BuBuOurs

I don't think you can go wrong with either. If I were to be honest with you, I would probably take the program that is providing you with the more attractive funding package as I don't think that the difference between the two programs is such that it is worth taking on more debt - given that both schools are well-situated and have access to the co-op opportunities in Ottawa. Again, I don't think that there is a 'best' program per se, but both GSPIA and NPSIA will provide you with opportunities in international affairs in the long-term.

I don't think you can go wrong with either. I would caution you not to pick a school solely based on 'prestige.' But, if I were to be honest with you, I would probably take the program that is providing you with the more attractive funding package. I don't think that the difference between the two programs is such that it is worth taking on more debt - given that both schools are situated and have access to the co-op opportunities in Ottawa. Again, I don't think that there is a 'best' program per se, but both GSPIA and NPSIA will provide you with opportunities in international affairs in the long-term.

Best wishes to all those that finally heard back from IHEID. I was going to say - prior to today's fiasco - that IHEID has been top notich in its communication with its applicants, and that Miss Eicher did a great job of keeping everyone informed in both French and English. But, I do believe that it was completely unacceptable to ignore their own rules over binding decisions through e-mail (and, to top it all off, issue a mediocore justification/apology two hours later). I also found this passage to be completely tasteless and classless: "According to your academic and/or professional background, some of the Institute's other programmes might be of interest to you, such as the Summer Programmes on International Affairs and International Trade, or the Executive Programmes for professionals. More information can be found on our website (http://graduateinstitute.ch)"

That last point is what made me turn down the offer from Munk. I found that to be really inappropriate (given the expensive nature of the program), and that the school (funded by our dear friend, Peter Munk) can afford to put together much better funding packages on top of the OGS or SSHRC. I know I am being quite harsh on Munk, but I just do not think it is right to be charging so much for a program that has yet to be properly established.

I was also originally hesitating between NPSIA and Munk, but was really disappointed with my personal experience when I visited Munk. Not living anywhere close to Toronto, I wanted to use a visit to the school before the actual results were out to get a feel of the program. I messaged both the MGA administrator and the MGA Student Ambassador Program twice, two weeks ahead, to schedule a tour and did not hear anything back from either of them. When I finally ended up getting through to the office, I was told that the students were particularly busy (which is completely understandable) and basically not to bother the administration, but that "I was free to look around in the basement and public areas and to come back for a tour when I was admitted." The one student that I did manage to briefly chat with raised a number of red flags that I think are worth mentioning. They cited the fact that there was no opportunity to work with professors, and that they didn't find the classes to be intellectually stimulating compared to what they had done for their undergrad. Given that tuition itself is close to $40,000, I was really shocked to hear that the class sizes are close to 40 to 50 students per class in lecture format (and without much of an opportunity for smaller seminar classes). The program claims to be pushing itself towards a 'professional orientation,' but many of the classes were described as overly broad and disorganized. Also, I should mention that I didn't get the friendliest ambiance from the students in the program when I was there. Not sure whether it was a case of 'Trinity College' arrogance, but that was my initial impression. This isn't to completely sway people from the MGA Program. I am sure that there are a lot of positive aspects to pursuing a degree at Munk, and Toronto would truly be a wonderful city to live in. However, I did feel that people reading this should know about it.