JFactor

Previous Schools: A university in DC (top 10 IR school) Previous Degrees and GPAs: BA in International Studies and Economics, 3.90 GPA GRE Scores: 169V, 154Q, 5.0W Previous Work Experience: Military leadership experience from my home country (in Europe); four internships in DC (two of them from the field I'm interested in - int'l trade); last internship turned into a research assistant job at a well-known research organization in DC and there 0.5. years of work experience after graduation Math/Econ Background: BA in Econ but without econometrics, no serious math background (no calc classes etc.) Foreign Language Background: Four semesters of Spanish, fluent in a European language, intermediate skills in Swedish and German Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International economic policy (especially international trade) & International Political Economy Long Term Professional Goals: Working for one of the multilateral organizations, preferably something that allows me to do policy analysis Schools Applied to & Results: Josef Korbel (full tuition + RA), SIS (full tuition + RA: $12k), Elliott ($15k), SAIS Bologna/DC ($20k), Fletcher ($5k), Georgetown/MSFS ($0k), SIPA (waitlisted), HKS (rejected) Ultimate Decision & Why: SAIS. The curriculum is excellent for my interests, the school's reputation and alumni network are great, and it allows me to study a year in Italy (which for someone like me with European interests is a solid bonus). They also gave me a nice scholarship package. The decision came down to choosing between AU (full ride) and SAIS, so it was basically money vs. everything else. In the end I felt SAIS is definitely worth the extra cost. Advice for Future Applicants: Sadly I feel like I've forgot most of the useful tips/details I had in mind a few months ago when everything was happening, and others in this thread have said many of the things I wanted to say as well. Especially the "do not freak out" advice is golden. I freaked out after I got my GRE score because of my "low" quant score. It is not the best by any means but I let it completely depress me, because I felt it disqualified me from the top programs and definitely meant I wouldn't get any money. I couldn't have been more wrong. Don't get me wrong, take the GRE very seriously (like I did, maybe a little too much), but it's only a small piece of the puzzle and even though I had read that on forums like this, in my heart I didn't believe it. So don't lose hope. Same goes with work experience - I was sure I wouldn't get into the top programs (such as SAIS, Fletcher, and Gtown) because I did not have a lot of full time work experience. In my circumstances getting an MA is a must (very hard to get a visa sponsor in the US as a foreigner, in Europe just a BA is worthless and everyone completes an MA right after their BA) but I felt I was somehow doomed to fail because of my lack of full time work experience. Again, I was wrong. The application truly seems to be evaluated holistically so if you lack in some areas, you can improve in others and make up for it. If I was a 22-year old American, I would definitely try to work for a few years, but everyone's situation is different and you have to keep that in mind when applying. It's all about coming across as someone who knows what they want out of grad school and as someone who is competent and qualified. So obviously the personal essay and letters of recommendation are extremely important in that regard. You might not have "a perfect" application and stats (only a few truly do, no matter how depressing it can sometimes be reading people's stats online and thinking everyone is a genius) but if you are a competent candidate, you have many ways to show that in your application. So I guess what I'm trying to say is this: try not to despair. I know it can be difficult - my experience is that things can get blown out of proportion in your head quite easily, especially when it comes to something as important as graduate school. But all you can do is try to get the right people to write your LORs, to really nail the personal essay, to go take a few classes (econ, math) if you feel that would make your application is stronger etc. Much of it is still in your own hands and even if the GRE doesn't go perfectly or you feel some other aspect of your application is not the best it could be, you probably still have a better chance of getting into the schools you want than you realize. Forums like GradCafe are excellent resources but they can also cause a lot of anxiety especially when completing your applications and comparing yourself to others. At that point just keep your head down and do the best you can. I felt that after the decisions started rolling in, I was able to get much more out of the forums because I was dealing with facts instead of just speculating what MIGHT happen. Thanks all for the great advice and discussions in the last few months. Congrats to everyone once again, I'm sure there's a good chance we will meet one day professionally (although I'm sure we have no idea we were on this forum at the same time). I doubt that I will be coming here much more now that everything is pretty much settled and the forum is dying down so I just wanted to thank all you guys and I hope you have a great two years at whichever school you chose!

Good luck Dani! Seems like you made a very good decision!

