alchyna

Welcome! Welcome! I'm always glad when lurkers come out of the shadows to join us! Trust me half the time I have nothing to say but I'm posting anyways ha ha ha ha and you all have to read my nonsense! You are absolutely right we are probably crashing their system checking constantly but that is their fault! The timeframe they gave is so broad! I've only been checking like twice a day but that's only because when I wake up the day is over in Europe so I check in the morning and I know nothing will change until the next day. If I was like most of you in the same time zone I would be checking every hour! I don't think we will hear anything until next week, seems like most iMIA/Mdev decisions will be sent next week. This week seems to be focused on smaller programs and Phds

LOL well worth the 60 credits I tell you! Thank god I saw sophia and arbitist's posts before checking my email or I would have had a heart attack! I already knew what was in my inbox

Yep just received the very same email! They are really playing with our minds what the hell! This email is not saying anything more than what is said online March 14! And how can they say no need to check the tracker when all these schools update the tracker first and then email us (except LSE in my experience) Oh and another thing why send info on Admitted Students Week to candidates who might end up being rejected? like seriously WTF?

Hahahaha hilarious! you always bring you sense of humour to the board! Thank god you are back everyone here is going nuts lol At least you have your priorities in order... wine first and program second! You know maybe thanks to you I will learn to appreciate wine!

Congratulations Mic!!!! I'm happy and relieved ha ha ha this means there is a chance we might all end up in Paris after all! How was your trip?

I am! Thinking about it at least... but I'm torn I really do like Sciences Po's Dev Practice MA better if you compare it to Dev Management at LSE there is really no contest if you ask me. Both have a consultancy project but Sciences Po has the edge because we get to choose concentrations and it has an internship component and skills training modules. MDP is more professional focused vs Dev Management that is still is pretty theoretical with a thesis at the end and zero internship requirement. But but but LSE is LSE!!! Here in the US going to the London School of ECONOMICS sounds impressive and makes you a de facto expert on economic matters ha ha ha When it comes to money they pretty much cost the same for one year so I think that will help me decide between the 2 will get my scholarship decision from Sciences Po in April. If I get nothing then it's LSE for sure! Note: I just wrote a whole post without mentioning IHEID... yay me! *pat myself on the back*

You couldn't have put it better! Nicely said Congrats to all those who have received admission! I'm still waiting like most of us... tomorrow is another day! This means there is no clear pattern of rejections first or anything like that! So being notified later is not comforting anymore...

Well glad to see there is a little bit of progress and someone got a decision back. Congratulations lui_aragon!!! Still under consideration for me and my guess is both interdisciplinary won't hear anything till the end of the week at the earliest. We will most likely be last to be notified next week. But let's try to be optimistic! I'm just dying to know at this point and my stomach is in knots ughhhh I'm unproductive at work as all I do is refresh this thread ha ha ha

If we only chose based on rankings things would be easy... I should just pick LSE get into lots of debt and call it a day since it's #3 after all! All jokes aside it's great to see so many foreign schools in rankings because usually it's as if only the US has good programs which is completely ridiculous.

Ok it's 8am here and I barely slept! I was so anxious for the morning to come so i could check the boards/my inbox to see if anyone has heard from IHEID. Annnnd... nothing! Wishful thinking I bet we won't hear anything for another 10 days arghhh I just want to know at this point good or bad so I can make my choice and start planning.

My guess is cost and location location location! We see 5,000 CHF a year vs £17,000 LSE vs €13,000 a year for Sciences Po (€20,000 for my 1 yr program) and $30,000+ a year for a US program and we think oy this is a great deal! The fact that it is in the heart of where virtually every ngo and international organization is located is an extra bonus. Since I have nothing better to do with myself but research random stuff lol I have been comparing the number of open internships/ graduate level jobs in development related UN organizations in Geneva, Paris and London. There is no comparison, Geneva has 3 times as many openings as London and Paris is last. I didn't look but I'm sure NY would have a lot too, but good luck getting a work sponsor in the US as an international. WOW now that's a sweet deal!

