Policykid

Most of the people whom I know take language classes here, mostly audit them (pass/fail for certified audits) or just attend the classes. The language building is right next to the Fletcher building which is convenient. As for taking a lang course for credit, odds are that you would self-select not to do so since there are too many interesting courses to fill in a curriculum worth 16 + 0.5 credits, and you'll always have the feeling of having to make hard choices.

Happy to respond - So far, I have taken 6 courses that can be categorized as quant courses. For political risk analysis, I have taken Large Investments & Project Finance, International Finance, International Treaty Behaviour, Finance Growth and Business Cycles. I do work on campus. Finding on-campus employment is not that difficult. There is a website where you can sign up for job posting notifications. The hourly wages range from $ 10 to $18 an hour. Given the work-load at Fletcher, you probably won't be able to put in more than 12 hours in a week towards campus employment.

1) I am focussing on political risk managment and macro-analysis. Post-Fletcher, I see myself working in political risk consulting. I have truly enjoyed my time at Fletcher thus far, and would not go anywhere else, even if I had the chance to do so. For me personally, at the time of deciding on enrolment, Fletcher made most sense because I am a career changer of sorts and therefore having the benefit of a very broad (include Harvard + Tufts Courses as well) and flexible curriculum were a major draw. It truly is inter-disciplinary. I have also found the curriculum at Fletcher to be most responsive to what's happening out in the real world. I had on several occassions met Fletcher alumns before deciding on the offer, and found the fletcher community (aka Fletcher Mafia) to be a very closely-knit group, which is something that was personally very appealing to me. I havent found alums anywhere else bat so enthusiastically about their alma maters, which was a very positive sign for me. 2) The Fletcher netwrok is very helpful. You will get a response 9 out of 10 times when you reach out to someone in the Fletcher network, even those in the higher echelons of their professions. Boston certainly is not DC or NYC and therefore there is a certain disadvantage to living in Medford. However in my opinion, it isnt a deal breaker and there are ways and means around it. Boston is home to headquarters of seveal prominent non-profits, so for people interested in exploring careers in the sector, it may not be any disadvantage at all . Hope this helps !!

Im a current MALD candidate at the Fletcher School. Happy to answer any questions about the school!!

@SnakePliskun207 and @Atlas445: From what I have read, Fletcher's humanitarian and security studies is considered to be best amongst its peers. As such, is there a real distinction of prestige between fletcher and georgetown? I could be wrong again but it seems like the fletcher mafia comprises of more diplomats and foreign ministers than any other school, including G'town. I'd be glad to be corrected since I am in the midst of making the same decision myself and all the research I have done is online. Besides, how many students are actually able to do part-time internships? I mean isn't grad school curriculum very rigorous? Thanks!!

this is quite helpful..thanks!!!

Has anyone sought additional funding from Fletcher?

looking at this thread no one can deny the diversity at the fletcher admissions office!!

this thread has to be the most interesting one in the Government Affairs section

On the issue of fit... yes without even the flimsiest of doubts.. Well I havent found the answer to be as white and black as one would like.. New York definitely has a much larger pool of professionals working in almost every field one can think of. This would mean that you get more meetings with these professionals than you would at say Boston. But then comes the question as to whether these meetings go beyond the usual lip service and actually result in something substantial. The thing about fletcher alumni is that they for some reason really stick their necks out for the students. Im sure the others do too, just that somehow it doesnt jump out as much as it does when one considers the fletcher alumni. As for DC, considering I am non-citizen, I wonder how many jobs are there in DC for me, and whether the famed DC location would be of any advantage to me. This is the reason I didnt apply to G'town or SIAS despite the substantial literature on the internet compelling me to do so. to track alumnis, I generally go on linked in and do a hit and trial search.. Im afraid I dont have a more scientific method yet. You could probably look for development professionals in SE Asia and trace their grad-school heritage.. Good luck with the decisions

To put in crude terms, for people outside US (particularly India), going to fletcher might deprive them of bragging rights in their community .. but if you can look past that, it seems like a great place to be. Just to test this theory I had asked some of my non-engineering friends in India if they had heard about ETH Zurich. Well they did not. And believe me I am not exaggerating, a few of them hadnt heard of CalTech. Still great schools, perhaps the best?? So personally I am not as swayed by the brand visibility quotient as I was when drawing my list of schools to apply. What strikes me about Fletcher is that I am yet to come across a single person (read someone who could be useful for future career prospects) who hasn't absolutely raved about the school. And I have spoken to more people who did not go to fletcher than those who did. I have a conviction, a strong one at that I might add, that in order for me to get a job, networking might be the single most important factor.. fletcher undisputedly ranks 1 in that department. It is true that the halo of the fletcher extends mostly to only the IR world. That being said, the fletcher degree is highly valued by the employers and that its a definite stepping stone to a great career in IR.

As a lawyer looking to find my feet in international development consulting, I find the MALD program to be the most helpful program. In terms of visibility, I would agree that Fletcher (read Tufts) does not appear to be as awe-evocking a brand as a Harvard or Georgetown or Princeton, particularly outside of the IR fraternity. That being said, if I am to enrol in an International Relations/Affairs program, I would be more interested to know what folks from the IR field think about the program instead of the world at large. These are just my opinion.

Mine shows 'Yes' .. I guess you should call up admissions asap and find out

yes all info in one shot.... it wouldnt be released before 1730 EST i suppose...

this is so excruciating... telling your story to someone and hoping they like it .. better than the hundred others