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whitemocha37

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Everything posted by whitemocha37

  1. If I were in your situation, I would go with SAIS. I've heard amazing things about its IDEV program, which is probably the highest ranked and most respected of the three, not to mention they gave you funding. Columbia may have the Ivy League rep but I don't think its development program is as well-known as SAIS' in the field and it would be EXTREMELY expensive to attend SIPA with no funding, especially if you take the cost of living in NY into consideration. Since Georgetown and SAIS gave you the same amount of funding, I would go for the higher-ranked one (which I believe is SAIS). Of course, that's just my personal opinion, so there may be other factors you want to take into consideration besides ranking and funding. You might also want to speak with some people in the field you want to go into (I assume development) and see what they say. Regardless, you got into some amazing programs and I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. Congratulations and good luck!
  2. I haven't seen that info graphic yet so thanks for posting it! I mentioned that tidbit about the next three schools since it was mentioned specifically on Georgetown's Career Services' website https://msfs.georgetown.edu/careers/development. I assume they mean FSOs in general and not just currently serving ones? Nevertheless, I'm sure MSFS is not the only great program that feeds a lot into State but I thought it was just an interesting fun fact
  3. I am in pretty much the exact same position you are. I applied to Elliott's MIA and Georgetown's MSFS and was accepted to both, with a very generous scholarship from Elliott but no funding at MSFS. In my position, at least, it all boiled down to funding vs. everything else. Financially, Elliott makes the most sense, especially since I can keep my current job while attending school. They gave me a fellowship that covers roughly ~75% of tuition, and my salary would cover the rest, plus even leave me room for some savings while I'm in school. Get my master's AND graduate with some extra money in the bank? It seems like a no-brainer. HOWEVER, I realized that while I was comparing the courses, opportunities, etc. of the two schools, I was extremely excited about MSFS and much more lackluster about Elliott's offerings. GWU is still an amazing program, but for what I want to do (State/Foreign Service) MSFS is the best. I read somewhere that it produces more FSOs than the next three schools combined, which means unparalleled networking opportunities. My heart is telling me MSFS; my head is telling me GWU. I haven't formally made a decision but at this point I am most likely attending MSFS. One of my friends put it this way: Ten years from now, how much more likely are you to regret the fact that you didn't go to MSFS vs. that you took on a bigger debt burden? Personally, I feel as though if I didn't attend Georgetown, I would always wonder "what if?" Plus, I went through this exact same struggle for undergrad (more loans/higher ranked school vs. near full ride/lower ranked school) and chose the "cheaper" option. I don't regret my choice in the least, but I did sometimes wonder how many more opportunities I would have had if I'd gone to the "better" school. Plus, I think brand/prestige matters much less at the undergrad than grad level, and I always told myself that when the time came, I would go to the best graduate program possible. Anyway, that is just my personal opinion and experiences. In the end, everyone's needs are different, but just remember that when it comes to loans, you will eventually pay them off. On the other hand, getting a master's degree is something most people have only one chance to do, so make sure that you are fully happy and comfortable with your choice before you make a decision. Good luck!
  4. Hmm, I don't know about Security Studies, but you can email SSP admissions to check. Hopefully it doesn't!
  5. Sorry, I made a typo. I meant 15%, and I saw the stat somewhere a while ago on a student's blog but forgot where...
  6. I currently have to make quarterly tax payments since I work at a foreign embassy and the taxes aren't withheld from my paycheck. I am by no means an expert and the situation might be different for fellowships vs. income but I will try to answer some of your questions: Can you use Turbo Tax to figure your estimated taxes and quarterly payments? Has anyone successfully done this using Turbo Tax? Would you recommend it? I did not use Turbo Tax to figure my estimated taxes. Last year, I actually just kind of played it by ear and paid as much as I could each quarter (I had a lot of expenses last year so it was a bit tough) but I underpaid and have to make up for it when I filed by tax return. My tax situation was a bit confusing so when I filed federal taxes I went to a professional instead of using Turbo Tax and they also helped me calculate how much I should be paying. That is, the amount I pay each quarter amounts to ~50% of one month's salary (ex. if you earn $3000 a month, it's safe to pay about $1500 or a little less per quarter). That is only my situation, however, so it might differ when it comes to fellowships But what if you don't start school and receive your fellowship/stipend until September? Will you get dinged for not having made estimated payments in April and June? I highly doubt it. It doesn't make sense for you to have to start paying for income you didn't receive at that time. The way I did it, I paid the first quarter after I started working, so if you don't receive your fellowship until September, I would only worry about estimated taxes starting in September. Basically, the first payment you make should be on Sept. 15 Do you need to include deductions when you figure and make your quarterly payments, or can you simply wait and claim all the deductions when you file your annual return the next April? (I assume you still need to file an annual return, right?... Speaking of which, is making estimated payments anything like filing the annual tax return?) Deductions should be made when you file your annual return, which you DO need to still file. Making estimate payments is much easier than filing the return. I did it online through the IRS Direct Pay system because it was the easiest and fastest way. You just fill out your personal and checking account info, choose 'Estimated Taxes' in the section that asks what you're paying for, and click submit. It takes less than 10 minutes and you don't even have to print anything out, although you can certainly print out the estimated tax vouchers from the IRS website and mail in the payments if you want to. Do you have to report the cost of the health insurance provided by the school? When you file annual taxes, they will ask you if you have health insurance, and if you answer yes, I think that's the end of it. Definitely don't need this info when making est. payments Is there any penalty for overpaying estimated taxes, or for paying if you actually wouldn't have been required to? Not 100% sure, but I doubt IRS would penalize you for paying more than you owe. I assume that if you overpay you will just get the money back as a tax refund in April, but you can always double check. And what about receiving extra funding in the middle of the year (i.e., a research or conference grant, summer support)? Since it could be difficult to predict exactly what support you'll get, should you use the "annualized income installment method"? No idea about this one, but if I were you, I wouldn't worry about it until I actually receive the funding, in which case check with the people/organization allocating it and see if they have any insight into how to report it. Hope that helps!
