DaniCM

I know I've already said it, but I'd like to reiterate my gratitude for those who have demonstrated understanding for my situation, and especially to those who, even if they think I took longer than they might have, have not used this incident as a justification to personally attack my character or publically harangue me. You certainly didn't have to put yourself out there to defend me or de-escalate the situation, and I truly appreciate your kindness in doing so. People can get carried away with the anonymity of the internet, and sometimes we have to remind ourselves that we are speaking to actual people even if it is online. After careful deliberation this weekend, I made my final decision. I am attending SIPA in the fall. I emailed Fletcher this morning, and received a very kind email wishing me the best in my choice and actually thanking me for informing them so early in the summer. (which probably indicates that similar decisions to mine are made each year, and some much later in the summer.) I then received a second email from the director restating well wishings and thanking me for my interest in Fletcher. The response from Fletcher was entirely opposite of the caustic response I received from some here. It is also demonstrative of Fletcher's overall positive and supportive community, which I am disappointed to say I will not be apart of come fall. To all my would-be classmates at Fletcher, I wish you all the absolute very best this fall and throughout your studies. I hope to meet many of you following graduation as we begin our careers or during career trips to NYC and DC. I have no doubt that Fletcher will be amazing and I'm sure there will be days I'll second-guess myself and wonder what life at Fletcher would have been like. To those headed to SIPA, I'll see you this fall. As I've operated under considerably less anonymity than most (my name is Dani and my personal photo is displayed with everything I post), I'm sure you'll spot me at some point. Feel free to say hi. I'll be interested to see how people will treat me in person compated to what they've felt comfortable saying online. Anyway, I really excited to begin grad school in the fall and for all that lays ahead of us. Best of luck to everyone and thanks for a wonderful ride and for sharing your experience. Should anyone in the future reading this find themselves in a situation similar to mine, please don't hessitate to contact me.

SIPA does know about the double deposit. When I spoke with their admissions office about my fellowship offer, one of the things we discussed was my funding offer from Fletcher and the fact I had already made a depost. As Damis pointed out, these things happen each year and schools have mechanisms for dealing with it. In fact, one of the things they mentioned at Fletcher's open house is that admitted students aren't granted access to most Fletcher resources (such as career listings and internship databases) until after matriculating, as not all admits who make deposits end up attending in the fall. Anyway, I honestly don't know why I'm expelling so much energy defending myself on such a personal and serious decision. Like I said, I'm doing the best I can given my circumstance and timeline. I'm trying to be as considerate as I can to those my ultimate decision will affect, but first and foremost my decision will have the biggest impact on me, and I can't disregard that. I find it interesting and unfortunate how quickly people will turn on you with such little consideration to the specifics of your situation and without giving regard to the fact that there are likely a plethora of personal factors at play. Anyway, thank you to those who have been understanding and have bothered to voice their support and offered constructive advice and/or assistance.

Excuse me, I had 10 days to decide before the final decision for both schools. That was a genuine mistake on which week I got the SIPA funding offer. But everything else is still correct, including the fact I'd like to give myself one full month to decide. I still think one month is a reasonable amount of time and I disagree with you on the magnitude of this decision. Additionally, since I had already paid the deposit to Fletcher before the SIPA funding decision, I would have absolutely no choice but to pay two deposits should SIPA be my ultimate choice. That fact would remain even if I had commited to SIPA the day they gave me the funding offer.

Thanks so much, Denisse! I've seen you post on the google group. I'll definitely PM you for some info. I appreciate your understanding and your offer to help inform my decision.

I'm sorry I disgust you as a possible classmate, be sure I wont bother you trying to friends... However, I certainly didn't have plenty of time to make a decision. SIPA gave me 5 days to make a decision. Yes, I had looked into SIPA enough to know I wanted to apply and researched them while waiting for their decision, but getting no funding from SIPA initially was tantamount to a rejection. As such, I wrote SIPA off. I committed mentally and fiscally to Fletcher at that point and didn't attend any of SIPA's admitted student events, nor did I look into the admitted student resources, nor did I compare SIPA to Fletcher to see which was the best fit for me. What was the point if I knew I wasn't going to go? I had no indication I was being considered for second round funding. It wasn't until after I paid my deposit to Fletcher and only 5 days before the final deadline to decide I found out about my SIPA funding. Had I at least known I was on a funding waitlist I would have gone to all the SIPA events...but I thought that dream was dead in the water and I wasn't going to torture myself and waste money attending events for a school I couldn't afford. Personally, I don't consider 5 days plenty of time to make an 80-90k decision that will impact so much of my life and future.

