Miskina

No I haven't. I sent you a private message you haven't read yet, check your inbox!

Yes I'm French! It's true that there aren't a lot of French speakers on this forum.

I'm planning on moving to DC early August!

Too bad they aren't going to create a facebook group! Are you already living in D.C? I hope I won't spend too much time looking for a place in August.

What's your program? Mine is International Affairs. I would also be happy to join the facebook group if there's one.

I won't be able to visit and look for an apartment in D.C before actually moving there, so I'm looking for a residence hall where I could make a reservation before moving—with a month-to-month rent because I'm planning on living there for one month only... I'd prefer something located in Foggy Bottom, or at least very accessible from GWU where I'll be studying. The GW website has some suggestions, but Columbia Plaza is insanely expensive, and I've read that Hall on Virginia Avenue isn't that great. I can pay up to $1,300/month. Any suggestions?

I totally agree with you on this. For instance I'm super happy that I'm going to Elliott, because it's the better fit for me. I didn't even apply to Georgetown, SAIS, SIPA, Tufts—well, I might not have been admitted to these schools, who knows—simply because I would not have been able to work during the day. And with little work experience, a degree from these schools doesn't hold much value anyway. Regarding Elliott, their MA in International Affairs is a good program that allows me to improve my work experience during my studies. Here in Europe you cannot get a decent job—not even a job in your field—with just a BA, so I was not able to work several years before going to a "better-ranked school". So what you say is true: "The most important thing, more than reputation, is figuring out where you want to go and if that program will help you go there." I know that I'll be able do great things with my degree from Elliott.

I've always thought that arrogant people are also the ones who feel the most insecure about their own choices... Maybe life isn't as simple as your ranking. There are programs that are better fits than others, not just schools that rank high and others that are worthless. I'm wondering what people — who feel so superior to others — are doing in the field of public/intl affairs...

I knew they had not given all their fellowships yet! Well that sucks. But congrats!

I got an email today from the director of admissions at Elliott, saying that all of their fellowships have been accepted so they are not able to offer me one.

Thank you, that's definitely encouraging. I'll try!

Does anyone know if it's possible to get second-round funding even if we didn't get ANY funding in the first round? I only see people getting ADDITIONAL aid. If it's possible, do you think that if I already accepted the admission offer, I'd be less likely to get second-round funding than candidates who have not yet accepted their offer? Thanks!

Not even classmates yet and already fighting : D

Why do you need to point out that he is international? That information is useless.

I didn't even know it was possible to intern with a US senator as a foreign student!

Nice! Even though I've already completed the economics requirements, I'm planning on attending the review courses, so I'll see you there

From what I've understood, this requirement may be fulfilled by attending the 3-weeks overview on economics that Elliott offers in August. You should call them to make sure though.

Since you didn't get funding from SAIS in the first place, logically you can't ask for additional funding...

I'm in the same situation as Denisse: I did not get any funding from any of the schools I've been admitted to, maybe due to my low quant score and too little work experience (only a 3-months internship so far). I got accepted to UTexas LBJ, GW Elliott and NYU GSAS (I've been rejected from UChicago and McGill). I decided i'll go to GW Elliott and pay the full price. Why? 1) It's either Elliott or a school in France that is well respected here but absolutely unknown abroad. Since I want to work in the field of international affairs, graduating from an unknown school is basically useless. But I can actually do my masters at Elliott while still being enrolled in my school in France (where I'm currently doing my first year of masters), so in the end I'll get one degree from that school and one from Elliott. Two degrees never hurt! 2) I have the most awesome parents in the world (I know we all say that): they are incredibly supportive and they're taking out a loan themselves. I begged them not to do so, but they consider that it's a worthwile investment and they will be able to repay it in just 5 years. They know that if I stay in France I'll have a hard time getting a job in my field. So we can basically say that I'm fully funded. 3) UTexas LBJ would have been less expensive, but Elliott is a perfect fit for me since I really need more work experience. That school actually allows me to intern during the day, and that's a big advantage. I know that in the US people usually work after getting their undergrad degrees, but in my country grad school adcoms look down upon people who do so... 4) At Elliott I'll be able to get connections that I would by no means get here. We all know how important connections are! 5) I just have the feeling that I'm doing the right thing.

By the way MPPGal, you made a good point: it's true that we can't compare net salaries in France and in the US... I should probably do some research on the US system.

Well I'm not planning on having children anytime soon, and I'll be 26 when I'll get my masters degree, so I think 50K will be more than enough when I'll start my career. And it will be a lot more than what my friends will make after getting their (French) masters degrees. I don't want to make tons of money (otherwise I would have chosen a different field), I just want to live without worrying about my rent and my bills.

Why do you think it's not very much? In my country (which is as wealthy as the US), average salary is 25K/year...

As a non-US citizen I won't be able to work for the US government, so if I choose to stay I would either work for a think tank or an international organization. I think I'd live very decently if I earned $50K/year straight out of my M.A. It's true that a think tank job isn't as stable as a government job though.

The federal/state governments pay that much? Even without a masters? God, the US is amazing. If I choose to work in the US after my masters, I'll probably work in a think tank. Do you know how hard it is to get a job there? And how much it pays?

I'll attend the M.A in International Affairs at the Elliott School next Fall. I'll choose the concentration in International Security Studies (12 credits), and through the Elective coursework I plan on taking more classes related to international security (or maybe I'll pick a second concentration in US Foreign Policy but I expect these courses to be related to security as well). I'm wondering if from an employer's point of view, a M.A in Security Policy Studies and a M.A in International Affairs with a strong specialization in international security look alike or not. I realize that it is a difficult question to answer since it all depends on the employers, but maybe someone has known a similar situation?