bsack

i'd either want to apply to US programs afterwards (unless i got extremely generous funding in the UK), or go straight into industry (also probably in the US). so either way, i'm looking for something that'll work for me in the US. in this sense, i think oxford is somewhat more recognizable. however, i have a hard time justifying spending double for this bump. moreover, i think the master's program at cambridge makes for a superior personal fit.

what about oxbridge? LSE's clout makes sense given its social science/government specialization. i've heard sciences po does well in NGO and multilateral circles, dont know how well it does outside those areas

I've been fortunate enough to receive offers to study at both universities (MPhil in International Relations and Politics at Cambridge and MPhil in Comparative Politics at Oxford). However, I'm having difficulty in deciding between the two, as there are real financial implications involved with the decision. For politics, Oxford seems to have a slightly stronger reputation between the two. However, the Oxford course is two years long while Cambridge is one year. Since the costs of both universities appear to be the same, going to Oxford would entail paying literally double the amount I would currently have to pay at Cambridge for essentially the same degree. So I guess my main question is whether Oxford's better departmental reputation is worth paying double for. I mean, this is the department of Bill Clinton and basically every post-war PM, but it doesn't come for free without a Rhodes. Any advice would be quite swell.

i'm already a member of LSE's alumni associations for major northeast cities. i studied abroad there for junior year, which is why i was curious about that one. more importantly, i currently hold offers from cambridge and oxford for IR mphils (not MPP, sorry if i was ambiguous) and i am trying to decide between the two. i'm leaning towards cambridge because it is a one year program while oxford is two, but i would like to ascertain whether oxford would be worth paying the associated costs of an extra year. thanks for the advice, i'll definitely check the local alumni chapters for both schools

depends on what you're willing to pay. if you're a big dollar baller, you can try "the avenue" on I street, which is luxury level and located within campus right next to foggy bottom metro. something a little less ostentatious but still on campus like "the statesmen" (just a couple of blocks from elliott) would be about $1700 for a studio. there are a bunch of other options that are off campus but still within foggy bottom. nonetheless, despite a few complaints, DC has pretty good public transport, so don't feel obligated to live in the immediate vicinity of the elliott school/foggy bottom. reaching school by metro is in fact the norm for many grad students in DC since the distances are fairly short and quick (the main part of DC isn't particularly big geographically speaking). adams morgan for example is a bit more affordable and ideal for a 20 something. also, keep in mind that since GW is basically in the southwestern chunk of DC (the address for GW is technically in the northwestern "quadrant" of dc, but GW is in the southern edge of NW), many neighborhoods in Virginia like Rosslyn and Alexandria will be geographically closer to the Elliott School than many parts of DC proper, so don't hesitate to apartment hunt in VA. You'll be fine. You're in Foggy Bottom 5 blocks away from the White House. Crime isn't really a huge issue in Foggy Bottom and much of NW. just stay away from anacostia and you should be good. you'll know intuitively what the bad neighborhoods are once you get there, so i wouldn't stress out too much about it. just don't do anything dumb, keep your wits about you, and you should be fine undergraduate career services are handled by one central GWU office for all majors, so i can't really speak to what the graduate elliott career services are like.

I'm particularly interested in how employers in the United States (DC and New York especially) operating in the international relations/government sectors, as well as the private sector more broadly, view postgraduate IR degrees from outside of North America (i.e. how well do they compete against top American IR schools like SAIS/SIPA/Fletcher and how well do they generally place?). Specifically, I am curious about the following universities in the UK: London School of Economics University of Cambridge University of Oxford I know my question is broad in scope, so feel free to be as broad or as detailed as you like. I have already contacted the aforementioned schools for placement info and poked around linkedin, but I would like to get some additional thoughts and perceptions beyond that from you guys. All of the aforementioned schools rank in Foreign Policy's top 20, but unsurprisingly, info on them seems to be more scant than larger IR/public policy schools based in the United States like HKS. Also, I am aware that there are people on here applying to other foreign IR schools: I've seen Sciences Po and National University Singapore mentioned in other threads. So if you have any info or thoughts on other foreign IR schools, feel free to post to help out future readers or curious lurkers.

