<p>What courses does anyone recommend taking in highschool to study International Relations at an IV league</p>
<p>@nm12345</p>
<p>Well, to get into any ivy, you’ll need a rigorous course load so take all honors/APs, even in the sciences if possible. High school probably isn’t great preparation for international relations in general (unless your school offers some non-standard courses). I would go for AP World History/AP European History, AP Government, and take as many language courses as possible, especially if you have an area in the world where you want to focus your work. I would say the most important course you can take is AP Statistics since a lot of academic work in political science fields involves statistical research and this will help a lot to understand that. I definitely feel that course gave me a leg up over others who avoided math in high school.</p>
<p>Hi there - wow, fantastic information so far. I have some qusetions, if someone could help. I had intented to go for my MBA as I am a CPA and have 5 years experience working for PricewaterhouseCoopers, a big four accounting firm. My end goal is to work for an NGO though so am now thinking it is better to focus on an MA. I have already taken the GMAT and received a 660. I have lived aboard in Switzerland for 2 years, speak french, am very involved in charity work, etc etc.</p>
<p>my questions:</p>
<p>(1) should i take the GMAT again in hopes to improve or do I need to stop and take the GRE?
(2) do I have any chance at the top International Service schools or am I wasting my time (side note, my undergrad GPA is not so good…something like 3.1 but since then i think the CPA and learning French shows additional academic achievement).
(3) is it too late to apply to most schools for this Fall 2010? </p>
<p>Thanks in advance for any advice you have!!!</p>
<p>With just a 3.2 I would be looking at less competitive programs than Princeton, Harvard, Columbia, and JHU.</p>
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<p>Do you seriously believe there’s no “point” in getting an IR degree from <em>any</em> other school(s)? SmithieandProud made an excellent point - a 3.2 won’t bode well for you at GW, forget Harvard. </p>
<p>I have to ask, though - Memphis? Memphis?! Really? </p>
<p>P.S. Colombia is located in South America.</p>
<p>Free Palestine- Don’t listen to these people since they obviously haven’t attended any of those schools and are operating on heresay and speculation. Typical upper-middle class white males.</p>
<p>I currently attend one of those and my undergrad was a 3.15 in Gender Studies/Urban Anthropology from University of Utah. I did 2 years in the Peace Corps in Papua New Guinea and I had no trouble getting in. When you are virtuous and kind-hearted they will welcome you with open arms.</p>
<p>You might want to consider the Maxwell School at Tufts. They have a great Economics program. SIPA is good, but its not as good as Columbia from what I’ve heard.</p>
<p>I would not recommend Memphis- it is full of ‘undesirables’.</p>
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<p>You might want to consider not confusing Syracuse with Tufts. ;)</p>
<p>Hi All,</p>
<p>I’m a current student at Johns Hopkins SAIS. This discussion board was really helpful for me when I was deciding where I wanted to go to grad school so I’d like to return the favor to all of you who are currently making the decision. Let me know if you have questions re: admissions, what SAIS is like, deciding between schools, career changing, etc.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Hello fellows, I am a current Kennedy School IR student and I hope to be able to help out. Personally I wish I had taken the money and gone to Syracuse, this place is just a little too white for me, not enough diversity but the program is great. Peace!</p>
<p>SAISStudent and Harvardhoe…I would love for you to expand on your experiences. Decision making process, financials, quality of the education and job outlook. Did you go to Graduate school immediately after completing your B.A.?</p>
<p>seeking, i am glad you ask. i have found that the kennedy has been a dissapointing experience, everyone here wants to werk for an investment bank when they graduate and trade off the harvard name. i also think there are to mane white people here and i am from a VERY diverse nayborhood in chicago. it costs a lot too.</p>
<p>Hi everyone, </p>
<p>I’m originally from the US, but did my undergrad in the UK, at the University of St Andrews. My degree was a four year degree, which is atypical for British universities and I therefore got a Masters degree (an MA (Hons) in International Relations. I know St Andrews isn’t as well known in the US as Oxbridge, but it’s ranked as the 4th best university in the UK, and has a strong IR department. </p>