  7. I was admitted to the Elliott School with a pretty generous scholarship that covers about 75% of tuition but did not receive any funding at Georgetown (but I applied to MSFS, not Conflict Resolution). As far as I know, Georgetown is pretty stingy about funding for grad students. There is a new policy for MSFS stating that if you do not receive any merit funding as a first-year through the admissions process (and only about 5% of admits do), you will not receive any funding for your second year However, this is only for MSFS - not sure about Conflict Resolution. I would suggest contacting the admissions team or financial aid office and double-checking with them. I'm not sure what program you applied for at Elliott, but I believe GW is a bit more generous with scholarships/fellowships overall. Plus, they have a wider range of fellowships that incoming/current students can apply for, so it's a bit easier to get second-year funding there, IMO. No idea about NYU IR though.
  8. According to their website, there were 400 incoming students for the M.A. degree in Fall 2014. I assume half or a little more than half of those were for the DC campus, so the cohort should be around 200-250 students. As far as I know, MSFS has one of the smallest graduate cohorts in IR--perhaps not quite as small as Yale, but quite a bit smaller than SAIS or the other DC schools. Hope that helps!
  9. Hey everyone, long-time lurker, first time posting--I thought this would be helpful for future applicants Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Top 15 Public Previous Degrees and GPAs: B.A. in Political Science and Chinese (Magna Cum Laude), Minor in History, IR Certificate, 3.68 GPA GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 168V/151Q/5.5A Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 1 year teaching at an inner-city school as an AmeriCorps volunteer, 1 year in the consular section of a foreign embassy, a few internships as an undergrad Math/Econ Background: Minimal. Basic stats and micro in undergrad, received AP credit for macro so did not take an actual college course on it Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Cantonese (fluent), Mandarin (advanced proficiency) French (very basic) Long Term Professional Goals: FSO Schools Applied to & Results: 7/7 Accepted at Tufts Fletcher (MALD), Columbia SIPA (MIA), Georgetown MSFS, American SIS, GWU Elliott, UCSD IR/PS, Johns Hopkins SAIS Ultimate Decision & Why: I haven't officially accepted an offer yet but I will most likely be going to Georgetown. It was a difficult decision since I received funding at some other schools (including a full ride + stipend at UCSD) but did not receive any at SFS, which has a pretty hefty price tag. Some of my friends think I'm crazy for turning down funded offers to take on such a huge debt burden at Gtown but other than UCSD I would still have to take out loans to attend the schools where I received funding (Fletcher, GW, American) except for UCSD, and I see grad school as an investment, so I might as well pay a bit extra for the school that's the best fit for me. Since I want to join the FS, I think MSFS is probably the best program to prepare me for that and it's in DC, which has the added bonus of networking opportunities and relevant internships (Fletcher's location is a big con for me. Beyond it being outside the DC/NY corridor, I also just highly dislike Boston for some reason). SAIS was originally my first choice but it's more econ-focused, which I'm not too excited about, and there's less chance of getting second-year funding than MSFS. I've crunched the numbers and I think paying back the MSFS debt will be doable after graduation, though it's going to take a while (at least 10 years, if the Public Loan Forgiveness Program is still viable). Advice for Future Applicants: I'll echo what some of the previous posters have said and recommend gaining more work experience before applying. I would've applied right out of undergrad but I knew my profile wasn't strong enough to be accepted at the top programs fresh out of school, so I took a few years off and it was the best decision I made. Not only does it boost your profile and chances of funding, but it really helps clarify what career path you want to choose and what you want to go to grad school for. Plus, it might help make up for a weak quant background/GRE score like mine (I was worried I wouldn't have a shot at SAIS or SIPA since they place such an emphasis on quant in their admissions materials, and if I had applied right out of undergrad I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have gotten in). Before writing your SOP, I recommend doing some research into the programs you're applying to and really tailoring the SOP to fit the school. I used the same template for all of my SOPs but I made sure each one mentioned program-specific concentrations, professors, special features, etc. (and that they fit within the different word limits from each school!). Also, make sure to answer the question. The prompts might be similar, but some schools want to know more about your research/academic interests while others place a heavier emphasis on career achievements/goals. Regardless, it's best to go over your essay at the end and check to see if you hit every point the prompt expects you to make. Congrats to everyone on your acceptances and good luck to all future applicants!
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