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JustOneQuickQ

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  • Location
    Singapore
  • Application Season
    2019 Fall
  • Program
    International Affairs

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  1. Thanks, both. I mean, that's part of the reason that I'm doing the degree--I think I'm interested in these career paths, but it's impossible to know that unless you've done them. I see this as an opportunity to intern in 1-2 organizations of interest, and if I don't like either of them as much as I think I would, hopefully the same private sector recruiting opportunities would be open to me post-SAIS as now (I'm also trying to negotiate a return offer with my current company; we'll see how that goes). However, when you say "the useful classes at SAIS will be roughly the same as offered at an MBA program," which "useful classes" at an MBA program are you referring to? From all of my interactions with people who did MBA's, the general sentiment I hear is that the classes aren't the useful part of an MBA, but rather the recruiting opportunities (and, frankly, the signalling value to employers of having a top-tier MBA). I imagine this would be doubly true for me given that my academic and professional background is much stronger on the business/finance side than it is in anything related to IR or international development. I guess the questions for me, then, are a) whether the private sector opportunities with 5 years consulting + SAIS + MBA are much better than 5 years consulting + SAIS, and b) whether that's enough to be worth the additional 1 year opportunity cost + 3 semesters MBA tuition.
  2. I'm headed to SAIS in the fall and am very excited about the program. However, some posts on this forum, have me scared about what my job prospects will look like afterwards, and so I am considering whether or not to apply to the dual-degree programs with Wharton/Tuck/Darden that SAIS offers during the 1st year of the program. Writing to get anyone's thoughts on these programs, where people generally land after them, and whether applying one would make sense given circumstances and interests. In terms of background, I did a dual-degree program at a Top 10 university in International Studies & Business. I was more interested in an IR-focused career at the time, but I ended up at a big consulting firm instead, where I've spent the past 5 years and am at the post-MBA level now. I am going back to SAIS with the intention of exploring the alternative career paths I was originally interested in: government service (e.g., Foreign Service), or at a multilateral organization (e.g., World Bank/IMF). If neither of these works out, I would also be OK with ending up back in consulting, ideally in a more policy-focused firm/practice than I'm in at present. As I see it, pros/cons of pursuing an MBA are as follows: Pros: 1) Job prospects / salary potential, should I want to go back to the private sector. 2) That's really the main pro. I would probably find some of the courses at an MBA in leadership / organizational behavior to be interesting, but these are things that I think would be learnable without paying MBA prices. Cons: 1) Cost: I have a $35K/year scholarship from SAIS and some external funding worth $20K/year; I therefore expect that SAIS will cost me ~50-60K out-of-pocket over the course of 2 years. If I were to take away one semester of SAIS and add 3 semesters for an MBA, that figure likely jumps to ~$200K total, assuming no additional scholarship money. This is the biggest con. 2) I currently have an UG degree from Wharton + 5 years and a post-MBA title in consulting, so I'm not sure how much value an MBA would add in the private sector, assuming that employers post-SAIS look at prior experience in addition to the SAIS degree. 3) Level of interest: I am significantly more interested in the IR content/program experience of SAIS than the business content of an MBA. The above probably makes it clear that I am leaning towards not doing a dual-degree, but I appreciate any thoughts as to whether there's something I'm not thinking about / not thinking about clearly here. I recognize that this is an incredibly fortunate position for me to be in, and thanks in advance!
  3. I feel extremely lucky to have some great offers: Coming from: ~5 years at a big global consulting firm; currently based in Singapore. Prior to that, undergrad degrees Business & International Studies (heavy focus on China). Goals/Rationale for attendance: When I got into my UG program, I thought I would pursue a career along the IR track but ended up consulting to banks instead on issues mostly unrelated to policy. This is a chance for me to try a move back towards the policy side of things, either directly through the government route, at a think tank, or at a multilateral organization (WB/IMF). If that doesn't work out, hopefully after 5 years and a couple promotions in consulting I can come back to that industry (though maybe at a firm with a better public sector practice than my current one). Deciding between: Realistically: Johns Hopkins SAIS MA: $35K (this is the most affordable option for me by a significant margin) Columbia SIPA (MIA, Econ & Political development + East Asia): $30K + International Fellows Program giving an addt'l $10K for yr 1 only Tufts Fletcher MALD: $18K Decision factors other than funding: I think SAIS's program offers the appropriate balance between flexibility and specialization (I would likely concentrate in either American Foreign Policy or Strategic Studies and try to take on a minor in China Studies). I also like SAIS's location in DC and think it may give me the best resources to meld together a few separate interests I've acquired in undergrad and at work (in undergrad I did work on Chinese politics / international relations; the policy-related issues I've covered at work generally relate to financial sector regulation). However, it seems the student body at SAIS is a bit younger on average than at SIPA and Fletcher, and I do wonder if that has an effect on available job opportunities through the school. Also, I'm considering a one-year deferral, reason being that while I've been at my company for 5 years and am very excited about doing this degree now, staying for another ~8 months will probably result in a title bump to "Manager," which will probably be much more helpful than my currently ambiguous title "Associate" in finding jobs down the line. How I'm leaning: Leaning strongly towards going to SAIS (split on whether or not to defer), with SIPA and Fletcher both potential options as well. Lots of thinking/conversations/soul-searching to be had over the next 1-2 weeks. Wish everyone else all the best in their decision process. I honestly couldn't feel more grateful to be in this position. Any thoughts either on choices or deferral are much appreciated.
