<p>so a little lost here- i'm planning to go back to grad school in fall 2014. criteria:</p>
<ul>
<li>want a master of public affairs/international studies/political science
-DC area (preferably)
-really low 3.0 gpa from an ivy league school, political science major
-interested in studying migration/human rights in particular, but don't want to restrict myself to only schools with that program
-international experience in developing countries working with refugees as well as internship with the US govt
-researched with professor on immigration theme project
-haven't taken the GRE yet</li>
</ul>
<p>i know that SAIS and georgetown are out of reach for me, and the only other schools in this area that i know of are GWU and american. can anyone help me out?</p>
<p>A 3.0 is not “really low”. It’s low-ish, but 3.0+ GPAs can still find success especially in professional programs.</p>
<p>Are you still in undergrad? If you are, or you have minimal work experience, the best thing you can do is actually wait a few years and build up some work experience. MPA and MIA programs value work experience over GPA, and a student with outstanding experience and a 3.0 could get in - even possibly to SAIS or Georgetown. GPA isn’t everything.</p>
<p>In that area, the best advice is to work for a while. There are plenty of employers that feed all of those schools with part-time and full-time students. Focus on rocking hard for a couple years, SAIS might roll out the red carpet for you!</p>
<p>hello all,</p>
<p>thanks so much for your help. i’m not still in undergrad, but i graduated this may 2013 and am looking for experience in the DC area right now. i will try to build up relevant work experience here before applying.</p>