6speed!

I appreciate the response! I have another query for you if you don't mind. I got into SAIS but I'm thinking of switching my concentration from General International Relations to either Strategic Studies or American Foreign Policy. I have concerns that General IR is decentralized, low on resources and group cohesion and basically lacks an identity, despite offering flexibility regarding your course selection. I've read that Strategic Studies is a strong concentration regarding both resources, cohort strength and networking, but I know little about the American Foreign Policy concentration and its dynamics. I'd appreciate any perspective or insight you have on these concentrations and their general strengths/weaknesses. Thanks a lot!

Admitted to two years in DC and couldn't be happier! I'm hoping Georgetown comes through, but if not I'll almost certainly be going to SAIS. I'm excited to be in DC and take advantage of everything the city has to offer - it's just the place to be to put the odds in your favor if you're looking at IR jobs. However, if I do choose to go with SAIS I'm thinking of changing my concentration from General International Relations to Strategic Studies. I've been hearing mixed things about the General IR route. On the plus side it offers great flexibility in the types of courses you can take to satisfy the concentration requirements, and thus you can sort of customize your curriculum and gain a thorough understanding of more than one issue area. That said, regional and IDEV courses can't count towards satisfying the requirements. More importantly, General IR supposedly lacks a sense of 'community' since the students are all sort of doing their own thing - there isn't a core hub for the concentration and there is a serious lack of General IR-focused activities, trips, resources, etc. I think this could be a real problem when it comes to the potential for networking within your concentration and maxing out what SAIS has to offer. If I went with General IR I'd probably focus my studies a bit towards the strategic/security angle anyways, and given Strategic Studies' reputation as having strong group cohesion and funding/resources, it seems like this might be the better way to go. Does anyone have any insights on the General IR route relative to the other concentrations? It seems SAIS is known for having strong regional and Strategic Studies concentrations. Does anyone have any thoughts on the American Foreign Policy concentration and what it has to offer compared to the others? It seems like it would be a major waste to go to a school like SAIS and not take advantage of every possible networking and career-boosting variable, particularly when it comes to your concentration/cohort.

Same and same! Congrats to everyone who got some good news today via the various programs' decisions!

I sure wish they had! Every other IR program I was waiting on went ahead and released today. Though, to be fair, with SAIS on lock I'll be content going that route if Georgetown falls through. SFS must get decisions to us by next week at the latest, I'm guessing.

Haha same here! I've always found it interesting that there isn't a blog like the others. It builds the excitement and tension to be sure! Based on past years it seems like it must be in the next week or so, but I might be getting ahead of myself.

I feel you! That works out almost perfectly, then. I know I have a low chance of making it off the wait list, but it still feels nice to know that they could envision us plausibly attending (that's definitely how I'm reading it, haha)!

Has anyone heard anything about when admissions decisions will be released? Georgetown has been particularly tight lipped about it relative to the other programs. It was the third Wednesday in March the last two years, which would be next week Wednesday this year.

Curious about this myself. Maybe this is part of the March 11th scholarship notification mentioned earlier in this thread?

I have been living abroad for a while so I decided I wanted to spend the entire two years in DC - I think the curriculum and the environment will be better for me academically, but I also think I'll benefit more from two years in DC from the professional/networking/internship perspective. It would be really neat to study and live in Italy, though, and I definitely considered indicating I was open to both. I think doing so and being flexible on that regard certainly works in your guys' favor, acceptance wise.

We have very similar stats here - I'm at the higher end of the middle 50% for quant, well above the middle 50% for verbal and received a very high AW score. I also have limited math/econ on my transcript (with basically good grades, however), but I'm hoping the rest of my application makes up for it. The fact that you got As in both econ courses so recently will surely help you out.

That's how I'm feeling about the econ and math too!

Same and same! Life goes on! Congrats to those who got in.

Waitlisted here as well, but it just seems like too much of a gamble to wait it out when I'm perfectly happy with SIPA (plus there are admissions decisions yet to come). Congrats to those accepted!

I've read that it is possible to switch it, but in all fairness that was on another thread on this forum and not straight from SAIS itself.

