cckrspnl56

Also, I'll be at school today after 1:00 and am more than willing to trade advice for whatever food and wine that they are bribing you with.

I didn't, but again, it's up to what you want to do. The Bologna Career Service Center is very, very aware of the perception that it's harder for Bologna students to land an internships, and they will pester you from day one (literally) to work with them to develop your career goals. I interned at the Department of State and had 0% problems (including receiving a security clearance) because it is all done online. I have heard, however, that it is difficult, if not impossible, to land the appropriate clearances if you are looking to intern in an intelligence agency or the FBI. Age-wise, I believe the average for my year was 26-27, which is a few years younger than the DC cohort.

A few things. A typical semester course load is 4 courses + a language course. Your language course does not affect your GPA, so don't worry about that. Also, if they realize your above the class level they will just bump you up to the next level. I came into SAIS with 0 econ, 1 semester of Calc, and a 770 Quant on my GRE. I took two intro to micro/macro courses at my local community college and then chose to do the dreaded "double pre-term" of taking both Intermediate Micro and Intermediate Macro during DC preterm. It sucked, and I had no social life for that month, but I'm glad I did it because I got two required courses out of the way. When you only have 16 classes (+ audits), every course matters. I would say if you want to do investment or consulting it would be fairly important to get as much econ out of the way as possible. During my year, corporate finance was taught in the Fall semester (Micro is a pre-req), and I can't imagine it being too much fun taking Macro + Corp. Fin. at the same time. If you want to go into either of those fields, you're pretty much going to need a summer internship. Considering your applications for those will go out November-January, you'll want to pack your first semester with as many relevant courses as possible.

Bologna '12 DC '13 here. Just wanted to throw in a few things. 1) If it hasn't changed, your 2nd year funding is based 100% off of your 1st year GPA. I'm *fairly* sure most of the students who had 4.0s received full funding in DC. I had a 3.65ish (A- average, give or take) and received 8k funding for my second year. Your mileage may vary. 2) You need to take a solid look at what Bologna has to offer and how that is going to fit into your career path. I was shocked to find out that students in my year came to Bologna expecting to study Mandarin, Asian Studies, and/or advanced finance courses. As an AFP concentrator with a conc. in economic policy, I am more than satisfied with my course selection both in Bologna and DC. That being said, I thought the economics courses were weaker in Bologna than in DC. The reason for that is they typically hire on adjuncts semester-by-semester, and it's truly hit-or-miss if you get a great professor or not for a particular semester. 3) If one of your hesitations is "It sounds like a glorified study abroad trip," then Bologna probably isn't the place for you. Yes, the Bologna crowd is younger, and yes, they probably are more functioning alcoholics than the DC group, but the academics are no less rigorous, no less exhausting, and no less challenging than their DC counterparts. I looked at it as, "I get to spend the next year with 200 domestic and international students who voluntarily chose to explore/study/travel in another culture while undergoing the incredibly difficult at SAIS? Yes, these are absolutely the people I want to spend my time with." 4) Tell the cute girl from Universita della pizza I say hello.

Don't let the econ requirements scare you. Quite frankly, they wouldn't have let you in if they didn't think you had the natural aptitude to pick it up. Before SAIS, I had only taken one class in Econ (and it was more sociology than economy) and I hadn't taken calculus since senior year of HS. The DVDs they give you are great for refreshing your math. You have to keep in mind that the goal of SAIS isn't to force you to become a practitioner in economics *unless of course, you want to) but rather to give you the foundation necessary to apply economic concepts to whatever career you end up pursuing, because your knowledge of those concepts will make you much more valuable to your employer. Of the economic courses I've taken so far (Micro, Macro, Trade, Stats, Econometrics, Public Sector Econ, International Financial Markets), the only one that has legitimately kicked my ass is Econometrics, but it's an optional class and I should've known my weaknesses before going into it. Micro was fairly heavy on the math but the TAs and professor were absolutely top notch. I should say, however, that enough people struggled with Micro in BC this fall that they had to offer an additional Spring session, but I'm not in any position to say if that was a reflection on the professor or the students.

