[Decision - GW Elliott vs Hopkins SAIS]

I'm gonna be blunt here. Go to SAIS. The fact that you're unsure is a little insane right now.

I know GWU is technically ranked in the top 10 and is also in DC but between the two the difference is exponential. Going to GWU means gambling that you are going ti be at the very top of your class or by pure luck bump into the right person at some bar and get hooked up. SAIS on the other hand has consistently high and impressive employment statistics.

I'm not saying this to dump on GWU, I'm saying this to say GO TO SAIS. $24k is nothing in the larger scheme considering 1. Your debt will still be large and 2. You are paying for your future career which will almost certainly take off quicker and stronger from SAIS.

I'm not talking about prestige or circles, I'm talking hard employment facts and figures.

[How much debt are you willing to take on for your degree?]

I believe that Georgetown's Walsh School of Foreign Service is considerably more selective in terms of admitted students for their MSFS program than GWU's Elliott School is for their MAIA program and that this gives it the perception of being more prestigious to attend (which it may very well be), but I think that in reality the selectivity of the program has more to do with that fact that it is not the primary program at the Walsh School of Foreign Service. By contrast the MA program in International Affairs is the Elliott School's primary program, which is why it admits more students in general.

 

I don't mean to be rude but this is total nonsense. MSFS is literally their flagship program, which is a fact they state openly. MSFS can enroll in practically any other program's courses, not just in the School of Foreign Service but even in other departments. The only classes more exclusive than MSFS courses are Security Studies courses, but even then MSFS students regularly enroll in SSP courses, and SSP is not the primary flagship program

[Georgetown MSFS vs. Hopkins SAIS]

Thanks for the inside info! I was thinking of housing being cheaper outside of Georgetown, a short commute away, not living near the school within walking distance. For SAIS, it's located smack dab downtown, so the same "short commute" would see you paying vastly more rent. I think! Am I still wrong on this? And is there ample parking space for personal vehicles at Georgetown? Any grad student housing option from the school?

I think you are underestimating DC's public transportation system. SAIS, being right next to DuPont Circle, is easily accessible by metro and bus at basically all hours. In fact, one of the Georgetown shuttle stops is in DuPont Circle.

That said, pick the school that's best for you, not the school that has the best commute. You don't want to base your professional career on a 30 minute commuting difference or small amounts of rent difference, and you can make things work if you need to.

[Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and Security Studies 2015]

aishunbao check your private messages!!