fapf26

I'm a Pakistani-American planning on finishing my MA/Int'l Affairs in May 2012. I've visited Pakistan numerous times, and know the culture and can speak the language (Urdu and dialects).

Given that the Afghanistan/Pakistan region is of particular interest to the US, would someone with my credentials be in high demand? Where should I consider focusing on applying for jobs? I'm interested in think-tanks and IR consulting firms in particular (though beggars can't be choosy, of course).

Any insights are appreciated!

fapf26

More background:

One of my aims is to earn a doctorate in IR, but I'm debating on whether I should apply straight out of my MA (May, 2012), or work for a couple years first.

And I have a BS in International Business & Finance if that clarifies anything.

bbmm19867

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.

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.

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?

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?

GradNovice

I'm really interested in reading for a MA in IR and was hoping to get a few questions answered.

I graduated from Oxford in Law and got a solid 3.6GPA. I also have a masters. I worked as a lawyer for 6 months but decided it was not for me. Since then I have been interning extensively (some even prior to the lawyer gig), includes:

6 month internship in Beijing law firm
3 month internship with international IP law firm
3 month strategy consultancy x 2
3 months policy internship - European work but based in London
6 months government internship (economic development)
2 months work in Bosnia

I have 3 internships to come before I matriculate (1 in Berlin, 1 in DC and other in London)

Yet to take the GRE but am optimistic. I test well. Got 171 LSAT when I was thinking of an American JD.

I speak 4 languages fluently and am conversational in Mandarin and German. Learning Arabic as we speak.

2 solid recs and one so-so (prof doesnt seem to want to meet, so am not optimistic about the quality of it) - 1 problem, I have no work experience recommendation (last 3 internships, people I worked for/with have moved on).

Questions:

1) schools I'm aiming for - Yale Jackson, CIR, SAIS, SIPA, Fletcher and Georgetown MSFS - based on your experience and general things you've seen and heard, what are my chances?
I'm thinking of adding Stanford, Elliott and UCSD as backups (Stanford only as backup because I'm not optimistic about aid). Speaking of financial aid, how likely do these schools provide aid?

2) Am I disadvantaged having work experience in form of internships and not full-time?

3) Will the lack of W/E recs have an adverse effect?

4) Can I put my future internships (confirmed) into my application to further highlight my candidacy? i.e. on resume

Love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

straightadmit

@UTgirlie Take a look at UC San Diego - IR/PS for East Asia. They don't have much for negotiation and conflict resolution, but maybe the international politics track. They require a regional focus and the school is entirely focused on the Pacific.

Fortgot to mention in first post that a 2.89 wouldn't be a deal killer there.

EconomistAddict

@GradNovice, the glaring problem with your application is the lack of direction. It really isn't building to anything. You seem to be transitioning to economic development in conflict regions (sidebar: that's something that I'm interested in), but the post-script about Berlin, London and DC is sort of disconcerting. Can you get a long-term posting for maybe a year? The internships wouldn't be that bad if they were all in the same field.

The other less apparent problem is that your recs are from Oxford from a few years ago. While nice to have the academic references, can you ask anybody from your internships (pick any) to write something about you?

Third, I am always very leery of putting experiences on my resume (regardless if it's an academic app or not) that I have not been at for at least six months or have completed. People don't pay much attention to the details of resumes, and if you are asked about experiences that you have not completed by an interviewer that did not do their homework (which they seldom do), then that leads to uncomfortable and awkward answers where you only look bad.

Fourth (and this goes back to point one), what would you like to do with this degree? Economic development? Rule of law? Finance? Strategy consulting? And then with that answer, create a narrative of where you were, why you were there, why the multiple internships were necessary, why [insert program here] is necessary and where you want to move forward to. That's your main goal between now and mid-January when these apps are due. Whether the narrative is true is honestly irrelevant, but if it is true, then you'll be ahead of most people in those programs.

Fifth, assuming you can get that together, I think you have an excellent chance at any of the schools mentioned; however, if you can't come up with a narrative, I think your chances would be greatly diminished as the application will not speak for itself. Despite the solid application, assume that you'll have to pay sticker price.

iloveafrica

Hi everyone,

I have a quick and simple question: Just how important is related work experience when applying for IR or PP? I am confident in my academic abilities but, truthfully, my resume is a bit...meh. After graduating from a small, well regarded American college in May 2010, I worked as a legal assistant at a large international law firm in NYC for a year, That was great when I was convinced I wanted to go to law school, which is obviously no longer the case! When my OPT (a work visa of sorts) expired, I returned to my home country and I now work part time for an international school (you know, the sort of place diplomats and the like send their kids).

