KevinDosi

Thanks for the tip. I'm hoping to get something under 800, and hoping to share an apartment or a house with others. My girlfriend lived in Columbia Heights and I really liked it there, but I don't know DC well. Anyone have recommendations of where to find roommates? Is there a facebook group?

Who out there has decided on the Elliott School for 2014? I've all but sent in my deposit. I'm just curious what some of your backgrounds are, what you're doing about housing, work, etc. I'm from Texas and have been teaching French for the last few years, so this will be a bit of a change for me.

Who out there has decided on the Elliott School for 2014? I've all but sent in my deposit. I'm just curious what some of your backgrounds are, what you're doing about housing, work, etc. I'm from Texas and have been teaching French for the last few years, so this will be a bit of a change for me.

I'm curious of how you all feel about your decisions a year later. I'm trying to decide between SAIS Bologna and GWU, and am leaning toward the latter because of the price difference. For those who attended, are you happy with your decision? Same question for those who went elsewhere.

I'm planning on working in public service, so am basing my decision on whether or not I'll be eligible for the PSLF program. I'm still trying to decide between 2 schools though: one would require I take out $100k in loans (yikes), and the other would require around $60k. When I plug in the figures at the online calculator, it seems that I'd essentially be paying the same amount over 10 years regardless of which school I attend, but that much more would be forgiven if I attend the more expensive school. I've called the finaid offices at my schools only to be referred to the actual federal aid website. When I called them, I'm not confident that the person on the other end really knew what she was talking about. Am I looking at this right, though?

I also read that the vote would be April 5, but haven't heard anything. Does anyone have news on this? Also, I'm trying to figure out the math here and what would be the real cost. I plugged in a few different scenarios into the PSLF calculator online, and it seems to suggest that I'd be paying the same in loans at all of my choice schools - even though one costs 3x more than the other - and that simply more would be forgiven if I went to a more expensive school. I was really surprised by this, does it sound right?

I'm mainly interested in US foreign policy, specifically in the Middle East, and am wondering which program I should pursue. I'm looking at the MA in Middle East Studies at SAIS but also at IR programs at GWU, American and Chicago. Afterwards, my hope is to work for the Department of State or an international organization. Does anyone have an opinion on whether a degree in MES would make it easier or harder to enter the job market after graduating? I see value in having a more focused concentration, but there's also value in having a more broad and rounded concentration.

Any idea of whether a MA in IR would be more or less attractive over an MA in Middle East Studies?

The school you went to doesn't make a difference in your pay or promotions, but do you think it makes a difference in your likelihood of getting hired? Does an MA from SAIS look better than one from GWU, for instance? Or does it seem that you run into a disproportionate amount of officers who went to one or two certain schools?

Got my letter a little while ago, but still waiting on news for funding. So far, a lot of acceptances and no funding. Fingers crossed!

Just wondering if anyone out there is interested in joining forces to create a small GRE study group in the Houston area. I plan on taking the test this summer.