<p>I graduated from a decent public university (University of Alabama) with a degree is Spanish/Global Studies in 2013, including a semester abroad in Cuba at the University of Havana.</p>
<p>I immediately moved to Buenos Aires after graduation. I have dual citizenship (married to an Argentine). I have a full-time job in Int'l Real Estate in Buenos Aires, and work closely with several NGOs in Argentina. I also study Portuguese.</p>
<p>In 2015 I'll be back in the U.S. after nearly 2 1/2 years abroad, pursuing an M.A. in LA Studies at Vanderbilt. My 5-year plan is to get into a top IR Grad Program (Georgetown, Tufts, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Yale).</p>
<p>Two questions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Will I have a legitimate shot at one of above-mentioned schools with my international experience and M.A. in LA Studies from a prestigious university? (Note that I finished undergrad in 2 1/2 years, and will only be 24/25 when I complete my M.A at Vandy- despite having lived abroad for several years.)</p></li>
<li><p>Is pursuing two graduate degrees ill-advised? I feel that the two degrees (LA Studies and IR) complement each other, and I am VERY keen on IR.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>There is a separate section for grad school questions where you may get a better answer. I think it is not a good idea. Perhaps you can do some classwork or outside class involvement when you are there and discuss how to strengthen your IR application with your profs.</p>
<p>Your age doesn’t matter; no one will even know your age. What will matter is your experience, and you seem to have the kind of experience that IR schools like (NGO work, 2.5 years abroad).</p>
<p>But why on earth would you want to do two MAs? If your goal is to get a master’s in IR, two more years of international work experience would probably be better than two years spent getting an MA. I doubt that a prior MA would be a significant factor in increasing your chances at one of those schools, since most successful IR applicants don’t have prior graduate experience. If you want to study LA studies more, you can cross-register for some classes when you get the MA in IR, but there’s no reason to spend the money.</p>
<p>Now, if Vanderbilt is 100% paying for your MA in LA studies (including living expenses) and you don’t have to go into any debt or come out of pocket for the degree, that’s different. It could be an enriching way to spend two years, if you just really want to go back to school. But if you have to borrow money to cover the costs and the only reason you’re doing it is to improve your chances of getting into an IR program, then I would say don’t.</p>
<p>Well, in that case I think sure, go for it! If you are really passionate about Latin American studies and the idea of spending two years studying it more in depth appeals to you, then it’s probably a great choice. The MA will show that you can successfully complete graduate work AND shows that you have a long-standing interest in your area of study.</p>
<p>Oh, and congratulations! Funding for MA programs is scarce and hard to come by, so good on you.</p>
<p>I graduated from a decent public university (University of Alabama) with a degree is Spanish/Global Studies in 2013, including a semester abroad in Cuba at the University of Havana. </p>
<p>I immediately moved to Buenos Aires after graduation. I have dual citizenship (married to an Argentine). I have a full-time job in Int’l Real Estate in Buenos Aires, and work closely with several NGOs in Argentina. I also study Portuguese. </p>
<p>In 2015 I’ll be back in the U.S. after nearly 2 1/2 years abroad, pursuing an M.A. in LA Studies at Vanderbilt. My 5-year plan is to get into a top IR Grad Program (Georgetown, Tufts, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Yale). </p>
<p>Two questions: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Will I have a legitimate shot at one of above-mentioned schools with my international experience and M.A. in LA Studies from a prestigious university? (Note that I finished undergrad in 2 1/2 years, and will only be 24/25 when I complete my M.A at Vandy- despite having lived abroad for several years.)</p></li>
<li><p>Is pursuing two graduate degrees ill-advised? I feel that the two degrees (LA Studies and IR) complement each other, and I am VERY keen on IR. </p></li>
</ol>