alchyna

Thanks Mych! I guess we can stop overstressing... she gave the latest possible deadline! Like most of you I don't know if I should hope to hear back the first week of March or be glad if I hear nothing back for a while. My guess is early round applicant's decisions have already been made since our applications were reviewed first. Arghhh so much speculation... my stomach is in knots! Ok stepping away from the keyboard.....

I considered posting on IHEID facebook page because I know that Ms Eicher checks it and replies to prospective students but I figured it clearly says decisions will be released from March 1-15 I doubt she will say anything beyond that... no?

Good luck! Crossing my fingers for you I wonder if we can expect some decisions for MIA/Mdev some time this week or only starting next week...

Hey don't forget about me! i want to meet you guys in Geneva too... or Paris I'm cool with that too :-) We're supposed to do that picnic by the lake but it could just as well be by the Eiffel tower ha ha

Yes we will most likely start getting decisions in waves probably from March 3rd. I totally know what you are talking about becauseI feel the same way! I have never felt super confident about my chances of admission at IHEID but now that I have a few admissions under my belt I feel more at ease. It's my first choice so I'm trying to stay positive. In the meantime, let's hope we are all getting in and read the IHEID Student Association student guide if you haven't already. It contains so much useful information: http://mygisa.ch/guide/

Yes you are right but no decision in the early admission round is applicants criticism, I was thinking more in terms of criticism from current students/alumni who have gone to the school.

Thanks mickun! I watched the whole thing... why is there not a 'forward' button on these videos! The second part was indeed interesting with that alumni talking about employment opportunities post graduation. But then I thought what else can he say but great things about the school while he is sitting next to the Admissions Director? I'd like to hear a more balanced view. I've heard criticism about every school LSE, Sciences Po, SOAS etc and I have yet to hear one bad thing about IHEID...

Mic, Ideally yes it would be great to be able to go volunteer for a year half way across the world but keep in mind that not everyone is able to do that. After undergrad most have loans to repay or personal responsibilities that make it difficult to just drop everything and go work in the field for years. If you do not live in a developing country there are still volunteering opportunities, but few are focused on development unless you live in NY or Geneva where those big organizations are. And even so, It's hard to grow your skill set when you are asked for experience to even offer your free time as a volunteer in most cases I've encountered. I agree with those who say that beyond passion you need a realistic picture of what working in development means. This field is so competitive, few spots for many many graduates. A good program in an elite school can certainly give us a leg up but it is not everything.They do favor practitioners who can bring language and technical skills to the table or have a specific field of expertise. If you don't have any of that then you need a gazillion years of experience. I feel like as long as one is realistic in their post graduation goal, has a coherent career plan and is prepared to pay their dues then that person will be just fine. But most students who think it's all glamorous traveling on various conferences and cushy Geneva job will be disappointed... unless they know someone who knows someone LOL Oh and welcome to all the new posters enriching the conversation like Zak and Calamari

Ok yeah guys... that's exactly everything I wanted to say! lol The only problem is that there is a catch 22 many of us find ourselves in: To get a job one needs years of work experience To get work experience you try to find internships to get your foot in the door But to get an internship you need to be enrolled in a program But to get in a good program often requires relevant work experience.... SHOOT ME... it's the vicious circle I find myself in right now.

I think we need to keep in mind that comparing US schools to European ones is quite unfair if you think about it. Students going to Colombia SIPA for example will end up spending about 50k on tuition alone and if you add room/board it will cost about $70,000 for ONE year of study in a 2 year program vs let's say LSE's 1 year masters at less than $30,000 and Sciences Po costs 'only' 13,000 euros a year, and remember that's for internationals, IHEID is even cheaper than LSE/Sciences Po. Less elite European universities are free for Europeans and just as cheap for internationals, there are small fees to pay but one does not need to bet on their financial future to attend and borrow an arm and a leg. This is why I am leaving the US to attend a European institution, there is no way I am going to start working in the field of development saddled with 50 or 100K in debt. That's insane to me, maybe it makes sense for MBAs but not for us in my humble opinion. School in Europe is much more accessible and they obviously cannot afford to coddle students like US universities do. If I'm spending $50,000 a year, I'm telling you those professors better be available to me and the administration better be top notch! The way cheaper schools can filter students is to make grading harder. Most students will fail and only the strongest survive. Failing a class in a US school means you really and I mean really didn't even show up. So the European way of teaching will take some adjustment I'm sure, but schools like Sciences Po are moving slowly towards a more American style of teaching, PSIA is fairly new and it's a slow transition,

I went to a french high school and what enviropol says about grading is absolutely right "Grades are completely arbitrary. By this I mean, rubrics are RARELY used and professors rarely have to explain their grading system outside of just "this is a __/20 because it just is.."Coming from any university outside of the French system, this may be a shock for you" I remember getting a 15/20 was a miracle already let alone 20/20 which rarely happened to even the best students (except in subjects like math and sciences where you are either right or wrong). As for the rest I don't know if it is entirely true, we should take what one person says with a grain of salt. I'm sure LSE, IHEID and every other school have students who have lots to say about the programs as well. Not everyone will love every aspect of it. Some students will say how great Sciences Po is and others will tell us how horrendous the school is and there is always room for improvement. Let me know if anyone can dig up more info on Sciences Po/LSE, it's certainly helpful to make choices with eyes wide open. I'm curious about IHEID most of all actually because there is not much out there about it.

