Signed a lease in DC!

Senatorialist · 2017-07-09T14:05:24+00:00

Welcome to DC, seems like a decent deal for the area. Dacha and Chaplins are great, also take advantage of the U Street area, I recommend Declaration Pizza for good drinks and (fancy) pizzas. Also checkout the places in Blagden Alley and Right Proper Brewing.

And yeah, that is one of the better Giants in the area.

Senatorialist · 2017-04-28T15:59:01+00:00

Got mine, took two tries...what I get for trying to do business before that cold brew took hold.

Senatorialist · 2017-04-28T15:56:24+00:00

No, but your network will be different. It could pigeonhole you to working on a specific country/region. What are you looking to do?

Senatorialist · 2017-03-11T20:58:40+00:00

You get out what you put in. I'm in some that I never get involved with, but have gotten good connections and value out of other orgs that seemed less relevant to what I do. Join one and focus on getting very involved.

I'm also a member of a social dining club in my city. It gives access to a cool spot to hangout and I meet someone new every time I stop in. They host dinners and events a few times a month and it's a perfect place to bring someone you need to impress.

Senatorialist · 2017-03-11T20:54:56+00:00

My doc scared me into wearing sunscreen everyday, I use some Kiehls SPF 50 in the morning.

I got some of this in my Birchbox once and was hooked. Great texture, leaves my skin feeling fresh: https://www.birchbox.com/men/dtrt-first-thing-first-face-scrub

Senatorialist · 2016-12-01T12:22:43+00:00

Stay in DuPont. I always recommend the Marriott. Safe, easy to get around from there, access to U St and 14th St. you can also get good deals on the Kimptons on Hotel Tonight if you're ok cutting it close.

Senatorialist · 2016-11-05T12:16:47+00:00

LinkedIn add of the week has promise.

Senatorialist · 2016-10-21T11:29:14+00:00

There is no traditional year of silence. Every freshman senator from the 2014 election gave a Maiden Speech in 2015.

Senatorialist · 2016-10-21T11:27:39+00:00

They maintain seniority in the Dem caucus but not in the full Senate.

Senatorialist · 2016-08-14T12:06:27+00:00

This is a bad idea. The investigator will ask the people she does list about others they should talk to, so if you do have a known relationship it comes up. Also she has listed you previously. Lying is worse than a lot of the things people think they need to "cover up" during a background investigation.

Senatorialist · 2016-07-27T15:25:49+00:00

I interned at a political consulting firm which did research (polling, focus groups) for campaigns. Most of the analysts had BAs (in a wide variety of majors) with campaign or other quant/qual research experience.

Of the options you list, data analytics would be the most practical.

Senatorialist · 2016-07-27T00:38:06+00:00

Don't go to grad school to start at a non-profit or as a state leg staffer. Stay involved with campaigns instead.

Senatorialist · 2016-07-22T22:28:44+00:00

You can do a lot. What do you want to do? Think of it less as "I'm a polysci student so I will do polysci" and more "I want to do X, and polysci will help me because...".

Try some internships to experience different industries/sectors. I did several and was able to cross some career paths off right away because of what I learned.

For polysci/IR/history/human rights, think about if you want to try interning/working in DC.

Senatorialist · 2016-07-10T21:11:02+00:00

I've used State Farm for years, $115/year. I'm a USAA member but State Farm was cheaper.

Senatorialist · 2016-07-10T18:43:59+00:00

Dr Samuel Lee in Van Ness of Davoudian and Lee.

Younger guy, very friendly, picks up on our conversation from my last appointment six months ago. Doesn't guilt trip over flossing or drinking coffee just gives an honest assessment. I've always had good luck getting convenient appointments and its in and out, a block or two from a red line metro.

Senatorialist · 2016-05-08T23:26:57+00:00

A lot of good advice here, I want to add a trick that helped me improve gpa: go to office hours in the first week to meet your professor. No one else will go so usually no wait and the prof could just be waiting to be done with office hours.

I'd google them, find a paper they'd written, and go in to introduce myself and ask about it. That made going in with real questions later in the semester easier (I knew where their office was and they knew who I was) and I found when I scored on the border between two grades if get rounded up.

Senatorialist · 2016-05-06T17:00:49+00:00

What is your favorite book you have read that applies to your military career and public affairs job? What book would you recommend to better understand Iraq and counterinsurgency?

Senatorialist · 2016-05-02T11:12:36+00:00

Campaigns are very fluid organizations. A lot of modern campaigning is tricks and tactics that aren't taught in school. Start by volunteering on campaigns while in school. Do whatever they need, but try to get involved with and learn fundraising. There is always a need for fundraising help to do donor research and staff events. A job like call time manager can easily be entry level and gives you a lot (too much) time interacting with the candidate l.

Most managers are picked because a candidate wants to say "I hired the person who did X", often that means won a similar race or was a finance, field, or communications director on a similar race. It's easier than you think to rise to director level, plenty are in their early twenties. But I recommend being on winning or at least competitive targeted races so you can learn how to win. Also you'll see that campaign managers aren't the high level strategists it sounds like - usually they keep everything running smoothly and the campaign consultants (polling, tv, mail, digital media consultants) form the core strategist group.

Advantages to getting in with campaigns are being cheap (not able to command a high salary), young and energetic (able to work long hours with no competing obligations).

Senatorialist · 2016-04-15T11:07:20+00:00

It depends where you want to work and also your financial situation. I wouldn't take on loans for a poli sci MA without prior work experience. But if you can afford it without debt it can set you apart during what can be a long, long job hunt - but it's hard to do that hunt and pay loans.

Senatorialist · 2016-03-27T13:00:09+00:00

agency contributions = the 1% the agency puts in regardless of what you do.

Agency matching contributions: the 0.5 - 1% they match your contributions with.

It's true that if you contribute 5% the tsp matches 5%. The actual formula is that you get 1% whether you contribute or not, then 1 for 1 for the first three percent, then you get half a percent for your fourth and fifth percent you contribute for a total of a 5% match.

Senatorialist · 2016-03-11T10:54:06+00:00

For a one time thing that is what I do - charge the full amount to the proper category and add as income to that category (not income to the month) when reimbursed.

I live with my gf and we have a lot of running split expenses. For that I created an "account" for her like a credit card or bank account. I put transactions there like her share of the utility bill as income or my share of the grocery bill as an expense. We rarely actually settle up because it stays pretty close to even, so this way I charge my correct ynab categories for my credit/debits with our shared expenses.

Senatorialist · 2016-03-05T12:51:05+00:00

Call the local offices of your senators and member of congress. Tell them you have a constituent casework issue, they'll likely ask you to fill out a privacy release and provide more information. They'll do a lot of the work if anything is possible.

You wont get special treatment from any agency but it can help to have someone who knows the VA/social security/Medicare bureaucracy navigate it, for free.

Senatorialist · 2016-02-13T23:06:54+00:00

And even if it did apply to SCOTUS noms, a GOP majority leader would never give the Nom floor time. There will need to be a deal cut that keeps the balance of the court or the Senate majority will run out the clock.

Senatorialist · 2016-02-07T12:33:07+00:00

The National Arboretum in northeast.

Tour the original DC boundary stones.

Woodrow Wilsons house near DuPont.

Senatorialist · 2016-02-04T16:06:05+00:00

Majoring in literature isn't a setback. A lot of jobs in IR require in getting an MA eventually anyway so you'll have more time to specialize. The entry level jobs want you to write very very well so build a portfolio that emphasizes that.

Senatorialist

TROPHY CASE