ir393

So I'm very glad I was accepted at SAIS. I honestly thought I was not going to get in but somehow managed to score a partial scholarship and the possibility to increase that aid next year so the cost will be significantly lower. From what I could see, the education at SAIS is top-notch, very international, and well-known among international policy circles. Having said that, as prestigious as SAIS is, I still feel like I need to pair it with another degree, MBA or Law School, in order to be competitive in the private sector and be able to pay graduate school loans as soon as possible. Here is my background and desired career path I'd like to take. Any thoughts, recommendations would be appreciated. I graduated from a big state school (flagship) but not well known nationally. Overall GPA: 3.7/3.8? Majored in political sciences but have a decent math background (I was an engineering major freshman year). I scored on the lower side of the GRE for SAIS students. I have various full-time internships and fellowships across the non-profit (advocacy), government (congress), and private sector (government relations). I've mostly worked in politics and IR. I've been out of undergraduate for about 2 years now. Initially I wanted to work for think tanks, non-profits, politics, and other international policy stuff, however, the more I have personally seen that industry the more I want to join the private sector. The people who work in international development, NGOs, and think tanks are some of the smartest and socially conscious people I've met, they're wonderful, but the industry itself leaves much to be desired. Which leads me to the dual degree options at SAIS. 1) Law School: Very much aligned with my background and initial goals, but I'm afraid a U.S. law degree will limit my possibilities for an international career (I'm from a developing region). I'm no longer interested in public international law (many students are but there are very few jobs available and most are taken by multilingual European students with no law school debt). Private international/corporate law would be my focus, if I go this route. I also really like the law school atmosphere! Dream school is, of course, Yale law. I'm confident I can get into at least Georgetown Law, but will it be worth the time and money on a JD to practice abroad? knowing that in most countries law degrees are undergraduate degrees and, thus, do not carry the 6 figure salaries. Will I be incurring into so much debt that I will have no option but to work for a U.S. firm in NYC? 2) MBA: Certainly my not aligned with my background! I did not study economics or business, did not do finance or management consulting after undergrad. The only quasi-private sector experience I have is "government relations" (lobbying) for a multinational corporation, I doubt that will count as business related experience to MBA programs. I do have leadership experiences but not the business kind. Pros of MBA: very international/global. I can use an MBA in every corner of the world (well maybe that's not true e.g. North Korea). Salaries are also very solid in most places outside the U.S. I'd be interested in emerging markets, infrastructure projects, energy, and public-private partnerships. Cons: It might move my career into the private sector a little too much. I wouldn't want to work in Wall Street because of the bad reputation finance has had after the great recession and it would look really bad in my resume if I decide to enter public life in 15, 20 years from now (Think Mitt Rommey and private equity; he made tons but that made him pretty much unelectable for the commander in chief position). Also, I haven't visited business schools but I sense the environment from their students is "make money at any cost." Wharton school is my desired option: global, top, strong alumni, and already connected to SAIS. HBS would be a stretch. If I do decide to go this route, I'd probably would have to 1) defer my enrollment at SAIS and 2) get some business related experience. 3) MPP Oxford. Lastly, although not an MBA nor a law degree, Oxford's MPP seems like another good option to pair a SAIS degree with. 1) Oxford brand 2) Oxford alumni networks. Also, I have seen many Oxford MPP graduates getting jobs at the three big management consulting firms, which is something I'd definitely want. Cons: another policy degree. Since it's a new program it doesn't have a big alumni network. Also, the curriculum doesn't seem academically challenging. Overall, it seems a good finishing school for would-be politicians. It will polish communication, negotiation, and policy skills. And it will give me the Oxford name, which might carry a lot in entering international political circles. My desired career path? Ultimately in 20 or 25 years I'd like to enter public life or elected office, but I want to leave my family financially stable before entering public service. A judge who lost to Sonia Sotomayor in a minor election many years ago once told me to have a plan B if public life doesn't work out. He lost and his plan B was to pursue a legal career. Also, in those 20 years I'd like to build a strong personal and professional narrative. I'm still undecided on the best strategy for my goals: SAIS/MBA, SAIS/Law School, or SAIS/OxfordMPP??? Any thoughts or recommendations are appreciated. Thank you!

My two cents: HKS and Chicago Harris are worldwide known as very good MPP programs. Berkeley is also very good but it might not be as well known as HKS or Harris. Georgetown MPP is the least well known. Harris MPP will certainly get you policy jobs in DC, no doubt, even more so than Georgetown MPP because it's more well known. The only advantage to picking Georgetown MPP is the fact that you'd be in DC but a degree from Chicago will overcome that. HKS would've been THE choice but it's your call. I know someone who didn't get any funding when accepted to HKS but got a full ride once some funds opened up later. Call and see if they can help you.

1) Academics: Top-notch, no doubt you'll be getting a really good education, especially in international economics as compared to other IR schools. Acquiring "technical" skills will, no doubt, help you getting jobs. 2) Careers: two sides 1) It seems a great fit for multilaterals and thinks tanks but 2) private sector I'm not so sure. Although almost half enter the private sector, in finance or consulting, median starting salary is 65K, which tells me that those going into the private sector are not going into high paying jobs such as investment banking or management consulting. Most likely they go into risk analysis, idev consulting, risk management, etc. 2.1) Careers Services: SAIS students have complained about how CS doesn't help them much. 3) MBA? It's not as flexible as an MBA degree! You might be able to make it into investment banking, with some effort, but it's highly unlikely you will make it into strategic/management consulting. 4) Students: International, a bit younger crowd than MSFS Georgetown, different professional goals. You will find from Stanford/Yale/MIT undergrads to graduates of state schools. Usually those from elite schools come right out college and some are doing a joint JD. Financial Aid: It gave me the impression the staff is not really helpful in finding alternate sources of funding. Not much additional aid from SAIS. You may apply for 2nd year funding and that will be completely dependent on your GPA (3.6/3.7 seem to be the cut-offs).

First of all, congratulations! While prestige can help you in expanding your network and landing "better" jobs, debt can limit your desire to work in the public sector. 100k in debt might be too much if you intend to work in the public or non-profit sectors. You should do some extensive research on BUs program! Will it be worth it? alumni networks? what types of jobs have alumni taken? coursework, of course. Good luck!

I was also admitted to SAIS and from what I can gather an MBA would be a perfect complement to a SAIS degree. SAIS will probably not give you recruiting and business skills. For your first job, the MBA will put you in the right spot. the SAIS degree will come in handy later, in your subsequent jobs, especially if you intend to enter the public sector in executive roles. My two cents.