<p>flyers,
Yes perhaps I will be categorized as that as you have guessed my situation perfectly… However I feel that I am more “involved” with my country of origin than many other 1st generation-ers. I have been exposed to Turkey a lot over my lifetime. I have been there at least 8 or 9 times so far, usually during the summer. I am going there this summer again for more than two months (third consecutive summer) and I will hopefully be an exchange student in one of the top 3 universities there in the coming spring. I’ve been doing lots of research on Turkish politics and US-Turkish relations recently in my undergrad and I aim to continue it as well as my study of Turkish and Arabic. </p>
<p>Naturally I have an interest in US, European, and Middle East politics as well due to living in the US and am thus very into American politics.</p>
<p>For anyone who knows anything about The Graduate Institute in Geneva, I was hoping for some guesses on whether or not I would be able to get in for next fall for their MA in International Affairs. Here’s my undergrad info:
Baylor University, BA History, Minor Middle East Studies
Honors College, Baylor Interdisciplinary Core
3.93 GPA
Studying Arabic at American University in Cairo this summer</p>
<p>I have 3 semesters left for my undergrad degree in Individualized Study at NYU, with a concentration in International Relations, Economics and the Global Financial Crisis.</p>
<p>I am very interested in pursuing either an MPA/MPP or and MA in IR after undergrad.</p>
<p>Currently I have a 3.5 cumulative, with a 3.925 in my major, with 3 semesters remaining. I will be studying abroad this Fall in central Europe, and am interning at a microfinance fund in Cape Town, South Africa this summer. So far I have had internships on the Hill, an NGO, and a Hedge Fund. I also speak Spanish fluently (spent two summers in Spain), studied Mandarin for two years, and may try Russian while abroad.</p>
<p>I have the opportunity to enter a combined BA/MPA 5 year program at NYU Wagner with numerous specializations offered. I am likely interested in specializing in either international policy or public policy analysis. However, I am not very quantitatively oriented and thus am concerned about the statistics/econometrics content of some MPP programs.</p>
<p>Can you please compare any knowledge you have about the Wagner program contrasted against Georgetown, SIPA, KSG, and LSE. Am I competitive at all for these programs? </p>
<p>I am waiting to find out if I need to take GREs for the dual degree at NYU, but as far as I can tell, it is automatic admission based on finishing 28 credits while in undergrad. Although I only need 3 semesters to graduate, I only entered in Fall 2008, so I do still have 4 if I wish, allowing me sufficient time to finish all the requirements, in addition to the core courses I have taken so far, which I have done very well in.</p>
<p>Thanks for your responses in advance. Cheers.</p>
<p>I’m not quite sure what kind of career you would like to pursue after the degree but I know someone (not personally) who got the MA GIIS in Geneve speaking chinese and ararbic working for an IO there. I actually encountered this story at a newspaper. That person ended up getting a good job after several internships at IOs in Switzerland. </p>
<p>I think the best advantage of that school is that there are plenty of IOs all around. good luck !</p>
<p>Just happened upon these forums. I’ve been bouncing around from thread to thread soaking up some information, but now I’ve got a question or two of my own. For reference, I’ve got one year left in my undergrad IR degree, and I’m spending the summer studying abroad while also studying for the GREs. I’m interested primarily in the intersection of Security Studies, ConRes, and HR.</p>
<p>1) It seems there are two “classes” of IR grad schools: those that are geared towards freshly minted undergrads (GW, American, etc) and those that generally require more experience before acceptance (Fletcher, etc.) Is this perception correct?</p>
<p>2) I’m thinking about not going directly into grad school, but rather trying to find some entry-level work in the field to gain practical experience. I’ve been trying to figure out what kind of entry-level work my BA alone would qualify me for, but many positions seem to require a higher level of education. It’s a bit of a catch-22, and any clarification on the situation would be most welcome.</p>
<p>Analytical doesn’t matter as much as long as you don’t get a low score. If anything I think analytical should matter more, that never made sense to me.</p>
<p>2) I’m thinking about not going directly into grad school, but rather trying to find some entry-level work in the field to gain practical experience. I’ve been trying to figure out what kind of entry-level work my BA alone would qualify me for, but many positions seem to require a higher level of education. It’s a bit of a catch-22, and any clarification on the situation would be most welcome.</p>
<p>Akwaaba, most entry level positions do seem to require a higher level of education or require 1-2 years of work experience in the particular field. I’d recommend looking at all internship and fellowship opportunities above all else, because many of those will still admit students who have just graduated (and sometimes even prefer those who have graduated).</p>
<p>I was originally going to apply to grad school right after I finish my undergrad, but after reading through many threads, including this one, I am thinking about taking a year and applying it to some type of hands on experience relating to my field. I would like to plan for that year or so to be as productive and educational as possible.
