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I am going through serious imposter syndrome on firstly getting into Georgetown and then getting full funding. To begin with I went to a small, unknown and unranked private liberal arts college, and graduated with Political Science and Economics Major and Mathematics Minor. My GPA was 3.91 and I was within top 1% of my graduating class. GRE scores were modest with 157V, 166Q and 4.0 W. One of the factors why I got into the program is probably because I am from a developing country. Although, I think that consistency on your application is the MOST important factor. I am sure I got amazing recommendation from my professors because I was kind of a big fish in a small pond and they really mentored me personally. Also, my personal essay somewhat aligned with what was told about me in the recommendation. I graduated just last year and have been working in private sector since in not so amazing job (from public service perspective). So, do not hesitate applying to good schools even if you do not have relevant work experience and above all make sure your application is consistent. Write recommendation from professors who truly know you and can write a personal letter. (I did not tick FERPA release form in one of my application and was able to read my recommendations. There was a huge difference between the personal letters and the one that repeated my CV and thankfully I happen to have recommendations from professors who knew me well in my Georgetown application.)

In my case, I got into Syracuse and Georgetown. Initially Georgetown had offered me something like 60% scholarship and Syracuse had offered me 100% tuition with stipend for the first year and none for second. But at the end Georgetown increased my aid to cover 100% of my tuition which I think is very generous since I think Georgetown does not provide stipend for Master's program.

Hi Everyone, I forgot to mention that I accepted the offer last week. The department was kind enough to increase my funding and I think it will be a great experience that I won't have much financial pressure. I was definitely sold on the quality of faculty and it being on D.C. I have been searching for housing recently and would love everyone's insight on it. During my visit, I was told by a student that it would be best if possible to find a place nearby since there is so much going on in D.C. and that even Alexandria would be kind of far from that. What are your thoughts on this. Any suggestions and tips would be highly appreciated. Thanks to all of you folks for great insights and discussions throughout this application cycle.

Factoring in the living cost at D.C. for two years, the total debt most likely will be 70k and that's a conservative number. If I work part-time, the amount will likely decrease but not by much. I just want to know if anyone is in my situation and what is their thought process towards making the decision and/or what is their plan.

Hello everyone, I know there are numerous posts about these schools but I wanted more insight from you guys. At Syracuse, I have been accepted into MAIR which is 1.5 yrs program with full scholarship with some stipend as GAship package. At Georgetown, I was awarded $30000 per year scholarship for GHD which is a 2 yrs program. Walsh SFS is highly ranked than Maxwell and its location means that I can work at DC while studying. Maxwell also has a DC track which will allow me to work at DC during summer and last semester. What are your thoughts on my options considering the financial aspect and that I want to work at organizations such as The World Bank in future.

I was very impressed by all the members of faculty as they had immense international experience and knowledge of how international aid process works (especially Professor Radelet and Professor Rajiv Shah). However, to be be honest I did not have as much interactions with current students to deduce overall dynamics of the group.

This is the only open house I could attend and I am currently deciding between Economics PhD at AU, Maxwell, and this program. The open house was great for sure (and as expected as well). I am international student who went to a very small unknown undergraduate college here at U.S. and I was able to find really good opportunities even through small connection of my college. So, I am sure any of these program is going to be huge huge boost to my career potentials. Now, all depends on financial aspect of things and as an international student I do not qualify for several grants and loans. So, sadly I might have to make my decision heavily weighted on finances.

If I remember correctly and I hope currents students can chip into this topic, there does not seem to be organized predesignated specializations. Students will have to choose a field per se through the electives and the capstone project. Regarding technical specialization however, the program is fairly quantitative and has workshops to polish your STATA skills. I hope there will be ample opportunities to hone skills in these tools and apply them in capstone project.

That will be another plus for me about the program. Managing my finances is the biggest concern but I think it I can do it.

This is absolutely true. The faculty seem to have immense connection to USAID and its partners. As an international student myself, unfortunately I will be ineligible to work in a lot of their positions. The program itself has huge focus towards field experiences which is somewhat different from other programs. As an international student myself, I was asking students on how they manage high living cost in D.C. Some of them have paid internships, which I would not be allowed to do as I am not sure GU allows internships under CPT/OPT. Working during summer is not an option as we are required an international internship experience. I am planning to take a loan to fund remaining cost which I am sure is well worth it but I am conflicted to do so due to me being an international student and that I might have to leave the country after one year of graduation due to immigration rules.

The open house was great and all the professors were obviously very accomplished in their respective field. The cohort is very small and people seem to know each other very well. Needless to say program is very good. However, what was offsetting to me was that a lot of students had chosen private clients for their capstone and connection to reputed international development organizations seem to be developing gradually but not fully yet (maybe due to it being a new program??). I am very conflicted as living cost at D.C. is very high compared to Syracuse where I got a better offer.

Rejected. Congratulations to all of you who got accepted.

Haha, I am still alive but seems like we might hear from HKS and WWS today. I might get a heart attack for both acceptance or rejection. Best of luck to you as well.

Oh, Okay then. I don't have that either. The omen has spoken, going to HKS next year

Do you mean the logo on the top that says Harvard Kennedy School with stripped Veritas logo?? I still have it. This makes me sad for some reason.