Hahaha yes I've been reading similar comparisons and it's scary! I don't intend on eating out everyday but damn how do you socialize when you can't even afford to go for a drink/meal with your classmates. Hey at least I would have to improve my cooking skills!

I am having the same doubts! Is the school that good? Yes it's Geneva but do they really help students find permanent jobs beyond internships... been reading some negative feedback about their career center (small school so small ressources) Am I dying to get in because it's the very first school I applied to and the last hold out? Everyday I lean in another direction, yesterday I really liked Sciences Po and its program and today I'm thinking LSE is not so bad.... Plus we keep saying IHEID is so much cheaper... is it really? Tuition definitely but I've been doing some research on cost of living in Geneva boy... even for full time working expatriates it's a financial challenge so you can imagine for us students barely working for 2 years! Even with a full scholarship the bulk of the cost will be living expenses and it is easier to get money for tuition than it is for other costs. I'm now convincing myself that it's not a big loss if I don't get in :-/

Katrun good luck with Brandeis! Angie had to walk me through it too! For those who want to add a signature: Go to My Settings < Signature and then write what you'd like

I am right there along with you! I have stopped checking my status a long time ago, I let go of that reflex after we were deferred. I think we will receive an email in any case so I'm not checking and I can't stand to see 'under consideration' once more. Just a few more days and we will know... patience! (I copied Angie and added a signature with the schools I applied to, I think it's helpful so we don't keep asking each other where we are applying to)

Angie and I suspect that basically no one was admitted into the interdisciplinary masters in the first round. They did reject some and defer some. We spend half our lives online and have not come across a single person who was credible and accepted into MIA or Mdev. Usually accepted students are the first to run on the boards/forum/facebook and shout it from the roof tops looking for others who are going. And usually every year after the first round an accepted students facebook page is created for that year's entry so admitted students can join and talk. So far nothing! Mdev and MIA are the biggest programs the school offers and I think they grew bigger and bigger over the years and now school officials are really trying to limit the size of the 2014 entry class. This is probably why next to no one got in the first round.

You're welcome! I pulled the info from official immigration pages and lse international students regulations, so I'm sure this is accurate. The question should not be what country lets internationals stay longer, but rather where is it easier to get sponsored by an employer!

None of these countries make you leave immediatly after you complete your degree, there is a grace period that gives you enough time to find work. You are absolutely right that one country might give you more time than another and that for all of them, non EU citizens must be sponsored, but some are not as rigid as others: Switzerland: Non-EU/EFTA citizens studying in Switzerland are permitted to accept part-time employment for a maximum of 15 hours per week, but only after residing in Switzerland for a minimum of 6 months. Students must maintain full-time student status and show regular progress in their studies. Third country nationals who earn a degree from a university in Switzerland may stay in the country for up to six months after graduation to seek full, permanent employment. Non-EU/EFTA citizens must acquire a work permit before beginning their job. In general, the employer submits an application to the relevant authority of the canton where the prospective employee will be working. The application process can take up to several weeks. Candidates who receive a degree from a university in Switzerland will be granted facilitated admission to the Swiss labor market. Employers will still have to show proof that the candidate is of economic and scientific interest to the Swiss labor market. United Kingdom: While studying in the UK, students with Tier 4 (General) Student visas and student visas issued before the points based system (PBS) was introduced in March 2009 are also permitted to work. Employers are not required to obtain permission for students to be able to work. Full time degree students at LSE will have a sticker in their passport or a Biometric Residence Permit. (This is in the form of an ID card) that shows that they are permitted to work. Students can work part time during term time (dates set by LSE) and full time in vacations. Masters students on one year programmes are not on vacation during the Summer and can only work full time after the official end date of their LSE programme. LSE students studying on degree programmes can work up to 20 hours a week during term time. Students who have completed their programme can work full time from the official end date of the LSE programme until the expiry date of their visa. LSE students on 9 month Master programmes will have permission to remain in the UK for two months after the end date of their programme. Students who submit an in-time application to switch into a different immigration category (for example, Tier 2) will obtain an automatic extension of their student visa until a decision is made and they can continue to work under the student immigration rules. the government has made it easier for employers to recruit students who are already in the UK with Tier 4 (General) Student visas. France: International students have the right to work while studying in France as long as they are enrolled in an institution that participates in the national student health-care plan. Students who are not nationals of EU member countries must also hold a valid residency permit. The right to work applies to all students, including those who are in France for the first time, those who are enrolled in the first year of a university program, and those who are enrolled full-time in a language school. The law allows students to work 964 hours in a given year, which corresponds to 60% of full-time employment for the year. You are no longer required to obtain temporary employment authorization in order to work part-time while enrolled. Students who have earned at least a master’s degree or the equivalent may apply for a one-time (nonrenewable) temporary residency authorization valid for 12 months beyond the date of expiration of the student’s residency permit. The authorization enables the student to work at any job up to the limit of 60% of the official work week (that is, just over half-time employment). Students who obtain a job related to their academic program at a rate of compensation equal to at least 1.5 times the national minimum wage may enter full-time employment by filing a request for change of status (from student to employee) at their prefecture. Applicants for employment authorization must submit an employment contract or offer of employment from a French firm. In adjudicating the application, the authorities will take several criteria into account, including the firm’s motives, the applicant’s background, and the amount of time the applicant has spent in French higher education.

