GameTheory

Probably none - concentrations are pretty flexible. Word from an alum now at a microfinance firm: ''I did African Studies but I only took a quant and econ.'' They'll be looking at the hard skills you acquired.

I definitely agree. If you manage to find a room for 600 in DC you should let me know because that seems like mission impossible. My friend who lives a street behind the Foggy Bottom metro is paying $1600 for a large-ish studio. Another friend who goes to GW pays $900 for a really nice full apartment (only herself) in Pentagon City, and you can find really nice places near the metro there or in Crystal City. My advice is to decide what you value more: location or cost. That will matter hugely. I go to SAIS, and am living in a large house with a few other people who go to GW and GT. We're right of Dupont Circle, and I pay 900/month for a room including everything. This is not a modern house. Most of my friends pay far more than that, and some have even resorted to sharing a room. I used to rent a room for 800 in Alexandria, which was more like a house share with one other person, and I had my own floor with bathroom etc. I absolutely hated the commute on the metro (had to switch lines) and that's why I moved. Also, if you end up going to school 5/6 days a week, your metro or bus fare could be around 5$ a day, so that's something to consider too. However, if you want to live a bit more cheaply in the district, you might want to check out as north as Petworth, maybe Adams Morgan or Columbia Heights, or Mt. Pleasant - a lot of students there who share large, bit older houses for around $1000 a month. That's def doable in that area. Shaw might also work. NoMa has a few recently developed buildings - really big and spacious, but a bit more expensive and higher priced (two friends share an apt that's about $2500/month, but you can literally do a cartwheel in the bathroom). Although SE has a slightly bad rep, you might want to look into SW. There's a lot of development on the waterfront now and the city is really trying to boost that area. If you don't mind the commute, you could also look in the area around Georgetown, like Glover Park. I hope some of this helps!

Most students moving to DC take an internship/job the second semester, just to adjust to the pace of life. I know several students who did work from the moment they came in, but full time work is very, very demanding. Some courses will just require more work than others, and I would not neglect the importance of a healthy work-life balance. A number of students do keep on their old job in the form of consulting or something, so it's possible, but not all classes will be after 6pm. Also, if you're in the regular MA program, your language classes will be three times a week, mostly in the mornings. I feel that most glasses are Monday to Wednesday but there are ofcourse exceptions, like a Saturday class this semester. Some required classes for Econ and quant will be offered on multiple time slots, depending on the class size etc.

I was pretty worried about the econ stuff, but it's really not too bad. Honestly, nobody gains it you fail a required core too, so they will do their best to help you pass: tutors, TAs, office hours.. The only thing that could've prepared me better was brushing up my basic calculus/algebra for micro economics, and I wish I could've taken that in pre-term so I would've been able to choose different classes. As SAIS has worked its magic over the past half year, I'm honestly regretting I didn't study economics earlier in life. Regarding the quant course: it's totally manageable. Like with all things in life, do your homework and you'll be fine. Different professors have a slightly different emphasis on different aspects of stats, but it was fine. Regarding the language - you can take how many you want, but certain concentrations require a certain language, so you need to pass that to fulfill your concentration's requirement. If you're proficient in one already, you can test out of them in the first week or get placed at a certain level to take classes. For example - I qualify as a non-native speaker, my native language is not offered at SAIS. I was required to pass proficiency in English, and am taking French and German now. The three will be listed on my transcript. Regarding concentrations - you have the first week or so, or during orientation, to sit in on these presentations. You can switch to anything, but if you've received specific funding that's tied to your primary concentration, you can't switch. However, you can add a second concentration, and they're pretty flexible with it. As long as you meet your concentration's reqs, you can choose as many electives as you want. The more cores you manage to test out of/pass the core or waiver, the more freedom you have. Feel free to PM me if you need more info!

Yes - as a current student there, I know a few people who have been accepted of the waitlist, but I don't know how common it is.

Not to add to the confusing, but I got my fellowship award notice for Bologna at 1.30pm (GMT+1) last year, but I didn't get the notice to check the portal until a few hours later. Not surprisingly, I thought it was a huge mistake and had the sweats for a bit. Good luck everyone! I'm anxious for you all too.

I'm currently studying in the US as a foreign Fulbright scholar - if anyone has any questions, feel free to message me, though I assume the deadline is sometime this month.