I'd just like to say that I disagree with essentially everything the above poster said, with some caveats. As a current student, I can without hesitation that the most interesting students that I've come to know are the ones who come from different disciplines simply because they are able to provide a perspective that is otherwise lacking. They are able to glean from the lectures and the readings information that pass by me because my experiences and my training have been so different. The benefit of grad school is the breadth and the diversity of students -- is your learning experience honestly enhanced by sitting in a classroom where half the students just graduated from the Ivy League and can recite Thucydides and Waltz? That being said, you need to be able to show a demonstrated interest in intelligence/strategic studies and that this isn't just a pipe dream caused by a midlife crisis. Regardless of what people tell you, there is nothing wrong with having an "epiphany" moment -- but now you have to work towards that goal. Take a political economy or intro to IR class at a local college (or even online) to show the Adcoms that you are able to translate your natural skill/intelligence to a new field. There are plenty of applicants every year who come from a background of computer science / information technology, and they are just as competitive as the rest. Also, being in your late 20s is not a "relatively advanced age."

It shouldn't be too hard to find a 1 month sublease. I did pre-term in Bologn and DC and found a super cheap $820 sublease at 12th and M nw after about 3 or 4 days of looking.

I enrolled at SAIS (BC12 DC13) not having any econ experience whatsoever and I decided to take Micro/Macro at the same time. It sucks. It was a lot of work, and I hated it. I had 0 time for social activities (with the exception of Friday happy hour, because hey, it's Friday happy hour). I walked out of the first Micro test feeling like I failed it. One girl in our study group (both micro/macro people) dropped out before the Micro midterm. I thought my life at SAIS was over before it began and that I would never be able to succeed. That being said - I High Passed both clsases and came out of the 4 weeks with a solid economic base that has been the foundation for the rest of my studies here. It was difficult and I gave up a social life but I would absolutely do it again. If anything, I got major clout points from my current group of friends. Mattijs (Belgiun dude who looks like Seinfeld) is one of the most outstanding teachers at SAIS, and Akin (Not sure if you'll have her this Pre-Term as she is a Bologna resident this year) is decent (and her tests come straight off of the reviews). Our Micro TAs were phenomenal and stayed for 4-5 hours past their schedule. So if you want a challenging summer, I absolutely say go for it. It's a pretty big deal to get two classes out of the way that you otherwise could not test out of.

$1200 for one course, $1800 for two. It can be charged to your student account.

It's important to consider that the Bologna campus has a considerably different course selection. Off the top of my head, I can only think of two IDev courses and two econ courses that count towards the finance specialization that were offered this year. That being said (and I'm not particularly familiar with the IDev reqs) Bologna will certainly offer the standard required courses for the degree (Micro, Macro, Trade, Monetary, all four core classes), as well as regional economic courses for Asia and Africa. I felt like a few students this year were shocked and dismayed about the course selection; it seemed as if they were confused that a school in the middle of Italy would have a slant towards European Studies.

Generally, most students take 4 classes + one language course a semester. There are few students who have *zero* experience in a foreign language, and for those who do have experience they take a placement test to determine which level class to join. Additionally, students accepted to the Bologna program have the option to take an "Intensive Italian" course a month before classes begin. Its goal is to bring students to an Intermediate Low proficiency. I'm taking that and hoping to test out of Italian by the end of the year.

Hi Wonkish, I'm also a SAISer and I can confirm that you don't need proficiency in a second language to be admitted. I was admitted as a native English speaker with only 3 semesters of Spanish. You are required, however, to demonstrate proficiency before you receive your degree. This is generally 4 semesters worth of a foreign language, with specific requirements varying by language.

I was in the same, but less buoyant, boat as you when I applied last year. I graduated in 2009 with a degree in history and philosophy and when I applied my only significant international experience was teaching six months in China - and I was not, in any way, interested in Chinese Studies. It's all a matter of how you tie it into your statement of purpose. Teaching in Colombia definitely has a "wow" factor, and if you able to relate your study of focus into the experiences you gained there, it will give the committee a strong case for admitting you. For me, I wrote about the ignorance of American culture when it comes to other nations and how I want to be in a position to educate the public while shaping policy. My relevant stats: GRE 600V, 770Q. 3.62 gpa. I applied to SAIS, Tufts, Korbel, and American. Accepted everywhere except Tufts (waitlisted), and I'm attending SAIS in the Fall.

There is a MySAIS page?!?

I received an e-mail last week from Bologna - they have created a facebook group. "SAIS Bologna Center 2011-2012." I assumed you all received the same e-mail. Whoops!