marco_p

I was asking myself the same question many times. International applicant, legal background with experience from an international organisation, ~4 years of experience (+social work: student government, NGOs), good GRE (above 90th percentile). I was extremely happy to get the scholarship from the school but cannot say I was expecting it. My best bet why I got it is that I have chosen a relatively less popular concentration for my degree (Urban and Social Policy) and maybe someone really thought that I will fit this concentration well.

It's a very conservative approach, I think. I don't fall under any of these 2 categories and still I'm not planning to take on any debt. And I'm going to SIPA which is notorious for it's frugality. I was lucky to get full-tuition fellowship from the school and an extra scholarship from another source. With these two, I have already secured almost 90% of my overall costs (direct & indirect). During the second year I hope to get an assistantship or another scholarship so I will manage to avoid accruing any debt whatsoever. Of course, I am not sure I will manage to do it, but my point is that WWS is not the only school that can generously assist you financially. So it is indeed possible to graduate debt free from a policy school (I hope!).

thanks a lot for your great help, it really clarified my last minute reservations I got my J-1 visa today

I'm entering 2-year Masters program, sorry for the confusion but I am not entirely familiar with the US academic model yet! To clarify, I am sure that this 12-month bar will technically apply to me but it won't have any practical significance. From what I can read (for example here: http://internationalcenter.umich.edu/immig/jscholar/12and24bars.html), it only relates to Research Scholar and Professor positions after the program. In my case it won't be the issue, as I won't be eligible for these 2 positions anyway. And it seems that there is no limitations with regard to continuing education as PhD student (either in F-1 or J-1 status). I didn't know that - my Fulbright program didn't provide me with such instructions. And I checked before applying (and double-checked after reading your post) whether they prohibited me from applying for visa - they didn't (but neither said explicitly that I should). What you wrote makes a lot of sense but I thought that it would be safer if I apply earlier. Fulbright award results will be announced at earliest in June and the whole visa process (together with getting DS-2019 from from my school) can take up to 2 months. Since I need to be in the US in late August, my reasoning is that it's better to be prepared in case I don't get the scholarship. I hope it would be possible to update my sponsor (or the whole visa status) if I'm awarded the scholarship. Moreover, the school is already covering more than 65% of the total costs of my program. Fulbright will not give me more that 10-15% of the total costs - so I'm not sure that it can act as a sole sponsor of my program. Anyway, thanks again for you response! I am aware that applying for visa before getting the results of Fulbright scholarship is a bit extraordinary approach, but I think it's a safer bet in my case. If awarded, I should have plenty of time to update my status... At least I hope so!

thank you TakeruK for this comprehensive response! I am going to be a graduate student not a PhD candidate, but all you have said is very applicable for me. I chose the J-1 visa because I also applied for Fulbright scholarship and if I get it I won't really have any leeway in this matter and I will also fall under 2-year home residence requirement. However, without the gov-funded scholarship I will not be subjected to this requirement. To be honest, I am not really sure at this moment whether I want to stay in the US for AT/OPT or not, but I just do not want to hinder any future possibilities at this stage. In my case OPT permits me for 1 year employment and AT for 1,5. It isn't a very big difference, obviously, but my reasoning is that I should go with the longer option if I have the chance. Especially since the drawbacks you've described do not really apply in my case: 1. 12 or 24 month bar, as far as I understand, applies only for J-1 visas for research scholars and professors. Being a graduate student it seems to me that even if I decide to continue my education as a PhD student it will not be a problem to get a new J-1 visa, as long it is not for postdoc or professor's position. 2. As I said, if awarded the Fulbright scholarship I will fall under 2 year home residency requirement anyway. On the other hand, as for now I am only funded by the school so this requirement does not apply to me. 3. Insurance is covered by the fellowship I am getting from my school so it is not a problem for me. Interestingly, my university declares that insurance meeting J-1 visa's requirements is obligatory for all students so I would need to have the same insurance even when in F-1 status. Again, thank you @TakeruK for this very helpful post! I think both F-1 and J-1 visas are OK in my case but the latter gives me slightly more advantages whereas its drawbacks don't really apply to me. If there is any flaw in my reasoning please do not hesitate to debunk my arguments.

thanks for the answer, that's what I hope for! however, the caveat you mentioned is basically the point of my question. I know that this would work with F1's OPT but I have a few reasons to apply for the J1 visa. On the other hand, these reasons won't really matter if it'll be impossible for me to be temporary employed after the program. If it is not so clear then I will probably choose the F1 visa.

Hello, From what I can read on my University's International Students Office page, J1's Academic Training allows for employment which is considered integral to a student’s academic program. What does "considered integral" mean in practice? Does it only allow the students to be employed when the employment constitutes a necessary part of the degree (i.e. it is degree's requirement) or is it just necessary that this employment will be strictly connected with the academic program? For instance, I will study city management/public administration in a graduate school - would it be possible for me to be eligible for AT after the end of my program (in fields relevant to my area of study, e.g. in city administration or public consulting)? Or maybe J1 graduate students generally do not qualify for AT unless it is their degree's requirement?

maybe you could share your thoughts and feelings here?

To be honest I feel like being waitlisted is the best option for me. It's good for my ego as it says that they can live with the idea of me studying there (at least that's how I understand it) and on the other hand it also spares me the temptation of trying to go to HKS, as there is absolutely no way they would give me as generous offer as SIPA

I don't think it is very likely. I'm waitlisted too, but also have an offer from SIPA with 100% tuition scholarship so the choice is easy for me Congratulations to all who got accepted!

it's been there for at least a year

congrats on your funding! I also got $56k per year ($112k total, I still can't believe how lucky I am!). but when it comes to the assistantship I don't think it is included in the financial aid - they just mentioned that there will be an opportunity to apply (at least that's what is written in my letter). BTW, I didn't have the mention about "the most generous package offered", so this probably means that these letters are personalized, which is nice!

thanks guys! I found it congrats to all admitted and those who also got some additional $$

could you be more precise, bottom of what? I can't see any hyperlinks...

wmkx I have the same problem! I have no idea whether I got fin aid or not