Cool thanks Angie! I will check those out. I came across this thread, those who are interested in Sciences Po please read the last 2 posts of the thread it's very interesting and a bit scary what posters who attended PSIA have to say... http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/graduate-school/689132-lse-versus-sciences-po-help-me-p2.html

I don't mind sharing at all, LSE is giving me £6,500 which is not bad but 1 year tuition is about £17,000 so I feel like I could have asked for way more but I figured being greedy would look bad when I was filling out the Graduate Scheme application and would reduce my chances of getting anything at all. Angie what thread is it? Can you give me the link of the Sciences Po/LSE thread you are talking about? And besides I might join you in Paris if the scholarship offer is higher! At the end of the day I will follow the money.

Thank you mych! I never thought I'd have that many options and now I am so torn! LSE is world renowned but dev is not their specialty so the program is alright. I like Sciences Po's curriculum much more and tuition is cheaper so if their funding is better I would lean towards Paris. But I mean it's LSE... If I want to come back to the US an LSE degree is more impressive. Thoughs?

You know I hesitated for a long time between the MPA ID and the Dev Management programs but then all the math and theory in the MPA curriculum put me off, and it was more expensive too. Be patient I was going on week 11 counting the holidays and I was going crazy! I was going to call them today and checked my email and there was the admission decision. Good luck!

Thank you arbitist! I applied everywhere pretty early in mid November so it was about time! What program did you apply to at LSE?

Sciences Po always replies to me in English but the mass admission emails they send are both in French and English. I am a native french speaker so if anyone ever needs a correspondence with them translated, don't hesitate to ask cuz google translate is a scary thing lol I did get a reply from them regarding the February 21st deadline to accept their offer issue I had. They said to disregard this email and that I can wait until I get a decision from their AFd scholarship in April to decide. In other news I finally heard back from LSE today! Unconditional offer in Development Management and they are even giving me money! I heard so many times how tight they are on their purse strings so I was so reasonable with the question "what is the minimum amout you need to take your place at LSE?" And now I'm like shoot I should have asked for more because that is exactly what they gave me.

Lmao!! Mic you cracked me up! Sounds like a plan ha ha... I want in too and I've always wanted to go to Argentina so I hope you have a spot for one more! I don't drink wine so I will happily work on the producing and you and Mych can just go ahead and drink it :-)

Well like both of you I graduated years ago but thankfully I still live in the same city where my university is located so I was able to get in touch with my old professors and by some miracle both of them remembered me and were happy to write me a recommendation. When I applied to Sciences Po last November, I did provide 2 academic references but I also added like you a professional one because I felt that it reflects more my abilities today and the skills I have acquired since college years ago. My professional reference was able to highlight things about me an academic wouldn't be able to say from being in their class years ago a couple hours a week vs someone I worked for during several years. I do feel that the professional reference in my case gave me an edge and really helped me get accepted into Dev Practice. But thing is I did provide the 2 academic ones as well so I can't say for sure that the professional one could replace academics vouching for my ability to thrive in a classroom. It can certainly give you an edge but I doubt it can replace it except when like us you've been out of undergrad for several years. Grad schools usually do make exceptions for students who have been out of schools for 5+ years to provide just one academic reference instead of 2. Do try to get that one submitted! You don't want that to be the reason to compromise your chances for admission it would be too bad.

Yay mic! You are one step closer :-) I've read previous forums where candidates who submitted everything got rejected at this stage. I think admissible means that not only did you submit all the documents but that you also meet the minimum requirements for admission. So for instance if your file is complete but your GPA is way to low you can be 'inadmissible'. And yes unfortunately lots of candidates do get rejected after receiving that email that is only a first filter if you will. Good luck! Since I'm not very optimistic for my IHEID chances I'm crossing my fingers that you all join me in Paris :-)

To add to what angie just said, yes you only needed 2 references and it was clearly stated 2 academic references and professional references are optional. So I wouldn't worry about the extra professional reference not being submitted. However I wonder if not having a second academic reference will play against you. That is what most schools want professors who can attest to your academic capabilities. Did you already receive the 'admissible' email? or did you just submit? If they still do not reply I would write to admissions and explain it's your best option. Why did you submit so many references anyways when you didn't have to? It's hard enough to keep up with 2 people you are asking to vouch for you, let alone 4!

Well in that case I think it might not have that big of an impact but you should double check with admissions of the school with the conditional offer. You never know and you wouldn't want an offer being rescinded because of something like that.

Welcome sisi26! Your post was so helpful thank you! I know Angie was accepted at IDS Sussex so I know your post will be even more helpful to her. I was accepted at SOAS but I applied quite early in November and got the decision at the end of December. Not sure how long Phd decisions take though The email you got from Paola Eicher at IHEID is helpful too means decisions will be pretty much made by the end of Feb that's very good to know.

Sorry can't help you as I have never heard of the school or program :-(

I think it will most likely affect your offers, especially the conditional offers. I mean they are admitting you based on the profile you presented and the degrees you said you will have upon graduation. Once admitted to be able to enroll they will ask from all of us certified copies of our credentials. I think dropping your minor will have an impact but I guess it will depend on the program if it is quantitative focused, if you emphasized your accounting backround or not. I would see it through if I could and finish the minor. Now if you really can't then drop the classes and hope for the best!