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Rank My Ir Chances
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Date: February 27th, 2009 4:09 PM Author: Claret Filthpig Subject: Rank my IR Chances I've read everyone else's so I thought I'd throw mine in the ring.
I graduated from an Ivy (not HYP) with a 3.5 GPA and a degree in English. I scored a 530V 780Q 5.0 on the GRE. My recs are good but not great. My biggest plus, I feel, is my life and work experience.
For most of the last 5 years I've been traveling and reporting for local newspapers and some national TV work from developing countries. I've been to 35 countries on 5 continents. From this I've written a self-published book of 16 dispatches telling the stories of children living in conflict and post-conflict zones. My SOP focuses on my volunteer work at girls' schools in Kabul (I've been twice) and how I want to work with an NGO developing education in Afghanistan.
My weaknesses are the 530 verbal score (maybe it wont matter as I display my verbal ability elsewhere?) and that my recs are not from a big name professor, congressman or think tank president. Also, I have taken no econ courses and my college foreign language was Latin.
My pluses are my Ivy degree, good GPA, high Q score and my unique story for the admissions staff. IÕm likely the only applicant who has been to Iran, Afghanistan, Cuba and Somalia.
What are my chances at:
Johns Hopkins SAIS American SIS George Washington Elliot Denver Korbel Syracuse Maxwell
I'd be studying IR or conflict management. Thanks!
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Date: April 27th, 2009 2:26 PM Author: Cruel-hearted pontificating temple degenerate please dont insult state schools, for some people its the only afforable option. you should try to be a little more open minded. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=941348&forum_id=3#11560420) |
Date: February 27th, 2009 4:20 PM Author: Jet thriller parlor "IÕm likely the only applicant who has been to Iran, Afghanistan, Cuba and Somalia."
That could help. What exactly did you do there? |
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Date: February 27th, 2009 4:55 PM Author: chestnut quadroon bawdyhouse i wouldnt take this one for granted at SAIS and the like. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=941348&forum_id=3#11010920) |
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Date: February 27th, 2009 4:45 PM Author: Claret Filthpig I traveled to Somalia to produce a promotional film for the country's only maternity hospital. It was in need of funding. I traveled to Iran to write a couple newspaper articles about young peoples' feelings toward America. In Cuba, I worked for 2 weeks with a charity group building a garden for an orphanage. In Afghanistan I first went to write articles for newspapers and also a long piece for my book. On my second trip I produced a promotional film for the girls' schools.
I visited some of the other countries for basic travel reasons (basically, I wanted to see them). In most places, however, I was volunteering with a small NGO, writing for a newspaper back home, producing a short story (4-5 minutes) for American TV or producing a volunteer film for locally run NGOs.
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Date: February 27th, 2009 4:56 PM Author: chestnut quadroon bawdyhouse you got a pretty decent shot, but that 530 just reeks. especially for an english major. WTF? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=941348&forum_id=3#11010933) |
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Date: February 27th, 2009 5:38 PM Author: Claret Filthpig I have no clue, my man. Trust me, I was just as dumbfounded by the 780Q as I was by the 530V. My whole life, I've never done well in math class but I always tested at the very top. I got a perfect on the Match SATs my junior year while pulling down a D in Pre-Calc. Exact opposite for verbal. Perhaps, I just over analyze all the trick questions. Who knows?
My hope is that the 780Q will be my green light to the Quant-intensive program at SAIS. I think my other aspects are good enough for the other 4 schools. Thoughts? |
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Date: February 27th, 2009 9:37 PM Author: chestnut quadroon bawdyhouse you are quite competitive i would say, and the 530 verbal isn't much above the average at SAIS, so it isn't that big of a deal. my one question is why didn't you apply to other top schools besides SAIS? the others are tier 2 (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=941348&forum_id=3#11012763) |
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Date: February 27th, 2009 9:46 PM Author: Claret Filthpig Mostly I was scared off by so many of the Tier 1 programs saying that if I didn't have some amount of Econ background and if I wasn't advanced in a foreign language (why did I take Latin???) then I shouldn't even bother. Of course, I've read since then that this these prerequisites are anything but absolute.
That said, if I don't get into SAIS, is American that much better than Syracuse or Denver? Is it mainly due to location or do they have much better students and professors? Syracuse never seems to get mentioned on the boards but I wouldn't mind the cost of living compared to DC. |
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Date: February 28th, 2009 1:57 AM Author: crusty blood rage Personally i'd choose syracuse anyday over American but that's because a) the one person I know that went to SIS is a dumb ass b) I really liked the Syracuse dude I met at the APSIA fair I went to. And syracuse seemed to have a cool program too. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=941348&forum_id=3#11014489) |
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Date: February 28th, 2009 12:26 PM Author: chestnut quadroon bawdyhouse you don't really need econ or a language to get in really, but you are gonna have to do well in both by the time you get out.
as for AU over the others, it really depends. Syr and especially Denver seem to be more academically focused. an MA from AU is great if you want to do development work and all kinds of do-gooder foci. but AU has shit for econ at SIS, as far as I know |
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Date: February 27th, 2009 5:29 PM Author: Jet thriller parlor sounds cool. did you publish your book? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=941348&forum_id=3#11011117) |
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Date: February 27th, 2009 5:44 PM Author: Claret Filthpig I did. It came out pretty good I think. I've sold over 200 copies and even received some nice letters from authors I admire. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=941348&forum_id=3#11011210) |
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Date: February 27th, 2009 7:15 PM Author: 180 site nowag I think GREs matter not as much for IR grad programs. Columbia didn't even require them until this year, for instance. So, I think you definitely have a decent shot. The fact that you got a 5.0 on the writing portion and write for a living should make up for the low Verbal score (but I'm just as confused as to how you got one that low in the first place...).