I agree with alloy up here - there's no harm in at least trying. Straight out of undergrad too (western Europe) and will be starting at SAIS DC in September. I'd be very happy to help you with any questions, send me a message if you want to!

Update here, though very late. Currently enrolled at DC campus so all is well. Hope everything worked out for you guys!

Who of you will decide to stay on the wait list and why? I'm tempted to accept the offer from SAIS with about half funding and some for the second year and not sure if SIS can tip that and I actually really like the program. Haven't heard from them about my inquiry for funding so am at a bit of a loss.. Any thoughts on this, anyone?

Crazy people. Couldn't hurt phoning or emailing them I guess?

Yep, also waitlisted. Debating my chances but don't think I'll stay on there. Any ideas about people from the wait list receiving funding?

Assuming it is! I'm CET so will see what awaits me in the morning. Good luck everyone!

Just got an email to check the portal! Unfortunately directly followed by an email apologizing for the confusion - decision should be up after midnight.

Typical answer.. No high hopes though. Thanks anyway!

Anybody any updates yet?

No more than I've written here already. Only reason why I'm even considering the option is because of the Fulbright. Will eventually depend on finances too. I don't want it to seem as if this is something which is dealt with very lightly or that they just honor every request. Think it's difficult to establish some sort of line in this.

Was told that yes, I could switch campus, this was no problem. This might be because I have a Fulbright scholarship, so they might treat it differently. However, I received a named fellowship to Bologna, which I then could not take with me to DC. So actually I'm still undecided. They did forward my request to the DC office and I *might* receive some financial aid there, but they were very careful not to say too much about it.

I can relate to the sleepless nights things as an international student. Especially the tuition fees.. Imagine all the cars you could buy. Or even a studio. Or anything actually. I'm facing similar choices so thought I'd react. Anyway, imo you're considering world-class schools and the funding would be a major factor in the decision (in my country the tuition fees are peanuts compared to this). I have a similar background, so I have a hard time justifying that huge debt. On the other hand, and it might sound silly, but when you're talking about those kind of numbers, the difference of about 9k isn't that huge anymore. My intuition would be, if SIPA allows you to, go for SIPA and the funding. 20k is huge! Concerning SAIS aid in the second year, I believe it's greatly determined by your grades in the first semester and that funding is generally lower. This varies though, though I thought I read somewhere that around half of the students receive some amount of aid, but this can also hover around the 5k mark. As for the visa, it differs per type of visa. For some, I don't think it's possible to work in the first year and in the second year only for a maximum of twenty hours a week. Again, not sure how this exactly works, but if your visum doesn't allow you to work, I guess that will have consequences for you getting an internship in the US. In my case, I guess I'll have to return home for the summer internship. Don't know if this helps you in any way at all, but at least know you're not the only one with these concerns!

I'm wondering about the online course too! Hearing very mixed reactions to it. Someone even told me that people lose their offer because of failing the course, but I can't really imagine how that can happen. Even if you have zero econ background, if you put the suggested hours into it (they mention ten I think) it should be doable right? Maybe even some more. Maybe I'm just freaking out though. Also very much possible. Would like to hear experiences about the online course though! On the other hand, if you don't get through the online course, you'll probably have a hard time at SAIS in general.

Ah, I only applied to Bologna as I didn't take the GRE as an international student, so don't know what effect that would have. Will check in with the admissions office and post when I hear anything!

Any idea about the conditions or circumstances under which this could be possible? Was allocated a fellowship from Bologna (which I assume I'll lose if tranfer), but also received a Fulbright graduate grant, which isn't applicable to Italy ofc. Weighing my options now.

Rejected yesterday, checked the status on the portal and received the email few hours later. Was a reach school, but disappointed nevertheless.

Emailed the admissions office today to check when I could expect an answer. They replied very fast and told be to 'Stay tuned' as they check with the adcomm for an update. Feeling discouraged though, seeing all the other GGPS admits..

SAIS was the biggest shock. I was digesting my after dinner dip when the mail popped up on my phone. Read the fellowship one first, then frantically went to the portal to find the letter waiting there for me. Rest of the weekend has been a complete haze and didn't think about the practical aspects yet, decided to just enjoy this moment before I start worrying about debts and what not.