go to LSE brah, one year master's, cost you way less than hopkins, and you'll have access to a pretty baller network. my dean at the lse used to call it the "lse mafia." if it's your dream, go for it

i've been admitted to the same departments as you at oxbridge (mphil international relations at cambridge and mphil comparative government at oxford), and i did part of my undergrad at the LSE. initially, i would have recommended that you follow the money and go with the dual degree+fulbright. fulbright looks pretty sexy on a CV and free money is usually a good thing. however, you point out in a later comment that your fulbright doesnt cover your full tuition costs. also, you stated that the 20k tag at lse doesnt include accommodation, which will cost you a pretty penny (or i guess a pretty pence in this case) in london, especially if you want to stay in relatively close proximity with the university and not stay in a student dorm. if you're gonna end up paying wherever you go, you might as well pick based on your convictions. you should know that regardless of what you pick, you're gonna be getting an elite IR education. lse, oxford, cambridge, and science po are ranked 9th, 14th, 18th, and 21st respectively by FP, so you would be good to go at any of these schools. if you're concerned about experience, you have some diverse options in front of you. at oxbridge, you'd get a really unique university experience with all their crazy traditions, "ancient" atmosphere, etc etc. plus, i think you'd get a real sense of community. at lse, you won't get that same sense of community, as students tend to be a bit more aloof/do their own thing, and they dont have a lot of school spirit. however, lse comes with tremendous perks. you're smack dab in the middle of basically the capital of planet earth (after new york city), and there's always fun stuff to do in london. also, i dont know how old you are, but from my experience the postgrads and undergrads tend to mix pretty well socially. you won't be a social pariah as a grad student as you might be at other grad schools. can't speak too much for sciences po, but i hope that helped with some of the academic, experiential, and financial aspects of your decision. if you decide on an oxbridge school, we might meet in the fall! best of luck with making your call

got into oxford, feeling pretty good!

is there any distinction made between students who go a full 2 years in nanjing or bologna, and the students that spend at least a year in DC? and does every degree program have access to SAISWorks?

thanks, takeruk. i was just trying to make the point that i dont understand how a relevant post could possibly be misconstrued as trolling. if y'all wanna talk about whatever, it's cool with me, just try to keep it civil and substantive

i dunno if this is just for public policy guys, but i got an offer from cambridge for their masters in international relations! pretty stoked!

on that note, i'd like to mention another program i recently found out about: Vanderbilt offers a terminal masters in economic development. it is generally 2 years long, but it can be completed in a year if you are a particularly committed student. the program provides extensive coursework in micro, macro, econometrics, and statistics, as well as electives relating to finance and investing. the program seems best suited for individuals seeking to work in the non-profit or international organization sector. however, they also have many placements at banks and financial firms, so it can be useful for those who would like to work in the private sector as well. a full list of placements can be found here: http://as.vanderbilt.edu/gped/documents/GPEDPlacementMarch2015.pdf

you're accusing me of trolling while quoting a substantive post that is directly relevant to the topic of the thread. seriously? please do not make additional posts on this thread unless you have something to say about quantitative IR programs. if you continue to create harassing posts, i am afraid i'll have to report you

based on what i've seen, i think the key distinguishing difference is simply age and experience. as you point out, UK programs DO NOT require work experience, and if anything, might slightly discourage it. therefore, a lot of their masters intake are students matriculating immediately after completing their undergraduate degrees. keep in mind that undergrad is also generally 3 years long in the UK, as opposed to the standard 4 in the US. also, many masters take just 1 year in the UK, as opposed to the typical 2 in the US. i studied at the LSE during my junior year, and one of my flatmates was a european masters student. remember, his undergrad only took 3 years, and he also happened to be slightly young for his grade. so it turned out he was actually slightly younger than me, and here he was finishing up an effin postgraduate degree, while i hadn't even finished junior year of undergrad yet! point is, a majority of the kids from SAIS did 4 years of undergrad, have 3-4 years of solid work experience, and then spent 2 years of grad school on top of that. on average, they're about 28 years old when they finish their first masters degree. contrast this with the british LSEer, who spent only 3 years in undergrad, did not work full-time after graduating, went straight to grad school, and finished their first masters degree at 22. you can certainly get away with paying some kid fresh out of school $46k for their first job, especially when they are the same exact age as american students when they finish their bachelors. a 28 year old...not so much. they certainly have more experience and have more seniority when they finish SAIS, so they are entitled to their $55000. that is why you are probably noticing a slight difference in postgrad pay between the brits and the americans. if you were to compare salaries age-by-age, i am very certain the brits more than catch up. in fact, i would think the LSEer would eventually surpass the SAISer at some point, particularly because (1) the LSEer has a bit of head start over the SAISer, (2) earning in GB pounds gives you a slight boost (yes, even with its recent depreciation), and (3) the LSE network's strength internationally in both the public and private sectors (referred to affectionately as the "LSE mafia" by our dean).