Ashlee

Thanks for the tips! I'm moving to East Timor now for 18 months, so will hold off applying until after that. Is it hard to get funding for LSE? Their program looks really good (and I love London).

I had a partial tuition waver and a work-study position (20 hours a week, very low amount of money per hour). I only lasted a semester before I transfered all my credits back home to Australia and finished my Masters here. I couldn't deal with the finances, especially since I had to take out normal bank loans in Australia to pay (no hiatus on payments until the program is over, literally had to pay back the degree while I was still studying it), because our student loan schemes are only for domestic unis.

I believe you can study the Master of Applied Anthropology in Development at the Australian National University online... It's a very good university.

Hey GradCafe people, I have an undergraduate degree in communications and almost have finished my masters in international public policy, focusing on international development. I'm looking toward the future right now and I'm starting to think about PhD programs, even though I'll probably go back to work for a few years first. I am particularly interested in the intersection of communications and international development... media development and institution building etc. I'm just fishing around for suggestions on schools in the US or UK that have strong programs in both communications and international development, where I could draw on both faculties for PhD work? I'm Australian but I am looking all over to potentially apply for PhD funding. I have really solid grades from the top university in Australia and international media experience. Thanks for any ideas! Ashlee

Take a look at the Australian Development Scholarships, Australian Endeavour Awards, etc. A lot of the funding opportunities depend on where you are from. Contact the individual universities as well to see if they offer funding, some unis do for certain courses, but it is fairly limited.

Ya, did anyone get to go? I've already accepted my offer and am now so excited about school... now that I've come to terms with the finance (namely... the debt it will entail lol).

Thanks everyone... is anyone else out there considering taking up an offer for the MAID at SIS this Fall? DeepShadeofBlue, I'd be really interested to hear your impressions from the open house. RH7, I'm an Australian but I'm working here in Indonesia as an expat. I applied for the MSc in Globalization and Development at SOAS, but I put in my app quite late. My acceptance for ANU is for the Masters of International Affairs. After, I'm not 100 percent sure... I think I'd like to go work for a big NGO/agency in a developing country on policy issues. Leica, thanks for the tips! I didn't really get a straight answer from admissions, who also overlooked me being an international student in their reply and suggested all these things I was ineligible for, so I will contact the Financial Aid and International offices next. I'm not too worried if I can't stay in the US to work after the program, but I'd like to build up contacts with all these international organizations to boost my career prospects after school. Also, is it hard to pass the language exam? Is it just reading/writing, or speaking too? I can read newspaper articles etc in Indonesian, but my speaking is so slangy with poor grammar because I just learned from people in my office etc. My email is ashlee dot betteridge at gmail dot com, if any of your friends in IDev feel like giving some advice about the program, could you pass it on? Thank you!!

Hi there, I've been accepted into American SIS MAID which is great, but I'm an international student and I did not receive any funding, which is not so great. It means I'm probably looking at having a debt of around $60,000 or more by the time I graduate. I've also been accepted into the Australian National University, which is significantly cheaper for me, but I think that the program is not as good for the type of work I want to do and it is more of an academic rather than professional program. I'm also waiting to hear back from SOAS in London as I applied fairly late. Does anyone have any information about the success of SIS grads in finding work after graduation... more specifically, work with a decent salary? Also, is anyone going to the admitted students events? I can't attend because I'm overseas, so if anyone is going and could post some impressions that would be great. Are there any current SIS students on the boards? Also, is it hard to find part-time work on campus? I will really need to earn some money to pay my living costs. Any information anyone could provide would be most appreciated. I've contacted the school with some of these queries but am yet to hear back... it's obviously a busy time of year. I really want to go to DC, but I'm just having a hard time fathoming taking on that much debt.

After sending them another email saying I really needed to know my decision for work reasons, they emailed me my acceptance letter Yay! The admitted students days start on April 11, so everyone should find out soon... But there was no mention of financial aid in the letter they emailed to me, which means I don't know if I can go. It's just so much money, especially with the costs of relocating from overseas... and there's no student loans system in Australia unless you go to university in Australia, so would have to take private loans that I would need to start paying back immediately. Really not sure what to do.... I'm waiting to hear back from SOAS in London, which is only 1 year so cheaper, and have been accepted into the Australian National University. Anyway. It's nice to be accepted, and congrats to others.

