paladin_av

To the people comparing UMD/DUKE, here are my two cents: CIPA is not an everyday MPA program. Its geared more towards students who have a good understanding of the direction in which they would like to steer their career. The program is extremely flexible, apart from the 3 core faculty course requirements, you have a lot of options of which courses you would like to do. This can be both a strength and a weakness, depending on how well you know yourself and your career path. With CIPA, you can really make the program work for you, or you could get by not doing a ton of work. CIPA: Pros: - Strong Brandname - Great Career Services Connections - Generous with Stipend - D.C Externship semester Cons: - Ithaca (removed from the action) - Not a set course structure - program itself is not top ranking (technical issues) UMD: Pros: - Location - Placement to WB - $$ Cons: - Not as much brand recog - Program set in stone I've enjoyed CIPA a lot so far. To get an unbiased option, I would suggest you write to students at other universities as well. Good luck!

Hey CIPA prospectus! I'm a CIPA fellow, and I was on grad cafe around this period last year going through some of the similar things that you guys are probably going through right now. I'm an international student, and my concentration is Economic and Financial Policy. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have in regards to the program, life in Ithaca, or the best places for desserts. Good luck making your decisions! K.

Hey guys, I keep going back and forth between Brandeis (Sustainable International Development) and Cornell (Institute for Public Affairs). The price tag is about the same for both universities (below 15k). Brandeis ends up being cheaper due to its second year practicum where tuition does not have to be paid and there is potential earning through the internship. Any suggestions? Anyone else deciding between these two programs? Goal is to end up at a multilateral - U.N, WB, Aspen, Etc.

Hey Guys, I got in to - but i'm a bit surprised. I took the program to be comparatively weak to CIPA, SIPA, Georgetown, etc.. It was my safety. Was I severely mistaken by the rankings? Or are they just slow to get back to applicants and have very little funding?

Hey everyone - I have a question about the acceptance process and proof of finance issue for international students. If you have accepted an offer from CIPA and are an international student - could you please shoot me a message? Thanks.

I would like to add another perspective to this thread. It sounds like roguesenna used a credit card instead of a personal loan. I took out a private loan from Citibank and they gave it to me 7% interest with a co-signor. There are several factors that matter: 1- Your credit score (NEVER miss a payment, borrow too much on credit cards, etc) 2 - Co-signors credit score (ideally between 700 to 800 - should also do the same as above) 3 - Which college you are attending (Makes a difference which state/city you are in, and which college you will be graduating from) 4 - Make payments on interest when in college (If possible) I found city bank extremely cooperative. They have a six month grace period after graduation, and when I told them I had difficulty finding a job, they extended the grace period for another six months. Good luck! Though before you get a loan, I would suggest exhausting all other means of financing your education, including looking for on campus work (residence life is great at giving free accommodation).

I got $5,000 of it last night. Where have you decided to go, Upstater?

Does anyone know when is the deadline to accept the offer? Is it the same day for domestic and international students?

Thanks Suze2013, Extremely helpful! Do you know anything about placements? Can anyone comment on how well do Brandeis graduates fare in: - International NGOs - Multilateral based out of DC (IMF, WB etc) - National think tanks and research organizations (aspen etc). Thanks!

Accepted as well. I also got the May 1st deadline. But the email does make it sound as funding decisions may come through snail mail...

IDE - Internationald and Development Economics

Hey guys, I applied to the IDE at Yale in December 14 and have still not heard anything from them. Is anyone else still waiting for decisions? Are they out already? If you have been accepted, could you please post the date you applied and when you herd of the decision? Thanks!

I just got put on the wait list too. Where else did you apply Gwaalumn4mpp?

Hey everyone, I applied to Heller SID on 3rd Feb, accepted 12th March. 2 years of development work-ex. 70% scholarship. Now trying to decide between Cornell CIPA (no $) and Brandeis ($). Any thoughts? Does anyone know how SID graduates do in the job market? Does anyone from SID end up at IMF/WB/U.N? Thanks!

Got the official email on the 28th. Hope everyone else did too.