What type of internships, research work or work in general do you recommend that would not only look the best on your application but offer the most education and experience?</p>
<p>I have the same question as Dccherry. I can’t find anything remotely related to IR when searching for internships. Should I just do whatever and use that experience anyway? Or should I look harder for something related to this field? Thanks.</p>
<p>Anteaters, just about every think tank, trade group, and international organization out there has interns. Can’t see why you would have trouble finding an IR-related internship (granted most are in DC and don’t pay).</p>
<p>I was hoping someone could help me make a decision. I am a 20 year old student majoring in IR attending a decent state university currently studying abroad for a year in Japan. I have always dreamed of being a Foreign Service Officer and only a Foreign Service Officer, and will be taking the FSOT in January. However, due to their capricious and obstinate hiring practice, I thought it best to explore other options in case I was not accepted into the Foreign Service (as that is more than likely).</p>
<p>So I would like to apply to grad school but my stats are nowhere up to par. I have a 3.0 (though a much higher major gpa) with a minor in Japanese (this is what tanked my gpa). I did a summer semester in London studying economics (and have an A in all 8 of the economic classes I’ve taken bar one B), and am currently finishing another year long study abroad in Okinawa (with a firm but by no means fluent grasp of the language). The programs that seem to fit most squarely into my interests are SAIS-Bologna, SIS, SFS, and Elliott, though from the forums and what I’ve seen from their websites I do not have a snowballs chance in hell of being accepted to any of these places.</p>
<p>So I was thinking that I should try to get an internship or two after graduation, which would give me another chance to take the FSOT again in case I did not pass this up coming round. But I find it rather painful to work in another capacity when I already know what I want to do. And being a low income student, I would NEED a paid internship which would be almost impossible to obtain with my stats. But my parents cannot assist me in any way, shape, or form, so unpaid internships in DC are totally outta the question.</p>
<p>I would rather study than get an internship, but I rather get an internship than study somewhere else than those above schools. I’ve looked at the course offerings and program aims for the top 10 or so IR schools and those 4 seem to have exactly what I’m looking for. And as stated before in the thread ROI drops off pretty high in IR Grad Schools.</p>
<p>My end goal in all of this is to become an FSO, but like with everything else you gotta apply. So any advice? And paid internships I should look at? Or just apply to schools?</p>
<p>Kenshinshan–I think you’re going to have to cast a wider net. You’re right that the schools you listed are pretty selective. Unfortunately, most internships in the IR field (be it with the government, think tanks, NGOs, etc) are unpaid. The only two that I can think of that pay on a consistent basis are the CIA and DIA, and those are obviously pretty competitive as well. Good luck.</p>
<p>flyers29–Do you think that it would be prudent to look into the Peace Corps? I was looking seriously into it when I was a freshman and sophomore , but do to the horror stories that my mother and aunt relayed to me about a cousin of mine that had participated in it, and their “certainty” that some type of severe bodily harm would come upon me if I participated in it I promised to take it off the table.</p>
<p>However, in my situation, I think that would actually be the remedy to my problems. I believe it would give me more focus and confidence, and would be a real resume booster. Besides the fact that I would be able to do some real good somewhere in the world, I would become a much stronger mature applicant. </p>
<p>My worst fear is graduating and having nothing to do, or biding my time working some dead end job. Dealing with tarantulas in the tropics of Guatemala don’t seem nearly as bad as that.</p>
<p>Kenshinsan, I really think that looking at a wider range of schools is probably a good idea. The schools that you listed are all great, and worth applying to, because you never know, but there’s lots of other great schools that might be a better fit. If you cast a wider net, you’re more likely to have more acceptances, better choices in financial aid, and so on. The schools that you mentioned are all very expensive and DC’s an expensive town, so it might be worth your while to find a school in a less expensive city that offers you some sort of financial aid. Also, don’t buy into the hype that all FSOs have gone to IR schools in DC, because that’s just not true. I’ve met FSOs that have attended all kinds of schools from the top IR schools, to state schools most people have never heard of, so there are many ways to become an FSO and not all of them go through the DC IR schools. </p>
