Incoming Class Fun Facts

We are excited to welcome a great new set of students to the Elliott School this fall!  Here are some fun facts about out incoming class!

• Most Common Names: Male- Christopher (9), Female- Sarah/Sara (7)
• Most Common Last Name: Chen (6)
• Most Common Birthday: February 19
• Most Popular Undergraduate Institutions: George Washington University (14), American University (12), University of Virginia (8), University of Florida (7)
• Most Popular Languages: Spanish (129), Chinese (72), French (68), Arabic (49)

The incoming students are coming from a variety of backgrounds and locations.  Check out the map below of the current cities of our incoming students. We look forward to meeting everyone in August!!

Open House

Last Friday, we welcomed over 200 admitted graduate students to the Elliott School for our Admitted Student Open House. We enjoyed putting faces to the names of the applicants we had come to know throughout the application process!

The Open House was a wonderful opportunity for admitted students to interact with current students, alumni, faculty, and staff of the Elliott School and witness firsthand what makes this place so special!

Check out photos of some of the activities of the day, including a current student/alumni panel, campus tours, and reception.

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Connecting with the Elliott School

If you have been admitted to a graduate program at the Elliott School for Fall 2013, we congratulation you!

There are many ways you can connect with the Elliott School as you research your graduate school options.  The primary resource available to our admitted students is the Admitted Graduate Student website.  (you can find a link to this page in your admit letter.)  This site is filled with useful information about Elliott School academics, living in D.C, visiting campus, and how to accept your admission.

Visit Campus:  One of our largest events of the year is the Admitted Student Open House.  This year, the open house will be on Friday, April 12.  You will have an opportunity to hear from your program director, faculty, students, and alumni throughout the event.  It is also a great way to meet your future classmates!

Connect with Alumni in your area:  Throughout March and the beginning of April, we hope to connect admitted students with alumni to discuss life at and after the Elliott School.  We are hosting Admitted Student Coffees with alumni throughout the country and also have volunteers available to call or email with admitted students.  If you are interested in attending one of the coffees or connecting with an alum, please complete the form found through the Admitted Student Website. The dates and cities for the Admitted Student Coffees are below.

Houston, TX – Monday, March 18, 6:00 p.m.

New York City, NY – Wednesday, March 20, 6:00 p.m.

Evanston, IL – Thursday, March 21, 5:30 p.m.

Minneapolis, MN – Tuesday, March 26, 5:30 p.m.

San Diego, CA – Tuesday, March 26, 6:00 p.m.

Seattle, WA – Tuesday, March 26, 6:00 p.m.

New York City, NY – Wednesday, March 27, 6:00 p.m.

San Francisco, CA – Wednesday, April 3, 6:30 p.m.

Virtually Visit Campus:  For those of you who cannot attend the Open House, we will be offering online information sessions.  Some of these sessions will be program-specific while others will be more general.  We hope to include current students and alumni in the information sessions to help answer your questions about what it means to be an Elliott School student.  We will email you with more details about these sessions as soon as possible.

As always, our office is available to answer any questions you may have.  Please feel free to contact us at 202-994-7050 or esiagrad@gwu.edu.  We look forward to talking with you!

Preparing for your admission decision

We are actively working on getting admissions decisions ready and published by mid-March.  While you patiently await for our notification, there are a few steps you can take to ensure the process is smooth and easy.

1) Update your contact information- Please make sure we have the correct mailing address.  If you are admitted, you will receive an admission packet in the mail.  If you need to check or change your address, log into your application profile and make the appropriate changes.

2) Make sure you are checking your email- Sometimes applicants are forced to use email addresses they do not check regularly.  Make sure you check the email address we have in the profile section of your application, not the application itself.

3) Continue looking for outside funding.  Many students use outside fellowships/scholarships to help lower the cost of graduate school.  The Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA) is a great resource for applicants.  Websites like Fastweb.com or even a basic Google search can return opportunities as well.

We appreciate your patience as we continue with the admissions process.  We look forward to notifying you of our decision!

Federal Loans and Work Study

If you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you are eligible to apply for federal loans and work study to help finance some of the costs of graduate school.

