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zd0943

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    2015 Fall

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  1. Hey GradCafe, I just got into SAIS off the waitlist and have negotiated for a few days to make a decision. I'm pretty set on attending SAIS in DC this Fall. The location and networking opportunities cannot be beat, and while I'm not much of a quant guy, I recognize I need to bolster my knowledge of economics to have a successful career in international affairs. I've never really been to the east coast/DC either, so I would look forward to being in a new environment and attending what I hear is an excellent graduate program in IA. I've been speaking with a lot of professors, colleagues, professional peers, etc in making my decision, and in so doing, I've had a few questions emerge. 1.) I don't care too much about this kind of thing, but I've heard some interesting lines of rhetoric from some folks regarding a "neoconservative bent" to the SAIS curriculum and faculty. Can any current students speak to this apparent spirit? Put a different way, how would current students characterize the "ideology" or "pedagogy" of SAIS? Like I said, I don't care too much about this stuff, but for what it's worth, I attended a pretty left-wing liberal arts college and am armed with certain ideas that probably do not match so-called "neoconservative" ones. 2.) As mentioned, I'm not much of a quant guy. Will need to take the online Principles of Econ course before I enroll in Fall classes. I've only taken one Econ 100 class. I am excited to study economics at an advanced level, but am also a little anxious! I knew Econ would be a part of my graduate study, and actually only applied to programs that featured an econ emphasis as these are skills I want to develop. However, SAIS is notorious for its economics instruction. I suspect economics at SAIS will kick my ass, which is fine, as this is graduate school. But really, how intense is it? What kinds of resources are available to those students who historically have struggled with such courses? 3.) What is your FAVORITE and LEAST FAVORITE thing about SAIS? 4.) How competitive is the student body? I would look forward to being surrounded by smart, motivated, ambitious classmates. At the same time, I would not want to feel like I am in constant competition with them. What is the community like? What kinds of adjectives would you use to describe the typical SAIS student? Thanks for reading through this and taking the time to answer!
  2. Hey folks I've just been admitted off of the waitlist to the SAIS MA program. I'm thrilled to receive this kind of news, as SAIS was my top-choice graduate program. Prior to receiving this news, I've been gearing up to head to UCSD IRPS, another program that excites me, particularly with their Asia-Pacific focus. I've been confident in my decision and have been mentally preparing for life in SD. The problem I have is that I don't believe I'd be able to do my desired concentration at SAIS (IDEV). I know enrollment in this program is capped. I could study IDEV at UCSD, but their program isn't as robust in this area to begin with, and I recently think about just focusing on China studies (my area of interest) while at UCSD. I could also do this at SAIS. I still want to work in the development space. However, I'm not convinced if concentrating in IDEV necessarily positions you more strongly for careers in development. Ultimately, any degree I complete will simply be a masters in IR, without the clarifications of concentrations, specializations, etc. It will really come down to what my work experience is like when looking for a job, not necessarily what my textbook knowledge is. And in that sense, SAIS would be a great choice, given their excellent job placement and DC location. What do others think? How relevant is one's concentration within an IR MA program to one's eventual job search? The curricular limits SAIS has placed on my application, as well as the steep price tag, make me lean a bit more towards UCSD at this point. However, SAIS is such a great program and it would be neat to live and network in DC. I plan to call admissions to verify whether or not IDEV is an option. Any and all insight on navigating this is appreciated!
  3. Yeah, was the reading list provided via email? In terms of digital communication, I haven't received too much of an "admit packet;" just official acceptance letters, next steps/instructions for submitting deposit, etc.
  4. I'm in a similar debate 2012latam. I think IRPS suits my academic and professional interests, but I fear distance from NY, DC could be detrimental. That said, it seems IRPS has a pretty devoted bunch of folks working in career services. Additionally, IRPS students frequently intern in DC, and the school runs professional development trips to DC, NY, SF. In the end, securing an exciting job in one of those hotspots will depend a lot more on your networking skills and prior experience, regardless of where you go to school. No doubt being in DC makes everything easier. But UCSD is cheaper, and I think a better fit if Asia and Latin America are of primary interest to you.
  5. I'm in a similar situation and was also wait listed at SAIS. I plan to pay my deposit for another program I have been accepted to, knowing full well that I would still receive a quality graduate education. While SAIS is my top choice, I wonder if there's something to be said about enrolling in a program that wants you to be there versus a program that can't decide/perhaps wasn't fully confident in your ability. I also agree with chocolatecheescake that getting off a waitlist will ultimately depend on the "composition of the cohort." Maybe a program that wait lists you knows you would be a good fit for x concentration, and can contribute a background that would make the class in x concentration more robust. You're basically a qualified, compelling admit. However, another applicant with a similar fit/background but with higher grades, more of a quant background, relevant UG coursework, whatever else/etc, may be quicker to gain admission as the adcom feels more confident in their ability to complete advanced graduate study in x concentration. So he/she is immediately admitted. That student may decide to go elsewhere. Or maybe he/she pays a deposit and then his/her plans change in mid summer. Or maybe he/she is an international student and for some reason finds out just before departing that there is an issue with their US student visa. Now the program needs to go back to its waitlist and find the student(s) that mirror the admitted student's profile and concentration. Hence, wait list admissions can happen as early as May, or as late as August, and are probably pretty fickle. Which is why maybe sending a deposit for an alternative program that is confident in your ability is an equally great option. You presumably only applied to schools that you would be happy to attend, and you've been accepted somewhere, and there's no reason why it shouldn't be a great experience. Of course, if SAIS were to admit me off their wait list I might revise my thinking!