<p>Also, while it’s great that you really want to become an FSO, I would definitely have a back up plan or two. I know a lot of really smart and successful people who have tried to become FSOs and have not been able to make it happen. It’s definitely something to work toward, but understand that very few people who start the process actually become FSOs.</p>
<p>LBJane - Thanks for the advice! I’ll look at some other programs, and see if there are any other ones that would fit within my interests.</p>
<p>I also know that not all FSOs come from DC schools. The only two that I’ve met have come from unknown state universities. I was also told by them that I should have a backup plan or two as the hiring process is especially difficult. In the same breath though I was also told not to give up because those that truly want the job and don’t give up on getting it always succeed in the end. Even it takes them 4 or 5 tries, if they don’t give up, they always get what they want. So I’ll keep trying till I succeed.</p>
<p>I have looked into some other options, however any viable backup plan would require a Masters degree, which obtaining with my stats is would be close to impossible. Kind of a Catch-22. Getting into a good grad school would give me more time and more options to pursue a career that I would be truly interested in doing (FSO, foreign policy advisor, work in DC), however that seems to be the thing exactly just out of my reach.</p>
<p>So I was looking into things I could do between college and grad school(internships, etc), and currently the Peace Corps seems like the best option for me. If anyone else has some advice on things I could do before grad school, it is more than welcome. D.C internships are an option too I guess, as I could always live with my aunt that lives pretty close to the hill. Though for a variety of reasons that is by far the least desirable option.</p>
<p>I’m 2 years out of college, worked in finance for one year, and now at a think tank. Graduated from Wesleyan University, 3.5 gpa in demanding multi-disciplinary major, speak spanish and some Arabic, spent a semester in Egypt.</p>
<p>My top choices are Fletcher, SIPA, WWS, and MSFS, as I want to do international diplomacy with a focus on the Middle East. I just took my GRE’s and scored at 680 (96%) Verbal and a 670 on Quant 63% (terrible!). Anyway, I have a significant amount of econ classes in undergrad, and worked as an i-banker, so I have lots of real-world quant experience, but should I retake my GRE’s? Are these schools out of reach?</p>
<p>hchambers–your GRE scores are by no means “terrible.” Don’t get too locked up on the fact that your Q score is 63%–that is kept low by the high number of engineering/math types who ace the section (heck even a perfect 800 is something like 92%). Your GRE scores should be fine.</p>
<p>Does anyone know which of the top grad schools don’t have a language requirement? I believe I am a very competitive candidate for any of these programs, but the language thing is killing me. I studied spanish for 4 years in high school and took one intensive semester of a “less important” language while abroad, but I don’t believe either would be good enough to put down on an application. What does that leave me with?</p>
<p>I know half this thread is ‘Evaluate me plz’, but I’m in dire need of some brutal honesty. All of these info session people just smile and tell you to apply without giving you any straight up answers about your real eligibility. Here’s what I’ve got followed by the schools I want to go for:</p>
<p>2 degrees: B.A. Political Science, B.A. International Studies. An Economics minor to go with one, an Asian Studies certificate to go with the other.
Foreign Language: 6 semesters of Japanese
Study Abroad: 1 summer in Tokyo(I had to work all through college and could only afford not to for a summer at a time)
Internship: Non-profit work for a summer in DC
Additional Info: TA/Research Assistant for well-published Poli. Sci. prof for over a year, held several positions in the university for work, 2 years Student Government, currently working for a PR firm as assistant to one of the Managaing Partners
GPA: 3.5
GRE: Pending (I know it’s a big factor, sorry)</p>
<p>I’m looking to apply to GWU, GMU, American, and The New School. I want to have a few safer schools, but I’m having so much trouble finding schools that offer programs specific to what I want to work on. I’m looking to do Conflict Resolution and focus on conflict/post-conflict governance (transistioning democracies, nation-building etc) </p>
<p>So please suggest any school you guys can think of that does the above., preferabely in the North East or in a city. Also opinions on how good/bad the New School is would be great. I had some profs talk it up and it doesn’t look too bad to me.</p>
<p>One last question: I only have a small pool of profs I really want reccs from, but I feel so nervous about asking for several letters, should I be less worried about it? How did some of you approach this issue?</p>
<p>Otherwise, just give me the cold hard truth. Thanks all.</p>
good luck !</p>