Autoadmit at all the schools you mentioned except SAIS, but you have a fair shot there. That's my guess anyway.
Make sure you come back and post your results. |
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Date: February 27th, 2009 8:30 PM Author: Jet thriller parlor If it's that much of a concern, I'm sure he can just retake (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=941348&forum_id=3#11012378) |
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Date: February 27th, 2009 9:47 PM Author: Claret Filthpig Already applied. I'd love to retake but it's too late for SAIS admissions, right? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=941348&forum_id=3#11012822) |
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Date: February 27th, 2009 8:41 PM Author: crusty blood rage Yeah, I'd say he's a cakewalk for all but SAIS as well. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=941348&forum_id=3#11012437) |
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Date: March 2nd, 2009 12:39 PM Author: Claret Filthpig Quick Update:
I got accepted to Denver and Syracuse. I checked the profiles of the accepted Korbel students and was a bit surprised to see how many are coming directly from their undergrad. And, not to sound elitist, but many were graduating from Podunk State and the like.
Syracuse and the DC schools seem a better fit right now. Good luck to everyone else! |
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Date: March 2nd, 2009 7:32 PM Author: motley sooty rigpig Subject: Syracuse Hey Dispatches,
I got admitted to Syracuse MA-IR as well! |
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Date: March 3rd, 2009 12:29 AM Author: Aphrodisiac soggy center Seems like you should have a great shot at all but SAIS, which is probably a 50/50 there with the GRE and relatively short time/intervals spent abroad. Traveling for a few days/weeks to however many countries is easy - living/working overseas for a few years is seen as much more legitimate (i.e. not a 20-something's wanderlust). For example, you could be the only candidate who has set foot in those 3 countries, but at SAIS/top tier programs you may be competing against people who have spent a few years legitimately working in one of them. GL |
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Date: March 13th, 2009 1:58 AM Author: chest-beating effete selfie mad cow disease That's pretty elitist for people to say the undergrad school makes such a big difference in the quality of the student/candidate. I'm from a so-so ranked undergrad program at a very big school, but I've also graduated from one of the best honors programs in the country and written the longest and most praised thesis in my department's history. In terms of internships, I still remain the only non-graduate student to have ever obtained an internship with my last employer. If people thinks the name of the school makes a student less of a peer/competitor they are greatly mistaken. While the big name helps, aptitude trumps all else.
With that said, I've also been accepted to Syracuse, but for the Public Diplomacy dual degree program (MA-IR, MS-PR) and I am trying to figure out how that program would stack up to Elliot, SIS and NYU's dual Journalism/Near Eastern Studies program. Syracuse may not have the D.C. location going for it, but you can get internship credit and a few of the programs either require or strongly recommend it. While you have to wait another year to get to D.C., it seems to me that being able to have field experience as part of your education might be a bonus. Personally, I don't like SAIS' huge quantitative emphasis. |
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Date: March 20th, 2009 10:28 AM Author: Claret Filthpig Subject: Update Update: got into GW and American and will be going to American unless the Gods shine on me and SAIS gives the thumbs up. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=941348&forum_id=3#11195722) |
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Date: March 20th, 2009 10:26 PM Author: Claret Filthpig Got into SAIS. Going to SAIS. Thanks everyone for their help! (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=941348&forum_id=3#11201338) |
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Date: March 20th, 2009 10:56 PM Author: bisexual lodge good luck (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=941348&forum_id=3#11201559) |
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Date: March 21st, 2009 12:00 AM Author: Provocative ruby nursing home legal warrant congrats!
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Date: March 21st, 2009 6:12 AM Author: Excitant Ratface Orchestra Pit congrats (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=941348&forum_id=3#11204200) |
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Date: March 21st, 2009 10:49 PM Author: galvanic den ditto (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=941348&forum_id=3#11210035) |
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Date: March 22nd, 2009 2:52 AM Author: chestnut quadroon bawdyhouse congrats and good choice (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=941348&forum_id=3#11212089) |
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Date: April 24th, 2009 4:32 PM Author: Translucent cracking milk whats ur book called? We have similar backgrounds and interests... and i've been in the process of writing a book on a similar topic! :) (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=941348&forum_id=3#11534842) |
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Date: April 25th, 2009 10:53 AM Author: drab unhinged jewess Oh god, not another self-published author. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=941348&forum_id=3#11540611) |
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Date: April 25th, 2009 10:56 AM Author: drab unhinged jewess How the fuck did you get a D in pre-cal and still get into an Ivy?
I'm not going to wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors because you're about to waste a hundred grand on a degree in a field that might pay you 35K when you graduate.
I especially hate people who write: "I feel." |
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Date: April 25th, 2009 12:46 PM Author: Aphrodisiac soggy center this has cornell/"ivy" written all over it ... (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=941348&forum_id=3#11540956) |
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Date: April 25th, 2009 2:36 PM Author: Translucent cracking milk gradschoolLOL is that you under another screenname?! Or are you just another precocious prick as well? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=941348&forum_id=3#11541786) |
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Date: April 25th, 2009 2:47 PM Author: drab unhinged jewess The latter. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=941348&forum_id=3#11541864) |