dimitgr87

@MA_SAIS_2014 Same exact situation. Bologna is the only place that offers European Studies and it is really good. Given that I have a European background and interest it will probably be my choice. However, the IR general is also really good - it is after all what the school specializes in. It all depends on what you want to do - given your IDEV selection and World Bank (and the like) aspirations, however non-concrete, it seems like a regional specialization might make sense. From what I've heard the LatAm and Caribbean specialization at SAIS is phenomenal. The European Studies one is great as well (Prof. Erik Jones is amazing). Re English: your TOEFL score shuold be in the middle 50th percentile of the incoming class so you shouldn't feel too worried about it. Chances are that the Bologna campus will have quite a few international students who will be studying at an English-speaking school for the first time so I would not worry too much about the exam's competitiveness or difficulty.

martinet25 - I have only applied to SAIS and SIPA. I know many people at both schools quite well and have spent considerable time visiting and attending classes. I think the IDEV program at SAIS beats pretty much everything at SIPA, especially if you actually want to do international development or work at WB / IFC. SIPA gets a bad rep because it's super large and, as part of sprawling CU, SIPA students sometimes feel overlooked relative to CBS, Law School and J-School students whose respective schools are at the top of their fields. That being said, the IFEP program at SIPA is just as rigorous as IDEV at SAIS and the NY location may help students get private sector jobs (although there is always the accusation that you are doing an MBA-light if you are applying for finance jobs, but there's absolutely no reason why anyone would go to places such as SAIS or SIPA and in order to go into finance. Point of my post - IDEV is awesome and it becomes more useful if you're decidedly development focused. But do not chime on SIPA just because many students are having a hard time justifying their time there / monetizing the opportunity. You can do awesome things at SIPA if you work it.

Also got admitted into SAIS Bologna! Not IDEV though - not disappointed since I do not consider myself a "development professional" and it would not be my focus. @hedong123 - my financial aid letter said that I should submit the form by March 24th to become eligible for aid. They said that they would come back to me on aid info within two weeks after 3/24. I had not submitted the form because I could not get parents' info - not sure why they need that as we are all adults and hopefully most have also been employed for some time! @greenapplesea - do you happen to know if SAIS has a dual degree arrangement with INSEAD? That would be very interesting.