baileycesario

Good info- thanks! And, LeeLeeLove: That's frustrating about the conflicting information from the admissions office. I think it's smart to attend SAIS's Open House before committing either way. If their Open House is on the 14th the timing will be tight, though. I actually didn't apply to SAIS, nor any other IR program. Rather, I applied to the joint Security Studies M.A./Government Ph.D program. Unfortunately, I didn't get accepted to the Ph.D program but plan to apply again in the fall. Hopefully, demonstrating good academic performance in the SSP program and directly networking with professors at G-town will benefit my application on the second time around. So the deposit is only $200? Not bad at all.

I haven't received mine yet, but I live in hawaii and it's not yet mid-day here. How much is the deposit? And yes, I am surprised that they want it before the Open House. Seems backwards. BTW, have you decided on Georgetown then? I know you were torn between SAIS and SSP for a bit. Also, did you participate in the online chat? I missed it and wondered if they mentioned the acceptance rate this year. Just curious...

E-mail received an hour ago: "The Admissions Committee for the Security Studies Program (SSP) has completed its review of your application and has recommended your admission to the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. You will soon receive a letter pending a final review of general admissions requirements. This is a routine step preceding full or conditional admission to the SSP. Decisions on SSP merit-based aid will be communicated under separate cover in the next two weeks. In the meantime, information on student loans, grants, and other Georgetown funding opportunities is available from the Office of Student Financial Services..." All I have to say is: Thank... God. (BTW, my last name starts with a B so maybe they're working their way through the alphabet.)

Nothing here. Would LOVE to hear something tomorrow, if only so that I can stop pouncing on my laptop the moment that I wake up every morning. It's a very jarring way to start the day...

I think that's just something they say so that they don't get 500 applicants calling them up and asking about whether they were accepted or not. If you google G-town's SSP in the Results Forum you'll see that the majority of accepted applicants were notified through e-mail in previous years. And like I already mentioned, I was notified via e-mail when I was accepted several years ago. Most programs put some blurb on their website about how they'll only notify applicants through postal mail, but many of them actually release decisions via e-mail.

You know, come to think of it- when I was accepted to SSP back in 2003 I actually received the e-mail at night. And I think it was a Friday, too. Of course, that was 7 years ago and not necessarily indicative of how they'll release decisions this year. So bloody frustrating. Whether it be a yay or a nay I just want an answer.

grrrrr... Is it just me? Or are there any others who were sure that today was the day for SSP decisions to be released? As we passed COB on EST I realized I could probably stop refreshing my e-mail every 20 minutes. Oh Georgetown, why dost thou toy with me?

Thanks for the reassurance- it was a nice thing to read when I woke up this morning. And I believe that my background would make me right for the program, but I also think that graduate admissions can be such a crapshoot these days. You know? It's a frustrating, nail-biting process for those of us who hate to to resign complete control and fate to the opinions and whims of a faceless admissions committee. An applicant could be incredibly intelligent and capable of totally rockin' a grad program, but maybe his or her application gets tossed out because the reviewers have a GRE cut-off of 700V/700Q. Or maybe they go through it too quickly because they're bogged down with hundreds of applications, and they toss it out because the kid didn't take enough statistics courses or <insert random preference here>... So I'm cautiously optimistic, but also preparing myself for the possibility that my application got tossed in the rejection pile after failing to meet the aforementioned random preferences of the admissions committee. whew! I swear I'm not usually this pessimistic. Quite to the contrary, actually. But what is it about the admissions process that brings out the frazzled, insecure worrywart in all of us? Or maybe it's just me... ;-) Anyway- best of luck to you, tds140!

My first instinct is to immediately argue that you should go to SAIS because it is such a great program. But it truly depends on what you want to do with the degree. I'm guessing that you have interests in security/intelligence if you've applied to SSP... Do you want to do your Ph.D? Or do you want to work in DC for the government or some private organization immediately upon graduation? SSP has a great track record in job placement and is also a wonderful place to network because of the many faculty members and students who are already employed at various places in DC. Also, congratulations on your many acceptances to great programs Just curious- would you mind sharing your stats/background?

Ugh, no. The wait is brutal. If you look back at last year's SSP acceptances posted on the Results Forum, it looks like the majority of applicants were notified on 19 and 26 Mar. So, I anticipate that we'll hear back by the end of this week or next if we're accepted. I was accepted into this program in 2003 when I first finished undergrad but I couldn't afford the tuition without any financial assistance. I'm now in a position to pay full tuition if I must, but I'm concerned that I won't get back into the program for whatever reason. My GRE scores (610V/650Q) weren't as good this time around- I chalk it up to being out of school for 5 years. I've got great LOR's, 4 yrs excellent work experience with a high-level security clearance (military Intel officer), and high GPAs in undergrad and grad school (3.87 and 3.78, respectively). Despite all of this, I'm worried that the bad economy has upped the number of applicants to grad programs and that I won't get accepted this time around. I'm plenty qualified to get a job at various places in D.C. but it's always been a dream of mine to go back and do this program. Anyway, enough rambling. If I hear anything I'll let you know. Good luck to both of us, and may the wait <sigh> be as painless as possible!

Does anyone know what the acceptance rate to Georgetown's SSP happened to be last year? Can't find it posted anywhere...

Damn you, blind carbon copy!! Thanks, anyway :-)

Would either of the two applicants that were just accepted to Georgetown Govt mind sharing how many people were on the recipient list of the e-mail? Thanks!

Congratulations!

Interista, thanks for the response. Yeah, the funding situation makes it brutal for anyone without outside funding or some source of independent wealth. Have they indicated to you whether or not you can expect to receive any funding? And was your friend (IR) offered funding? If your theory proves true, I hope G-town notifies the rest of its accepted applicants in timely fashion...