To apply, please submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) through the U.S. Department of Education at fafsa.ed.gov.  You must select GW as a recipient of your application by using code 001444 in Step 6 of the FAFSA.

To ensure timely notification of your federally awarded package, please submit your FAFSA no later than February 28.  Please do not wait for an admission decision before you fill out the 2013-2014 FAFSA.  

If you need additional information, please visit the GW Office of Student Financial Assistance website.

Next Steps

The hard part is over!  Your GRE has been taken, your recommendations written, and application submitted.  Congratulations!

We know it will be difficult to wait a full two months to hear your decision, but here are some things you can do to ensure a smooth admissions review.

Wait for us to contact you.  If we are missing any pieces of your application, we will contact you via email.  Please do not call or email asking about your GRE scores, recommendations or transcripts.  We have had an influx of documents arriving via email/mail and are working as quickly as possible to link all of these with applications.

If you email us, please be patient; we will respond as soon as we can.  Our priority is to process and complete applications.  Please do not send a follow-up email as it will take us even longer to respond. (We work from the oldest emails to the newest).

Check your online status.  You can check to see which recommendations have been submitted, which transcripts are in our office, and what test scores have been linked with your file through the application portal.  Please allow at least two weeks for all of the loose documents and test scores to be added to your application.  Again, if we are missing anything as we process your application, we will email you.

**“ESIA2-Application is incomplete” is not a second part of your application.  It is a status code we use.  We must manually process all applications ensuring all documents are in order, legible, and complete.  This takes time!  Again, allow at least two weeks for us to process everything and complete your application.

Research financial aid and scholarships.  While your application will automatically be considered for fellowships through the Elliott School, it can never hurt to look into additional funding opportunities.  If you plan on applying for federal aid, submit your FAFSA by February 28 to get priority notification in April.  You can find out more information through the Office of Financial Aid.  You can also explore additional fellowships through GW’s Office of Graduate Student Assistantships and Fellowships.

Stay in touch via Facebook, our blog, and now, Instagram! We will continue to post updates and tips for prospective students.  These are all great ways to learn about what is happening at the Elliott School and become aware of major application updates.

We look forward to reviewing your application!

Application Tips and Reminders

With the deadline just a few hours away, we hope you find these tips and reminders helpful as you complete your application!

If your application status is “ESIA2-Application is incomplete” this does not mean you are missing a second part of your application! It is simply a code we use to document the status of your application. Please allow at least two weeks for our office to process all documents and complete your application before contacting our office.

You can submit your application even if all of your recommendations have not been submitted.  If letters come in after your application is submitted, the system will automatically link them to your file.  Please note that we strongly prefer that recommendation writers follow the same deadlines as for the application, but we will continue to accept letters a few days after the deadline.  It is up to the applicant to remind their references to submit their letters.  You can do so through the application system (please know that these reminders have a habit of being sent to spam folders).

When you view the pdf version of your completed application, the GRE score section will be blank. IT’S OKAY! Please send an official score report through ETS to school code 5246 (no department code) and we will link your scores with your application.

If you qualify for an application fee waiver, please select that you will pay by check when submitting your application.  If you qualify for a fee waiver based on your McNair or Pickering Fellowship, please send proof of your award to esiagrad@gwu.edu.  If you are active/recent military personnel or a current/graduated GW student, we will automatically waive your fee when processing your application.  If you have submitted an Alumni Referral, please allow up to 5 business days for it to be processed to your account.

If you are an international student, we strongly prefer that all visa request documents be submitted with your application.  However, we will review your application without these materials.

Do you need to add a note to your application about your economics background or language experience?  Add an addendum to your statement of purpose and we will consider it with your application.

Deadline: TOMORROW

The fall 2013 application deadline for fellowship consideration is TOMORROW!  Please submit your application and all supporting materials by 11:59 p.m. EST on January 15, 2013.

We are processing electronic and mailed documents as quickly as possible, but please allow at least two weeks before all of these documents appear as received in your application.  If we need any additional documents will be email you.

Should you have any questions tomorrow, please utilize our online office hours from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. EST and 1-4 p.m. EST via go.gwu.edu/esia.  This is the fastest way to get your questions answered.

