Iffie

I thought I would weigh in with my opinion since my background is also in Management (Finance/Intl. Business/Consulting). I received offers from both NPSIA and GSPIA. With that said, I chose the International Economic Policy cluster so it wasn't much of a jump as I had taken my fair share of trade and econ courses during my undergrad. In your case, you're making a much bigger leap from Management/Consulting/Finance to Intelligence and National Security. I would suggest you emphasize in your personal statement: 1. Your experience volunteering at the Zaatari refuge camp in Jordan for UNFPA 2. Any relevant courses you might've taken in respect to the cluster 3. Your research interest; IMO, I would dedicate a good chunk of time to flesh this out because it would show the admissions committee that even though your academic background is not in Intelligence and National Security, you know what you're talking about. I can't comment on your GPA as I'm not sure how much weight the program puts on grades. Personally, my GPA was hovering around A-. I've heard the program accepts a pretty wide range from 3.2/4.0 and up. Your experiences look solid. Best of luck!

Thanks Archie! I'm surprised to hear that Munk is more academically-oriented despite the fact that it bills itself as a 'professional' program. The tuition is definitely a big turn-off, and judging by what has been said so far, I doubt I'll expect much funding from them. I've spoken to a few Munk students and I found them generally enthusiastic about the program. Given the newness of the program, they're obviously dealing with a lot of bureaucratic hurdles, but the administration is apparently quick to adapt. Time will tell, I guess. They have some impressive internship placements (OECD, IMF, World Bank, NATO), which is what attracted me to the program, but I wonder if it'll be worth it in the end. I had the same experience and I wasn't too impressed with the open house they held back in November.

Yes, I received my official acceptance and funding information today. $4K in scholarships plus a TA position. Was pleasantly surprised. It's difficult gauging the Munk program because it's so new. I suppose I'll have to do more digging and wait for funding information. They seem to have some nice connections in terms of internships though. Hmm. Thanks Marika. Can anyone else weigh in on this?

Congrats everyone! I wasn't expecting to hear back from NPSIA in the first round but I'm glad I did. I chose International Economic Policy as my specialization. I'm currently deciding between UofT Munk and NPSIA. Still waiting to hear about funding from Munk. Hope that's coming soon. Does anyone know how the two programs stack up against each other in terms of career prospects?