Carly

Ira, Very sorry to hear about the news, especially that it was your dream. Are you waiting to hear from other programs? Feel free to email me if you want to talk about IR graduate schools. And good luck with whatever comes next. Carly

Dinged at Fletcher. But overall, extremely happy! I feel like I can do anything now! Thanks again all you TMers. My GREs were the strongest part of my application and helped me overcome some weak spots. Best of luck to everyone, especially those who are getting bad news or are still waiting for decisions. Carly

Great job, sunxcat. Does WSU's location give it good connections with Microsoft?

Truman, To be honest, I don't know how easy it is to transfer as a grad student. It seems like it could be difficult for programs that have a structured core curriculum. For example, I think the first year of Duke has these required courses: Policy Analysis (2 semesters) Stats (2 semesters) Microecon (2 semesters) Ethics Politics of the Policy Process Congrats on UMaine. I don't know much about econ programs but you might find that an econ masters itself is good preparation for the career you are considering. Maybe you can get in touch with UMaine profs and get their opinion on this.

Thanks everyone. Good to see you again sunxcat (maybe someday I'll figure out what your name means!). Truman, I'm not the typical IR/pub policy applicant, as I have a technology background. Here are the stats Duke gives for their admits: http://www.pubpol.duke.edu/graduate/faq.html#12 My GPA was a bit lower than average, and my GREs significantly higher. Keep in mind Duke has you calculate GPA using an uncommon scale: http://www.gradschool.duke.edu/Admissions/requirements.htm#ugpa A good number of the other Duke admits I've met have D.C. work experience, either public or private, so it sounds like you could be closer to the typical applicant than I was. Good luck and feel free to email me in the future if you want more details. I'm visiting the program later this month.

My first response! It's not my absolute top choice but it's a good program and they're giving really generous financial aid. Mostly though it's a relief to know I've got at least one place to go, since I'm getting laid off in a couple weeks! Thanks for all the help TestMagic

OK, good feedback guys. Thanks!

I'm applying to a large number of programs, and I'm worried that if a school knows how long my list is, they'll reject me because they'll think there's only a small chance I would accept their offer, which would bring down their acceptance stats. Am I paranoid? I can shorten my list a bit without too much pain, but in general my strategy is to apply to a large number just hoping to get into one. Thanks!

AWESOME VINAY! Hard work pays off. Good luck with the apps. This time next year you should be on winter break from a great university!

Well, I got my official report in the mail and my AW score is 5. I guess that's OK but I REALLY thought I aced that part. I had the essays as the first part of my test and I remember going into the break feeling confident that I'd put together some very well-written and well-reasoned responses. Oh well, I guess it evens out, seeing as I was pleasantly surprised with the scores from the other parts of the test. Good luck with the apps everyone.

OK, this is probably a stupid question but I'd hate to mess this part up after all the work it took to get this far... On the score report form (as well as the reporting screen at the end of the test) you can designate G, S, or W for each school you report to. The key says this: G - General Test S - Subject Test W - Writing My interpretation is that "G" includes quant, verbal, and analytical writing, while "W" is writing only. So I should only select "G" for each school, not "G" and "W", right? Thanks!

Have you thought about getting a govt. job before further study? Given the situation in N. Korea, I would think there'd be defense and intelligence agencies eager to snap up people with your language skills and academic background. And I hear that a lot of these agencies invest heavily in education, either through internal programs or maybe even tuition for DC-area schools. I'm applying to several IR/poli sci programs, just for a masters. I'd like to move into a career dealing with WMD proliferation, possibly with the UN. My first choice is Columbia but as you may know they're very stingy with first-year financial aid. Honestly though I have about 5 first choices and I'd be thrilled to get into any of them, even more so with financial aid. Like you my GPA is a tad below the averages for the top programs, but I'm hoping to make up for it with other strengths. I was actually wondering whether IR competition has gotten stiffer. Do you know if it's significant? And is it because of the bad economy or because people are now more interested in int'l affairs?

Wmhan, I don't want to jinx your luck, but your chances sound great to me. The combination of great letters and amazingly relevant experience sounds sure to make you stand out in the pile. Have you been to apsia.org ? It's an organization made up of all the top IR programs. Look through the Member drop-down list on the left. You can also look at the Affiliate list below it, but if you're targeting your applications the Members list should be plenty. What do you want to do after grad school? My impression is that even within the top 10 or so programs there is a wide range of specialties that would make some much more attractive to you than others. Also, definitely consider second-tier (still top 15) programs as backups. I think you can go to George Washington or American you and still be set up for a good career provided the program focuses on your interests and has well-connected profs and placement programs. So what languages do you speak? Being tri-lingual has got to be an awesome advantage in your applications. Good luck!

No, 8 divided by 15 gives a remainder of 8.

Congrats Wmhan! Enjoy the nap. My post-GRE response was heavy drinking in a bar near the test center (all my friends were at still at work) followed by Matrix III in an almost empty theatre. Very surreal. Hey I'm also applying to Georgetown and the Kennedy School. Do you know what their actual GRE ranges are? Anyway it sounds like you have a pretty good undergrad background (I'm actually switching over from chem-e) so I'd bet you'd have a good shot at either place. Good luck!