Wow! Okay, first, let me just say that I agree that tying up funding is a pretty selfish thing to do, and that's why there are earlier deadlines for those who receive funding...after which the school can reallocate funding to alternate students should someone turn down their offer. However, as one of these second-round funding recipients at SIPA, I had actually already paid my non-refundable deposit to Fletcher BEFORE I found out about my SIPA funding. After being notified of my SIPA fellowship, I only had 5 days before their deadline, which simply was not enough time to make a decision, especially as I had not attended their open house. So yes, I paid their deposit as well to buy myself some extra time to connect with current students and alumni and get more information on the program. As Hlove said (and thank you), this is a huge decision for both my present and my future and even with the funding it is the biggest financial decision I have ever made. I simply cannot restrict such a decsion to 5 days. Lastly, the May 1 deadline I was given for SIPA was also the last deadline for both Fletcher and SIPA. So, at that point, all students had to have made their decisions already. So after May 1, my turning down funding at one of these schools will only mean a pleasant surprise to a student who has already accepted their offer. It will be too late to act as a factor in their decision. As for the waitlisted students, my spot will still go to one of them when I finalize my decision in the next few days. At that point they will likely have to make a decision similar to mine - they've probably already made a deposit to another school and have mentally committed themselves to attending it, and now they'll have a completely different option to consider and a short time frame to do so. Such is the nature of the waitlist... It is an extremely difficult situation to be in, and I can certainly empathize. But I will not jeapordize my future by making a hasty decision simply to put them in this same position a few days earlier than they will be after I make a more informed decision. Believe me, had I received funding from SIPA outright, I would have attended both open houses and used the month or so you're given to make an informed decision and meet the specified deadlines. I certainly wouldn't have paid both non-refundable deposits and lost $500-1000. However, that wasn't the case. While my decision trajectory isn't the norm, neither was my funding decision. I am simply making the best of a complicated and confusing situation. Come May 19th, I will have given myself a full month to decide at which school I will be dropping upwards 80K and spending the next two years of my life...I feel like that's a fair thing to do.

hahahaha...it appears I've been caught red-handed. I think I did, in fact, change my mind. I was apprehensive to share as I'm a little embarraassed by my indecision and I'm pretty sure everyone is probably as over this decision as I am. I'm still not 100%...I paid both non-refundable deposits...but I'm heavily leaning SIPA. After I mentally committed to Fletcher a few weeks ago, I found that following through with it (i.e. telling SIPA's admissions office I wouldn't be attending) was really difficult. I was kind of bummed about my decision to turn down SIPA, and realized that, even if I loved Fletcher, I would probably always regret not taking a chance with SIPA. Or, at the very least, I'd spend a lot of time wondering "what if...?" But Soaps is right...I can talk myself in circles on this and change my mind more often than I'd like to admit.

You should do it at your local community college, as you'll get the in-state tuition rate. I live in VA, so I went to Norther Virginia Community College for my classes.

I didn't take macro or micro in undergrad. I didn't have to for my degree and they were known in my school as GPA killers. When applying for grad school, I saw many schools, as you said, either required them or suggested them, along with emphasizing overall quantitative skills. I took macro and micro online through a community college. They were a breeze, but I actually did learn a few things, and know it's fresh in my head for the fall. Even though the class was online, I didn't have any trouble getting my credits accepted. I also thinking being proactive and taking these courses prior to be admitted demonstrated how serious and committed I was to grad school. Definitely take some classes at a community college. They're cheap, easy, and bolster your grad school apps!

