TemujinAmbition

Nobody should be expecting "oh I will definitely get money, 100%, no problem, there is no uncertainty." But if your numbers are reasonably higher than the average admitted student, and your application is fairly strong (assuming you have good self awareness about quality of your application), then I don't think it is totally unreasonable to think you might be able to go to top school with low debt. Of course, it's rare to have everything free, even Marco say he only has 90% covered, so you'll probably have to borrow something. But a lot of the people on gradcafe (though not all) are type A people that exceed the average qualifications of admitted students. So I'd say, don't feel like you are entitled or will definitely get money, but definitely give applying a chance if you have good credentials. You might not get big scholarship, but it certainly doesn't hurt that much to try and apply (other than a little bit of time and paying the application fee).

I see. Well it seems like you enjoy working for yourself, so I hope it works out for you and you don't need to use your "insurance policy." best of luck!

I agree she's too late for university recruitment that is done primarily prior to MBA graduation. But that's only one way to break-in; the other is experience hire. I believe she is able to apply under the "experience hire" category, particularly for firms that do a lot of government consulting like Deloitte and Bain. Her MPP and experience would be valued in such contexts, yes? a bit harder path than just doing university recruitment from the beginning, but still feasible, yes? no?

Because Brandeis degree will probably take American further in their own country. Just like Heidelberg would probably take you a little further in Germany than Brandeis.

At least you have that HBS degree to fall back on. Can't you fall back on finance or consulting if you were in a money pinch? HBS is like a golden ticket, it's a special luxury to have as back-up that most other non-dual degree policy grads don't have

Wow, why didn't you say you were Kennedy Peace Corps volunteer. You will be a shoe-ins for many good IR schools, assuming of course that your undergrad transcript and other application components are decent. If mom and dad are willing to pay for two degrees, then you have no problem. Pursue your current path as you laid out. HOWEVER, if mom and dad will only pay for one degree, i.e. either Master's or MBA, but not both, then you should think very very very hard before pursuing your path. You don't want to incur extra debt for the second degree if not necessary. To be honest, you probably don't even need a Master's to get a somewhat decent, non-administrative job in DC if you finish your service. I'm not sure if you realize this, but Peace Corps is very powerful in Washington, it's almost like being a soldier veteran (though not quite, but still comparable). Just by being PC, you will be given special preference for government jobs, for example. So if parents will only pay for one degree, consider that you can go straight to semi-decent job and might not need Master's. This way, save up that precious money for the MBA. So decide very, very carefully whether or not you need both degrees. If you do, that's fine. But if not, just stick with one. Again, disregard that last sentence if mom and dad are willing to pay for both Master's and MBA. If that's the case, I would recommend doing the Master's first; it can't hurt you really and it will make you somewhat more competitive for jobs, plus you'll learn a lot. I wouldn't worry too much about the opportunity cost of not going full time job, as I said before, since you will be investing in your future by going to school

If this this is the case, then he should wisely consider which degree or degrees he needs. He should not be blowing his saved-up money on MIA and then taking out loans for MBA if it so happens to turn out that he only needed the MBA all along. Truthfully, if you are paying out of your pockets, I think he should think very long and hard before applying for two graduate degrees instead of just one. And if they are paying cash for their degree, then which one they pay in cash and which one they pay with loans is arbitrary since both MBA and MIA/MPP tuition are roughly similar. Ubermensch specifically say money is not issue for MA, which is why he assumed he had a scholarship that was only specific to MA. However, if it is like Doctor MD says, then you should reflect deeply before you commit to dual-degrees. It would be a shame to take out extra loans for no reason

Interesting. What type of residency will you go for?