My applications are already in progress but I was wondering whether I should just be patient, find a job at an NGO, actually see what I am getting myself into career-wise, and delay applying for at least a year. Since I live in a developing country in Sub-Saharan Africa, I am in a good position to find such work. Or, should I just go for it anyway this year and see what happens?

After typing all that I feel like I just answered my own question, but I'd appreciate your input nonetheless.

EconomistAddict

@iloveafrica, the question is what do you want to do when you're out of the program? MAs in IR (or PP) are not transformative degrees in that you can't completely change careers with it like you can for a JD, MD or even an MBA. It builds on what you did before the degree. If you want to do rule of law work or some other type of political development, you're in a very good position already. If you want to do something else, well, that's a bit more difficult. In general, of what little I know of you, you seem well positioned to be admitted to any program.

straightadmit

Adding to EconomistAddict's comments, having more work experience and sharper focus on your outcomes when you apply will lead to stronger applications. It could help you with admission and aid to top schools if you do work for a year. This investment of time also helps you illustrate the transition you want to make.

iloveafrica

Thank you both for your very sensible suggestions. My applications are already in progress, but if I am not accepted this time, I will know what needs to be addressed to make me a stronger candidate. It would also do me a lot of good to get some real experience and make some decisions about my future career. Thanks again!

AzureK

I have a question regarding the econ requirements that a lot of schools have for admission. I'm planning on applying for grad school but unfortunately, I never took any econ courses during my undergrad. I graduated with a polisci degree from Umich with focus on history and IR and I originally intended on working in law enforcement at the federal/international level after a few internships.

That all kinda went to hell with the budget issues and hiring freezes that the DOJ is facing so I've now decided to go to grad school first. Is there any way I can satisfy these econ prereqs somehow before I apply? For example, could I take classes somewhere else and have them transfer or anything like that. The problem is that I've already graduated from undergrad. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

straightadmit

@ AzureK Check with each school, but generally you could take this kind of background course at a community college. If there is a particular advanced course requirement, perhaps it would need to be taken at a four year school as a non-matriculated or non-degree student.

Also not all IR programs have an econ requirement. Due diligence will determine if you need to make this additional investment. It is a good idea to take it but it may not be a requirement, depending on the nature of the IR program.

Good luck.

EconomistAddict

@AzureK, while I would do what straightadmit says, if you have the applications together, I would just apply anyways. There are plenty of people in your situation that do not have any economics background (when I say background, I mean coursework).

Typically, if they think you're an otherwise competitive candidate, they will conditionally admit you. By "conditional," I mean they will ask you to take econ classes the summer before either through their program or through another accredited program (community college for example). The specifics will depend on the program. I would imagine that the lack of an econ background may be a slight minus, but if you and the admission committee feel you're a strong candidate, then they will not hesitate to admit that way.

I will say that while at some IR programs where a lack of facility with economics poses no great disadvantage, at some other programs it will prove a rather large disadvantage when it comes to the time devoted to coursework.

Think about how your goals match up with the programs' curricula, if you want to dedicate time to learning a different mode of thinking, and then make the decision of where to apply. If you do want to do international economic development, you will absolutely need econ to be competitive for employers. If you are more inclined to say democracy building (like NDI or IRI), econ is less of a priority. It solely depends on your goals. If you're less directed (like me), then econ will only open up opportunities for you.

straightadmit

I put this question into the LinkedIn group for the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs yesterday. Unfortunately it seems to be a low activity group, but if any of the admissions officers respond, I'll post it into this thread.

EconomistAddict has a good point about fit. At UCSD IR/PS, the program is rigorous with quant, but they provide a summer short course in Econ and stats for people with less that adequate background. It isn't a substitute for all prior econ, but it helps.

AzureK

Thanks for the advice guys. While my undergrad background is History and IR (security issues & globalization topics), I want to pursue a degree that addresses institutional/policy issues for international law enforcement. More specifically, economic crimes like money laundering and corporate due diligence.

I've heard something about "conditional admits" before but now I've got a better sense of how it works. In the meantime, I'll keep on doing self-study on econ topics.