JFactor

http://www.du.edu/korbel/sie/fellows/. I believe that's the only way to get a full scholarship at Korbel.

Thanks for that great post brooklyn11.

Are the career services really that bad? I keep hearing slightly negative evaluations about SIPA but it's always only a sentence or two so I wonder if there are any links or information somewhere that can explain to me the basis for this reputation? I have been considering SIPA to be one of my top choices if I miraculously get in (my focus is on international trade/international political economy/policy analysis) but these comments are making me wonder about the program's value.

Yeah I think I know where you're coming from. Full disclosure - I got my BA from AU (SIS) recently, but like I said, I also feel that GWU is a little bit ahead, not academically, but in terms of networking, career services/opportunities, and the reputation.

I'm curious why you rank SIS and Elliott so differently? You're considering paying the sticker price for Elliott (ITIP) but you would need a full ride to even consider SIS (IER). I'm under the impression that the programs are quite close in terms of quality; maybe I would rank Elliott a little ahead of AU but not that dramatically. I'm curious.

Don't worry, I think many if not most of us sometimes feel a little intimidated by the idea of a very competitive grad school and the people there. I think it's just human nature. I will also be thinking very hard about the choice between SAIS-Bologna and Columbia (if I get in which I feel would be a slight miracle) and I have to add AU to the mix since it's giving me the best financial package by far. And maybe even Tufts too. So I'll definitely shoot you a message after we hear from Columbia!

Revolution is clearly very finance/private sector-oriented, which is fine. But I agree that he constantly questions the intelligence of IR/public policy students. I'm a big boy and I can take it but it's clear he is very driven by prestige and reputation factors. I'm sure a lot of MBA students think about MPP/MIA students in a condescending way but that shouldn't come as a surprise given how we know what kind of d-bags many of the MBA people are in real life. This is just my impression of what's going on. If you want to work in finance or in consulting etc., Revolution has a point about these programs. But if you want to work in international/multilateral organizations, in the government, in think tanks or even in some segments of the private sector that require policy analysis skills, SIPA/SAIS/Fletcher etc. are very good programs, if not the best programs, for you.

Global Finance, Trade, and Economic Integration. But I won't most likely go there even though they have been great and gave me a really great fellowship. If I opt for the money, AU has given me a great fellowship as well and since the programs are the same quality, the location makes all the difference in favor of AU.

I appreciate the offer. I'll definitely have some questions for you but I'm going to wait until I actually hear whether I get in. Hopefully that'll be the upcoming Monday.

I hear you. Still waiting for SIPA which has been one of my top choices in my mind. But even if I somehow get admitted, we know that SIPA isn't going to give any money for the first year so that will make things difficult. Will I go for a pretty solid (but not top 5 or internationally known) AU that is offering me just a wonderful financial package? Or will I choose SAIS that is an even better program and I get to go to Bologna (I'm European with transatlantic interests and could see myself working in Europe in the future) but I have less than half of the tuition covered? Or, if I get into Columbia, will I pay the most but can go to what I consider my number one school (and get to realize my life long dream of living in NYC)? Or will I choose GW that offers me less money than AU but I feel that their program and contacts are a notch above AU's? Or will I go to Denver? Well no, that I can rule out (no offense Korbel, you have been great). Fletcher is a wonderful program too but the cost and the location makes it a very hard choice for me. I feel very lucky and "blessed" that I have all these options and I'm honestly surprised I got into so many schools. But it also means making the final decision will require a lot of thinking.

Hi. I am more focused on the economic side of things, probably more so than the majority of IR MA applicants. I even briefly considered applying for an Economics degree but soon realized that my math background is not nowhere near where it needed to be (realized that I'm that interested in econ too late). My impression is that SAIS and SIPA especially offer more opportunities in terms of international economics than HKS; the degree there is MPP after all compared to all the other programs that are exclusively focused on international affairs. HKS has a lot of international students but many of them are more public policy-oriented rather than internationally oriented if you know what I mean? I haven't heard of many people either here on this board or in real life who are going to HKS and who are international economic policy-oriented. Obviously I could be wrong.

