Where and When?

Graduate School
1

<p>I tried to read through the thread first, but my questions might be similar enough to others to have already been answered. If so, please just drop a link to that post/thread? While I have innumerable questions about grad school I’ll try to boil them down.</p>

<p>I graduated from a “Public Ivy” in 2006 in IR and French and a series of internships led to a permanent position at a big international organization. I had intended to internship surf for 2 years and enter the applicant pool for the east coast IR schools (Georgetown, Columbia, Tufts…) and now find myself in something of a dilemma:</p>

<li> If I leave my current job for grad school (which I look forward to both for professional and personal interest) won’t I just put myself on the external side of competition for a job very similar to the one I already have? Let’s face it, good IR jobs don’t come around that often…</li>
<li> While the cross Atlantic debate rages I happen to think the US programs are stronger (in terms of faculty, career development, research potential) although infinitely more expensive, do I put myself at risk getting a European MA and trying to get a job or continue studying when returning to the US?</li>
<li> If I were to compromise and find a part-time (e.g. evening and weekend) program and keep my job, does that diminish the reputation of the degree? (We’re not talking Phoenix Online, but still…)</li>
</ol>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

2

<p>@ IRinBenelux</p>

<p>You have to ask yourself what are your future career plans 10-15 years from now. Do you plan to stay abroad for the remainder of your career or do you want to come back and work in the USA? That should answer which schools you should apply. Secondly, the best way to know when you should go back to graduate school is during your work experience, you've reached a ceiling and want to learn more about your prospective field of interest and you know exactly what you want to study. You have plenty of time to decide your next move in graduate school if you're pursuing a professional master's degree like MBA, MPP, MSW, etc.. I hope this helps.</p>