We look forward to reviewing your applications!

International Students on the Elliott School

The Elliott School Office of Graduate Admissions is proud to present a new video featuring international students discussing the benefits of an Elliott School education and the unique opportunities it has to offer.  We are excited to enroll a new, diverse class of students from around the world sharing their experiences and opinions.

We hope you enjoy the video!

International Students on the Elliott School

One week away!

Our fellowship deadline is just one week from today!

For those applicants who wish to be considered for fellowships through the Elliott School, you must submit your application and all supporting materials by 11:59 p.m. EST on January 15, 2013.

If you have already submitted your application and are wondering if it is complete, please check your online application status at http://go.gwu.edu/apply.  We are processing documents as quickly as possible, but please allow at least two weeks after submitting your application for processing.  Please do not be concerned if all of your documents are marked as received in your online application status, but your application is still incomplete.  We will be sure to email you, should we need any additional information.

If you have any questions, please attend our online office hours between now and the deadline and we will be more than happy to help!

GRE Scores #2

Recently, we have received many questions regarding the GRE.  We posted a few important notes about the exam in a 12/10/2012 blog, but I wanted to add some additional information.  So below are some our most frequently asked questions answered!

My GRE scores are not as high as I would like them to be.  Can I still be admitted to your program? The GRE is a very important part of your application.  However, the Elliott School does not have any minimum scores.  We will consider your entire application when making your admission decision.  With that said, our average GRE scores for admitted students are a 160 on the verbal section, 154 on the quantitative section and 4.5 on the analytical writing section.  Again, these are averages.  Students are admitted with scores above and below these numbers.

Where should I enter my GRE scores in the application? You do not have to self-report your scores with your application.  When submitting your application, please only complete the “Name of test” and “date taken or expected” fields.  If you view your completed application as a pdf, you will see that the score section is blank (see image below).  This is okay.  Please be sure to send an official score report from ETS to school code 5246 (no department code is necessary) and we will automatically link your score with your application a few business days after it is submitted.

Do you accept unofficial scores? No.  We cannot complete your application until we receive an official score report from ETS.

I am taking the GRE right before or after the application deadline, will you still consider my application? Again, we cannot complete your application until we receive ALL of your application materials, including your official GRE score report.  If your GRE scores are not reported by the January 15 deadline, we cannot guarantee that it will be considered for fellowships.  Similarly, if your GRE scores are not received by the February 1 deadline, there is no guarantee it will be considered for admission.

I am an international student.  Do I need to take the GRE? Yes.  Very few students are exempt from taking the GRE.  If you are applying to the M.I.P.P., M.I.S., or any of our graduate certificate programs you do not need to submit GRE scores.  Also, if you already have an advanced degree, you also do not need to submit GRE scores.  We do strongly recommend these applicants submit scores if available, but your application may be completed without them.

Online Office Hours

As the application deadline approaches, our office is receiving an increased number of questions via email and phone calls.  To assist in responding to your questions quickly, we will be holding online office hours during the following times:

Thursday, January 3: 2-4 p.m. EST
Friday, January 4: 2-4 p.m. EST
Tuesday, January 8: 2-4 p.m. EST
Wednesday, January 9: 2-4 p.m. EST
Thursday, January 10: 2-4 p.m. EST
Friday, January 11: 2-4 p.m. EST
Monday, January 14: 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 2-4 p.m. EST
Tuesday, January 15: 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1-4 p.m. EST **Application Deadline**

If you would like to participate, please log into our chat portal at go.gwu.edu/esia.

We look forward to answering your questions!

Recommendations Tips #2

We recently posted about how to submit your letters of recommendation.  Now we are going to address the questions about who should write your letters of recommendation.  Again, applicants to the M.A. programs should submit three recommendations while graduate certificate applicants are only required to submit two.

We strongly prefer that at least one of your recommendations be from an academic reference.  Because you are applying to an academically rigorous program, we would like to read a recommendation from someone who can speak to your classroom attributes.  These attributes include work quality, analytical thinking, quantitative skills (if appropriate), class discussions, plus many more.

