Hi all,
Now that admissions are in, I have been able to narrow down my top three and would love to get some opinions on each of the programs, especially SIPA because it’s the one I haven’t been able to visit. Some background, I want to go into the non-profit/public sector world in human rights advocacy especially in the area of gender based violence prevention in conflict. I wrote some pros and cons below.
Fletcher (Human Security and Humanitarian Assistance fields of study most likely)
Pros: Scholarship money, plus AmeriCorps grant means my tuition would be more then cut in half the first year; Flexibility in the curriculum which I think I could work to my advantage, plus I really like the curriculum; I get the sense that there is an awesome community; Career Services seems strong; Can audit language classes and have more than one chance to pass language exam; Strong faculty working in my area of interest; They have funding opportunities for international internships; Ability to take classes at Kennedy
Cons: Not sure if I want to trade DC or NYC for Somerville, and the schedule rigidity in that it would be substantially more difficult to work a part time job while studying (working is a must as I am fully supporting myself in this endeavor)
SIS (Ethics, Peace and Global Affairs)
Pros: I love all of the pieces of the program (curriculum, ability to do a practica, professional development ect.); I’ve always wanted to live DC ; When I went to campus I had a great conversation with many students/prospective students and felt very welcome and generally got good vibes and the schedule flexibility; I could work during the day.
Cons: DC is expensive and did not receive a lot of funding
SIPA (Gender and Public Policy paired with Human Rights and Humanitarian Policy)
Pros: Curriculum in the concentration and specialization is exactly what I am looking for; Faculty interests match my academic interests; NYC, connection to the UN which is something I am looking towards in the future; Global reputation; I’m from NYC and have the option to live at home for a substantially lower cost than Boston or DC
Cons: No funding (or well no funding as of yet); Substantial quantitative requirement (I’m not a math person, but I know that it’s necessary to develop these skills so its more like a programmatic pro and personal con); One shot at the language exam (would be taking Arabic...a little worried); Bigger school and I’ve heard it’s more impersonal but I would like some more substantive opinions to back that up.
I know I can’t really go wrong with any one and its a lucky choice to have but I would love to get thoughts? Opinions?
