jm08

@Pinkman -- cliche, but agree, the experience is what you make of it. And having good filters so you can weed out people.

I don't mean to be a jerk, as I'm genuinely curious - but what is driving all of these intense responses to the things Revolution posts? He is what he is, that much is obvious from his posts. I ask because I am really wondering what the student body will be like at HKS versus SAIS. My personal goal is to be as friendly and engaging as possible because I'm sure everyone on this board knows what it's like to be in a new city and not know anybody. I also wonder how SAIS students will treat students from less-ranked schools in the DC area. I hate so sound polly-anna-ish as I'm sure the SAIS student body, like at all schools, will break into its own cliques after a few weeks once the program starts...but, what type of experience is everyone aiming to have at the program? What's your plan to engage others? How will you deal with the douche bags in the program? Especially the name droppers; drive me nuts.

Randomly came across the "Red Book" SAIS student manual. Lot of interesting things inside if you want details on whatever topic... http://legacy2.sais-jhu.edu/academics/academic-affairs/pdf/Red%20Book%20AY%2012-13%2008.27.12.pdf Also, for folks interested in what graduates of top MBA programs make here are the top 40 (I think) and they're all over 6-figures. http://poetsandquants.com/2013/03/18/where-six-figure-pay-is-a-done-deal/2/ The point I want to make is -- if you're interested in making 6-figures right out of school -- it isn't that hard to do. If you can get into SAIS, then it is likely you can get into one of the programs on this list. And, no, this is not meant to be fodder for the idiotic is "SAIS the same as top 10 MBA" program that seems to resurface on a regular basis. Just pointing out options.

Here you go, straight from a letter SAIS sent me: WASHINGTON, DC: May 18-19, 2013; June 8-9, 2013; August 28-29, 2013; September 10-11, 2013; January 11-13, 2014 BOLOGNA: June 25-26, 2013 ; September 10-11, 2013; December 3-4, 2013; February 4-5, 2014

@ivydream3 -- that is a damn good question. I have no idea. SAIS may or may not have a firm policy on that type of arrangement. I suspect it will depend on your background and whether they've done that sort of thing in the past. Would love to hear what you find out. And, yeah, micro and macro are pre-requisites for monetary theory and international trade, respectively.

Yeah, it's important to make the distinction between introductory and intermediate. Summary flow chart Introductory courses (no credit; must take before you matriculate) --> Macro and Micro Intermediate (pre-term or fall; credit and required) --> Trade and Monetary (spring; credit and required) --> 2 electives --> Further specialization if desired. So, depending on your circumstances you will either have to take the introductory stuff online; or, determine if you want to take summer or pre-term courses to free up electives. Below is the long-ass copy and paste job from the website: All candidates for the M.A. degree must complete a concentration in the field of international economics. The concentration consists of a series of course requirements and economics electives. Course requirements for the concentration in International Economics consist of three levels: (1) fundamental economic theory courses in microeconomics and macroeconomics, (2) core courses in international trade and monetary economics theory and (3) two additional elective economics courses offered through the International Economics Program. To complete the first level, students must demonstrate knowledge of microeconomics and macroeconomics at the intermediate level. These are typically second-level courses. This can be done either by taking and passing the SAIS Microeconomics and Macroeconomics courses—during Pre-Term or during a regular academic term—or, if qualified, by passing waiver exams. All students must attempt the waiver exams for Microeconomics and Macroeconomics before their first semester at SAIS. For students with a stronger mathematics background and a deeper interest in economic theory, SAIS also offers accelerated versions of the Microeconomics and Macroeconomics courses (Microeconomics in Pre-Term; both courses in a regular academic term). These accelerated courses cover the same material taught in the regular courses but in more depth and at a quicker pace by greater emphasis on mathematical methods. For the second level, students must demonstrate knowledge of international trade and monetary theory. This can be done either by taking and passing the International Trade Theory and International Monetary Theory courses during a regular academic term or, if qualified, by passing waiver exams. All students must attempt the waiver exam in Trade and Monetary Theory before their second semester at SAIS. SAIS offers accelerated versions of the International Trade Theory and International Monetary Theory courses for students who have strong quantitative skills. These accelerated courses cover the same material taught in the regular courses during a regular academic term but are designed for highly motivated economics students and those with career interests in economics. The third level requires students to choose from among the many elective courses offered in the International Economics Program. Students must pass at least two additional elective courses from the International Economics Program offerings. Many students choose to take more than the minimum, and the program offers an array of lecture and seminar classes in the areas of advanced theory, quantitative methods, international finance and development economics. Students who pass the waiver exams for International Trade Theory and/or International Monetary Theory must take additional elective courses in their place. The minimum course requirement for the concentration, beyond Microeconomics and Macroeconomics, is four courses offered through the International Economics Program.

No problem -- I edited my post to double-check against the actual website. Gets a little confusing, but I believe that is accurate. If you are comfortable with economics and math, you may want to think about taking the waiver exams. You could potentially test out of 4 classes. I'm sure this is rare, but that's 25% (more or less) of your total courses in order to graduate! That frees up a lot of electives. And, it's only mid-March so you have plenty of time to study if you're disciplined. I haven't seen any posts re: the difficulty of the micro or macro exams, unfortunately. However, there is enough time to register for the waiver exam, which must be done in-person on the campus...if you fail -- no sweat -- you can always attend during the summer or pre-term. There are also "accelerated" versions of these courses, too.

