X-Thor

Also: keep in mind what you want to do after grad school. Consider that you'll be competing against people with a Master's Degree + Work Experience. Unless you're aiming for an academic kind of job or are willing to instead take a lower salary/position (one that, say, wouldn't require a Master's Degree), you might find yourself be at a disadvantage. Also, I'm definitely no expert on the field, but I imagine actual work experience is important in a field like human rights. Since the GRE is valid for a relatively long time, you might want to take it soon. You'll have your math fresher that way.

Hello, Ivan. I'd definitely recommend getting some work experience first. Like it's been said here before, it will both strengthen your application, it will make things clearer for you, and you'll benefit more from grad school after a couple of yearsof actual work (real life) experience. I finished university (Poli Sci in a Mexican university) when I was 21 years old. Back then, I was convinced I wanted to pursue a PhD in PoliSci in a top 10 US University. Then I started working in the Mexican Government and a lot of things (how I saw life, myself, my goals, some attitudes I had) changed dramatically. Indeed, contact with the "real world" can be a big eye-opener. Now, 4 years later, I'm about to go to Fletcher for the MALD. I am grateful every day for NOT going straight to a PhD. I can truly said I learned as much outside school as I did inside. From what you post about yourself, I'd say you can probably be accepted in any of the programs you mentioned... That being said, I do believe you should at least consider working in something more "applied", even if it's not on your field of interest... After 2 or 3 years, apply to grad school, after researching every program you could be interested in. Keep in mind that most programs expect the recommendation letters to come from both professional and academic sources.

It seems like your heart was there from the beginning. =)

I guess I'll be seeing you in Boston!

Hi! I will also enter Tufts this Fall. I'll join the Fletcher (MALD) community and I'm incredibly excited about it. Especially because pears' impression seems to be general. I'm also looking at housing options, so I really appreciate the TuftsLife link.

So which would be a "good" debt range. I mean, obviously the best would be 0 (or even better, negative numbers!), but which would be a good "maximum" amount of debt? 50K? 60K?... for an MA to work in the government/non-profit sector, I mean.

I have no idea, but if I was in your case, I would try first calling/e-mailing the school you declined and ask if the offer is still available. Also, really think it through. I've been having second thoughts about any decision ever since I got my admission offers, and every time I had one decision made for more than a few days, I changed my mind. In the end, I decided to go with one option and just roll with it. I think that as applicants we tend to place far too much value on perceived differences that are probably not that important. So, you know, try and relax a little bit, listen to your heart (and your wallet!) and then see what your options are.

Yeap, I'll be depositing for Fletcher this week too.

Fletcher usually accepts a significant proportion of international students, so I wouldn't worry about that. Organizations in the field, even in Argentina, surely know Fletcher. Maybe try contacting someone from the Argentinian Fletcher and Columbia alumni clubs? I'm sure they can solve your doubts better than any of us.

Yeah, pretty bad idea. Try contacting the admissions department and see if you can get some kind of extension or exception.

I think for what you want to do, all the schools have enough name-recognition. That being said, most of the work on getting a good job will depend on your abilities to network, to sell yourself, and to develop/learn skills that your future employees will want to pay for. We tend to think that a degree in a certain school will have far more weight than it really will. My reccommendation (as someone going through somethink kind of simmilar) is: follow your heard and listen to your wallet.

I think Georgetown is a great fit for you. I also was accepted into the CR program (so proud!), but I'll probably decline the offer and go to Fletcher (it has a CR option). I get the impression that S-CAR's MS in CR is better or as good as Georgetown's, but I'm not sure it's a good fit for what you want to do. Awesome to see someone else interested in the CR field!