I'm kind of in the same situation. I think I have a mediocre chance at getting admitted into SIPA (I hope) so I don't want to do too much pros and cons analysis before I hear from them.

SIPA's "bad rap" might have something to do with their MPA/public policy degree. People criticize the cost and the lack of financial scholarships compared to other public policy programs that can be much more affordable and they are not that different in terms of quality. I could be wrong but this is the feeling I've got from public policy applicants here and elsewhere. When it comes to the MIA degree or international affairs, I don't think SIPA has a bad rap at all. On the contrary, it's one of the most highly ranked programs in the US/in the world. Of course, how you regard it depends on your focus - if you're really interested in US foreign policy or want to work for the US government, then DC schools might be better for you. Also, if you're not into economics, SIPA's quant heavy program might not be for you. But if you're not necessarily looking to work for the US government and you're more quant-focused (and more open to working in the private sector), SIPA might be a great school for you. But these are just my impressions and I could be wrong. I'd love to hear other opinions.

This is a great topic and I was thinking of starting a similar one. My situation is still open because I want to hear from SIPA (my number one school, also waiting for Georgetown but I can't think of a scenario where I would go there anymore) so I'm gonna get back to this thread when I hear from them, hopefully on Monday.

Congrats Leon. I'm not 100% sure about this but I think the funding you can get is the funding they offer you when you get admitted. Yeah, $5k might not be enough - the tuition is about $40k!

I got two decisions the exact same minute: 5:14pm. You're waiting for months and then that happens?? What are the odds? Rejected for HKS and admitted to Fletcher. My first rejection but can't say I'm surprised - the degree wasn't the best suited for me (the only MPP I applied for) so they made a wise decision I'm sure. What comes to Fletcher - I'm very surprised I got in because I only have 0,5 years of work experience after undergrad but I only got $5k a year so it might not be so viable for me.

Got in as well but only with $5k. But I'm surprised I even got in so can't say I'm disappointed! I personally screwed up and didn't do the video interview - that might have affected my funding. Did you all do the video interview? That's the least amount of money I've been offered though so I don't think Fletcher is a viable option for me. Now I have to wait for Columbia and then it's decision time. Anyone else got into Fletcher?

Rejected. Congrats to all who got in! My first rejection this year but can't say I'm surprised. It was the only MPP degree I applied to; I'm focused on international trade/political economy so HKS wasn't really the best program for me, so I have to say they probably made a smart decision on their part. Funny thing - I got an email from Tufts (Fletcher school) the exact same minute as I did from HKS! What are the odds for that? Got accepted there so not all bad news : )

I received funding and it wasn't a separate application. I don't even know which fellowship I got; they said that they will inform about that in a week or so. Hopefully you'll get some funding because SAIS is very expensive and even with some funding I still have to think about it very carefully.

Haha nice, I'm looking forward to it. None of my friends are applying to these programs so it's nice to be able to use this board to get a feel for how others in the same situation are thinking. I agree that the lack of major funding (for now at least) for the second year is definitely something to think about. I read somewhere (must've been their website) that if you do well in Bologna there might be a chance to get further funding in DC but those opportunities are very limited and competitive I'm sure. When the dust settles I'm going to contact them and ask about that; if anyone gets any info about the funding opportunities for the second year in DC, please share!

I got funding, 15k for each year. But AU is offering me a full scholarship and since the programs are very close to each other in terms of quality and internship opportunity etc., if I decide to stay in DC for both years I'll definitely go to AU.

Me neither.

Congrats jellyfish! For me, if someone had told me two months ago that I'm going to get into SAIS and get that much funding, I would have not hesitated. Now after getting some offers from other schools with full tuition scholarships (which I thought would never happen to me), I've started to think about the financial aspects more and more. This is going to be tough (especially if I get into SIPA), but in a good way!

I'm in as well and with same amount of scholarship money! They also promised a $10,000 financial aid package for the second year in DC if I keep my GPA above 3.4. Like you, I have to think about this very hard. SAIS is a great school and I'm so happy to be in but I'm going to have to make some important decisions regarding money vs. my top schools.

Do you guys think we're going to find out about funding this week? The decision letter strongly indicated that but I wonder if anyone has actually contacted them and got a response regarding that.