Importance of Language for IR/Public Policy

Graduate School
1

<p>Hi all,</p>

<p>I’m currently a junior at one of the Ivies and I think that I’d like to study International Relations/ Public Policy/ Law in graduate school. I don’t have the greatest GPA–it’s around 3.3 at the moment–mostly because I had a rough freshman year. </p>

<p>I speak Advanced Conversational Spanish (I took through AP Lit in high school and am now picking it back up) and hope to be fluent by the end. I am considering taking Intro Mandarin Chinese this year in addition to Spanish. I worry that when I combine my other commitments (I’m a Political Science major with a number of extra curricular interests) with the general rigor of Mandarin, that I could be setting myself up to have a rough year. Additionally, because I am now a junior, I would have to commit myself to studying Chinese this year, probably during the summer and next year to develop the type of proficiency that would be beneficial in an admissions context. I am not sure how I feel about making that type of commitment. </p>

<p>That said, I know that language expertise can be extremely important in determining admissions at top programs in IR and Public Policy. My school has a lot of great opportunities associated with Chinese language study, so it also seems foolish not to take advantage of those given my career interests. I really would love to be able to be in a position to get into Kennedy, SAIS, SIPA, Fletcher, Woodrow Wilson, etc. by the time I graduate.</p>

<p>I am wondering whether it seems like a good idea to take the Chinese or not. Also any advice on internships relating to IR and Public Policy, and required courses for IR/Public Policy programs (I’ve taken Intro Macro and Micro and Calc and obviously some Poli Sci) would be greatly appreciated.</p>

2

<p>You usually only have to pass an oral proficiency exam as a graduation requirement in grad programs. Obviously it might help a bit to start Chinese as well (mostly that will help you personally, which is more important) but probably your GPA and not knowing more than just Spanish will not hurt you at all. Those are probably two of the least important things admissions people look at.</p>

3

<p>Admissions committees do look at language proficiency; however, starting Chinese now may not be the best course of action if you’re not sure about the commitment. Keep in mind that both during the admissions process and on the job market, you’ll be up against people who either grew up speaking the language, majored in it or spent sufficient time studying abroad to acquire fluency. Chinese isn’t exactly French - you’ll need years of rigorous study & dedication to compete on one level with these folks. As such, you may want to look into taking another language, such as French (which should be considerably easier with your Spanish). What are your career interests exactly? Are you looking into a regional focus? Spanish & French could be a good combination for some type of OAS-related gig, for instance. If your heart’s set on China, however, my advice is useless, although it doesn’t sound like it is from your post.</p>