  4. I visited SAIS last week and they said March 15th (as does their website). Apparently they did mean March 15th and not a day sooner... Also, gave me a mild heart attack to see all the posts from a year ago talking about results having already been released for that cycle--thought for a second I had missed something big. Maybe let's move this to the 2019 SAIS thread?
  5. Likewise got into MSFS with no funding. Guess that probably leaves Fletcher as my leader for now, with a couple decisions left to come out.
  6. Maybe this is a stupid / basic question, but why would an MBA have better prospects for US government jobs in State/intel than somebody who specifically studied IR? I've applied to literally exactly the same programs as the OP (+ Fletcher), but I'm debating whether I should wait another year and go for MBA programs or dual degrees instead despite the fact that I'm pretty sure I'd like the programs I've already applied for more.
  7. Actually, I have a question on this to make sure I know what I'm getting myself into here. What types of roles at banks / big corporates do folks typically go into after these degrees (specifically, after degrees in International Relations, International Affairs or similar--I'm applying to schools like JHU SAIS, Elliott School, etc.)? I'm a consultant to banks now and want to make sure this will actually allow me to shift careers in a positive way (and that I shouldn't just go get an MBA instead). Thanks in advance.
  8. Applying to: GWU Elliott School, Georgetown MSFS, SIPA MIA, JHU SAIS, Fletcher MALD, American SIS Undergrad Institution: Top-10 national university (US) Undergrad GPA: 3.64/4.00 (Magna cum laude at my school, a bit worried that this is competitive for admission but not so competitive for funding. My decision to go for a math minor was probably good for employability out of undergrad but resulted in a couple of lower grades in my last year). Undergrad Major: Dual-degree BA International Studies (focus: Chinese including lots of language study, one semester of IR coursework taken in Mandarin at a top Chinese university, and some other experience in China) // BS Economics (lots of coursework on the intersection between business and public policy), with a minor in math. GRE: 170 V, (99th %ile) 164 Q, (86th %ile) and 5.5 writing (98th %ile) Age: 26 Work Experience: 4+ years as a management consultant, of which 2 years have been abroad based in Singapore (project work done across 6 countries in total) and about 1 year has been for government clients. I can show solid progression (2 promotions and increasing responsibility) and a good research/analysis/writing/problem solving toolkit from this work experience, but I worry that there will be questions about my commitment to public service based on the fact that all my work experience is private sector and the majority of it has been for clients in banking/insurance (Note that this is also a big part of why I want to go to grad school in the first instance). LORs: One from college professor (UG thesis advisor) and two from work supervisors (1 in US, 1 abroad who I worked with on a high-profile government project). All 3 of these people know me well, so I'm confident they should be good letters. I was also very clear with my recommendation writers what the story I'm trying to tell to admissions committees is and how I think my work with them supports that story. SOP: Crafted this around bringing skills developed as a consultant to bear on some of the problems I studied as an undergrad and moving towards a career in foreign policy. I made sure to include some material on the relevance of my working in lots of different international contexts and for government clients on public policy problems. I think it's a good essay overall. Questions for the group: 1) I think this profile is reasonably competitive for admission, but what about for funding for those programs? I'm concerned about the financial implications of this grad degree, and having some funding would go a long way towards alleviating those concerns. 2) If this admissions cycle doesn't work out the way I want it to, I am open to the idea of staying at my job in Singapore for another year (or doing something else) and trying again. If it comes to that, are there any actions you guys think I could take to make myself more competitive? Thanks for your help--even if there are no replies to this it's good to post what I'm confident in vs. worried about ?.
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