If you have graduated in the last two years, please strive to include two academic references.  Since you are so recently out of college, we believe academic references will most accurately describe your ability to succeed in a graduate program.  For those applicants who have graduated in the last five years, we do not expect there to be much of a problem in requesting an academic reference.  Finally, for those who graduated further in the past, please contact any former professors, teaching assistants or instructors you may still be in contact with to request a recommendation.  Should you be unable to obtain an academic reference, we will consider your application with three non-academic recommendations.

Besides having one academic reference, there are no restrictions on the remaining recommendations.  Many of our applicants include a combination of academic and professional references.  Having a combination allows us to understand both aspects of your experience and ability.

Again, please be sure to ask your references to write your recommendation as soon as possible.  Recommendation writers can submit their letters before you submit your application and vice-versa.  Should you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office!

On the tenth day of Elliott School…

10 M.A. Programs

The Elliott School of International Affairs offers ten, rigorous M.A. programs.

International Affairs
International Development Studies
International Trade and Investment Policy
International Science and Technology Policy
Global Communication
Security Policy Studies
Asian Studies
European and Eurasian Studies
Middle East Studies
Latin American and Hemispheric Studies

All of the programs allow students to tailor the degree to their needs and
interests. All of the programs include 3-4 core requirements that are the
foundation of the subsequent course electives. Students also enroll in skills courses to
learn some of the most necessary skills for any international affairs professional.
This courses range in topics from “Writing for the International Affairs
Policymaker” to “Public Speaking” and “The Red Team Approach.”

Comprised of 40 credits, most students complete the M.A. within two years full-
time or part-time (including summer courses).

To learn more about all of our programs, please visit our website!

On the ninth day of Elliott School…

9 Graduate Certificates

The Elliott School offers nine graduate certificate programs ranging in topics
from international security to political psychology. Graduate certificates are 18
credit programs and are very focused in their subject of study. Students in these
programs often use the certificate courses to gain expertise in a particular sector
of international affairs. This expertise often allows them to advance in their
career or make a career shift.

To qualify for most graduate certificates, applicants must have at least 8 years of
experience or an advanced degree. Applicants to the political psychology
certificate must only have a bachelor’s degree.

We look forward to welcoming a new class of certificate students this coming
year!

On the second day of Elliott School…

2 Application Deadlines

For fall admissions, we have two application deadlines: January 15 and February 1.  

To be considered for fellowships, you must complete your application by January 15.  This means all of your transcripts, GRE scores, recommendations, and other application materials should be in our office by this date.

Our second deadline is for those applicants who do not wish to be considered for fellowships.  Applications received by February 1 will be considered for admission only.

These dates are coming up faster than you think!  Be sure to submit your application today!

Cookie Decorating at the Elliott School!

Today we took a quick break from processing applications to decorate some gingerbread cookies!  Along with the academic advising office, we created some masterpieces!  Check out our photos below.  Now it is back to the grind of processing and getting prepared for our deadline in 33 days!

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Recommendations Tips #1

Recently, we have received many questions about letters of recommendation.  In this post I hope to address many of those questions about how to submit your recommendations.

Option #1- Online (Preferred)

Our office strongly prefers that your recommendations be submitted to your application directly through the application platform.  This is the fastest, easiest way to track your recommendations. You will be able to see, in real time, when your recommendations are submitted and send reminders to your recommendation writers if necessary.  This option also removes the possibility of a recommendation getting lost in the mail.  Please note that recommendations can be submitted before your application.  So, if you plan on using the online platform, please send out notifications as soon as possible to ensure your letters are in by the deadline.

Below you will find a step by step guide on how to use the online system to send notifications to your recommendation writers.

STEP 1

STEP 2

STEP 3

STEP 4

STEP 5

STEP 6

Option #2- Email

We will also accept recommendations sent to our office via email.  If your recommendation writer does not wish to use the online system, they can email their GW Recommendation form and letter to esiagrad@gwu.edu and we will manually add it to your application.

*Please note that these recommendations must be sent directly from the recommendation writer or a service such as Interfolio.

