XYZMan

P.S. Whatever you end up doing, you should know that Revolution expects to make a lot of money (at least $90,000 given his years of experience in finance) and that he has only the finest educational pedigree.
 
This information seems to end up in every thread, so I figured I would get a head start.

I had no relevant classes and I still got into competitive IR programs.
 
Yes, a MA will help you get a PhD.  But you are getting ahead of yourself.  If you want to do work with "global justice", I would recommend spending a couple of years working directly with these issues, whether abroad or domestically.
 
Your questions are almost impossibly vague.  You can get a better sense of what you need to do the things you want to do by looking at the biographies of the staff at organizations you might want to work for.  (HRW?  AI?  UNHCR?)  Ask for informational interviews with people at these places.
 
Generally, though, a PhD is not required to do applied work.  PhDs are usually for people who want to do high level research.  MAs are usually for people who want to be doing very applied work.
 
I'll add as a last note: don't be too worried about molding yourself into a preconceived notion.  Follow your interests.  They will change over time.  Also consider that Howard Zinn, Edward Said, and Noam Chomsky -- three of the most influential human rights advocates -- made enormous contributions without taking traditional routes.
 
You might also consider a law degree.  But if you do that and go into human rights, you'll probably be in debt for a VERY long time.

P.S. Whatever you end up doing, you should know that Revolution expects to make a lot of money (at least $90,000 given his years of experience in finance) and that he has only the finest educational pedigree.
 
This information seems to end up in every thread, so I figured I would get a head start.

P.S. Whatever you end up doing, you should know that Revolution expects to make a lot of money (at least $90,000 given his years of experience in finance) and that he has only the finest educational pedigree.
 
This information seems to end up in every thread, so I figured I would get a head start.

P.S. Whatever you end up doing, you should know that Revolution expects to make a lot of money (at least $90,000 given his years of experience in finance) and that he has only the finest educational pedigree.
 
This information seems to end up in every thread, so I figured I would get a head start.

P.S. Whatever you end up doing, you should know that Revolution expects to make a lot of money (at least $90,000 given his years of experience in finance) and that he has only the finest educational pedigree.
 
This information seems to end up in every thread, so I figured I would get a head start.

P.S. Whatever you end up doing, you should know that Revolution expects to make a lot of money (at least $90,000 given his years of experience in finance) and that he has only the finest educational pedigree.
 
This information seems to end up in every thread, so I figured I would get a head start.

P.S. Whatever you end up doing, you should know that Revolution expects to make a lot of money (at least $90,000 given his years of experience in finance) and that he has only the finest educational pedigree.
 
This information seems to end up in every thread, so I figured I would get a head start.

P.S. Whatever you end up doing, you should know that Revolution expects to make a lot of money (at least $90,000 given his years of experience in finance) and that he has only the finest educational pedigree.
 
This information seems to end up in every thread, so I figured I would get a head start.

Obviously, there are some situations in which a person might take things personally and react improperly.  It happens.  The thing to keep in mind is that Revolution is the type of person who gets joy out of trying to demean others anonymously.  I'm sure he's getting a good chuckle, but at the end of the day he deserves more pity than scorn.  It's depressing when someone derives joy from making others feel bad about themselves.

I would study in the US and apply for a Boren Fellowship.

Boston actually has the second most expensive housing market in the country right now, and one of the highest rental markets. It's behind NYC, but then rent in NYC is obscene by any standard. Protip: if you're ever writing policy that will be consumed by the public, you may not want to piss them off by referring to their homes as secondary or lower tier. I realize you're not trying to be offensive, but in the words of Archer: phrasing!

I don't have any loan payments at the moment, which is a good point, but it's a budgeting matter like anything else. I personally think you'd have to be deranged, from a financial perspective, to take out $100K of loans for any MPP program - regardless of previous loans that you may be carrying. Even $50K in loans would be pushing it.

Kids and the timing thereof are a completely personal choice. If you want kids at a young-ish age, they need to factor into your budget. I think that's true whether you're deciding on grad school, a new job, or even a mortgage.

ETA: eh, this was grouchier than I meant to come across. Having lived in several different regions of the country, I get very tired of the tunnel vision on the east coast which seems to shrink the world down to NYC, Boston and D.C (with San Francisco thrown in for funzies). Go west (and south), pioneers! I promise you'll find real people amongst the cattle and corn.

Also, don't base your decision based on the reputation of the schools on this forum.  Half of the people here are crazy.  The other half are also crazy.

Go away. You add nothing to a discussion you've already derailed once. 

You do realize this thread was started specifically because you ruined the other one, right? You made your choice, now please have the courtesy to not post in here, thank you.

You made the right choice. SAIS is simply not worth it, especially if you don't get funding. I was offered half tuition fellowship at SAIS DC but will be turning it down. Unreal how a policy program can charge an annual tuition of $40K.

Go away, Revolution.

HKS is not worth the sticker price.  As others have mentioned, it is not HLS or HBS.  The students and the training aren't better than what you see at Fletcher and other top programs.  You're signing up for added years of debt for a name that's not very well regarded.
 
On the other hand, if you want to pay tens of thousands of dollars to brag to your neighbor and your high school friends, it's totally worth it.

I know people who attend and they have had a great experience.  I think you will find the small class size to your advantage.  You'll be able to have more meaningful connections to professors/your recommenders than you would at a place with 200 students.
 
Check out their World Fellows program.  That is a major advantage on the networking side of things.
 
I would also bet on the fact that Jackon's worldwide reputation will be going up and up over the years.
 
I wouldn't worry about the name of the degree.

Is this a joke?