CakeTea

I would suggest to contact your program's career office and get some data on career destination of alumni in DC area. Based on my impression of bios on LinkedIn and professionals I met at mixers, it is possible to get a good MPA education at a Midwest uni and land a job in DC. There are some catalysts: summer internships, networking, DC alumni chapter and incidentally bringing the right skills. I think you are on the right track and in state tuition is a big selling point as you will minimize your student debt. I am sure Chicago with its many opportunities is a good place to get some work experience.

There are some decent European MPP/MPA at affordable rates and even full rides. College of Europe Bruges, MundusMPP CEU, Sciences Po and Hertie. I get it that in Europe students are debt averse. Besides, most European countries don't offer student loans to MA study in the US. Actually language teaching abroad counts as relevant full time employment. You can transfer some class room skills to Teaching Assistant duties and you can refer to education policy exposure. Admissions officers respect teaching experience. I have met some current students who did teaching abroad with Fulbright or other programmes. They applied successfully to a number of upper tier MPPs in Europe and US (with partial scholarships). I think they stated various goals from Human Rights, development and education to social equality. 3.5 yrs work experience is good and in line with class stats of most MPPs. Your Berkeley exchange will certainly help. I heard from another European applicant that a year abroad at a top US school was conducive to his successful applications.

hotchoc: Good profile with plenty international experience with IOs. I concur with ajak and naso's posts. I heard from current students that: Full time employment > internships > no experience. Reason: Work covers more responsibilities and career progression. May I ask how many years work/internships you have done since your BA? Have you taken the GRE for US MPPs? Most programmes publish the average class profile: GPA, GRE, years of work and even some individual profile. It gives you an idea how you fit in with your stats. To answer your Q, full rides with stipends are rare as hens' teeth. Some schools have very few reserved for exceptional candidates. Good luck.

Unagi: The problem with one year master’s at UK unis is the lack of summer internships. The year passes so quickly and you need to have some idea of your dissertation by October. I had first hand experience with LSE's career office and attended some company events held at LSE. Not enough staff to give tailor made advice, generally staff points to database and folders and it is up to students to scramble for resources. You need to register to attend recruitment events and it can be a bit cut throat, I witnessed some eye opening dialogues. You share the career office with the general undergrad population and it gets cramped. Most LSE students want to go into Investment Banking, Consulting and Big 4 Accounting. In LSE surveys, Goldman/McKinsey/PWC are popular employers and LSE recruiters are mostly from the corporate sector. Development jobs at LSE are not mainstream and some IO (IMF) require PhD for its young economist programme. SOAS has actually a stronger job pipeline to NGOs and public sector (see career fair) as a result of its history. Note: In the UK, some NGO and public sector internships are unpaid. My sister interned with a large London non profit and she got only train fare reimbursed.

The GRE is required only for MSc international economics, not for interdisciplinary or humanities master's. Most US applicants have taken the GRE and some European too as other peer schools require GRE anyway. I think some applicants mistake the notion that one needs sby famous as referee to impress the admissions office. Adcom told me that the referee should be: strong writer, know your work (academic or professional supervisor) and support your candidacy strongly. Having said that, it helps if the recommender has some affiliation with your target school such as joint author with IHEID prof, exchange researcher or IHEID alumni. My referees are not famous, but I have got good grades or feedback from them.

Basically it is a two tier system according to a current student 1) academic merit (grades, class standing in your year, GRE, awards, prizes)2) Financial need: it looks at parent's income, adjust it by income bracket in yr country by purchasing power: I think it is 4 levels from can only attend with full FinAid. to student can attend without any FinAid.You get a ranking in both areas. Example: Academics: Ranked 12, Financial need: Rank 7. In the end, the committee consolidate both scores. So the most suitable candidate for scholarship would be an academically strong student who comes from a low income household.What do you mean that "Don't know whether the person who writes my recommendation matters very much! I"

You picked schools in the most expensive European cities. The budget breakdown shows variances in cost. Rent, transport, utilities, entertainment and eating out are more expensive in London. Geneva is more expensive for groceries, healthcare, clothing, technology and telecom services. The last time I visited LSE and had lunch in the canteen, I had only salad & diet coke and paid £5 ($7.00). I know a person in my local shop who is admitted to BA at College in London. But the £850 rent in a lousy dorm would eat up her entire monthly budget. There is a silly answer to international students' question what to bring for life in London. the dry answer from locals/expats: Bring Lots of Money. The US dollar's exchange rate against £ and SFr has been relatively strong in recent months. The Euro is weak and would makes tuition cheaper.

