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To those considering the Jackson Institute: I chose Jackson over WWS, SAIS, Georgetown's SFS, and Berkeley's Goldman School. I am now two months into my first semester, and I couldn't be happier about my decision. Given that Jackson is relatively new on the scene and information can be a little difficult to come by, I wanted to share some of the reasons that led me to New Haven. 1. The program's flexibility offered a unique opportunity to fully explore my interests. Students are only required to take 3 core courses (Economics, History of the Present, and Applied Quantitative Methods) and fulfill a language proficiency requirement. There are no additional requirements and no cookie-cutter concentrations. Students are encouraged to design and pursue their own concentrations, and it is unbelievably easy to take courses at the professional schools. I'm currently taking "Managing Global Catastrophes" with Jeffrey Garten at the School of Management; as an indicator of the course's caliber, visitors this semester include the UN Assistant Secretary for Disaster Risk Reduction, a former UN Under-Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs, a former Vice President for Disaster Services at the Red Cross, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense Integration, the Executive Vice-President of the IRC, the former President of ABC News, the former Commander of Joint Task Force Katrina, and the Executive Director of UNICEF. All that to say, you are encouraged to pursue your interests, regardless of where they lie. Someone told me when I visited that "Yale is your intellectual playground....go out an enjoy it." My experience so far has confirmed this. 2. The small size of the program (25-28 students per year) facilitates a remarkable level of interaction with the faculty and senior fellows. I pass Emma Sky in the hallway routinely and she knows my name (I have not yet taken a class with her), and I have met with both Michele Malvesti and Tom Graham to get advice and leads on summer internships. Additionally, the program director, Jim Levinsohn, teaches our core econ class, knows each of us well, and routinely hosts events for us at his home. I can't imagine that I would have had a similar experience anywhere else (certainly not at large programs like SIPA or HKS). By the way, my classmates are insanely talented and experienced. I sincerely believe that the close relationships I have already formed with them will benefit me more in the professional world than casual aquaintances with hundreds of classmates elsewhere. 3. The program is unabashedly practitioner-oriented. The MA was recently renamed (IR to Global Affairs), and it reflects a course change from the program's previous academic orientation. Don't let old posts fool you....the Jackson Institute is a professional school. It technically falls under the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, but there is a compelling rationale: this organization makes it MUCH easier to cross-register for classes in other professional schools. For those who are sweating the fact that they won't graduate with an MPP or MPA: stop sweating it. Jackson is already known for its professional focus, just as the MA at SAIS is respected as a professional degree. 4. Elizabeth Gill, the Director of Career Services is amazing. She meets with every student routinely, reviews individual resumes and cover letters, offers weekly career advancement seminars, and brings in recruiters from every sector and flavor. I have no doubt that her efforts contributed immeasurably to the 100% employment of the most recent graduating class. I frankly don't know how anyone could leave Jackson without a job. The only program I looked at that had a comparable career services program was WWS. Now for a few concerns that I had prior to visiting the Jackson Institute: 5. New Haven. Don't believe all the hype. Yale has invested a lot of money in the New Haven area (this hasn't always been the case), and the city's reputation for crime is largely a thing of the past. There are areas to avoid, just as there are in any other city. If you happen to choose an apartment in or past such an area, Yale has a shuttle that will actually drop you off at your residence so you don't have to bike/walk in the dark. On a separate note, the food/entertainment scene in New Haven is great.....make sure you check it out during your visit. 6. The Jackson MA isn't ranked. I spent a lot of time agonizing over the fact that the program wasn't ranked by USN&WR or FP's Ivory Tower. Again, don't sweat it. The program is new, and everyone I consulted before making my decision (to include graduates of competitor programs) was convinced that it wouldn't be long before it's competing with the best. FP currently ranks Yale's undergrad IR program at #6 and its Ph.D. program at #5. I would expect Jackson to show up with a similar ranking in the Master's category in the near future. In closing, I strongly encourage you to come visit. I was deeply conflicted before I made the trip, and I wasn't when I left. If anyone has additional questions, feel free to message me or post your questions in this forum. I will try to check both periodically. Good luck!

