dave85

Gazelle - I share your same sentiment in flip flopping between grad school and taking on a stable and high paying job in engineering. Deferral is something I might be considering as well to save more money and for me to take some time to decide on grad school. Hope it helps to know that you're not alone!

In the end, the school brand can only do so much for you. It's all about what you make of the education. UCSD IR/PS itself may not be world-renowned like Columbia SIPA, but I think people forget that it is a part of the reputable University of California system; which is nothing to sneeze at. Ultimately, you would be better off attending a school where you have a chance to build a relationship with faculty and your cohort. The relationships will matter more in the long run than anything else. On the downside, the entire UC system suffered a setback because of the California budget crisis this year. So it's very likely that the tuition at IR/PS will rise this year as well. Also keep in mind that San Diego is the complete opposite of NYC. If you like to live in a big sprawling city, San Diego won't offer you that. It's a little house on the prairie compared to NYC... Suburbia at it's best, but you have temperate weather all year round. I've had a chance to talk to a couple of IR/PS alumni on the east and west coast and have found their starting salary to be in the 50s.

They mentioned in the admit letter that coursework at the college level could be taken to fulfill the requirements beforehand. If you decide to go this route, I'd check with them first to see if the course you plan on taking meets the requirements.

Yeah. They paired me up with a great guy as well, but he's very busy so hopefully I'll have a chance to chat more with him after the days events. When do you fly in? Maybe we can carpool via shuttle to the campus.

I received my packet last week as well and received my acceptance email on Feb 25th Luke, I'll be attending admitted students day. Are you going for both days?

I hope you hear good news from SAIS. What kind of job do you want after you graduate? Still haven't heard from UCSD yet...

gazelle and mei - I'm still waiting to hear back from UCSD IR/PS as well and I applied for the early deadline in December. It's disheartening to hear that some people already received their acceptance emails... makes me wonder where I stand =(

Thanks Iluvatar. I submitted mine on Dec. 4th and received notification of application completion on Dec. 12th for consideration in the priority round. I hope I hear good news this week! Out of the schools you applied to, which one is your top choice?

Any new admits for this years application cycle that would like to post? Lets keep this thread updated! Me - I applied to UCSD IR/PS and expect to hear back from them very soon.

Question for the people that were accepted - When exactly did you submit your application? I only ask because I wonder if they are evaluating applications for the priority round in the order that they were received. I applied for the priority round and haven't heard back yet.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but I think the 4-6 weeks refers to when you'll receive email confirmation of a completed application, not an admissions decision. Have you read/heard if anyone has received a rejection email yet? I know we've already seen evidence of some acceptances.

I haven't heard back yet either. I turned in my complete application by the Dec 4th deadline. If you didn't turn in everything by then I think you will be considered a standard deadline applicant. Gazelle - where are you based in the US?