Rejected, but glad to finally know! I got into American SIS today, which suits me better. Congrats to those accepted!

I still have not heard anything and I need to make some other life decisions soon. Still waiting on SIS and NYU Wagner...

Every part of my application reached them by Dec 10 and I still have not heard a thing.

I still haven't heard... I emailed them asking if it was possible to get a decision via email, because I'm unsure how long it will take for the letter to reach my parent's place in regional Australia, and I'm in Indonesia at the moment, and someone wrote back saying I could request one, but it was unlikely to be any faster than post for someone to get back to me... This is the only school that I feel like I have any chance with left in the States I really hope it's a big letter and not a small one...

Still waiting too... applied by Dec 10!!

I emailed the admissions department asking when those of us who hadn't heard anything could expect to hear by, and they just sent me a link to this page: http://wagner.nyu.edu/admissions/applying/#notification So no extra information after that endeavor.

I'm in a similar situation. I still haven't heard back from all schools, but so far its 3 rejections. Someone told me early in the process that being a bit different (coming from an Australian media background, having worked in Indonesia for two years, four years full time work experience by age 24) would help, but it doesn't seem to have helped at all... Do the admissions departments usually give feedback if you ask for it? I'd really like to know just where I went wrong for future reference.

Hmm can't edit posts... here's my rather depressing update.... Program Applied To: MPA, MALD, MAPP, International Development Schools Applied To: WWS Princeton Tufts Fletcher American SIS NYU Wagner Mundus MAPP (European joint university masters degree) Australian National University (ANU) Schools Admitted To: None yet Schools Rejected From: Mundus MAPP, WWS Princeton, Tufts Fletcher Still Waiting: ANU, NYU, American SIS Undergraduate institution: University of Technology, Sydney (including a semester abroad at University of Westminster, London) Undergraduate GPA: N/A but guesstimate from WES was 3.7 Undergraduate Major: Communications (Journalism) GRE Quantitative Score: 680 GRE Verbal Score: 580 GRE AW Score: 5.5 Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3.5 Years of Work Experience: 4 Describe Relevant Work Experience: 1.5 years working in Indonesia on a newspaper, 2 years working at a local newspaper in Sydney on political and urban development rounds, 6 months on another newspaper, more than 1.5 years volunteering for community and non-profit media Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I think my statement of purpose was strong, linking my experience working in Indonesia and my journalism background to my desire to study the field, but I think my policy statement for WWS was weak because I've never done one before. There was so much more I could have said in the SOP, so I hope I chose the right things to focus on. Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): One from the head of my former uni's journo school, two from former editors. I think they all would be strong, all three know me well and are very awesome people. Other: Indonesian language to intermediate-ish level

I think most of the American U admits on the boards so far are for policy, not for SIS? It sounds like they've started sending them out though... wonder how long it will take to get sent to my parents place in regional Australia... can't believe its snail mail only!

Has anyone been in contact with the school? Any idea when all decisions will have been released by? So tired of waiting. So far, so much waiting, so little satisfaction.

Rejection. Rather sad because I thought Fletcher was the best fit for me. Still haven't been accepted anywhere, which doesn't do much for one's confidence...

Rejected. Not that surprising, considering the competition... and I'm kind of glad to just KNOW. I hate waiting. Speaking of waiting and hating waiting, I'm currently waiting to try and access my Fletcher decision because their admin system won't load... I hope it's better news. But o1chrismbc, that's an awful story! I hope you get in off the waitlist .

I'm in the same boat... got the email saying my result is in, can't login!!! It's killing me!

hmm that tactic doesn't work for me, with a 'B' surname. And I had my app in by Dec 10, so it doesn't seem to be first in first served either. Will just have to wait it out

I'm still waiting too. You're not alone, we're just at a lame party instead lol.

Congrats to all those that are in!! It's looking like not-so-great news for me If it's the case, I'd rather just know than tolerate more waiting though!!