LeeLeeLove

I am so sick of waiting for grad school acceptances, it is unbelievable. I wouldn't wish the past couple of weeks on anyone.

So far I've gotten into SAIS, SIS, SIPA and Fletcher.

I think that SAIS would be my first choice, but still haven't heard from SSP. If I got into Georgetown, do you think I should choose it over SAIS? Is the Security Studies program that much stronger? I know it sounds totally ridiculous, but one reason I am leaning towards SAIS is because it is metro-accessible and I hate taking the bus all the way to Georgetown. Is that a stupid way to pick a grad school?

Thank you, I was surprised and flattered by the acceptances. And thank you for your response! I was thinking that SAIS might be a better fit, but it always feels better to get confirmation from someone else. In my mind, Georgetown is more for diplomats and SAIS is more for people interested in policy and private firms. I know this isn't how the schools describe themselves, but in my mind that's what it seems like. I am definitely more interested in just getting my MA and entering the private sector. I think corporate security abroad could be an interesting field. Plus, I like the fact that SAIS doesn't make students write a Master's thesis. My undergrad thesis was a huge waste of time and I don't want to repeat the process.

My stats are probably pretty similar to everyone else's. Graduated in 2006 from top-5 liberal arts college after studying abroad in Turkey. After graduating, worked abroad doing grass roots political work in Mongolia and Azerbaijan. Worked in several NGOs in DC and just got back from doing a Fulbright in Georgia. My GPA was completely average (3.5) and my GRE scores were not good (700/710/4!) so I think this really illustrates that they are looking more for work experience than straight numbers.

I've met so many SAIS students who seem eager and proud of their program, and I think the location is great. Brookings and the best gay bars in D.C.? Sign me up!

Forget grad school. If I were you I'd focus on my ability to write coherent English.

Looks like my information was good! Just got the good news via the website (no e-mail sent yet, just like Fletcher). Letter says we should get financial aid information by the end of the week! I am ecstatic! Unless I get into Georgetown or get some serious $$$ from GWU... SAIS, here I come! Good luck, everyone! I hope we all get amazing news.

I cursed the names of many people in administration...some of the jobs are so remedial and yet they often hire people that lack common sense or any logic whatsoever.


Slightly similar...my transcripts came and they were mine, but they didn't have my degrees on them. The University called me (before I called them) to tell me that I had not actually graduated. Timeframe

August 2009: Apply for graduation
December 2009: Commencement
January 2010: Request transcripts
January 2010: 8 weeks after graduation, phone call about not graduating
Feb 2010: Application deadline

The short version of the story, the University was claiming that I had not met the the requirements for one of my majors and that it was past the time where I could appeal so I would "just graduate in May". Well, since I knew they were wrong I challenged them on it...no dice. The records office and audit office are separate and the graduation office would refuse to put me in as even if the audit office said it was a clerical error because it was past the deadline. Arguing about the time it took them to find a "problem" and how ridiculous it is to contact someone 5 months later all I received was "sorry".

After a few phone calls, petition letter, letter from a professor, outlines of the course catalog (showing them their mistake) and threatening to take legal action if necessary...48 hours later I officially graduated and my corrected transcripts arrived with 10 days to go before the final deadline. I sent them 2 day FedEx only to have NSSR enter them as received 2 days after the deadline. Yeay...

I still get a fired up thinking about it.

This may not be a troll, but it certainly sounds like one.

If not, I'd say SAIS is clearly the best choice unless the OP is quite independently wealthy or has guaranteed external funding, which didn't sound like the case.

My situation was a little different but certainly nerve-wracking-- my school sent the wrong transcripts! I had them sent six copies out to my schools and an extra copy to me so I could scan it for my records.
When I opened it, though, there was Kristy Baraholka's transcript instead of mine! It turns out they had sent all my schools the wrong transcripts. Good thing I happened to request another copy! It saved my applications, Kristy's applications (Kristy, if you're reading this-- you owe me), and Kristy's lucky the transcripts ended up in my hands rather than some phisher's because they contained her SSN, etc.
What is going on in these administrative offices? These are people's lives! When I called, the best they could muster was a "sorry" and a "do you have a shredder?"

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……….,’ ; ;,-, ; ;, ; ; ;, ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ‘, ; ;’, . . . . .,NEW WEEK: TIME FOR MORE DECISIONS!!!!!!!
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the bear *Sigh*

Anyway, I agree it will be the final week before this board goes into hibernation for the next six months *nostalgic*

You're joking, right?

I mean unless you're President, some other major political figure, the big cheese for a government program, CEO of a large financial firm, Chief Economist for some place that has Chief Economists, a high ranking military commander, Head Researcher for a big-name Think Tank, Director of an NGO, in bed with the Energy buffs, or some sort of major religious figure, why in God's name would you consider turning down a free $120,000+ degree from a school best suited for what you ultimately want to do with your future career? I'm curious to know what job you'd be doing that would give you working experience prior to re-applying to SIPA.

I'm facing the difficult decision of whether or not to throw my laptop out the window of my 4th story apartment if/when I get negative results from SAIS.

Tell ya what, lets trade decisions.

Hey people,

I am facing a difficult decision: I have been admitted to SAIS (Bologna-DC) and will be able to go there for free (I will even get paid some money per month). However, I have always been fond of the idea of going to SIPA (love NY, love Columbia) but I would need some work experience and would have to apply there in something like two years time.

What would you do? Should I forfeit my scholarship for SAIS and apply to SIPA in two years after getting some professional experience? Or should I take the money and the opportunities given by SAIS? This also given the fact that my chances to obtain another schlarship in two years might not be same. My ultimate goal is to work in the private sector, most likely in the financial sector.

