Nico Corr

Thanks alkalidz. I thought it was as simple as giving them a call and saying something along the lines of "I have in offer in hand with school X with funding, but you're my top choice, how can we make this work?" I myself am thinking of strengthening my CV and applying again next year as well.

Like you, until I found this forum, I really thought nothing of forking over 100K to get one of these degrees. I just thought of it as a substantial investment in my long-term future that would come back to pay me double what I put in, in the next 10-12 years. After reading this forum and talking with others, I've come to realize rather disconcertingly this is simply not the case. I learned that an IR degree isn't quite the ticket to the promised land I thought it would be in the middle of completing applications, although I considered not applying, I said fuck it and did it anyways. I got in to all the schools I applied for, including my "dream school", but with very little if any funding. I don't want to be left in penury to pursue a degree/career that I thought was real, but is most likely a mirage. I've been poor before, and it sucks big time. Especially in the DC area. I'm not going to fork over substantial sums of money to get a credential that will probably lead nowhere. I've considered giving up and pursuing a degree in business analytics (even though I'm awful at math) and maybe using that somehow as a segue into IR in the private sector or maybe intelligence. I'm going to continue to study and take the FSOT exam and see where that leads me. I'm even considering saving up money and starting an Alpaca farm and using that to get a foot in the door to import-export. I certainly wouldn't advise anyone taking out even 60K in debt let alone 100K to get one of these degrees. Ideally, it seems the best way to go about it is somehow miraculously get an employer in the field that will help you pay to get one of these degrees.

I recently got accepted to George Mason Schar, American and GW Elliott. American offered me funding, but Mason and Elliott did not offer me any. I'd like to attend Elliott especially, but I can't go to Elliott sans funding. I read on a previous thread that in some instances, it is possible to negotiate with some admissions offices to get funding. Anyone here have experience with this sort of thing? How'd you go about doing it?

As everyone else has said, It's not verboten and actually quite common for people to change their concentration after starting grad school. just keep in mind the further away from your original interests you go, the more likely it is you will have to take additional courses to meet your degree requirements.

Mark Cuban states Philosophy majors have a leg up in the tech market. If you can't get a job in academia, you apparently won't completely be up shit's creek; https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/20/mark-cuban-philosophy-degree-will-be-worth-more-than-computer-science.html

Whenever I see posts like this, it really burns my ass. I realize this is a competitive field to enter, and I'm not expecting to get rich, but is it really this bad? I'm grateful for the wealth of knowledge and experiences posted on this site, but sometimes I wish I had never found Grad Cafe and just remained ignorantly bliss about my prospects. Even though I've got two offers in hand and one decision to hear about, I'm considering just saying screw it, and not pursuing a degree, or a career in this field anymore. Maybe I can start working at some start-up or bank, and save enough money to start my own Alpaca Ranch in some remote area and make a living that way.

I was curious to know this myself, thanks AddSmith. I have an acceptance in hand from two schools, but GW Elliott is my ideal choice. I might have to employ this tactic once I get a decision.

My understanding, albeit hazy is the academically oriented curriculums focus more on the historical underpinnings of foreign policy and the different theories used to practice foreign policy. Policy oriented programs focus more on the data analysis and case studies of various situations in which the data was pulled from to explain events that are consequential to policy. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

Never pay full sticker price for any Master's program. You might want to call the admissions office and inform them of your interest in the program, and let them know you will have a hard time attending without some kind of financial support. If funding is no dice, kindly decline and find out what more you can do to make you competitive enough to obtain funding next cycle. These degrees don't yield much in the way of compensation, and it doesn't do any good to become destitute in order to obtain one.

"reputable" is subjective. Although I think Foreign Policy is as reputable as one can get, the ranking is arduous and based mostly off of whatever reputation said schools already have with the "practitioners" in the field.

Thanks for your reply 16381776. I'd like to eventually obtain a career in the intelligence community or as a foreign service officer with the State Department upon graduation. I realize competition for these sorts of positions is ferocious, but I have no other "in" to get one of these positions. My "plan B" is to get a job in the Private Sector or worse case get a job in local government until I can somehow get my foot in the door. My biggest concern more than anything as I mentioned maintaining a certain standard of living for my family which I am unwilling to compromise on. I'll get multiple part times job if need be to accomplish this. Many of these fellowships I only learned about fairly recently and have missed deadlines for their applications.

My take is the analysis of the "top" programs is sloppy and is really nothing more than a popularity contest. Goldgeier's tweets on the subject I think are spot on. MA hopefuls should base their decisions to attend schools based off of program fit, whether the school offers a program best suited to a candidate's career goals and of course, how much funding the school is offering. School rankings and prestige matter little especially if you intend to seek employment with a government agency or NGO as they do not seem to care where you went so long as you have all the requisite "skills". I was surprised to see these rankings come out as I had heard from someone that works at FP that they were taking a lot of heat from various schools who believed these rankings were hurting their brand, and there was talk of scrapping them all together.

I applied to two schools for the Fall of 2018 application period and got accepted by one program, still waiting to hear back from the other. What financial aid I will be offered will determine whether I take my offers (or attend grad school at all). My biggest concerns with grad school are my particular financial responsibilities and whether they are compatible with going to grad school. I live with my girlfriend and our daughter in a fairly expensive area. I have a full-time job with benefits (that's not related to my desired field) that helps pay rent, utilities, cell phone and what undergrad bills I have. I am actively looking for a position related to my desired field (international relations) but it's hard without a grad degree. I realize I'm going to have to leave my current job at some point in order to pursue at least temporary jobs within my desired field/internships, but I am not sure how I can balance this out and maintain at least some semblance of normality for my family. Moving to a cheaper area is not an option. Moving in with 3-5 other roommates is not an option for me. Eating Ramen every night is not an option. Doing unpaid internships isn't an option for me either I don't think. Finances are really the only thing that make me think twice about pursuing a degree. Has anyone else faced similar difficulties while obtaining their Masters? How did you do it?

