CarefreeWritingsontheWall

Finally got rejected from Georgetown this morning. Sent their run of the mill letter. It is what it is.

I think an additional thought to consider would be that just because your initial offer does not have funding doesn't mean you won't have opportunities to apply for grants or additional sources once you arrive (even in first year). There may also be application based scholarships you'll be eligible for by your second year. The best thing you could do is try to get ahold of the financial aid office at each institution and ask them these questions to get a sense of which university might have more options. In addition, a number of businesses/or jobs may have scholarships you could apply for if you're hired there. It's not guaranteed, but it's something worth looking into, on top of everyone's advice to consider what a monthly payment would look like on loans etc.

Fingers, toes, arms and legs are crossed. Never wanted anything more. You guys are amazing. Can't say that enough.

Well, I have hit one whole week with no word. I am beyond happy to hit the weekend. Hope you all are doing well. <3

I still haven't heard anything. No comments about a letter coming, no updates on the portal and no emails (but I haven't send admissions anything asking them what's going on) After a week of being antsy about my email, I am happy to hit the weekend and have two days of reprieve. What threads were you looking at from last year? Were people accepted in waves, or was it all at once? My fear is that all of the acceptances and waitlists have been issued already as people started hearing back Monday-Tuesday it seems.

At this point I'm worried I might end up waiting too long. SFS reserves the right to wait until April 1st to send out all admissions/rejections. Part of me just wants to call them or email them but I feel like that might be too pushy. My thesis advisor said he already messaged them last week (about what, and what he said to them I have no idea, only that he sent them an email...) I'm just exhausted.

Ah indeed we are in the same boat. I didn't yet. My professors said that it wouldn't be ideal for me as well, given the cost of going and living there paired with limited funding options for Canadians. I'd spend a boatload of money to be pushed through in a year. >< Not ideal. I have other options, but I can't start acting on them until I know about SFS. I'm terrified of finding out now. So many people posted here that they got in or been waitlisted. No one's said they've been rejected which means those will all be released at once undoubtedly. ><

Looks like we're in the same boat. I feel you and reiterate a congratulations to everyone who's been accepted. :]

Still no word from Georgetown. Apparently a few people received an email that decisions would be posted in the coming days. I receieved no such thing. Now I'm really worried. >< Hope you guys are holding out. Have all of your cycles finished up?

I didn't receive any emails or communications from Georgetown today either. ugh. ><

My thoughts exactly.

Still no word, no emails, and no updates on the ApplyYourself portal. Feels like a guaranteed no now. x_x

Having worked strongly with my administration, I can tell you for certain that when I professor tells their institution they're going to leave for another offer, and they receive a counter offer, it generates a lot of tension. Yes, I agree, if they leave for personal reasons, it's somewhat understood. And I say somewhat because the sudden decision for a faculty member at my own decision came because largely because of his wife's career aspirations, however his rapid departure is generating a lot of frustration amongst faculty and the revelation that apparently my own advisor was approached and nearly left for the same reasons. Yes, at the end of the day it gets you more money, but very quickly sours working relationships and it erodes the trust people have in each other. For the same reason, PhD students coming in virtually under the false pretenses you're prescribing - that is applying with the intention to leave - could generate the same tension. You might be fine professionally, but it loses you a lot of friends. Having spoken to my own faculty and professors and advisors a lot on this issue, and having been concerned about job placement, at the end of the day what gets you a placement is not so much the people behind you, but also a shitton of luck. The name of the institution carries weight, but it does not sell you. The name of your advisor can be #1 or top twenty in the field but that may not mean anything. Your work does, to a degree matter where that work is. What you do with whatever placement you get, PhD or MA, is up to you. So I wouldn't say an MA opportunity limits professional opportunities. You get what you put into anything. Nothing in academia will ever fall into your lap.

The decision will pop up at the bottom like SAIS. I'm more concerned that I can't be constantly logged into my portal, refreshing the page. As soon as I know the decision I need to commit to a few things (whether it's an acceptance or rejection) and some of those options are highly time sensitive (particularly if I'm rejected.) But alas, we wait. I don't think anything will trump IHEID's acceptance letter followed by a rejection letter fiasco from last week (the latter being the real decision in my case). But we're all in this frustrating situation together it seems.

