Nadia M.

Before DegreeMentors: 

Undergraduate at UC Irvine majoring in Political Science and Government. Graduated with a 3.8 GPA and work experience in a global law firm headquartered in Toronto, Canada. 

How many schools she applied to: 8 master’s programs

How many she got into: 7.5/8 (all accepted, one waitlist)

How did we help: 

Personal statements, résumé, recommendation letter strategy, program selection strategy, all application components.

Programs she applied to & results: 

• University of Southern California (USC) | Master of Public Policy | Accepted | $70,000+ scholarship

• University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) | Master of Public Administration | Accepted

• Boston University | M.A. International Affairs | Accepted | $25,000 scholarship

• Georgetown University | M.A. American Government | Accepted

• Harvard University | A.M. Regional Studies–Middle East | Waitlisted

• Northeastern University | Master of Public Administration | Accepted

• University of Miami | Master of Public Affairs | Accepted

• George Washington University | Master of Public Administration | Accepted | $21,000 scholarship

Where is she studying now: USC

Analysis: 

Nadia got in with the median GPA for most of these programs. Her cumulative scholarship amount was not as high because there was no need to negotiate, as USC was her top choice and they already offered her a very prestigious scholarship of over $70,000. Had she negotiated, we predict an additional 25% cumulative amount would’ve been awarded to her at the minimum. As for her waitlist at Harvard, the program she applied to is known for having a comparatively lower applicant pool, class size, and looks for people specifically in the regional specialization, which is probably why she was waitlisted despite her strong application.