Good luck! Like others have said, at the end of the day you just have to make the decision that feels more right. They are both great options, both with their pros and cons, and you can't have both. You've done all the rational analysis, now it comes down to which school you are more excited about and which school are you kind of forcing yourself to attend. I think I know which one is which for you, but I'm interested to hear what you decide. The choice is also about how much risk you want in your life, so how risk averse you are is definitely one of the key issues here. And nobody except you can evaluate if the risk is worth the returns.

I'll probably do Global Theory and History because I want to take international political economy classes. However, my actual focus could be considered to be econ because I'm planning to take a lot of econ classes and I'll probably do "the specialization" in economic policy analysis.

I completely agree with this. The majority of people in DC are not douches, the majority of students at SAIS are not arrogant, the majority of students at AU/GW etc. are as competent and bright as the students at SAIS/SIPA/Fletcher etc. There's really no sense to feel superior about your grad program or the city you live in. I think we all know reality is more complex than that.

I know...I'm just saying he probably has a worse reputation than what he actually deserves, but he might be a complete tool, who knows. I had seen the video as well (and his CNN exploits) before seeing him speak and he beat my expectations, but I guess that wasn't that hard to do.

Yeah I think SIPA's social scene is definitely a pro for you. Lobsterphone is right in that no matter where we go, we will spend a lot of time at the library hah. When they brought in Blitzer it was so funny; the lady who was speaking got a note and she read it, kind of a like a President getting an extremely important note in the middle of the speech. And then she was like "I need to stop for a moment because we have a very important guest here" etc. And everyone started turning around and Blitzer walks up to the podium from the back of the room. I just found it so dramatic that it was funny. Also, I'm not a huge fan of what Blitzer does on CNN but I think that's just because of the restrictions CNN has in place (always emphasize Twitter and social media, repeat the same talking points every three minutes so new viewers know what's going on because they have to be treated like idiots etc.). I thought he came across as pretty intelligent and I think he could be a much better journalist if CNN gave him more free rein. Anyway, yeah it sucks you couldn't attend the SAIS open house but since they didn't give you any money your decision was pretty easy (like mine with Fletcher who only gave me $5k).

I think they might be doing that because they know it's an advantage they have over all the other top IR programs including the DC schools and Fletcher. So because they know that's something that the other schools can't offer, they want to emphasize their relative strength in that area. And this might lead to them being a little too vocal about it which might come across as weird. I haven't visited SIPA so this is all just speculation, but open houses and online chats etc. are basically just marketing tools and the schools will always try to find a hook with which to reel you in. At SAIS it was the "DC experience" and the alumni network (bringing in Wolf Blitzer) and also to a degree the Bologna "party scene". They did this because these are their relative strengths (no other school can offer a year in Europe, and the location/alumni combo is only matched by GTown etc.). So I believe they're just emphasizing the one thing they believe makes them unique; all the top schools can boast about awesome academics and faculty, so they need to find something else to differentiate themselves. At SIPA, the NYC experience offers the perfect answer.

I empathize with your situation Dani. That's a tough one. I'm sure you'll have a better idea of what you're going to do after visiting NYC/Columbia and talking to some people. Everything has pretty much been said already: SIPA will be a little bit more expensive than Fletcher (and more stressful in terms of financing because the second year funding is a little uncertain), although the internship at the USUN negates that somewhat. And the internship seems like an awesome and interesting opportunity, I would be all over that myself if I was American! I'm sure there will be a little bit of a difference between the atmosphere at Fletcher and SIPA, but I also think people (myself included) often have a tendency to draw general conclusions based on individual random things. Sure, there are differences in location and that will impact how people will interact (SAIS Bologna: a European bubble, SIPA: big city and big university creates more of a "detached" atmosphere that people often bring up here, Fletcher: an American and more academic bubble, less people super concentrated on networking etc.). However, I also think that at the end of the day, all of the top MA IR programs will be quite similar in terms of the student body and the overall atmosphere. As you've noticed here on the forum as well, the same people are considering the same top programs and while obviously the sample size that the forum represents is very small, I have a hard time believing that all of us are divided into different schools based on our personalities. It's the money and the academic fit that almost always comes first with people; location is obviously important, but I don't think it's the fundamental factor that leads to more "fun" people going to one school etc. So I guess what I'm trying to say is this: grad school is what you make of it and I'm pretty confident people can find friends who they share a connection with regardless of the program that they choose. But this doesn't mean that the emotional component doesn't play a role at all. On the contrary, I think it reveals something quite big about what you are subconsciously thinking and what you value. So flyingjellyfish is right: after you visit SIPA and you compare the experiences, really pay attention to your inner dialogue. When you think of going to Fletcher, are you trying to force yourself to go and is there a small voice saying no? How do you feel about the choices? I personally believe it's hugely important that you go with the university that you feel the most comfortable choosing; we are all smart people here and we all take into account the financial factors, the career prospects etc. so I think these are all integrated into your feelings already. So at the end of the day, you have to go with the one that you feel the most excited about, because then you won't have regrets. Obviously it has to be an informed decision, but I'm sure you know what I mean. The decision you have is very close and either way you go, I don't think it's going to be a disaster. So after evaluating all the pros and cons, if it's still very close (and it most likely will be), just go with your instincts. You can use the old trick of throwing the coin in the air etc. Some might say that's no way of making a decision, but after rational analysis, trusting your instincts and the subconscious is a very valid (and "rational") strategy. Ok, I'm rambling haha. Anyway, that's the best advice I can give at this point. And congrats about the SIPA offer; it's causing you more headache now, but it's an awesome problem to have.