Oh That's great congratulations Curious_Grad! Do you know when SOAS gives out financial aid decisions? I have heard nothing in this regard from them. I feel like we are all getting great news left and right from all the schools and hope the streak of good luck continues for all of us with the Graduate Institute!

Enjoy your trip! And hopefully when you get back there will be good news waiting for you!

You know it's not sick at all I feel the same way! If the decision is kind of out of my hands because one of my top choices rejects me but the other takes me then it makes it a bit easier to choose with no regrets. (with that said IHEID don't reject me please!!) I'm also leaning towards the 2 year program at IHEID because I feel like one year will go by so fast! But I'm torn because I'm older than most here and not fresh out of undergrad, I already have been working for a few years so do I really want to go back to school for 2 years? That also seems like a very long time to not be working full time... not to mention that LSE's prestige is undeniable and my favorite curriculum is Sciences Po's because it's really all about teaching you practical skills. I'm so torn and all over the place! LSE gave me a bit of money but it will not be even close to enough for me to be granted a UK student visa by proving I have sufficient funds to pay tuition and living costs. I am like you looking at other options so if you come across anything for internationals please do share and I'll do the same. I will really focus on that when I do choose a school, it's hard searching for funding in 3 different countries when you don't even know where you will end up.

In May?!!! Oh wow that's wayyyyy too long, especially those of us who applied before Nov 15! I understand making January deadline people wait a bit longer but not the rest of us. I need to make up my mind before that anyway. Sciences Po is giving me until April to accept their offer or not but LSE is quite generous in that regard we have 6 weeks and even if we take longer they don't rescind the offer.

Ok guys now my fear for IHEID is not even rejection... at least that will put me out of my misery... my fear is WAIT LIST. I swear you guys if I get wait listed I will cry ha ha

Congratulations on the LSE MPA that's a really tough program! You know your workload will be twice as heavy as Msc students. I really wanted to do it but the price I don't even know if I can afford the 1 year Msc so I knew a 2 year program would be out of reach for me. Oh and also I suck at anything quantitative so MPA ID was not in the cards for me! Do you know how long you have to wait for a funding decision? I got mine right along with admission. I get what you are saying I'm nervous about IHEID but not dying like when we were waiting for the first round and I had no admissions yet.

I know I said I was going to step away from the keyboard but I couldn't help myself... congratulations! Even if you end up not accepting the offer, you can at least say you got in. Are you sure you looked into all possible funding options? I got my reply last week for the very same program! I am actually torn between Dev Management at LSE and Dev Practice at Sciences Po at the moment and both are 1 year programs (for my own sanity I refuse to think about IHEID for the next few days) I think you are the only other person who applied for Dev Management on this thread. Where else did you apply and if funding was not a problem... where would you go?