  6. I've lived in Beijing for a few years now and have met some folks who completed the two year MAIS degree at HNC. Those I've met who've completed the program are all doing quite well here and have VERY GOOD Mandarin skills. My overall impression is that the two year program at HNC prepares you well for dynamic, well paying jobs IN CHINA, mostly private sector, usually in things like consulting, intl trade, etc. As others note here though, a common complaint is that perhaps the program didn't have the consistent rigor one expects from a similar program in the West. Some classes are great, challenging, with compelling professors. Others can feel like "fluff" classes, or have teachers that give out grades somewhat arbitrarily. I actually considered doing the SAIS DC-HNC program, where you spend a year in Nanjing followed by 1-1.5 years in DC, depending on concentration. I ultimately decided however that my time here has enabled me to develop a textured understanding of China and Mandarin already, and that I'd prefer to bring that knowledge with me to a US institution.
  7. I agree with other posters here that the length, format, and style of your resume should match the opportunity one is applying for, be it a job, fellowship, graduate degree, etc. In my experience applying to graduate school this past year, many programs emphasized that applicants should not feel limited to merely one page to convey their professional experience and accomplishments. This makes sense to me; as an applicant, you want the adcom to get the fullest, most textured picture of you possible. That said, I did not overload my resume with information that could be found elsewhere in my application (coursework, GPA, school attended, etc). I instead provided a few bullet points for each professional position I've held, using language strategically to convey my developed skill sets, experiences, etc, giving the reader a clear understanding of my role in each position, what I accomplished there, and how those position build off of (or link, in a narrative sense) to other professional experiences. The resume is almost like a synopsis of the narrative that is your professional life. I agree that when applying for jobs, a one pager is best. In making my grad school applications, I actually found myself with several iterations of my resume that were slightly tweaked for each program. From these, I made a single 4 page "master" resume for my own reference. When applying for jobs, I now first glance over this document and decide which experiences and points are most salient and relevant to the job to which I am applying, and then weave those together into a one-pager. One page resumes make sense for jobs; people may get lots of applications, and you want to make their experience as easy as possible. Using one page to effectively communicate your skills and experiences is a strategic way is a skill in and of itself. With all that said, I've read about and met peers who believe that the one page resume tactic may be progressively less in vogue. With the US economy (and many global economies) in a state of flux, young professionals these days are more likely to switch jobs more frequently and accumulate a diversity of experience. I've met some folks who have two business cards. Maybe they work at a start-up in the Bay Area and also work for a non-profit. I don't think this is that uncommon. Given that young professionals these days may be more likely to freely navigate different professional experiences and opportunities, a resume that exceeds one page to convey that diversity in experience may become more common. Of course, this will depend on your "sector" and also the locations in which you've developed professionally. The entrepreneurial spirit of SF may contribute to the emergence of longer resumes, where as someone working federal government jobs in DC may hold single positions for longer periods of time, thus not necessitating a longer resume. It's not about which (1 page or 1+ page) kind of resume is better, but rather where you've been working, where you plan to work, and the locations in which those things occur.
  8. Hey GradCafe folks, just wanted to get your insight on waitlists and navigating offers of admission now that results are rolling in. I applied to a few programs this year for enrollment in Fall 2015 with a sort of "just apply and see what happens/shoot for the stars" attitude. I've been accepted to one program so far, am waiting to hear on a couple others, and have been waitlisted at SIPA (whose name is the only one I mention only because it's my top choice). My letter said there isn't any need for me to submit anything else and that I should contact them if I don't want to be on the wait list. SIPAs FAQs pages indicate, however, that waitlisted applicants should write to admissions to confirm their interest in staying on the waitlist. And I did that pretty immediately after receiving the notification. Pretty simple note "I'm writing to confirm my interest in staying on the waitlist, thank you for considering my application, etc." I didn't want to bog them down with a long email as this is a busy time of year for them, and I figure the wait list won't really be sifted through until April/May, if at all, depending on enrollment yield. I also already have an offer elsewhere, and am happy to even be on a waitlist for an Ivy League institution. But now I wonder if the brevity and nonchalance of my note could be to my detriment? Do I write them in a month or so expressing that SIPA is a top choice and if accepted I would definitely attend? I also don't really want to be that annoying applicant who crowds the adcoms inbox. How have others dealt with waitlists? Anyone have any insight on the "behind the scenes"/internal decision-making processes these kinds of schools have when dealing with waitlists?
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