If you plan on doing both degrees separately, then you can't be looking at joint programs at all, including Hopkins and Insead or any other program. This is because joint degrees are, unsurprisingly, completed jointly. Plus, since you must gain admission into both programs, and you are not competitive applicant for B-School, you will likely be rejected outright by the joint programs. So you should stop considering these for the immediate future. Since both an MBA and MIA require work experience, you would probably be best served by working instead of diving nose straight into school. Truthfully, you have no choice, since very few people are ever admitted without work to MIA/MPP programs (with occasional exceptions, one of my fraternity brothers was in at Hopkins straight from undergraduate, but he was international and had strong foreign experiences). And with B-Schools, it is literally impossible to get admission in USA without working experiences (unless you are Mark Zuckerberg type applicant). After some time with work, you will be stronger applicant, and then you can apply to joint program. Plus, you will have added boost of having better idea of what you want to do. Maybe you realize you only need an MBA, or you only need an MIA. Maybe you realize you need both. Who knows. If you really want, you can do degrees separate as you say. Normally, I'd advice to think hard before going to school and losing lots of money. However, since your degree is free, I give you unique advice and say that it probably wouldn't hurt so much for you to go do MIA. Really, the only loss is the opportunity cost of not working full time for 1-2 years. However, I think you would gain benefit from having a versatile degree like MIA/MPP in your belt, so the pluses outweight the minus. No matter what tho, you need to have some work experience before applying, unless you have some uniquely exceptional international/government experience like my fraternity brother. Btw, how do you have a free masters but not a free MBA? Did you win a government masters only scholarship like pickering fellow or something?

Correct, if your plans involve working in the US, you would probably be better served at a comparable American B-School than at INSEAD. Not to criticize INSEAD, it is still top school, it's just that Americans will know better the colleges in their own country and would be more comfortable with their own top-notch B-Schools. Ubermensch ought to specify what country they want to work in after finishing. Btw I like the nietzche reference

INSEAD is one of top 5 business schools in the world. It is right up there with HBS of Harvard and Wharton of UPenn. Maybe it seem like scam name to Americans since they don't know many schools outside of USA, but it is elite and has comparable placements/salaries as the American elite business schools. However, I would personally prefer an American joint program; as MD's unawareness demonstrates, INSEAD isn't as well known in the US as the top american schools if you intend to work in USA. Dartmouth tuck and Harvard kennedy have a joint degree program, for example. They are two different degrees, but they could serve harmonious purpose. For example, you would be more attractive for management level positions at NGO or for certain federal government jobs with both MBA and MIA/MPA. However, you would not be making as much money as your B-school classmate buddies who will be making big dollars at Bain consulting, so you should keep that in mind. Really, you should consider your career goal before undertaking the joint program and where you want to work. Then measure the cost and benefits. Does it boost your career goal, and is it worth the cost? SAIS and INSEAD would be solid, and would work well abroad and even in US. But I think an even better option would be to do joint in USA, since you will have recognition of degrees both abroad and in US. Basically every ivy school that has both business school and policy school runs a joint program (e.g. Harvard, Columbia, even UPenn has policy school exclusively for joint degree students), so I would look into those in addition to SAIS Insead

Interesting. Aren't there joint programs that let you do this simultaneously so you don't have to do one degree after the other (like for example I believe Harvard and UPenn might have them)? So one day at work, you will hang up your lab coat and yell "I don't want to do this doctor stuff anymore, I am now health policy expert!" Hehe it's funny image in my head. Do you think implementation of ACA will still be relevant by the time you finish practicing as physician? Seems like it would be long time from now with internship, residency, specialize, etc.

It say you do MD and MPP under your cut the rope creature. Out of curiosity, why you do this? Will you be working for Doctors Sans Frontieres or the WHO or CDC or something else like this? It is interesting combination.

Princeton Wilson has explicit policy of funding students and not incurring debt for students. You should not have debt from Princeton. I've also heard that it is possible to incur little debt at Yale given small size of program. Did you actually attend either of the specific institutions you referenced, or were you just using them to refer to elite universities in general?

This seems a bit excessively contemptuous. What's on your mind, brother?