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Top-tier school in my country Previous Degrees and GPAs: Political Science, 3.91 GPA. GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 165/160/4.5 Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): By now I have almost 4 years working in my country's government. 2.5 years in the Education sector and a bit over a year in Tourism. Math/Econ Background: My undergrad degree was heavily focused on math/econ, so I took 3 math courses (up to multivariate calculus and matriceal algebra), two statistics, five economics courses, plus two courses focused on statistical research methods for poli sci. And an elective on behavioral econ. Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Spanish is my native language. Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Conflict resolution, program/policy evaluation and management, development Long Term Professional Goals: I want to work in a government or non-profit organization that works for peace. My ideal job would involve being a policy maker/influencer in peacebuilding efforts within my own country. Schools Applied to & Results: Columbia SIPA (accepted with a small assistantship for the second year), Fletcher MALD (accepted with a significant scholarship), Georgetown MA in Conflict Resolution (accepted with a small tuition scholarship), and George Mason MS in Conflict Analysis and Resolution (accepted, but no funding). Ultimate Decision & Why: I haven't made a decision yet. I declined Columbia and George Mason's offers, since Fletcher and Georgetown are my top choices. Still struggling to make a decision, though. Georgetown could mean considerably more debt. Advice for Future Applicants: 1) Don't stress over the GRE. Study hard, do as many practice exams as you can, but try and be relaxed during the exam. Also, try and do it as early in the year as possible. This way, you can learn your score with enough time to re-take it, if you feel you can do better. 2) Get in touch with faculty/students from the program. I am only doing this now, in the month that I must make a decision and I wish I had more time to talk to them. 3) Learn as much as you can about the program before applying. 4) Be clear and concise in your SOPs. Be aware of your own strengths and have as many people as you can review them before submitting them. 5) Send your applications with time. I sent most of mine within HOURS from the application deadline. Looking back, it was a really stupid thing to do. If the power had gone out, I would have been in serious trouble. 6) Be prepared to spend some money. Especially if you are not from the US. First, you have to pay to get the TOEFL/IELTS/Whatever. Also, some universities ask for foreign transcripts to be certified by some agency, which will of course charge you money for its services (and it's not a cheap one). If you start early, you can distribute the money spent along the year. 7) Choose your reccommenders carefully. In my experience, it is good to have a good relationship with them, both personally and professionally/academically. 8) Don't panic. Looking back, I spent most of my application process and ALL of the waiting time feeling terribly anxious. Worst case scenario is tog et rejected by all your options, but you can always work to improve your profile and reapply the next year(s).

I'm in a simmilar dilemma, though I am choosing between Georgetown's MA in Conflict Resolution vs Fletcher's MALD. Both are incredibly flexible programs and they seem to be quite equally balanced (Georgetown offers incredible internship opportunities and Fletcher offers more courses in other fields valued by employers), so I definitely see where you are coming from. My advice, as someone going through something simmilar, would be follow your heart and listen to your wallet. Of course, that is far much easier said than done. I understand there will be some online chats for admitted students at Fletcher. Have you tried one of those? Perhaps you could try to get put in touch with current students (they probably faced a dilemma like the one you have now) and ask them to explain you why they chose the program over others. Good luck!

I just turned down SIPA's offer of admission. Not enough funding and the program wasn't as much fit to my interests as other options. It still felt weird saying "no" to an Ivy League. Best of luck to all of you who are going.

Congratulations!

I think availability of loans/scholarships drives the prices up.

I understand that you can take Fletcher courses while attending HKS, so that might help weigh in your decision. Also, maybe you can leverage Fletcher into offering you more money?

I would advice going for the free program, since you'll only spend time, but not money. Also, with such a big scholarship, it will surely be easier to make good relations with your professors. Also, curricular value.

Seems like the real pros of #1 are that it's an Ivy League, has a felon re-entry program, and more fieldwork. On the other hand, #2 is cheaper (both in money and time), in a city where you want to live, and still has good reputation... All things considered, I would suggest going for #2. Especially if you can also do the felon re-entry thing there. Maybe it's a good idea to write to both universities to get more information about your interests...

So I was accepted to Georgetown's MA in Conflict resolution. I was also accepted to Fletcher's MALD. I am really struggling to make a decision here, since they were my top-tier options and I honestly did not expect to be accepted in both. Both programs offer incredible flexibility, though Georgetown's is clearly more focused on CR than Fletcher's, is located in DC, which allows for more networking opportunities, and has an impressive faculty. On the other hand, Fletcher offers very solid professional preparation and makes it easier to take courses in fields not necessarily related to CR but that can be useful in the future. Also, classes at Harvard. Anyone knows anything about any of these programs? I would really appreciate any kind of input. Thanks!

Ok, so I'm sending a formal e-mail thanking them for the offer and declining. Thank you very much! =)

Hello, everyone. I was accepted in my top choices for grad school (Georgetown and Fletcher), and have received great attention from both schools in the decision-making process. I'm 90% sure about my decision now, but when the time comes to make a decision, I would like to decline politely the other option, instead of just doing nothing. Any advice? Should I be honest about the reasons of my decision (offered significantly more financial aid in one)? Thank you!

Yeah, I got that one too. Not sure what it means, though...