Hello, thanks for your question.
This is very impractical and foolish for me to say, but I almost entirely only want a graduate degree to simply have one. My mom, dad, and sister have bachelors degrees. I want to be the milestone that takes the next step.
A Masters in International Affairs degree appealed to me throughout my time at Berkeley and in Washington D.C. My dream program was Johns Hopkins (SAIS), followed by Georgetown (SFS), Harvard (Kennedy), Princeton (SPIA), and Columbia (SIPA).
I’m proud to have friends who are currently in all five programs, pursuing a former dream of mine that I will almost certainly never actualize.
I then took my current job, set in the realm of international business and computer software. I could definitely make a link in a Statement of Interest to an MIA program. But, at this point, it would be more practical to get an MBA.
Wharton, Stanford, Sloan. Those are dream schools. Will they even look at my profile? Will they even consider me?
I don’t think so, but one can dream. Also, congratulations to a friend who just got waitlisted at Wharton. You’ll be fine whichever school you choose.
This is all speculative. I wouldn’t consider applying to a grad school program until I was ~26 years old. I also wouldn’t consider grad school if it wasn’t necessary to help me get somewhere that would otherwise be virtually unreachable.
Lastly, I can see myself staying with my current company for the long term. My current job doesn’t require an advanced degree.
Andy Cheng 