arbitist

Hey Cheikogin, Congratulations on being accepted at IDS. I applied in mid Jan, and waiting to hear from them! When had you applied? I have spoken to a lot of people about ids and soas as well, and what i've gathered is that SOAS has more of an international reputation, and people will know about it wherever you go. IDS is sort of following SOAS' example in terms of teaching methods and the way they question ideas of development, and it's turning out to be a much better school than SOAS. Also soas used to be a place for really passionate people and now it's sort of full of rich brats who think poverty/ development is a "hot topic". But having said that, i'm sure there are those kinds everywhere, and it depends on you to make use of the institute. Going by the syllabus and course structure, SOAS also seems a lot more generalised. For example, measurement of poverty and the reach of social schemes is a very important issue right now, especially in developing countries, and atleast at the Masters level. SOAS doesn't seem to address that. I have a background in economics, and while i don't want get into core econ, i would like to have that as a base for any Masters i take up. Does that make sense? But IDS is fairly new, so it doesn't have any funds at all, incase you want to pursue a PhD there later. one of my best friends went to IDS last year, and while she really enjoyed it she said their reach is kind of limited right now. Agree with angie about placements at SOAS. This friend of mine happened to find a position with the Columbia Global Centre in Mumbai on a job portal, and she seemed to think IDS profs are eager to help, but don't have great resources to help you find jobs at the end of the Masters. Also, I'm from Pune as well. Where do you work? I know of Prayas that does the kind of work you mentioned.

Hey alchyna, Mine says under consideration too. Waiting is horrible. Though they did say it typically takes them 8 weeks to make a decision.

Thank you Angie. You seem to have done everything in time! i wish i' been so organised. You got through IDS also right? When did you apply? I applied in mid Jan..

Hello everyone! I've applied to most of the programs that you all have, plus a few schools in the US for public policy. I am still considering Sciences Po. There is no deadline for it, right? Approximately how long did they take to reply? I'm juggling work and the whole application process and it's driving me a little mad!

Cool. I'm still confused about how rolling admissions work. So do people who have applied earlier have an advantage? How do they decide who they should be giving aid to?

Oh that's great. Thanks!

Hey, Congratulations! Could you please share what your background is, and also what your GRE score was? Also, how was the video interview? Thanks, a.

Hello irivp, Congratulations! When did you hear about the admission? I applied for MPA ID in the first week of January, and i'm getting very nervous! Sorry but i don't know about the level of calculus required. Maybe you can write to them, explaining your background so far, and they can tell you what you need to do? But you already knew that, i'm sure Cheers, a

Hey guys, So how bad is this GRE score for MPP programs: Verbal 156, Quant 152. AW don't know yet, but i think it'll be 4.5-5. Should i retake the test? I might be able to do better if i prepare for another month or so, and still make it in time for application deadlines. Thanks!