<p>I’m still in the UK at the moment, but I’m looking at applying for grad schools in the States. I would really like to do a joint degree in Law and an IR-related discipline starting in Autumn 2011. My frontrunner is the JD/MSFS at Georgetown, but I’m also considering Johns Hopkins, SIPA (although I don’t know if I will have enough work experience), Princeton, etc. </p>
<p>I was wondering if anyone could tell me what my chances are based on my info? Thanks in advance! Here are my stats so to speak:</p>
<p>-MA (Hons) in IR (degree classification is a strong 2:1, equivalent to a GPA of 3.7-3.8–I’m currently checking with my uni for the exact equivalency)
-Worked in Immigration Law at a private company in London for 1 year after graduation
-Currently completing a Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) at the College of Law, London (GDL–an exclusively British qualification, essentially it’s a law conversion for students who didn’t do law as an undergrad here…one would normally follow the GDL with an additional one year course that would allow you to practise as a solicitor/barrister in the UK–however, legal education is incredibly different in the UK than the US, so I will be starting from scratch if I do a JD)
-Secretary and then President of a Habitat for Humanity group at uni, organised a trip for a student group to Malawi to work with a local Habitat affiliate
-Interned with the CSTPV (Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence) at the Uni of St Andrews, mainly conducted research
-Interned with the CPCS (Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies), also at St Andrews
-Involved with organising talks for the Law and Justice Forum, a student run society that organises talks on topics of interest involving human rights and legal/political issues
-Monitor human rights abuses of lawyers and defenders around the world by drafting factual reports and intervention letters for the Law Society of England and Wales
-Representative for the Free Representation Unit, which means that I represent people in Employment and Social Security Tribunals in the UK
-Worked on case summary projects for a Human Rights organisation, Interights
-Essay Competition Chair and Alternate Chair for External Communications for the College of Law Student Law Review
-GRE: Analytical 6.0, Quantitative 740, Verbal 650 (I took this without studying for it, on a bit of a whim, so I plan on taking it again this Spring and hope that my Verbal and Quantitative marks will improve)
-I studied Russian at Uni, and lived in St Petersburg for a semester</p>
<p>My concerns are that as of late my extra curriculars have been very skewed towards Law, as I’m studying law at the moment. Also, I’ve not had the opportunity to do any internships–in my experience, UK universities don’t provide the opportunities to intern alongside studying (at least not at St Andrews). Over the next year, I’m trying to arrange some internships, but would it be better to try to work in paid employment full-time, or to do internships? I’m trying to arrange something with Amnesty, HRW or another NGO or think tank, if possible…</p>
<p>I’ve also never studied economics…at uni, I was only ever able to study three subjects (as that’s the way the system is set up), so I studied Russian, History and IR for the first two years, Russian and IR the third, and only IR for my fourth year. I know that most places allow you to complete micro/macro econ before enrolling, but will it be a disadvantage for my application?</p>
<p>Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I have two references from my university (one is a tutor I had for two different modules and one is the head of the IR department). However, in my experience, Professors/Lecturers at British universities are much more reserved than their American counterparts. There is less opportunity to get to know them on a personal basis, and interaction tends to be very formal. I’m therefore worried that my reference letters will be weaker than those who did their undergrad in the US…do you think this will be the case, or will US grad schools be aware of the difference? I’m hoping to get a third reference from an internship over the summer, but in case I can’t I’m a bit worried. </p>
<p>I’m also planning on taking my LSATs in October and am not going to accept anything less than a 175 (or so I’m telling myself… :)</p>
<p>Any tips, advice, strategies anyone has to offer would be so greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>Thanks,
Julie</p>
<p>Hi SeekingKnowledge,</p>
<p>In answer to your questions.</p>
<p>Did you go to Graduate school immediately after completing your B.A.?