Decision day was Wednesday, at which point I wasn't really ready to make a decision, so I paid my deposit at SIPA knowing that over the next few days I might change my mind. I figured that money was a drop in the bucket compared to what I'll take on at either school and it will afford me more time to figure out what I want to do, thus giving me more peace of mind in my decision. After 2 days of sleepless nights, lots of pros and cons lists, scouring course listings and trying to map at my two years at each school, and countless conversations with friends and friends of friends who attended either school, I've decided to attend Fletcher! The reason for my seemingly drastic change of heart lies in a number of factors. First, SIPA would very likely be 20K more than Fletcher, with an extremely small chance it'd be the same price and a pretty horrifying chance it would be 40K more. Second, even should I get funding from SIPA for second year, that funding will be tied to a 20 hour/week work commitment. I certainly don't mind working, especially for that amount of money. It's more than fair. However, working 20 hours/week for Columbia will proclude me taking on an internship with an organiztion or agency of my interest, which was a big draw for me in regards to living in NYC over Boston. Third, while I was initially disappointed to see so few classes on political development and governance in developing countries offered at Fletcher (still kind of am, actually), I as able to find a number of courses at HKS that fill this gap. With these classes, and Fletcher's more flexible curriculum, I can easily tailor a schedule similar to that of which I would have taken at SIPA, with the valuable addition of Portuguese. I am a little bummed to not be able to say, "I go to Columbia," or, "I live in New York City," but I realize that's pretty frivolous. A few of the more concrete things I'll miss about SIPA is their amazing summer practicum and their capstone projects, along with some of the big names and events they draw. In exchange, at Fletcher, I'll be receiving an equally rigorous and prestigious education, for a lot less money (most likely, anyway), with easier access to my professors, a stronger sense of community, and a more academically focused environment, where I'm not constantly stressed about balancing work with school and networking. I'll also be able to learn Portuguese, making me a trilingual and giving me a much better shot at the Boren Fellowship following graduation. Anyway, I think I could have been happy and thrived at either school. Had the second year funding at SIPA not been so precarious, or had I not been able to figure out how to take the classes I want at Fletcher, or had I not already spent the past 5 years in DC, where I was able to gain great work experience and build a strong network (and am thus less worried about the need to do so while in grad school), my choice may be been different. But given all the above, I think Fletcher is the better option for me. I look forward to meeting my fellow Fletcherinians...? haha. And good luck to those who chose SIPA. Again, I think even if we aren't classmates in the near future, given many of our similar professional interests, we will likely be collegues one day in the future - even if just in the wider world of international relations/affairs. We're all working toward a similar goal of making this world a better place through diplomacy, development, an security. I'm really excited to be a part of that community of professionals and I can't wait to start grad school instead of just talking about it all the time! haha.

Hahaha. Beyond true. I'm not great at GRE/SAT like tests in general. I got a 160 on verbal and a 155 on quant. I actually only got a 4.5 on my essays, but that is because, in my moment of test panick, I didn't fully read the directions and I wrote the wrong type essay to one of my prompts. I did two essays on criticizing an argument and failed to write my own argument for one of the prompts.... Anyway, I got into all the schools to which I applied and received $19K/year from Fletcher and $15k for one year from SIPA, so they must have saw something beyond my GRE scores. My GPA at Georgetown was only like a 3.6, so that wasn't outstanding either. I did, however, have an extremely strong SOP and LORs. I also second the Manhattan Prep Series. Very worth the money.

Decision time today...by midnight. I honestly haven't fully committed to either school yet. SIPA definitely offers more classes in my area of interest, to the point of me not being able to decide and wanting to take 4 years worth of courses. However, they have a lot more requirements than Fletcher, and fitting in the classes I want to take around core classes is pretty difficult. I do like the hard skills I'll be forced to learn by taking some of these core classes, but I wish it was a bit more flexible. Additionally, because of said requirements, I think it might be nearly impossible to learn Portuguese while at SIPA. Doing so would require me to take a 5th class each semester, and that'll be killer. Lastly, the more I look into second-year funding, the more nervous I get about receiving it. It's based entirely off your first semester, and beyond getting a 3.4, I'm not sure how they determine the 70% of students that receive it. Getting a 3.4 also seems more difficult than one would assume, as I spoke to many students who were just shy of it. Even with 22K second year, SIPA is still around 20k more than Fletcher. As for Fletcher, I'm really bummed there aren't more classes in governance, statebuilding, or political development. Although I can take classes at HKS, being a domestically oriented policy school, I'm not sure they'd be able to fill in this gap. Conversely, a plus at Fletcher is, because of the flexibility and lack of specific governance classes I would want to take, I can definitely fit in Portuguese. If Fletcher offered the FLAS and had more courses in governance, I think the choice would be a lot easier. Overall, SIPA seems to align more to my educational interests, and their summer practicum and capstone projects sound incredible. Living in NYC would be great, but if I'm killing myself taking 5 classes and trying to work 20 hours a week to afford it, will I even have time to take advantage of living in the city? Ugh...Anyway, I'm sure everyone is curious as to what I'll do...so I'll keep you all posted! Thanks for following me on this roller coaster. I think I've said this a few times before, but our little gradcafe group has definitely developed a genuine interest in one another's lives. It's been really exciting sharing this experience with all of you! I really look forward to having many of you as either classmates or future collegues!