Option #3- Mail

Finally, we will accept letters sent via regular mail.  We strongly prefer that this be an absolute last option.  Recommendations sent via regular mail take much longer for us to process to your application, in turn taking longer to complete your application. Again, please have the recommendation writer send the GW Recommendation form and letter to the address below:

The Office of Graduate Admissions
The Elliott School of International Affairs
The George Washington University
1957 E Street NW, Suite 301
Washington, DC 20052

*As a reminder, applicants to our Masters programs are required to submit three letters of recommendation and applicants to our graduate certificate programs are required to submit two letters of recommendation.

Should you have any questions about letters of recommendation or any other part of the admissions process, please do not hesitate to contact us at 202-994-7050 or esiagrad@gwu.edu.

We look forward to reviewing your recommendations!

GRE Scores

Your GRE scores are a very important part of your application.  It is one of the only quantitative measures of your file.  With that in mind, it is very important to know a few details about the test scores.

1) We require your test scores be submitted by the deadline: January 15^th for fellowship consideration and February 1^st for admission only.  You cannot take the GRE on January 14^th and expect us to consider your application for fellowships.  It can take up to 3 weeks for ETS and GW to process your GRE scores.  We advise applicants to take the GRE no later than mid-December to allow plenty of time for processing.

2) If you have taken more than one GRE on the same scoring scale, we will only consider the highest score in each section.  Consider the example below:

Jean took the GRE twice.  On the first exam she scored a 156 on the verbal section, 164 on the quantitative section and 5.0 on the analytical writing section.  On her second exam her quantitative score stayed the same while her verbal score rose to a 158 and her analytical writing score dropped to a 4.5.  The admissions committee will see Jean’s scores as a 158 on the verbal section, 164 on the quantitative section and 5.0 on the analytical writing section.

3) The Elliott School does not have any minimum GRE scores.  Our average GRE scores are 160 on the verbal section, 154 on the quantitative section and 4.5 on the analytical writing.  As these are our averages, we have admitted students with GRE scores higher and lower than these numbers.  We will consider every piece of your application.

4) GRE scores remain valid for 5 years.  If you took the GRE in 2008, you can use those scores as part of your application.

5) Very few applicants receive an exemption from taking the GRE.  If you are applying to the M.I.P.P., M.I.S., or any of our graduate certificate programs you do not need to submit GRE scores.  Also, if you already have an advanced degree, you also do not need to submit GRE scores.  We do strongly recommend these applicants submit scores if available, but your application may be completed without them.

6) Scores must come to GW directly from ETS.  We cannot accept self-reported scores.  Please send an official score report to school code 5246 and the scores will be matched with your application.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have a question about GRE scores or any other part of the application process!  You can email us at esiagrad@gwu.edu or call us at 202-994-7050.  We are more than happy to help!

International Applicant Requirements

At the Elliott School, we have a significant number of international applicants.  We thought this would be a great opportunity to address some of the additional application requirements for those applicants.

First, most international students are required to submit a TOEFL or IELTS score.  We posted a complete list of exempted applicants as well as other details last month and suggest you refer to that post for more information.

Second, we require international applicants to submit GW’s Visa Request and Financial Certificate form.  This information will not be used when reviewing your application, but is a required document for international applicants.  If we have this information on file at the time of application, should you be admitted and chose to enroll, the visa request process will be much faster and smoother.  If you are applying for fellowships or loans, and the funding is not secured when submitting your application, please still include the form with as much information as possible.

Third, to supplement your Visa Request and Financial Certificate form, we request proof of funding.  Proof of funding is usually a bank statement/letter showing that you (or your sponsor) have the funds to pay for your Elliott School education.  It could also be a scholarship letter, employment/salary verification, or investment summaries.  Please note that funding for the first year of study must be in liquid assets.  This means you must show cash in the bank for at least the first year cost.  The second year may be covered by investments, salary, or other types of funding.  Again, if you are planning on applying for loans or fellowships, please submit a letter explaining how you plan on paying your tuition and we will request more details if you chose to enroll.

Finally, please submit a copy of your passport and any previous immigration documents such as I-20’s, visa stamps, etc.

If you have any questions about the visa request form or process, please do not hesitate to contact us at esiagrad@gwu.edu or 202-994-7050.  You can also find more information on the Graduate Student Enrollment Management website.