Hi Unagi, The application fee and workload limit somewhat the number of my target schools. Just for your information when you factor in total cost for IHEID. Geneva has one of the highest living cost in Europe (along with London), the uni's website suggests a monthly budget of SFr 2000. Most internships tend to be unpaid. The Swiss Franc has appreciated against major currencies in recent months. Most visitors get price tag shock in Geneva. I think IHEID alumni have a strong presence in international organisations in Geneva and there are some chapters in Paris, NYC and DC.

Count me in. I notice that some European programs don't charge application fee whereas US schools charge and it adds up quickly. Sciences Po Hertie Berlin College of Europe Bruges plus some US MPP programs

Apart from Georgetown and SAIS, I may also add Denver Koerbel, GWU, American and Maxwell.

Have you looked at Uni Minnesota's MSc in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy? You can take it as a degree or concentration of the MPP.

Concur with mpp2016 that UGA is highly rated regional MPP program. Georgia Tech merits a closer look. Both are attractive for in-state applicants.

Can you afford to pay full fare if admitted to KSG? Do you think KSG can help you achieve your goals better that SIPA can't?

I think you worry too much, your scores are solid. SOAS, LSE and IHEID don't require GRE with exception of Economics. Maybe it is conducive to have 160 for the more quantitative and rigorous schools (SAIS and Georgetown). But I have seen on this forum admitted applicants with similar GRE scores and lower GPA. Some seasoned posters think that a higher GRE would enhance your odds for scholarships. Good luck

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Congratulations on admissions to two programmes with full funding. Just to get the full picture in order to give value add advice. What is your profile and goal?

I had the same thought and checked the faculty list. A significant number of former advisors in the Bush administration teach or taught at SAIS. Most famously former SAIS dean Paul Wolfowitz as deputy secretary of Defense. If you come from a left wing LAC, you will notice the difference at SAIS. SAIS isnt' Berkeley or Fletcher. There are a few profs from the Carter (Z Brzezinksi) and Clinton administration. SAIS focuses more on policy analysis with a 'real politics' bent. An ambassador wrote in his memoirs that the reputation has existed for decades. When he started his career after SAIS as junior diplomat, other diplomats from Eastern Europe teased him about SAIS as the Spy School. He wrote that some adjunct profs had Langley background rather scholastic track record.

Full tuition for Harris is an envious position to be in and many applicants would love to be in your shoes. Short of a full tuition plus stipend deal, you won't find a better deal around. Full rides are rare as gold dust and sometimes you would trade in for lower rank of mid tier school. You can bite the bullet and get the loan, at least you manage to find a US cosigner. Some students have even a higher debt level. I know that for international students, $40K debt is a lot in local salary. It is simple decision analysis 101. As a rule of thumb, US posters suggest that your debt load </= first year's salary To mitigate your debt load, can you take on a student job (15 hours a week) in both years? You can earn and learn, hence need t borrow less. What about savings from 6 years' work, surely you have a nest egg? Live frugally in a house share and you can cut spending. I can imagine that it is a culture shock to regress to a student budget after being a professional. Your idea is right to keep debt at a minimum. Good luck

