<p>I was wondering what are the average credentials for a graduate student in the Security Studies program at Gtown.
I am a decorated prior active duty Marine, with 1 combat tour. I am about to complete my B.S in Security Systems (Information Security) at a small state school in NY. 3yrs of total study. GPA - 3.91. Member of 2 honor societies. However, I did quite poorly on the GRE. I have performed unsatisfactorily my entire life on standardized tests, but the reality is they have never been a predictor of my abilities.
What are my chances????</p>
<p>Hard to say, and you’re unlikely to really get much help on this board, as its primarily focused on undergraduate admissions. I won’t pretend to be extremely knowledgeable, but I actually had a work study job one semester at CPASS so I’m familiar with many of the people in the program.</p>
<p>Many students have military experience, but generally as officers rather than enlisted. I’m also intrigued by the shift from information security to the “traditional” security, if you will, studied in the SSP; I’m sure the committee will be too. Is it your goal to focus on topics like cyberwarfare? A good personal statement tying all of that together will really help.</p>
<p>Your GPA is certainly good, but of course GPAs are evaluated relative to the institution granting them, so a small state school won’t give you a terribly large amount of mileage. Combined with the GRE, this could raise some red flags about your ability to the demanding academic work at Georgetown (justified or not). As I’m sure you know, the courses in the SSP are primarily political science courses, do you have any coursework in IR and political science? Did you do well in it? Can you get letters from professors within the field of IR who will attest to your abilities in that area?</p>
<p>Your work experience is good, but, although I’m really just guessing here, not great. I’m assuming as you say you’re now in college, that you did not serve as an officer. Did your duties involve what might be called “analytical” work (e.g., intelligence; service at the Pentagon or similar would also be useful)? Did they relate in a significant way to what you’re hoping to learn about in the SSP? The more you can connect all the dots into a pattern, the better your chances.</p>