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Joseph B

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  • Application Season
    2016 Fall

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  1. Thank you guys. This Admission season has been a helluva ride! The fact is that I from a Latin American country and never been to the USA. Applying to a PhD in another is a daunting task. I am not used to such a wide availability of career paths--it is simply overwhelming. And unless you are a Pointdexter—certainly not my case—you get the cold shoulder in terms of financial aid. I figured it would be safer to apply first to a professional MA. The fact that I was awarded a very generous scholarship made it a no-brainer. If it quenches my thirst for further graduate studies, I go back home with a top degree. If I choose to earn a PhD, I could continue at SAIS, go to Europe or start a new program at an US uni—I will make sure to make the most in terms of networking while at DC. Thank you for all your support and hard truths. Joseph B
  2. Thank you guys. Feel kinda devastated since I invested so much time and money during this admission season. The thing is that I have accumulated considerable research, teaching and writing (policy briefs, papers and op-eds) in my home country. I feel that I have reached a limit of what I can accomplish here—I have even completed an MA here. My original plan was to relocate to the USA, sit for a MA program and then scout for PhD opportunities during my last year. Please hear me out on my next move: I have my mind set on SAIS. The fact that I have secured a full scholarship for attending SAIS makes the choice easier—that is why waiting another year is not a choice. My plan is to find work as research assistant position (though I heard they are in short supply at SAIS). Methinks that the PhD admission committee would value it. Plan B: I complete the MA at SAIS and join a top PhD program in Europe—there are many that I like. Plan C: I complete the MA and work towards a PhD at SAIS. It might not be a top 10 program at the USA but it carries an IMMENSE reputation back at my home country—the top dogs at the local IR scene are all SAISistas. Let me know what you guys think, article-writting, paper
  3. Hey Guys, What a wonderful time to be alive! Yet there are many decisions to be made! I have been offered admission by three MA programs: SAIS Washington DC; Fletcher; American University; Georgetown's Security Studies program—though I will hear from them next week, I feel it is in the bag. My predicament is the following. I am a non-American student whose main areas of interest are international relations and international security. I want to devote my life to academia (preferably based at the USA) but that requires a top-notch PhD. The programs I am most interested in are incidentally the most selective: Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, Chicago and Yale. My question for Grad Café’s devoted followers is the following: Which of the MA programs I mentioned above would best prepare me for the PhDs admissions I mentioned beneath? By now, I have realized that American admission committee’s do not focus exclusively on one item on the applicant’s CV. But since I want to walk the road towards tenure, my academic credentials will carry significant weight both for my PhD admission and my career. I might be too picky, but I am troubled with the following observations: - SAIS might be considered too policy- or economics-centered. - I have the feeling that American U is sometimes held as a step beneath or not “prestigious enough”. - Does Georgetown’s Security Studies program carry the same reputation as the MSFS/Foreign Service? What do you guys think?
  4. Hey Guys, What a wonderful time to be alive! Yet there are many decisions to be made! I have been offered admission by three MA programs: SAIS Washington DC; Fletcher; American University; Georgetown's Security Studies program—though I will hear from them next week, I feel it is in the bag. My predicament is the following. I am a non-American student whose main areas of interest are international relations and international security. I want to devote my life to academia (preferably based at the USA) but that requires a top-notch PhD. The programs I am most interested in are incidentally the most selective: Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, Chicago and Yale. My question for Grad Café’s devoted followers is the following: Which of the MA programs I mentioned above would best prepare me for the PhDs admissions I mentioned beneath? By now, I have realized that American admission committee’s do not focus exclusively on one item on the applicant’s CV. But since I want to walk the road towards tenure, my academic credentials will carry significant weight both for my PhD admission and my career. I might be too picky, but I am troubled with the following observations: - SAIS might be considered too policy- or economics-centered. - I have the feeling that American U is sometimes held as a step beneath or not “prestigious enough”. - Does Georgetown’s Security Studies program carry the same reputation as the MSFS/Foreign Service? What do you guys think? Thank you
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