<p>Hi all, I'm am looking for guidance on my next steps with graduation looming in the spring. I am a double major in International Relations and German Studies at a respected liberal arts college ranked top 50. Within my IR major I have a concentration on Europe and Russia, I speak German proficiently, can read Dutch and am slowly working on learning Russian. I am, like most seniors graduating in May unsure of what I will be doing after I receive my Diploma. With that being said I am certain that my ultimate goal is to join the foreign service, I have not figured out when I will take the test yet. I am also considering Grad school to pursue a masters in International Relations but I have yet to take the GRE (which means I would not be able to apply for fall of 2015) </p>
<p>A bit about me,
I have a 3.3 GPA, I know it’s nothing wonderful.
I have had several internships, I worked on a high profile Senate Campaign in 2012 and was given a lot of responsibility (one of my duties was managing a large town's "Get Out The Vote" operations on election day) I Interned in my states Senior Senator's office the summer of 2014. I worked as the Director of Communications on a State Representative campaign in 2014, and I also am currently a State Department Intern working overseas in the Political-Economic Arena. While my GPA is less than fantastic I am curious if my internship and work experience will assist me in pursuing a Masters in IR, obviously a lot hinges on GRE performance but I am curious if I have a shot at any of the top IR Graduate schools (eg. Fletcher, Kennedy ect) </p>
<p>to fill my time between graduation and grad school I applied for the Peace Corp, and I have applied for some entry level federal positions, another question I have is should I wait until after Grad school to take the FSOT? </p>
<p>In any event I definitely would appreciate any advice that can be given </p>
<p>what grad school you attend is irrelevant… you have to pass the FSOT. That’s what counts.</p>
<p>I recommend you take the FSOT sooner than later, because most likely you won’t get very far the first time, but it will let you know what the test is like.</p>
<p>I can’t really speak to grad school admissions… I would just encourage you to think about what you want out of graduate school. Some programs are a lot more academic and some focus more on the real world. I would also strongly consider location. Going to school in the DC area opens up many more internship opportunities during the school year that you cannot participate in if you go to school somewhere else.</p>
<p>It looks like you are already doing this, but I would suggest moving away from the political campaigns and toward internships/future opportunities with a more international focus.</p>
<p>I was thinking that the Peace Corp, or Grad school, or both (I know American has a program that combines the two) would help me do better in the FSOT process. I’m at the point where I think I am going to take it this February, but I definitely want to have a plan in place that will ultimately get me to where I want to be. I appreciate the advice, also I have been moving away from political campaigns. </p>
<p>also, have you seen the opportunities like this that allow for non-competitive conversion? might be something else to look into in grad school <a href=“https://state.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/382893000”>https://state.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/382893000</a> </p>
<p>from what I’ve heard non-competetive conversions don’t occur very often but I’m thankful I got my Pathways application in before it closed, I have no idea what their acceptance rate is like but I’d imagine already having security clearance and interning overseas may help my chances. </p>
<p>you have a much better chance at a non-competitive conversion than randomly applying on usajobs.</p>
<p>when I finished undergrad I couldn’t even get a GS5 secretary job from usajobs… it was pretty ridiculous. Now I have my dream job, which I got through an internship in graduate school. I went to grad school just to do internships, and I interned at 3 gov agencies, and almost did a State internship but I passed on it for a better opportunity (State doesn’t view their interns as probable future hires as some other places do).</p>
<p>you should also look into the pickering fellowships (I think that is what they are called), that feed right into the foreign service.</p>
<p>Pathways was definitely a good thing to do. Sometimes government hiring makes no sense… just be prepared for that and keep plugging away, trying to make your resume better each time you apply b/c of new experiences.</p>
<p>Immensely helpful information, I have no idea what the average candidate looks like for Pathways but I will remain hopeful. The Pickering Fellowship looks outstanding, I had previously not known of it but I will definitely be applying. Thank you for all of the advice. </p>
<p>glad to help where I can :)</p>
<p>Foreign Service can be an extremely rewarding career if that lifestyle is what you are looking for. If you want to live in the U.S. then obviously you should probably reconsider, heh.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t have it any other way! </p>