conversational Japanese
–Took two years of college German (A/B grades, though rusty now)
–GRE: 730 Q, 520 V (ouch, only 66th percentile), 5 A
–Volunteered at a Japanese garden for two years (extra-curricular/community involvement)
–Member of the Japan America Society of Minnesota (extra-curricular)
–Taught chemistry lab as a T/A for one year (shows leadership)
–Worked in a demographic office for three years on campus working with historical census data (quantitative work)
–Now teach English in rural Japan in a tiny coastal fishing village as the only foreign national within an hour’s drive (since July 2008, through the JET Programme and am employed by the Japanese government)</p>
<p>I’m worried about the overall GPA, but let’s face it–chemE was no walk in the park whatsoever–it was extremely difficult. I’m also worried about the verbal GRE score but perhaps if I go into something more quantitative it won’t be as large a factor. I should also note my mom died in my junior year when I was in upper division so between chemE alone, along with that and working 20 hours and being a T/A 20 hours, needless to say I had a full plate and dealing with my mom’s death certainly affected performance, but getting through everything shows strength I suppose. </p>
<p>The two programs I’m looking hard at are UCSD–IR/PS and Columbia–SIPA. UCSD is my first choice for their sound Asia-specific curriculum and the fact I like the geographical area of the school, so I think it would be a perfect fit for me. An added bonus to the UCSD program is the fact that they have an optional essay where you can discuss performance-affecting issues which I certainly had and can certainly discuss.</p>
<p>So what do you think my chances are of getting into UCSD or Columbia? I’m guessing Columbia is almost an automatic rejection but I want to apply. UCSD seems like it might be a little long too, but I like the program.</p>
<p>For the sake of applying, let’s say I also apply to:</p>
<p>–Syracuse
–Georgetown
–GW
–University of Chicago</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>I should also note–from UCSDs program site, these are the average stats of the class entering 2008:</p>
<p>3.37 / 4.0 Average GPA
692 Average GRE - Quantitative
537 Average GRE - Verbal
4.3 Average GRE - Analytical
630 Average GMAT
101 Average TOEFL (iBT)
3.7 Average years of professional experience</p>