Sorry for the confusion. If you have any requirements that you need to take before school starts they will be listed in your admissions letter. If you letter does not state anything specifically than I wouldn't be too concerned. To break this down in a mini-chart: Minimal economics background -- in some cases you will be required to take an introductory-level course so that you are prepared to take (intermediate) micro and macro at SAIS when school starts. There is also a math bootcamp available, too. Note -- SAIS does not call the classes intro or intermediary -- just micro and macro. IDEV -- must take (intermediate) microeconomics during the summer. Counts toward your core requirements. If you want a "head start" to free electives -- you can take micro or macro. I believe you can try to take trade theory or monetary policy (the other 2 required classes) depending on your background. Waiver exams -- if you received a B- or higher in any of the 4 required courses than you can sit for the waiver exam at designated dates. You can only take the exam once. Trade theory and monetary policy are offered in the Spring only. A typical student's schedule will have micro and macro in the fall; then trade theory and monetary policy in the spring. Note that micro and macro are pre-requisites for monetary policy and trade theory. After those 4 classes are complete you pick 2 electives. This is the minimum, many people take additional courses in one of the advanced tracks. This SAIS page should answer your questions: http://legacy2.sais-jhu.edu/academics/economics/ma-requirements/index.htm If anything I wrote is wrong, please let me know so I can edit or delete this post. And, yes, I found the SAIS requirements to be a bit confusing because the class is so diverse in terms of backgrounds.

@Revolution -- yes, like you, I have many friends at top MBA programs and have attended their parties. Hence my qualifier "for DC"; besides give me liquor and I can enjoy just about anybody's company.

Anyone interested in joint-degree information, here you go: SAIS has formal programs with Wharton, Tuck, and INSEAD. The upside is that it's less of a hassle negotiating what credits count twice. You can apply to a MBA program during your first semester at SAIS; or vice-versa if you are already in at a MBA program. You have to do a full year at both institutions; the remaining year can be done in any order. SAIS will generally accept "ad-hoc" arrangements with most high-ranked MBA programs. HBS and Darden do NOT allow you to do a dual-degree with schools outside their institution. If HBS is on your radar it will take 3.5 years. SAIS folks have done joint degrees with Stanford, Columbia, Sloan, Kellogg, Booth, Yale, and others. Strongly suggest you contact the MBA programs you are interested in to learn more about their policy toward joint degrees with outside institutions. It is generally smarter to do your first year at SAIS followed by 3 semesters at the MBA program to take advantage of the MBA recruitment season and summer internships. IF you are pursuing more of a private sector career. Attending SAIS, to my knowledge, does not particularly help or harm your chances of acceptance at a MBA program. Wharton caps the # of dual-degree students at around 15, most years. Most schools accept the GRE, but I strongly encourage you to take the GMAT if you have the time or money to do so. GMAT math is considered much more difficult than the GRE, and includes "sentence correction" for the verbal portion. General wisdom is you should aim for 80 percent in both math and verbal; although a score of ~680 generally puts you in the running for top programs. That's it off the top of my head. Message me if you want more specific details. Also -- you need to be able to make a strong case on why you need both degrees; what each program is going to offer you; and, a clear sense of how you want to divide the curriculum so that you're not wasting money taking the same class twice.

@Revolution -- I don't think your time allocation will be that dramatic. You have plenty of opportunity throughout the year to do internships and meet people. DC culture is very networking-focused (obvi). Just find the one or two people who like you and know everyone else in your field and you'll be golden. Quality vs. quantity play. Plus, half your work is cut out for you because you know exactly what you want to do, which allows you to save a lot of time re: who you strategically target. Plus, SAIS students do throw some of the best parties ...at least for DC anyway. I'm sure you can graduate with a drinking problem and a great job!

FYI -- I suggest using Varian; it's generally considered to be one of the better books to use if you're going the self-study route. Good deals on Amazon and secondary book markets.

FYI for people who want to take the intermediate microexam; from the legacy SAIS website: The Microeconomics waiver exam will include material from the following areas: Supply and Demand; Utility Functions; Budget Constraints; Derivation of Demand Curves; Substitution and Income Effect; Consumer and Producer Surplus; Market Demand and Elasticity; Productions and Cost Functions; Perfect Competition; Monopoly and Oligopoly; Multimarket Equilibruim; Asymmetric Information; Externalities; Public Goods; Bargaining, Efficiency, and the Coase Theorem; Basic Game Theory. Some text books to consider for review are: Intermediate Microeconomics, by Varian, latest edition, Norton Microeconomics, by Pindyck & Rubinfeld, latest edition, Pearson Microeconomics, by Katz & Rosen, latest edition, McGraw-Hill. I believe it's microeconomics with (basic) calculus. If you have an economics background the above topics are pretty straight-forward. Also, there are a number of great sites -- check out resources posted by MIT Econ PhDs for problem sets and other refresher material. I am not going to be stuck in DC for the summer. Hell. No.

Hi everyone, Wanted to start a thread for any current or soon-to-be SAIS IDEV students. Or, anyone interested in international development? Thought this might be a good place to get to know each other and perhaps compare notes on the program, or share information on classes, professors, career goals, or other topics. Thanks!