flyingjellyfish

Yay! See you in Bologna

I took macro and micro econ at my local community college. It was a really affordable and SAIS did accept both courses for its econ pre-reqs. In retrospect, I feel that in some ways taking them this way strengthened my applications, because I took them while working fulltime and doing my other volunteer activities. And I graduated back in 2009, so econ is definitely the freshest thing on my academic record. I'm sure taking them back in undergrad would have been good too, perhaps better since those courses were more rigorous, but I chose to wait to take them later and didn't see any negative consequence from that decision! All of the programs I applied to emphasized the importance of a quantitative background so I think taking them was worth it overall to make me more competitive. Though I initially took the courses knowing that SAIS in particular requires them. In terms of GPA, you'll get a separate transcript from the online course/CC so it will not factor into your undergrad GPA. You'll just provide the programs you apply to with that separate transcript in your applications. I found the courses I took useful for learning the basics of econ, but found the grading very easy. A's in both with no stress. I hope this helps!

Just a follow-up note in case it's helpful for future applicants. WWS notified me on May 1 that they're not admitting me off the waitlist, so they do ultimately contact you with the news! Even with this rejection, I really couldn't be happier with the outcome of my grad school applications and am heading to SAIS Bologna with a spring in my step

Thanks for sharing Dani! When I read your posts, I have to say I was leaning towards Fletcher for you. I think you made a good choice, though both programs are excellent. Wishing you much luck

GRE quant scores are an important factor but not the only one in terms of getting into programs, especially when you have many other strengths. Unfortunately, though, I think they are definitely a deciding factor for funding. I retook the GRE less for improving my chances of getting in to programs and more so for improving my chances of receiving funding. Some (if not all) of the schools I applied to use GRE scores and GPA's for selecting merit aid awardees. Perhaps take a look at the "Government Affairs Wrap-Up" threads to get a sense of people's scores and how that relates to where they got in and how much funding they got? I've already recommended it on this forum, but I'll say it again: I found the Manhattan Prep series REALLY helpful for improving my quant scores on my own (I didn't take a course). Their practice tests are harder than the actual tests, which I found very useful for increasing my confidence day-of. Best of luck! Edit: Wow that was my 100th post! It's probably about time for me to stop writing about grad school and just go already

Oh makes sense now! You're welcome, glad I could help!

I did attend one of the webinar information sessions Nelson and Amina did back on March 27. They mentioned that they did tape the session. Perhaps email Nelson and ask for a copy? There are also a lot very helpful documents located here that answer the main questions (you should have also received the link in your acceptance letter): http://www.sais-jhu.edu/content/incoming-students-academic-year-2013-14 And here's the incoming student guidebook: http://www.jhubc.it/DOCUMENTS/incominginfo.pdf In terms of housing, they have a housing consultant with many years of experience who helps incoming SAIS students secure housing upon arrival. It sounds quick and easy because they basically have a stock of around 70 apartments that SAIS students move into in august and then vacate at the end of the school year. Helpful blog post here: http://saisbolognaadmissions.blogspot.com/2012/08/finding-your-apartment-in-bologna.html @DupontCircle - According to the 2013-2014 academic calendar on the SAIS website (http://www.sais-jhu.edu/resources/academic-affairs-registrar/2013-2014-academic-calendar-washington-dc) the D.C. pre-term program dates are: Monday, July 29-Tuesday, August 27, 2013 Pre-term courses are Pass/No-Pass and do not count towards the GPA. PS: I'm happy to help, but a quick Google search can quickly answer a lot of questions

Good luck with the decision today! Fortunately, at the end of the day you are choosing between two excellent programs. Once you commit, don't look back because it's going to be great either way!

Looking forward to it! Can you believe we'll be in Italy soon? I bought my plane ticket last week.., so exciting! Quick tip- I used studentuniverse to book my flight and got a really good deal. I used to use it back in undergrad when I studied abroad a couple times. It was satisfying to get the student rate again!

Thanks dyavrom, that was really helpful info!

I applied as General IR, but then when I looked at the courses recently I realized that most of the smaller, specialized courses that interest me are in International Law and Organizations...So I think that that's the route I'm going to go. Plus, I took several Internaitonal law courses during undergrad and found them interesting and useful. I spoke with an alumna recently who mentioned that students in a particular concentration get priority for those courses, which makes sense. That doesn't tend to be a problem for less impacted concentrations like Intl. Law (yay for me!), but does make a difference for security studies and IDEV. Perhaps contact SAIS and see if they can put you in contact with a current student or alum in the concentrations of interest to you so you can find out more? The alum I spoke with ended up concentrating in Intl. Law, which wasn't her plan intially, but worked out well with her interests while she was there. Those are the kind of stories that make me relax a little! A couple students I've been in contact with have also encouraged me to take the more specialized, concentration courses as early as the first semester as they are smaller and more interesting than the larger core courses. Since I'll be in Bologna, I'm excited to take some of the smaller courses only offered there, so will definitely follow their advice. My first semester will probably include one core course, macro econ, Intl. trade theory, a smaller intl. law course, and hopefully Italian. I'm really hoping I can test out of French early on so I can learn a new language Congrats on accepting your offer! Will you be in Bologna in the fall or DC both years? Maybe we'll have some classes together!

As mentioned by others, now is not early if you're planning to apply for entry in Fall 2014. This is the time to get started! Or do you mean you'll be applying in Fall 2014 for entry Fall 2015...? I started writing some comments but realized that I was echoing the folks above (good points!). Here are some other thoughts... Make sure to take the GRE in late summer/early fall so it's out of the way before application time/you can retake it if necessary. I recommend taking econ and/or stats at community college. This summer and fall would be good times so you have your grades by the time you're submitting your applications. In terms of work experience, on the bright side the economy has been crap for so many people over the past few years so your situation is not unusual. It really is all about how you tell your story. Filling in the gaps with classes and constructive odd jobs can be a positive. And volunteer!! Great way to get some experience and do some good in your community as well... I'm a bit of a volunteer nut though SIPA and NYU Wagner are great programs, but (in my recent experience and anecdotally) they don't tend to award much aid. You may find yourself in my shoes- getting in but being unable to afford them. So I recommend also considering fellowship and funding opportunities now as well. Best of luck with the move and applications!

Hmm... well I'm headed off to SAIS Bologna this fall and really couldn't be happier with my decision. I'm so excited in fact and am looking forward to exploring DC in year 2. Perhaps it won't be the place for me long-term, but I'm all for trying new places out! I spent a lot of time soul searching and considering many programs before deciding. I certainly don't think SAIS is for everyone, but it's a good fit for me. I'm definitely not concerned with prestige and really hope I'm not arrogant. If anything, I'm feeling incredibly grateful and generally hopeful this week. I just bought my plane ticket, yahoo! I think it's time to stop generalizing and, like Damis said earlier, just be happy! OP- MSFS and SAIS are both incredible programs. I don't know enough about the softer culture aspects at GTown to advise you, but I would say that at least you can't go wrong!

I second ZacharyObama... Are there any summer courses at your local community college? I got micro and macro econ out of the way while working full time and pulling an intense volunteer gig. They were just 3 hours each once a week for a semester, though during the summer might be accelerated. I spent under $100 a class and the workload was cake. Best of luck!

Thanks huerita! Yes it was after I had already accepted. I'll PM you more details.