I would be glad for any help on this.

Regards,
007

Firstly your post is really funny.
Secondly I hope you'll see my response being that you posted yesterday.
Lastly you have to handicap yourself, this year the sheer number of applicants lowers our individual odds considerably. I gave myself an honest assessment; my GPA is average, my GRE scores are OK, I have excellent letters of recommendation, substantial research and an interesting life experience. Many schools won't even find out about the two years I volunteered in a Russian orphanage or the fact that I speak four languages or that I have rabbinical ordination, because my scores aren't perfect. I don't know many professors, which I believe is what gets people in (or at least noticed). But if you have a good GPA, GRE, LOR, and a good statement of purpose, you have a good chance of getting in somewhere.
To be honest I have worked with a professor for the last to years at a school that was my first choice, and it turned out that she wasn't taking on students this year and I didn't know the other professors and I got rejected, it sucks but I put too much energy into applications that I don't have any left to get worked up. At this point getting into any program that I applied to is a blessing.
Hope this ramble was helpful and the best of luck to you.

Or, not to be a dick, perhaps you wrote a less-than-stellar SoP thinking you were already a shoo-in (which is the impression I get), or had bad LORs. Or perhaps you just didn't fit the program as well as you thought, or as well as they wanted. Again, not to be a dick, but there's more to it than just numbers. Two years work experience is also going to be below the average, and if you graduated college in 4 years and have only 2 years of work experience, that also would make you younger than the average applicant, and could possibly cause them to worry that you haven't matured enough. The rejection sucks and I'm sorry to hear it, but with your strong stats I'm sure you'll get in somewhere else good.

Me on the other hand, I'm getting pretty impatient waiting for IR/PS, which has been sending standard deadline notifications since at least Feb. 25th.

Just got the reject from Yale IR. My stats were 770/640/5 3.5gpa 2yrs working with International defense company, several internships with the White House and State Depts, fluent in 4 languages. I don't know who the F they are accepting but it must be pretty close to Jesus himself. God help us all and good luck to you guys.

Yes, I was talking to someone in D.C. about the Washington program. No guarantees, of course, but my source (I feel like Mark Felt...) was confident that decisions would be sent on the 15th.

I normally open every other email before that particular email.

Here are the titles for the schools I was accepted to:

Decisions Are Available Online
Admission and Fellowship Award

Rejection:

Graduate Application Decision Notification

As a general rule of thumb, ambiguous titles like 'Admissions decision' are bad news, good news will sound like 'official offer of admission' or 'offer letter' or something like that, at least in my experience.

I got 2 letters in the mail on Monday. I tore the end off the first one and then decided the room I was in wasn't "right"... so I moved to the kitchen table. First letter was a wait list. Oh disappointment. Second letter. Second letter is obviously going to be a step up- an acceptance! Deep breath, tore off the end, slowly unfolded, (should have switched rooms- obviously the table was not the right place), and there it was- a rejection. And then I cried and hid the letters in my nightstand drawer thinking I would tell my husband later that night. Still have not told a soul, besides you all.

Today I got another letter. Thinking I've got 1 rejection, 1 wait list, here's my 1 acceptance! Noooooope. Damn wait list again. To the nightstand drawer you go.

I am picturing the day I get my first acceptance letter or my last wait list/rejection letter and how I am going to dump all my other letters on my husband's lap and let him read them himself as I sit and cry (hopefully happy tears of being accepted somewhere).

I haven't received word from SIPA yet, and am reading into it that either:

A. I'm a borderline case and they're deciding whether to accept or reject me
OR
B. I'm being considered for a fellowship

I'm thinking it's A and I'm at least happy they didn't reject me right away (my personal statement was not terribly strong)

I wouldn't write in for a decision unless there's no answer after March 20. Be patient, they'll get back to us.

I really don't think that it is a good idea to call someone a troll just because he/ she is successful with his/ her applications. I do know real people who got into every single top 10 programs that they applied to. Personally I will not defame another individual without solid evidence.

There seems to be a pattern with the results submissions. Trolls stalk the forums and try to figure out what the latest school is that people are anxiously waiting on. Then, they decide it would be fun to post false info to get people even more nervous. I'm not a profiler, but my guess is the average person in this instance is white male, probably overweight, rejected from all programs to which he applied, living in Mom and Dad's basement even though he's 29, and chances are he's probably never gotten laid. Maybe I should switch careers and be one of those people on Criminal Minds.

From what I understand, that's not what they do at the undergraduate level, if that means anything. I understand that the nature of admissions are different between the two but I'm assuming waitlist strategies are essentially the same.

What usually happens is that they'll send one round of emails right after the May 3rd response deadline for admitted students once they have a better idea of how many people are accepting their offers.

For example (and note that I'm pulling these numbers completely out of thin air), if they have 600 acceptances and 50 on the waitlist for a 350-person class, and if 345 happen to accept their offers, they're not going to keep all 50 on the waitlist for the remaining 5 spots. Usually, they'll accept 5 from the waitlist, deny maybe 25, and ask the other 20 whether they'd like to remain on the waitlist should any of the 5 decline their offers. Rinse and repeat.

Again, the numbers aren't representative. I'm just trying to illustrate that they probably won't keep everyone if they know that they're not going to take a certain number of them.

Hi all and congratulations to everyone who's been accepted!


I'm waiting to hear back on my MIA and am DYYYYYYYING.

Did anyone write the adcomm to request their status or was everyone patient enough to wait for the e-mail? I don't know if I can wait any longer, but don't want to be the first schmuck writing in to beg for a decision...

Yeah, actually it means that someone looked on my resumé and typed in my e-mail address to send a message rather than automatically sending me a message via a listserve