mustangsally001

It was pretty informative! I'll share my thoughts but anyone can feel free to chime in or agree/disagree if they had a different experience. The biggest takeaway I got was the quite distinct educational philosophy towards a degree in IR that most of the professors seemed to share and advocate. They really emphasize an interdisciplinary approach where all knowledge is "one" - that the historical, political, and yes, economic contexts should all be studied and taken into account to best understand and tackle contemporary problems. In many ways, it is both practical and theoretical, and I got the sense that the professors are not only incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about their individual fields but also equipped to address current problems with a more interdisciplinary and historically informed framework in mind. Practically, you seem to have a lot more flexibility with changing your concentration (exempting IDEV and STRAT which you can switch out of but are difficult to switch into due to their sheer popularity) and you can take courses across all of the concentrations with your own interests and specific path in mind. Ultimately, many of the professors on the first panel agreed that you should concentrate in what you're interested and passionate in because in the end everyone has a degree at SAIS which speaks for itself. I also got a bigger sense of the advantage of the SAIS network. There were so many anecdotes from students and professors alike about instances in which the alumni and student networks (perhaps not so jokingly known as the "SAIS mafia") were a huge advantage. Apparently several government departments are essentially "run" by SAISers on all levels given the sheer number of people that work there. There also seem to be agreements with companies, IOs, nonprofits and governmental orgs to have internships and job offers open only to SAIS students so there are ample opportunities to secure sought-after positions within institutions in DC and abroad if you go through SAIS. Honestly, the network and the sheer quality and impressiveness of professors and alumni seem to be a huge draw for SAIS. Overall, the professors seemed really passionate, and since there's no undergraduate aspect of SAIS, they pour all of their energy into the graduate program which in itself seems advantageous, not only for the focus placed on grads but for the sense of community throughout the school (especially if you go to Bologna for the first year, where it seems you forge an incredibly tight-knit bond with your class). Personally, today made my decision much more difficult, but I have two more schools to look at this week before I have to decide. I hope that helps in some way, even if it was just my perspective!

That's strange, my acceptance letter did not give me that much information but I did get info on loans today. It's unfortunate that their 'visiting day' is so late but I think I'll still try to drop in and speak with someone on Thursday. Thanks for your quick response!

I know decisions were only just released for the Security Studies MA but I haven't heard anything since the initial acceptance. Has anyone heard anything regarding funding or an accepted students day? I'm headed to Washington for SAIS and Elliot's open days tomorrow and Friday and I'd like to visit Georgetown's SFS on Thursday but it seems that they're having the MSFS open day then and I don't know if I'd have any luck meeting with anyone. Is anyone else weirded out by the lack of communication?