Grad School

I have made a life-changing decision.

Are you sitting down?

I have decided to apply for grad school.

Don't get it twisted: I still want to be a Foreign Service Officer!

I just mapped out my life for the next 3-4 years and thought about the 'beyond' and decided that at this point in my life, getting a master's in public policy or public administration only makes sense.

For those of you who don’t know what a master’s in public policy or public administration (MPP/MPA) is. . .it’s essentially a degree for people who want to save the world, but from a policy (read: administrative) level. It is an interdisciplinary professional degree that equips candidates with a breadth of knowledge and skills applicable to the world of public administration and policy analysis, including economics, management, political science, quantitative statistics, etc. Most programs are two year programs.

If you want to know more, click here >> http://www.idealist.org/info/Podcast/Gradschool/PublicPolicy/Transcript

This is a degree that not only would do a LOT in terms of training me in skills that would help me get into the US Foreign Service, but would also train me for essentially any job that I personally would want to have (since I DO want to work in public service in some capacity, whether that’s with the government or an NGO--all of which are careers that MPP/MPA graduates pursue).

I have spent the past week internet-obsessing over master's programs and have made a list of schools to which I think I will begin applying in July/August-ish (UC Berkeley, Univ. Michigan-Ann Arbor, Syracuse, Harvard, Princeton) in hopes of beginning grad school in summer/fall 2015. (I finish Peace Corps in May 2015. . .perfect timing!)

After looking at admissions requirements for some of the top MPP/MPA programs in the United States, I have come to the conclusion that I could stand a good chance of getting into one, if not several of these programs. The best part: I’ve researched several sources of funding for these programs! I think I could potentially get some financial support for this whole master’s degree endeavor. (Let’s all knock on wood/pray about it!) I definitely have lots of essays to write!

I’ve already taken the GRE, and I think my scores are good enough, so that’s one less thing to worry about. In the meantime, I will continue studying for the FSOT for October and keep applying for Foreign Service throughout grad school.  I want to give myself the best shot I can at getting a job offer from the State Department upon graduation.

In the meantime, I’ve still got a year left here in Peace Corps, and I definitely plan on making the most of it!

I guess this means I’ll actually be moving back to the States for a couple of years. Much love to all of my family in the 704/803! I love you all, and I’ll hugging and kissing you all before you know it!