What kinds of things are graduate admissions looking for?

Graduate School
1

<p>I’m just started my junior year of undergrad at GW (IR with Intl Econ concentration) and I’m beginning to consider getting a master’s degree in either IR or Economics. </p>

<p>So, I began to wonder , do graduate programs care about the same things as undergrad admissions? I look at my resume and I really don’t have a whole lot going for me since I don’t really participate in clubs.</p>

<p>What I have…
-3.61 GPA (Never gotten anything below a B.)
-Worked 2 jobs on campus, mainly working with technology.
-A wrote a research paper (centered mainly around Econ) that was selected for me to present at GW’s annual Research and Writing conference. </p>

<p>But that’s about all. I’m <em>planning</em> on applying for a Congressional Internship with my House Rep, but we’ll see about that one… </p>

<p>I’m thinking I may just apply and see what kind of financial aid I get offered (since Financial Aid is also a big concern as undergraduate school is expensive enough). Am I still competitive though without doing lots of extra-curriculars.</p>

2

<p>Yes and no. Graduate programs, like undergrad colleges, care about grades, test scores, letters of recommendation and your statement. Unlike undergrad, graduate programs don’t care about clubs and extracurriculars unless they’re directly related to the program. IR is going to look for different things than economics.</p>

<p>Generally speaking, a graduate program is going to want</p>

<p>-A high GPA - what is “high” depends on the program, but yours is high enough for an MA in either field.
-High GRE scores. For economics, especially, it’s important to get 90th percentile or above in the quantitative section.
-Excellent letters of recommendation from professors in your area.
-A strong statement of purpose that explains why you want to pursue graduate study in your field, at the particular universities to which you are applying (one for each school, of course), and how you are uniquely prepared to undertake this study.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars matter but not in the traditional sense. Basically, there are things you are expected to have done before you apply. For an MA in economics, the admissions committee will expect you to have some research experience in economics - not as much as expected for a PhD program, though. Your research paper may be enough for them. Also, some terminal MA programs in economics may also welcome students with more applied experience outside the classroom, such as internships or part-time jobs that are relevant to economics.</p>

<p>In IR, work experience becomes more important. The average MA student in IR has 2-5 years of work experience and is in their mid-to-late 20s. Having studied abroad looks good, as well as any internships or jobs that relate to international relations. If you HAVE done any clubs that are related to IR (like Model UN), those can potentially look good too. If you really want to go in IR, I would go ahead and apply but keep an open mind and realize that you may need to work for at least 2 years before getting into a competitive program, especially if you have no related internships.</p>

<p>Also, please note that financial aid is VERY limited for MAs in either field. Most graduate students finance an MA with loans. They don’t need 100% of need or close like in undergrad.</p>