Seeking Advice

Graduate School
1

<p>Hey yall,</p>

<p>I just finished up my junior year of college, and have found myself at odds with how I should be occupying myself this summer.
It has been recently decided that before applying to law school (or a PhD program), I will be pursuing an MA, most likely in International Relations. It is my goal to make myself the most convincing candidate possible for top schools such as Columbia (SIPA), UChi, etc. </p>

<p>I'm a double transfer (and am unsure if this will have any bearing on admissions), but currently have a 4.0 at my state university (while overloading on courses, which I will most likely being doing for my two remaining semesters), and previously went to BU and Emory (nominated for undergraduate award) where I maintained a ~3.8. My majors are both History and International Studies, and I am pursuing a history thesis meaning I will graduate, at minimum, with magna cum laude honors. </p>

<p>Currently I am taking courses to make up for lost credits, however I have a choice of either going to Germany to do an intensive language course and some research (the research is not necessary, however) for my thesis topic OR pursuing an internship at the end of my summer session. I have applied to several non-profits and almost definitely have a place working with a department of a larger company dealing with energy (although not really related to my studies).</p>

<p>So my questions are, should I be going to Germany or taking the latter option which is also cheaper. I am personally of the mind that an internship would be most beneficial, especially considering I have no other work experience. </p>

<p>Are there any other options or steps I should be taking in order to give myself a chance at top-tier schools?
Unfortunately I am not a great standardized test taker when it comes to math, so taking an internship in the states would also allow me more time to prepare for the GRE. What should I be shooting for?
Does overloading classes have any effect?
I will also be taking classes after my senior year to complete my degrees. Should I wait an application cycle and do another internship? </p>

<p>Any advice is really appreciated, thanks a lot.</p>

2

<p>For IR, I would say that the internship would definitely look better. These programs value work experience.</p>

<p>Overloading classes should have no effect on your admissions either way, as long as you keep your grades up.</p>

<p>When you say that you will be taking classes after your senior year, do you mean in the summer or another semester? If you just mean summer classes, you can probably still apply for Fall 2013. But most programs require you to be done before you begin the grad program, so if it’s going to take you longer than Summer 2013 then you should delay a year.</p>

<p>As for other options, consider working for 2-3 years first. The average age at SIPA is 27 and most students have some years of work experience before going there.</p>

3

<p>Juillet, thank you very much for the response.</p>

<p>I will be doing the internship then, and not overload on classes. It will make my semesters much less stressful and allow myself to concentrate on my thesis. </p>

<p>Sorry for not clarifying when I will be taking classes, it will most likely be during the Summer 2013. However, if the average age is that much older at places like SIPA, I may just wait another year and do an internship while working on my application materials.</p>