Tairos, Thanks for your input. It's greatly appreciated. I thought about applying for the GGPS Track, but I figured USFP would give me a little more flexibility in the way of government jobs/private sector work which is really what I am aiming for. I've read several of the threads on this forum about some poster's overall buyer's remorse about the degree and the field in general. I thought about giving up trying to get in this field and find some other kind of work, but honestly I cannot imagine doing anything else. Seeing as jobs in the field are hard to come by, especially if you don't already have an "in" like military experience, Peace Corps work, or friends/family that can get you a job, how would you advise students who don't have any of these going for them to increase their chances of getting a decent paying position in the field? Are unpaid internships a prerequisite?

Hmm. At least for SIS the acceptance letter said that funding decisions would be released separately in mid-March.

Before I began trawling the grad cafe for info, I was dead set on going to grad school to study foreign policy. I knew I wanted to enter this field around my 2nd year of college, and planned meticulously to apply. All in all, about five years of preparation and research. I was a bit nervous but excited about going down this path and although I knew it wouldn't be easy, I was confident I could navigate grad school and the field to get admittance somewhere, and ultimately a job in the field. This forum, and posts like this on it have really jaded me, and for a time, I stopped prepping my applications, I even considered getting a job in another field. I was encouraged by someone I know to apply for an entry-level position in a very lucrative construction firm's talent & acquisition department. I flirted with the idea for awhile as the money was good, and the company culture was a fit, but at the end of the day I realized that it wasn't for me, and who wants to be involved in talent acquisition anyways? I know it's best to already get a job in the field before you apply to one of these programs, or get military experience, but none of those options are on the table for me. Grad school at least for me is the most direct path to a career in this field, and you pretty much need a Master's degree just to be considered for entry level jobs. Debt for me at least will be the deciding factor of whether I attend grad school this application cycle, or improve my application and try next round.

Congrats on wrapping up your studies at SIS irapplicant1776. Can you give us any insights on this particular program at SIS? Have you done any internships, and do you have any idea where you'll end up upon graduation?

There are IR/MPA programs that obviously have connections and clout with private sector employers (HKS, WWS, Fletcher, SIPA, Etc.). For a time, I was really aiming for a career in the State Department as an FSO, or an intelligence analyst with one of the three-letter-agencies, but I've also looked into other more unconventional subfields of IR like country risk analysis, consulting etc. Careers with the government have their perks. I believe at least that it's important to do meaningful work, public service and helping others, but the private has advantages of its own ( better compensation). Perhaps an MBA would be more appropriate for private sector work, but for me at least, the cost of attending business school would be extremely prohibitive, and I honestly don't think I have the quantitative background or private sector experience(read none) to gain admittance to a top 10 bizz school. Not to mention I'm 30 going on 31 and from my understanding business school's are disinclined to accept anyone over 30, especially if they have no private sector experience and looking to make a career change. Save for EMBA programs. Other than the usual private sector "feeder" schools in the field, what other schools have the bona fides and the connections to get their grads into private sector work? Does Elliott, Maxwell, SIS have any reputation of getting their grads private sector gigs?

Were i to sign on, it wouldn't be my sole reason personally for doing so. The military opens thousands of doors and despite the negative views held by some, I think the military does good and fascinating work.

You make a great point, which is why I demur in following through. There was a time when I seriously considered joining the military out of high school, but the war in Iraq left me questioning some of the country's motivations for using force and my desire to move to Europe (which I never did) left me disinterested in ultimately joining.

Thank's for your input. That all makes complete sense. If I were still in my mid-20's, I'd probably just sack up and sign on, but at 30, I feel a bit rushed to figure it all out now and joining the military, even in the reserves is not a decision to make hastily. I have a girlfriend and a kid, which complicates the decision. I've looked mostly in to joining the Coast Guard reserves as an intel analyst but I am not sure if I would get any kind of veteran's perks seeing as it is not likely I would ever be deployed. I too am curious to know what others think on this matter.

This isn't exactly germane to the topic of MPP/IR/MPA degrees, or grad admissions but I have read numerous threads where the topic of veteran's preference and the benefits that come with it help applicants with admission, funding and job prospects afterwards come up. Vets clearly have an advantage over their civilian counterparts (rightfully so), which has caused me to both envy and quite honestly resent them a bit in regards to my own prospects. I've even considered joining the national guard or the reserves even though I'm 30 just to get some of the perks although that might be more trouble than it's really worth. How however decided is their advantage over civilians in the admissions process and job market thereafter?

Congrats. I was surprised how quickly notifications went out. I wasn't expecting to hear anything until mid-March at minimum. Still waiting to hear back from GW.

Thanks for the input pickledcarrots. My father's family is from Central America, so I grew up speaking it with extended family in my early teens and also took classes all through high school. I took a semester of Arabic as well, and have studied it on and off since graduation. I've had limited opportunities to use my Spanish and Arabic with foreign diplomats/military in a professional atmosphere. I have to take micro and macroecon courses in the Spring before I start grad school in the fall, so I'll have to balance out further study with econ.

Again, I only base this off of what I heard from someone else considering the program. I do know that Cornell has an excellent undergraduate public/foreign policy program, so it makes sense that it would have a strong basis in policy & theory.