—No, I did my undergrad work in Communication Studies and worked for 3 years in PR before coming to SAIS. There are students who come here straight from undergrad, but they tend to be Econ or IR majors with superior academic records/internships. IR schools tend to be open-minded. You don’t have to have a “traditional background” as long as you are accomplished. Diversity is key for IR programs so your unique perspective will often be seen as an asset.</p>
<p>Decision making process
—I was drawn to SAIS’ DC location, opportunity to study in Bologna, Italy, superior network, and econ focus. I had little econ background before coming to SAIS and knew that I would probably avoid econ if I wasn’t forced to take it. As SAIS everyone concentrates in Intl. Econ as well as their chosen concentration. This is a huge advantage when looking for jobs and gives SAIS students a well-rounded quantitative skill set.</p>
<p>Financials
—SAIS offers less financial aid than many other schools. I got a small scholarship, but turned down 3 full-rides to other schools to come here. I believe it’s worth it to have SAIS’ reputation and alumni network. Plus, if you go into the public sector, you’ll receive loan assistance as part of your benefit package. It is a huge financial burden so you have to evaluate your situation. I had no undergrad loans, credit card debt, or other debt so I felt that I could take on extensive grad student loans. There is also lots of private aid available so apply for fellowships!</p>
<p>Quality of the education and job outlook
—SAIS’ economic program is the best, bar none. It’s integrated into everything that we do and gives SAIS grads a unique perspective compared to other IR schools. The econ often scares applicants, but I came in with little econ experience (just principles of micro/macro at a community college) and have had no problems. The language programs are great as well. I’m a strategic studies concentrator and there are many excellent opportunities for those interested in security. Intl. Development is also great and I’ve heard good things about the regional programs.</p>
<p>As for job outlook, we’ll see when I graduate, but I got a State Dept. internship for the summer. I really feel that the SAIS name has helped and I’ve already tapped into the alumni network and they have been unbelievable. The network has definitely been impressive thus far.</p>
<p>Let me know if you have any other questions. Class just ended so I have to run :)</p>
<p>SAISStudent/Harvardhoe,</p>
<p>I am looking into both schools right now and I was wondering how your programs are structured? For example, I feel like Harvard is more academic oriented whereas Johns Hopkins is more govt/policy oriented. Are there students who want to work for the govt and feel like Harvard’s program is appropriate/students who want to teach/research and are in SAIS?</p>
<p>Thanks a lot you guys! (btw, you wouldn’t happen to know the statistics for the admitted classes for kennedy and sais, would you?)</p>
<p>I was just accepted to Georgetown’s M.A. program in International Law and Global Security which is in the department of government, not the school of foreign service. Anyone have any opinions? If I get into Tufts/Fletcher or Hopkins, which is probably the better program? Needless to say this has been an exciting time.</p>
<p>SAISstudent, thanks for the insightful comments. I’ve been reading more about the strengths of a good econ education and am reconsidering the quantitative vs qualitative train of thought.</p>
<p>Regarding your classmates, how’s your experience been? I’ve read other comments that SAIS students having a reputation for being stuck up. What do you think? I’m a very chilled out person, in my 30s, and am not interested in one-upmanship that some programs/careers/locations attract. </p>
<p>I’m however very interested in learning from my classmates and all of their diverse and amazing experiences, and this is a priority in how I’ve picked my schools.</p>
<p>Hi everyone,
I’m a History and Spanish major and I am thinking about applying for grad school in international relations with a focus on China. I have recently studied abroad in Shanghai, China and loved it! I am taking a year off after I graduate to take Chinese language classes at a community college since its much cheaper than at UCLA.
I am looking into applying at UCSD’s program in Pacific Affairs, mainly because its in CA and I won’t have to pay out of state fees. However, I would like to know if there are any other grad schools that offer good fellowships or financial aid but with a good program in IR-China. I am hoping to attend the University of Hong Kong in the future to get my Ph.D.</p>
<p>trovata317,</p>
<p>SAIS is a professional school so there is a policy focus. That said, many students from SAIS go on to pursue Ph.D’s so a SAIS degree won’t limit your options if you’re interested in academia. SAIS’ DC location makes it ideal for students who are looking to enter the workforce after graduation, but it is an academically rigorous program so it will prepare you to pursue a Ph.D as well. Additionally, many SAIS Ph.D candidates did their M.A. at SAIS. If you know you want to go into academia, just structure your courses so that you’re taking more theory based classes. The Global Theory and History concentration is popular amongst students who go on to do Ph.Ds.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I don’t have admissions stats.</p>
<p>carpecc,</p>
<p>I’ve been blown away by my classmates. I heard that same rumor about SAIS and it really hasn’t been true. The students I’ve met here are smart, accomplished, and interesting, but they are not stuck up at all. Everyone is excited to learn from each other and there really isn’t competition among students. People are supportive—proofing cover letters, forming study groups, e-mailing notes if you miss class, etc. There really isn’t an antagonistic attitude. That said, I’m at the Bologna Campus which is known for attracting a more laid back student body. I wouldn’t be surprised if the DC campus were a bit more intense since students are working/interning in addition to attending school, but I’ve heard from my classmates on the DC campus that it’s very supportive and friendly as well.</p>
<p>The DC campus tends to attract an older student body with more work experience while the BC campus has a more international student body and tends to be a more laid back group. Important things to consider when making your decision.</p>
<p>If someone has a MA/PhD from a UK school, what odds that he can successfully get a teaching gig at a decent [tier 1] US university?</p>