I am not familiar with Fletcher MALD and shall refrain from commenting on it, but I know people who were admitted or studied MSc IR at LSE. I heard from an US student (whose father is a college professor) the same conclusion that LSE MSc IR is a strong feeder to PhD programmes (UK and US). It is known for theory, methodology, DEV and foreign policy. LSE has a few known IR professors and some went on to high profile appointments with IOs, but it really depends on your areas of interest. For academia, LSE also publishes the Millennium Journal (UK version of Foreign Policy) and invite researchers to present work in brown bag seminars. For policy folks, LSE offers a superb guest speakers series and student organized IR panels with foreign PMs, cabinet members, ambassadors, editors and think tank professionals. There are a few research institutes and think tanks based at LSE and some students intern there. I attended a few IR events and found the Q&A sessions lively and the LSE discussion papers helpful to stay informed. The key difference is the 1 year format and it is fast paced and not much time to digest or regroup. My friend told me that the prof told students in October to think about their dissertations. At the same time, students send out resume for jobs/internships after graduation. You would need a strong game plan (goals, modules, dissertation, internship or job) for LSE to get max return on investment. The size of IR class is 60, some are fresh out of undergrad and others have a few years' employment. With regards to syllabus, LSE goes for depth in your electives and you cover a narrow range of courses compared to a US program. If you look at various International Affairs rankings (FP, Williams U), only LSE, Oxford and Sciences Po from Europe manage to get ranked along with top US programs. Facilities: Space in London's prime Westend is rare and expensive. LSE is really cramped and some students struggle to find suitable study areas for group work. The library is one of the largest Social Sciences Library in Europe, but very busy. During exam revision, one would struggle to find a vacant seat. Complaints about not sufficient textbooks or long waiting list for loans (supply and demand). But this applies to other European unis or London colleges. Some students notice that a few profs put their priorities in research rather teaching, LSE profs may be not as accessible compared to college profs at smaller Liberal Arts schools. You need to be proactive to get things done. Each module has a reading list for each week and your responsibility is to prepare before class and get the reading done. Mix of textbook chapters, journal articles and documents from international organisations. I think LSE offers also a Trek to IOs (Brussels or Geneva). Good luck

As you indicated, ETH as a Tech is best known for STEM subjects. But its small econ department is well ranked within its concentrations (Quant Econ) and Egger is one of highest profile profs. But for international econ at Swiss unis, one would see more research at Geneva, Uni Zurich and St Gallen.

Hi, Thanks for offering your kind advice to potential applicants. I am an international student and would appreciate your view on my application as I know little about US schools and admissions. Program: MPP/MPA Schools being considered: SAIS, Goldman, Ford, Sanford, CMU Heinz, Price Major: BA Economics with minor in Modern Languages from a public uni in Europe GPA: 3.4 GRE score: V:162, Q:164, AWA: 4.5 Years since undergrad: 3.5 when the program would commence Work experience: 3 year employment as Analyst with municipality, 1 year in sustainability planning and two years in local economic development. Two summer internships in Germany and Asia during my studies. Coursework: Macro, micro, international econ, stats, calculus and language courses. I got mostly Bs. Language skills: Fluent German, intermediate French and Chinese International experience: Study Year Abroad in Germany, two summer internships abroad Statement of Purpose: My interests are: Economic Development, Innovation Policy, Labor, Network Economics and Spatial Planning. I wish to improve my analytical skills (Stata, R), experience collaborative learning environment and apply my skills on a consulting project. The US format of government affairs schools would offer a transformational professional and educational experience compared to lecture/dissertation based format in Europe. I wish to build on my prior work and transition to policy analysis with government’s Commerce Department or Economic Development Agency. I have personal reasons as I come from an underdeveloped region with job and population loss as a result of structural problems. Letters of Recommendation: Two professors and a supervisor Other: Party member & volunteer in regional and national election campaigns (canvassing, organising events at local communities and working phone bank). Volunteer for food bank. Concerns: Mundane profile (lack of top US education, awards or big name employment such as the UN), average grades, basic research skills, iffy funding, will adcom consider my non US qualifications as adequate? 1. Am I competitive for my target schools and any other schools that would also fit well with my focus? 2. Will my precarious funding raise red flags as I cannot pay full tuition? I have modest savings from employment after paying my student loan, but my country does not offer FAFSA and bank’s loan is capped. 3. How does Adcom decide on merit based scholarship?