JBrodsky

Got in, but I'm not going to take Columbia over Tufts. Also still waiting on HKS and Princeton. As per usual. SIPA offered no first year fellowship. Good luck to those on the waitlist.

<br /><br /><br /> Heh, back when I did it (not for Russian) there was no portal, ever, just emails. Guess they're upgrading their technology. Sounds like a good sign though. I had a similar issues with a fellowship, once. There was a bonus award that those accepted could apply for, and a new employee mistakenly asked us to start applying before we even received acceptances. We didn't know what it meant at the time, leading to the usual agonizing. Good luck!

I don't know about MEALAC, though ironically that's my other region/language. RSEA only offers Masters, I believe.

Got an email from RSEA. I'm in. They're personal, which may be which they don't all come out at once, so good luck to those waiting!

I'm curious as well. Based on the results last year, it looks like RSEA acceptances and rejections don't come out at once, but rather one by one over a period of a week or so, which strikes me as odd, as does first acceptances coming out on a Sunday. I'd love to hear if anyone has any insight into the process or pertinent information. Thanks!

Congrats!

I guess it's better than the alternative, which is making us wait longer. Parts of Harvard are famous for that. However, the results search shows a 9 day span for acceptances sent out last year, for whatever that's worth.

Is it odd for programs to email out admissions notifications on a Sunday?

Result for RSEA is out on the results page. Apparently someone got an email admit with half scholarship today. Congrats to anyone who's received said email; I don't anything yet. Good luck to all.

Long-time lurker here. Found out I'm "through to the next round" for RSEA. I'm not really sure what that means, but this was the only Asia-focused program that I applied to, on recommendation from a professor. I'm pretty stoked, though worried about lack of funding.

I'm curious too; one of my best friends (an international student) got accepted for an MEM a couple of weeks ago. :-) Perhaps you'll see him in the fall.

Good on you! :-) Here's hoping that other schools follow suit. Fletcher seems pretty wired and likely to do something like that.

A few thoughts based on my work experience: I have to second the positive impression of SAIS. In addition to their very significant presence in China (I am in Beijing now, and it's visible), they also do quite well in the traditional DC arena, such as State Department, the Hill, etc. They're rather more heavily recruited by the private sector than some other schools (though SIPA does well too, as do Fletcher and HKS. I'm no as familiar with Gtown, but I know some MSFS grads who were in Lehman when it tanked) because of the quant focus, etc. Yet I'd also agree that they seem to do well in very different areas. Google Devin Stewart Carnegie Council if you want an example of a SAIS grad in a very interesting and unusual job. As for SIPA, I think it also does quite well for itself, particularly in the IGO arena, but also in the private sector. My former boss at my think tank job was on leave from the World Bank, where she is at the senior fellow level- She was from SIPA. Her assistant, something of a superstar in USAID in terms of age vs. success, also was from SIPA. SIPA is like water for World Bank and UN applicants- their UN internship program can be a valuable foot in the door, if that is your goal. It should be noted that while many people think of SIPA's large size as a negative, it means that it has a tremendously broad network. I don't know how tight-kit and easy to leverage that network is, but SIPA grads seem to be quite literally everywhere. It's really tough to compare these schools at the end of the day. There are a lot of factors. For example, all things being held equal, going to SIPA may be more expensive than SAIS because of NYC living costs. However, a good friend of mine who went to Princeton UG said that if he wants to go home to Japan and try for the foreign ministry, he was advised to go to YLS, HBS, or SIPA. That's how well-thought of SIPA is in diplomatic circles in Japan, apparently (though I'm well aware that that's only one person's view). Conversely, if you want to do something in DC, the location and connections of SAIS might be a better bet. In the end, either school would give you a good network and serve as a decent platform, but your own personal entrepreneurship is still going to be one of the biggest factors in your success That said, only you can judge whether or not they are "worth it." It depends on your career goals, whether or not one school is particularly well-suited for your specific focus, your personal financial situation and relative comfort level with taking on debt, whether or not you get aid, whether or not you get substantially more aid somewhere else, and your personal desires (perhaps you're dying to live in NYC or DC). Good luck with your application and decision.

I'm a bit nervous that being abroad, I won't make any of the open houses. I know it's early, but perhaps some of those who do make it to the open houses would be willing to share thoughts and impressions on this thread? I'd be grateful for any input. :-)

I was surprised to find out that they don't necessarily award the number of grants that are listed as available. The program that I got into for this year only awarded 75 percent of the number listed on the Fulbright website. I'm not sure why.

I got a Full Grant my second time, though the country I applied to the second time was more difficult.

Program Applied To: (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.) A range Schools Applied To: WWS, HKS, Fletcher, SIPA, Yale, SAIS Schools Admitted To: Fletcher Schools Rejected From: None so far, though I expect that to change in March Still Waiting: WWS, HKS, SIPA, Yale, SAIS Undergraduate institution: Large public Undergraduate GPA: 3.79 Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 3.88 Undergraduate Major: Political Science and Asian Studies GRE Quantitative Score: 700 GRE Verbal Score: 750 GRE AW Score: 6.0 Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3 Years of Work Experience: 3 Describe Relevant Work Experience: Interned in a non-profit in NYC and a think tank in DC before working for a year and a half in a small think tank in DC. Currently spending a year in Asia researching international relations. Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Stronger than usual; I started my SOP for a major fellowship and made the final round. I spent a good deal of time revising, and the later applications probably benefited. It's worth noting that while I did put in the hours for the initial application, I had to do it in a very compact period of time due to unavoidable previous commitments. The stress was not fun, but it goes to show that there is hope for those of us who because of work/personal reasons have trouble devoting due diligence to the process many months before the deadline. Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I would say very strong. One professor known in my field who was educated at Harvard, former high-ranking executive branch appointee from whom I took a class, and a former boss who has a senior position at one of the big IGOs, and (for one program) my mentor who is a well-known alum of the school. I saw three of the letters after they were sent (I waived but saw two anyway). I'm also good personal friends with most of my recommenders, and all, bar one, have written recs for me before. Other: Though it's too soon to tell, if I end up doing well, it will probably because I was able to put together a strong narrative based on my study and work experiences in Asia and the Middle East. My Mandarin and Arabic are research level and intermediate, respectively. However, perhaps even more important than language skills, as nearly as I can tell, is the fact that I narrowed my career goals and was able to reference som interesting experiences when talking about why I wanted to pursue said career goals. It's probably a tired old saw, but I'd definitely echo the oft-repeated advice to get some work experience prior to applying for these types of programs, if at all possible. Also, this is probably not practical for most, but I think that taking the paper-based GRE was probably an advantage for me, though I can't really compare because I only took the test once. It's only offered in certain countries, however (I think). Anyway, it's worth thinking about if the chance arises. Best of luck to everyone in the run up to March/April.

I've heard great things about the African Studies program, for what that's worth. I applied to IR this year.

I have a very good friend who got into SAIS with a 3.0 in a non-technical undergraduate field from a non-elite state school. He had a couple years of good work experience and speaks two languages other than English, but I think he mostly got in because he had a very good, and very focused statement of purpose that stated clearly why he wanted the degree and how he would use it.

My friend who applied last year said that it came in late March but was delayed in comparison to previous years due to higher app numbers. Here's hoping it comes a bit sooner this time.

I met a Fulbright from China who was at HKS and he said something similar.