Fair. I did take as fact that I will be granted at least the 22K that 70% of second year students receive. I was told by the office of financial aid that, as they only give 1st year funding to less than 10% of students, it was almost a certainty I would receive at least the 22K, and likely more. And besides the TAship, they also offer 5K meritt based scholarships each semester. Additionally, at Fletcher I planned to keep my car, whereas I would sell it if I went to NYC. Lastly, I would live in Harlem were I to attend SIPA, and the rent is pretty much the same as in Davis Square, although overall cost of living in NYC is more. The money part is still a rough estimate, and, as I said, there are a lot more variables at play in the number range I provided for SIPA. Also, with my total debt from undergrad and grad school ensuring that I'll be close to the 100K mark for overall debt no matter which school I attend, my income based repayments will be exactly the same when I finish school.

also...no idea what is going on with my font up there. Sorry for the little letters

I realize the hard factors are very important, and certainly agree the soft factors should be a secondary consideration. That said, here are the hard factors I'm considering: SIPA will cost me between 55,000-80,000. The average SIPA grad has 70-80K in loan debt Fletcher will cost me between 63,000-80,000 (more likely to be on the cheaper end of the spectrum and more likely to be cheaper than SIPA, as there are less variables factoring into the range for Fletcher than for SIPA) SIPA offers far more classes in my specific areas of interest (state building in developing countries and third world/Latin American studies) SIPA offers the FLAS, and Fletcher does not Fletcher will allow me to take 2 introductory courses on Portuguese for credit, SIPA will not (althoug I can audit them) Fletcher has a more flexible curriculum SIPA has more institutes and centers within my area of interest SIPA has more internship opportunities and their students work more hours a week than Fletcher students (Fletcher students work between 10-12 hours a week and SIPA students work between 10-20 hours/week) SIPA's administration and career services are notoriously bad. Fletcher's admin blew me away, although not so much their career services during admit day Some hypotheticals I believe are realistic enough to strongly consider: I will have a better shot at getting an internship or job in NYC that allows me to maintain my TS clearance (these clearances cost employers around 20K to get for an employee, and so having one already makes you extremely marketable. Having one already will likewise make me more competitive for paid internships in the city) Should I decide to work as a government contractor, say with Booze or Deloitte, I believe I will have a better shot with Columbia on my resume than Tufts Soft factors: Fletcher has a tighter knit community with easier access to professors (I'm not sure if I should consider this a soft or hard factor...I think this is largely agreed to be true, but SIPA students do contend they have this, too) I've always wanted to live in NYC Columbia is Ivy League I don't like Medford, and while Boston is nearby I got the strong sense there is a bubble around Fletcher that doesn't extend far past some of the nearby squares (Davis, Porter, Harvard), although those squares are probably a lot more fun and culturally stimulating than I give them credit for Anyway, I honestly believe I could be happy at either school. My debt will be relatively the same, but will likely be higher at SIPA. And I think the education is great at both schools. The marginal cost differential and the more extensive class list at SIPA, in conjunction with everything NYC has to offer, does sway me that way. Fletcher's tight knit community and access to professors is their biggest draw for me, but I really wish their international security studies program had more courses on post-conflict management and statebuilding. It seems very war and force heavy, even as described by the student panel during admit day.