Successful applicants to international affairs graduate programs this unusual year must not only have a strong academic record and a passion for a global career—they also must demonstrate a commitment to public service and to “the formidable task of repairing the world,” according to admissions experts at leading schools in this FP Guide.

Requirements and strategies vary among schools, as described on the pages that follow. Some of this advice applies more generally:

1 | Provide evidence of your commitment to public service through prior full-time professional work and evidence of your international experience through work, volunteering, or study abroad.

2 | Show that you have persisted and succeeded in your life despite personal challenges.

3 | If possible, accumulate at least two years of work or volunteer experience before graduate study. Schools consider it a bonus, because these students are able to weigh academic theories taught in the classroom against their own experience.

4 | Use your personal statement to illustrate that you have mapped out a career path and that the knowledge and skills you gain from the program you apply to will help you reach your goals.

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Contents

• 2020 Applying to Graduate School in International Affairs
• UC San Diego, School of Global Policy and Strategy
• Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies
• Virginia Tech, School of Public and International Affairs
• Seton Hall University, School of Diplomacy and International Relations
• University of Denver, Josef Korbel School of International Studies
• University of Notre Dame, Keough School of Global Affairs
• University of Kent, Brussels School of International Studies
• American University, School of International Service
• George Mason University, Schar School of Policy and Government
• Syracuse University, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
• Arizona State University, Thunderbird School of Global Management
• Princeton University, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs
• Indiana University, Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies
• Yale University, Jackson Institute for Global Affairs

Photos: top, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies; insets, Yale University Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame Keough School of Global Affairs

FP GUIDES are prepared by the business department of The FP Group and do not involve the editorial department of FP magazine.
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