I think student debt is a BIG consideration. As much as I would be inclined to say the same thing - I'll work it out... - it's hard to say. 140k in loans over two years (assuming you have no funding both years) for a job that will only get you 60-70k a year on average (these are numbers I've seen other people post about SAIS job placement) isn't that great. (This also doesn't consider people who can pay that out themselves without the loan). The networking at SAIS might well be considered a priceless venture, but networking in DC is very different than networking in Geneva. Ultimately, money aside, I think your decision rests on where you see yourself. If you're considering the private sector, or the American job market then SAIS will get you into DC circle and the name and rigor of the program itself suits the US job market. IHEID, on the other hand, gives you access to almost every major international organization (UN, WTO, etc...) so if you see yourself oriented towards a career related to those services, then it might be best to select Geneva. This is really only one consideration of many you should be thinking about though. I've gone to my advisors and professors many times to get them to tell me where I should go, where I should apply. When I started this process it came out of my now thesis advisor telling me on a whim in third year that I should consider graduate school during his office hours. I had never considered it and when it seemed like something I wanted to commit myself to, I had no knowledge on what suited my interests best. Funnily, none of them told me specifically that I needed to apply to a particular program or school (and I spoke about this with five of my faculty at least). Instead they worked me through a series of questions that made me think out loud about where I wanted to end up, what I wanted to do, bearing in mind the skill set I've developed. Ultimately I had to hear myself think on the spot about those answers - where do I see myself in five years? Do I see myself in policy analysis or in an academic setting? What side of policy do I want to work on, the domestic or international levels? And outside of that, there were questions about myself specifically that really got me to understand what I wanted (and sometimes they corrected me on what I thought I was thinking...some of these people really do know me better than myself). At this point as well, it's okay to not know where you're going to end up. There are definitely people who are aiming to work for a particular institution, or get a particular job. That's great. But if you have a general idea, that is the US or international institutions, I think that's a great place to start when it comes to your decision. If you're undecided on that front, then SAIS might also be a better fit because, as many people have mentioned, most of those organizations have an office in the US or DC in particular, and connections at large to them. Still, at the end of the day, wherever you pick and how you do is really up to you. All you need is one school to accept you. From there, what you make of that opportunity is ultimately up to you. Things don't fall into your lap because you have a degree from either institution, but they each have their own networks to consider. Hope this helps. :]

Can I ask, how many of those accepted actually received an email to check the ApplyYourself portal?

I got the same thing this morning. Was just about to post it. It was kind of insulting to be honest. :S

Thanks Mych. Still haven't heard from Sciences Po?

I'm still waiting as well. It's hard to grasp how many responses they release a day.

Looks like Georgetown's SFS is finally releasing some decisions today. My anxiety is killer.

I've been told that I will hear back "within a week" but word came from indirect sources. Could not be more anxious as planning alternative arrangements starts the moment I hear my answer...just beyond anxious at this point.

Ah maybe we'll luck out. Fingers and toes crossed!

I'm wondering the same thing...

I'm not familiar with when funding decisions will be sent to individuals. I only had an idea of when acceptances would be released because of what my advisors told me in passing. I would think it would be soon though, in a separate offer. If all else fails, email them. Since we're not on break anymore admin should be quick to reply. ^^

I'm a current undergraduate student at McGill. I'm Canadian by birth. I've spent the past four years as engrossed in IPE as I can be - we only have 2 poli econ professors but they're great and taught by different generations of top scholars in the field. I've spent the past year working as a research assistant for one and will be working full time for him this summer. This semester I'm writing my undergraduate thesis as well on state behavior within the WTO litigation system. I haven't had much luck with internship placements here. I'm bilingual, but my spoken French is not that great, though my comprehension is 100%. Quebec stresses that anyone who works in the provinces needs to be 100% fluent in French (mostly because of who is in power right now). I flopped a few interviews already, not for lack of effort. A lot of places are scared to get caught and thus be fined for hiring someone who's not 100% fluent. It's an awful situation because I love my school but I can't work in the immediate area surrounding it. So I've stuck to research, and I love it. To be honest I haven't thought that much about a PhD. I never thought I wanted to do one. I know I'd like to continue focusing on litigation in the WTO DSU in combination with financial market behavior to some degree. I've never been able to put together a big enough research question for something like that in that sense. It's something to consider in the future maybe when I hear back from SFS. I applied to international law programs with an interest in continuing with my studies of institutions like the WTO, IMF and UN. SAIS has an international law and organizations concentration as well. SFS to a degree - it's a subfield concentration within their Global and Security Studies major, but they have amazing IPE scholars in their faculty. I think the ultimate goal is to work and research in combination, whether it's teaching or policy analysis. We'll see. In emailing my advisor, and other mentors this weekend, the answer was pretty much the same: calm down. xD I feel like such a nutcase.