I've applied to SAIS too and am eagerly awaiting the admissions decisions on Friday. SAIS is second on my list behind Georgetown SFS MSFS, and I applied to the General International Relations concentration since it affords so much flexibility and crossover with other sub-concentrations within the IR category. I really like how SAIS incorporates language learning within the curriculum and makes it an integral component of the identity of the program, as opposed to programs like Georgetown and Columbia that basically have the "you're on your own" attitude towards additional language study. That said, Georgetown's curriculum as a whole, emphasis on diplomacy, public service/fed gov't career track orientation and network in DC edge SAIS enough to make it my #1. Unfortunately I live abroad at the moment and can't visit the programs before enrolling, so I'm jealous that you have the opportunity to do that. Where else have you applied? Make sure to come back and let us know how the visits go! Best of luck.

Amen! Wait it out, y'all. We can mourn once the decision is final, and not a moment before!

That's definitely possible. I'm hoping not, but, prepared for a rejection regardless!

Does anyone know if they have rolling admissions?

Oh okay, that makes sense. I didn't realize you were an MPP applicant since I saw "MPA" on your profile tag. I see where you're coming from now, for sure. And thanks, keeping my fingers crossed!

By the same logic, however, they would have also sent out e-mails for wait listed and rejected decisions. We also don't have any evidence that any program other than MPP received any decisions. I also think that forums such as have absolutely no bearing on how adcomms work. If one hasn't received any admissions e-mail/decision, I think its premature to presume you know your admissions decision, plain and simple. I think sometimes folks get so anxious about the impending decision that they begin to actually fabricate one for themselves, because this form of "knowing" is more comfortable than the ambiguity of waiting for the actual decision e-mail. This is what I've garnered after reading many threads here where people take a lack of a decision/communique as constituting some type of decision. Exactly!

Folks, try to take a step back and think this through before jumping to conclusions. I'm seeing a lot of wild speculations on these threads that are connecting dots that aren't necessarily related. The Princeton WWS blog specifically states that decisions come out on the 11th. So there's that. In addition, of the three posters who mention on this thread that they have received admissions decisions from WWS, two have no identifiable information about which program they applied to and the third clearly applied to the MPP program, as it is noted in his/her profile tag. Furthermore, the sole "admitted" decision listed in the results page for WWS is for the MPP program. Let's assume WWS is going to stick to the information they provided us and trust that MPA decisions come out March 11. I think it probably makes sense to assume they mean what they say and take them by their word. A lot of people will post admissions results in a thread devoted to a particular program, even if they applied to a different program within the same school. I'm fairly certain that's what has happened here. It's indeed possible that some/all MPP decisions have come out, but I don't see how that necessarily has any bearing on MPA decisions. I also think it's worth noting that it makes little sense to assume a lack of any e-mail pertaining to any decision implies rejection. The blog also states that you will receive an e-mail if you're admitted, wait listed or rejected. If you haven't received any e-mail at all, I don't think you can validly assume any of the aforementioned yet. I believe there are plenty of reasons to still be hopeful!

I looked at your first post too quickly and misread what you said, my apologies. That's definitely true that State doesn't care about the school/program when it comes to hiring or promoting you within the Foreign Service. I'd have to agree that SAIS and MSFS put you at an advantage in the private sector, particularly SAIS in that regard from what I've heard.That's a tough choice regarding the loan debt - there are so many things you could put the saved coin towards, not to mention the value/quality of life enhancement of not having the debt and monthly payments hanging over your head.

That's what I've heard too - it has nothing to do with the supposed prestige of the school or program, just that you have a Masters.

I think the results page is a pretty unrepresentative sample of people who have applied and received admissions decisions, to be completely honest. Also a few people have posted on this thread that they received rejections today. It's probably just related to the biased reporting that is part and parcel to something like a grad school forum. Or, they could have released all of the acceptances and just some of the rejections? Or simply a disproportionate number of acceptances relative to rejections, with the remainder released on a rolling basis? Hard to say!

I'm considering the Foreign Service as well, but probably down the line a couple of years post-graduation. I agree with you 100% that going deep into debt for an IR Masters makes little sense, but it does seem like the foreign policy world in DC basically requires a Masters for many mid level and above jobs and the potential for consistent upward professional mobility. As you note, this isn't the case for the Foreign Service, however an FSO told me that those with Masters degrees are immediately put at a higher pay grade for the same positions and postings than those with only Bachelors. Complete tuition remission from American definitely makes it a solidly appealing option, especially when schools like Georgetown SFS are notorious for minimal fellowship and financial aid offerings. If I get into SFS without funding, what may give me pause is if a great program like SAIS, WWS, Fletcher or SIPA gives me significant tuition remission. I got into American with partial (about half) tuition remission, but its a bit lower on the list.