theskinny

Hi all, Thanks for all of the great info on here. I'm curious if anyone has ideas for neighborhoods that are convenient (or equally inconvenient) for both BU and Tufts. Any thoughts?

I just realized that I promised a report from the accepted students day! Without notes in front of me I'll try and hit the important points. - The faculty and program directors seem almost unbelievably committed and engaged with students. They sat down with us for an hour and answered every question and concern that we had about the program. The professors seemed very approachable and there is a great camaraderie between current students and their professors. They stressed the quantitative and analytical aspects of the program, while assuring us that this would all be grounded in a practical approach. They're not interested in students memorizing formulas or derivations for their own sake, they want to give you the tools to be effective. -The current students seem to be really happy there. At the end of the day, I actually asked a few of them what they didn't like about the program...they didn't come up with much. I think the size of the program might make some people a little claustrophobic during the first semester when all classes are taken together. But this seems like a plus in the sense that you wind up with a very tight knit cohort. Other than that, everyone seemed to be getting a ton out of their classes and internships -The only other thing I'll note (Sweet 16 just started!) is that they do seem to be tweaking the program as they go. They're trying out a new core class next year based on students' feedback, and the program directors seem to be taking input from students really seriously as they continue to refine the classes etc. Let me know if anyone has questions- I can probably beef this up a little later! All in all, the program looks incredible, I'd be really happy going there.

Wow, thanks for the input. This definitely changes the way I'm going to approach the issue.

Accepted! Surprised. I guess no one really expects to get in

Sorry, I meant that I think most people here are waiting on MA decisions for either DC or Bologna 2 year programs

You applied to a different program...

I don't think I'll be joining the online chat, but I'd be happy to give a report on the admitted students day. As for the new program issue, I suppose I don't see that as entirely negative. With some other IR schools I get the sense that there is this sort of entrenched "way things are done here", which isn't always so positive. I'm guessing as the first cohorts have moved through the program, they've had a chance to tweak any issues that come up, and the flexibility to respond to students/employer's needs really appeals to me. Of course, it's possible I've already have a little confirmation bias kicking in

I was admitted last week, pretty excited about the program. I've spoken to a few students in their 2nd year and they've had really good things to say about their experiences. Of course, there are some kinks still being worked out, but I think for those that have a good sense of what they'd like to do and are looking for a smaller, tighter knit program, this could be a great opportunity. Assuming I can get off work for the admitted students day, I'm planning on going!

I may have been projecting a bit when I said that narrowing one's interests can be artificial. I think if I simply chose to choose right now, that would be artificial (and potentially counterproductive). Thanks for the responses though guys. I'm mainly concerned about making the most of graduate school, and students' preparedness and focus seems to vary greatly by degrees. Graduate school isn't the same kind of given as undergrad, so I think I'm putting some pressure on to make sure that this would be a good decision. I feel like people in IR are often especially focused, whereas I know friends who have gone into domestic MPP programs with fairly vague ambitions and concentrations and have gotten a lot out of the experience.

Hi all, I've been reading for a while but I've never posted before. I've noticed a lot of posts in which the authors have really fleshed out interests when it comes to what they want to concentrate on in specific programs. My question is to what extent you guys think this is important to having a gratifying and productive experience. Of course no one wants to enter into a program frivolously, but picking a concentration just to have your interests narrowed seems artificial and potentially counterproductive. One of the things I'm coming across is that just about everything (IR related) is pretty interesting on some level, what do ya'll think?