To those considering the Jackson Institute: I chose Jackson over WWS, SAIS, Georgetown's SFS, and Berkeley's Goldman School. I am now two months into my first semester, and I couldn't be happier about my decision. Given that Jackson is relatively new on the scene and information can be a little difficult to come by, I wanted to share some of the reasons that led me to New Haven. 1. The program's flexibility offered a unique opportunity to fully explore my interests. Students are only required to take 3 core courses (Economics, History of the Present, and Applied Quantitative Methods) and fulfill a language proficiency requirement. There are no additional requirements and no cookie-cutter concentrations. Students are encouraged to design and pursue their own concentrations, and it is unbelievably easy to take courses at the professional schools. I'm currently taking "Managing Global Catastrophes" with Jeffrey Garten at the School of Management; as an indicator of the course's caliber, visitors this semester include the UN Assistant Secretary for Disaster Risk Reduction, a former UN Under-Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs, a former Vice President for Disaster Services at the Red Cross, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense Integration, the Executive Vice-President of the IRC, the former President of ABC News, the former Commander of Joint Task Force Katrina, and the Executive Director of UNICEF. All that to say, you are encouraged to pursue your interests, regardless of where they lie. Someone told me when I visited that "Yale is your intellectual playground....go out an enjoy it." My experience so far has confirmed this. 2. The small size of the program (25-28 students per year) facilitates a remarkable level of interaction with the faculty and senior fellows. I pass Emma Sky in the hallway routinely and she knows my name (I have not yet taken a class with her), and I have met with both Michele Malvesti and Tom Graham to get advice and leads on summer internships. Additionally, the program director, Jim Levinsohn, teaches our core econ class, knows each of us well, and routinely hosts events for us at his home. I can't imagine that I would have had a similar experience anywhere else (certainly not at large programs like SIPA or HKS). By the way, my classmates are insanely talented and experienced. I sincerely believe that the close relationships I have already formed with them will benefit me more in the professional world than casual aquaintances with hundreds of classmates elsewhere. 3. The program is unabashedly practitioner-oriented. The MA was recently renamed (IR to Global Affairs), and it reflects a course change from the program's previous academic orientation. Don't let old posts fool you....the Jackson Institute is a professional school. It technically falls under the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, but there is a compelling rationale: this organization makes it MUCH easier to cross-register for classes in other professional schools. For those who are sweating the fact that they won't graduate with an MPP or MPA: stop sweating it. Jackson is already known for its professional focus, just as the MA at SAIS is respected as a professional degree. 4. Elizabeth Gill, the Director of Career Services is amazing. She meets with every student routinely, reviews individual resumes and cover letters, offers weekly career advancement seminars, and brings in recruiters from every sector and flavor. I have no doubt that her efforts contributed immeasurably to the 100% employment of the most recent graduating class. I frankly don't know how anyone could leave Jackson without a job. The only program I looked at that had a comparable career services program was WWS. Now for a few concerns that I had prior to visiting the Jackson Institute: 5. New Haven. Don't believe all the hype. Yale has invested a lot of money in the New Haven area (this hasn't always been the case), and the city's reputation for crime is largely a thing of the past. There are areas to avoid, just as there are in any other city. If you happen to choose an apartment in or past such an area, Yale has a shuttle that will actually drop you off at your residence so you don't have to bike/walk in the dark. On a separate note, the food/entertainment scene in New Haven is great.....make sure you check it out during your visit. 6. The Jackson MA isn't ranked. I spent a lot of time agonizing over the fact that the program wasn't ranked by USN&WR or FP's Ivory Tower. Again, don't sweat it. The program is new, and everyone I consulted before making my decision (to include graduates of competitor programs) was convinced that it wouldn't be long before it's competing with the best. FP currently ranks Yale's undergrad IR program at #6 and its Ph.D. program at #5. I would expect Jackson to show up with a similar ranking in the Master's category in the near future. In closing, I strongly encourage you to come visit. I was deeply conflicted before I made the trip, and I wasn't when I left. If anyone has additional questions, feel free to message me or post your questions in this forum. I will try to check both periodically. Good luck!