<p>I graduated back in June 2009 from a top 2 Canadian school with a crappy 2.82 cumulative GPA. My first 3 years were a wash, I picked up the pace in 1st semester of 4th year (3.2 GPA), and finished the 2nd semester of my senior year with a 3.54 GPA. </p>
<p>In the last 2.5 years I've been mostly doing volunteer work, interning, studying languages and I traveled to about 15 countries. I did an internship in Geneva with an NGO and am in the process of learning a 3rd language. While in Geneva I got two works published, one in a magazine and one in a manual. I also left a solid impression at my Geneva internship so I should be able to get good references from them. On the other hand, I didnt interact much with my University Professors so I'm not too confident in the references I'll get from them although I will do my best to try and motivate them to write strong letters.</p>
<p>I would like to apply to only schools in Europe that instruct in English and offer MA's in International Relations. Based on my background, which schools do I have a shot at getting in to?</p>
<p>Most schools say they require a minimum of UK Upper 2:1 honors which pretty much rules me out. Other schools say they require a 3.0 minimum. Where should I apply?</p>
<p>Hi, bbmm. I realize you might be angling specifically for “native” European institutions, but I’ve spent about a year looking around at European schools of political science, and it seems to me that “American” universities abroad might be more flexible with numerical cutoffs (or less likely to have them at all) than schools like Sciences Po de Paris, especially in light of your totally awesome (IMO) experiences and your dramatic improvement in your final years of college. The American Graduate School in Paris, the American University in Paris (recognized by the French Ministry for Education) and Richmond U in London (accredited in the UK and the US) come immediately to mind; all three offer MAs in IR and related subjects. The American U in Paris designates theirs as an MA in “International Affairs;” I’m not sure how much of a difference that makes. I can’t find admissions stats, but none of them appear to have numerical cut-offs for consideration. I have a good friend who did her undergrad in history/pol sci at Richmond and adored it; she’s now doing her masters at LSE. The drawback with schools like AGSP, AUP and Richmond, of course, is that they can be obscenely expensive. $_$</p>
<p>Thanks peakes, I appreciate your elaborate and encouraging reply. Do you know anything about the American University in Cairo? I’d like to do a regional concentration on the Middle East. My only concern would be with the perception of the school amongst North American and European employers.</p>
<p>I have heard only good things about the American U in Cairo–the friend I mentioned who went to Richmond had also wanted to go there, but was put off by the tuition. The relative of an acquaintance of mine works for the US Department of State and lectures at a university on the east cost of the US, and he also went there, I believe. (I have no idea how he got a security clearance after living over there, but of course that was a different time, everyone is different, etc.) </p>
<p>I’m not finding anything too concrete out there (THES rankings, etc.) about its reputation overall/amongst employers, but
this blogger ([Chowraha:</a> The AUC vs. Cairo](<a href=“http://chowrangi.blogspot.com/2010/02/auc-vs-cairo.html]Chowraha:”>The AUC vs. Cairo)) has some interesting things to say about life at AUC and its reputation in Egypt (people in the comments section seem mostly to engage in whining/trashtalking competitions, though). Stuff floating around the web (highly scientific I know) seems to indicate that most people view it positively, but since there isn’t an overwhelming amount of research carried out there (apparently?) it’s hard to get a “ranking”. There’s a forum on the Chronicle of Higher Education website (I didn’t even know they had one) where I found this conversation; it’s about working at AUC as a scholar, but it still is interesting because it addresses its rep with peer institutions, and is actually pretty well-thought-out: [American</a> University in Cairo](<a href=“Chronicle Forums”>Chronicle Forums). My overall impression from reading various bits and pieces is that being there is a fascinating experience, at least.</p>