<p>These stats aren't really mine yet but what I suspect I will have once I graduate from college. I am posting this just to get a good idea on what I need to do to get into a great International Relations program. So here goes. </p>
<p>Stats:
University of Houston (second teir school)
Double Major: Political Sci/History
Minor: Chinese Language
G.P.A. : 3.7-3.9
E.C. : Model United Nations, Debate Team, Semester Abroad in France</p>
<p>Personal Info:
Black Female
Middle Class
College Educated Parents
Possible Yale and UVA legacy</p>
<p>Schools:
Georgetown
Tufts
Yale
University of Chicago
American University
Johns Hopkins
London School of Economics
George Mason University
UVA</p>
<p>Don’t expect to ride your black female status all the way to the likes of Georgetown and Tufts. If you do not have significant research or work experience, admission will probably be a long shot.</p>
<p>You’d probably still have a good chance at getting accepted to American though. I know several people that went there straight out of undergrad without much experience.</p>
<p>Get a couple years of solid work experience, and you’ll be a pretty competitive applicant.</p>
<p>Those sorts of personal characteristics – race, socioeconomic status, family background – matter far less in graduate school. I’m actually really surprised that you posted that information, but none about what kind of internships and jobs you’ve held during college, which are far more important than your race and where your parents went to school (graduate schools don’t give a kiddy about “legacy status”)</p>
<p>The top foreign affairs schools prefer students with significant work experience in their field. For example, Columbia’s SIPA only accepts 5% of their class straight from undergrad, and the average age of their entering student is 26-27. Model U.N. and a semester abroad in France is not really enough to make you competitive for the top foreign affairs schools, like Georgetown’s.</p>
<p>Are you really committed to attending straight out of undergrad, or would it be okay for you to take a few years off and get some experience first? You could apply for a Fulbright next year, or the JET or EPIK programs, or get an internship abroad or something.</p>
<p>So i’m from India… and my interests are in black (South asian) british writing… gpa is irrelevant, because i’m from india… and recos state that i’m good at what i do, and i have potential for research. Gre - V650. Writing sample, i dont know if its great, but my advisor says it screams out originality. If htat matters.</p>
<p>Applying to columbia, Uchicago, northwestern etc… Do you think i have a shot with columbia?</p>
<p>Most ad comms DO care about race- even at the graduate level and I think that the OP did not to any harm by disclosing that information. Most graduate programs (I know Tufts, Harvard and Georgetown) pay extra attention to minority applicants and, frankly, more should follow suit. I am actually surprised that many, if not most, students are completely unaware of the legacy of racism in higher education. </p>
<p>Now that I am off my soapbox- save for the lack of work experience, the OP’s GPA is very strong. Just do well on the GRE and get good LOR’s and you should be fine!</p>