Sorry, I don't know. I think that's a very "sophisticated" issue that you raise and I think you either have to know someone really well who is currently in the program or you need to be a student there yourself, and unfortunately I don't check these boxes.

I don't think the brand name of SAIS is stronger than that of Gtown. For instance, GTown is the number one school in FP's rankings (SAIS is number two, not that these rankings are any more than crude guidelines). Here on the forum SAIS seems to get a lot of love and attention, a lot more than many other great programs for some reason, but I think in terms of brand name they are very equal (and GTown could be even stronger abroad).

Funny that you said that because I was kind of laughing at the same thing when I was declining my offer from Fletcher and they asked which other school I chose instead. It is kind of random that GW is up there and AU isn't because they are definitely very similar in terms of quality, but I don't think you can read that much into it. But it is a funny "rebuke" of AU nevertheless. I applied to eight schools and AU and Korbel are the only ones not on the list (and I'm positive AU shouldn't be lumped together with Korbel; like I said, GW and AU are nearly identical in terms of "overall" quality with some of AU's concentrations being stronger than GW's and vice versa).

Glad to hear you were able to make a decision that you feel good about. Given all the factors you mentioned in your post, I think you definitely made the right decision (not that it matters what I think whatsoever!). Good luck!

I turned down one of the Sie Fellowships for SAIS but I got some funding from SAIS so the difference in money wasn't as big as you're talking about (although still nothing to laugh at). Korbel called me in early February and let me know about the offer and I was very surprised. I got a great vibe from all the people I talked to/emailed with (wasn't able to visit) but the fact that so many people are turning down the SIe Fellowship and the fact that someone like me seemed like a lock for it raises some questions. Surely this means the quality of the student body just isn't as exceptional as it is elsewhere and I mean this with no disrespect at all (I'm not in any way better than the students there). But I don't think it's controversial to say that even though Korbel is a very good school (especially when it comes to Security Studies), it can't directly compete with the top programs in any area except the money they offer. The decision was not a no-brainer for me whatsoever, but in the end all the other things that SAIS offers outweighed the money of Korbel. Being European and being interested in possibly working in Europe one day (maybe in not so distant future), SAIS offers much better prospects for me. And that's just one example of the reasons I chose SAIS. Another is that I can take really in-depth economics courses and SAIS has the brand to help me market that knowledge etc. So long story short - if you don't get any additional funding from SAIS, the gap in the money the schools offer is very big and you definitely should consider Korbel long and hard. Sure, I think you give up a little on every area (educational experience, networking, brand name etc.) but then you have to evaluate how significant these differences are in terms of your career goals. That's all I can say really. Bottom line - SAIS isn't a magical program far superior to Korbel but it is a very solid program that is justifiably considered one of the best. Korbel is good and can be great depending on your goals and focus area.

That's not an obvious choice. Personally I would choose Georgetown because I feel the location, the brand name, and the alumni network is probably worth it. But Korbel is a great school as well and I've got the impression that their International Security program is their gem and the highest quality concentration by far that they have at the school. So in terms of the quality of the courses/education, I don't think Korbel is far behind at all. Can't really say more than that. You just have to weigh the pros and cons and really think what you value but like seekay said, either way you will be fine.