Cali124

I'm also a little worried about the competitiveness for fellowships and internships, but I think it's like that with a lot of schools. The cost is pretty daunting but I just have to keep reminding myself that it's an investment in me and this is a great opportunity. I'm probably going to be in the economic and political development concentration and I haven't decided on the specialization yet.

The core courses for the MIA and MPA are nearly identical - that's mostly why I chose the MPA; I figured it would appear more "managerial" on my resume but still have the international focus. I think the only course that's different is the Politics of Policymaking (MPA) vs. the Foundations of International Politics (MIA). Good luck with everything. See you at SIPA if you decide to attend.

I just accepted to go to SIPA. what did you decide?

Thanks for the detailed recap! I heard from some other folks that it was quite an inspiring day...that the speakers were really good. I'm disappointed that I missed it...especially because I think it would have had an effect on my decision. I'm not sure if it would have swayed it completely but I was able to attend 2 other schools' admit days and they definitely gave me more of an informed decision. I really like the fact that Wagner pushes its students to work while you're in school so that you can actually apply what you learn at the same time. However, my interest lies in international development and it seems like the program focuses a lot on local (NYC) governments and nonprofits. I just declined Wagner's offer and I'm a little sad about it but I think it's for the best.

I agree with your assessment. I thought the most useful parts of the day were attending the current student and alumni panels. I was already leaning towards SIPA but I had to go to a couple of admit days to be sure. The price tag still scares me but I think it'll be worth it. The location, alumni network and name definitely are the biggest selling points. I was impressed with the other admitted students and I think what they said about your classmates being the biggest asset to your educational experience will hold true. A downside (in contrast to other schools/programs) is that the school doesn't really promote working while you're a full time student because they say it'll already be a lot work....that doesn't really go with my idea of applying what I'm learning into real life (and earning money doesn't hurt either). As with other schools, the job/internship outlook will be competitive. They all emphasize that career services is not a job placement service...it's to help you prepare as much as possible. I think they don't want to give you the wrong impression about any guarantees.

Anyone who attended Wagner's admit day care to share their experience and perspectives? Thanks!

Let me know what they say...still haven't received anything! thanks.

I was accepted to SIPA as well, but in their MPA program in the economic and political development track. I'm interested in international work as well but I felt that I was more interested in organizational management and program implementation. That would be great if you could recap your experience at Admit day as well --the more perspectives the better. I will be attending the SIPA admit day on the 13th so we should compare notes.

That would be great if you could give me a recap of admit day! I don't think they have an agenda posted yet so I don't know what kind of stuff they'll cover....but here's what I'd like to know (off the top of my head) - What the networking opportunities are or the strength of the alumni network. - I would ask current students what their thought processes were before they decided to attend Wagner; what other schools were they deciding between and what tipped the scale for them. - What current students like the best and least about the program. - Opportunity for TA positions even if you haven't been offered any at admission - Criteria/likelihood for 2nd year funding - If you happen to talk to any current students who are in the International Development specialization, ask them what they think of the program and what are their job prospects for after graduation? Totally off the top of my head I swear! Of course you don't have to ask any of these but I definitely appreciate your offer. Thanks Coakleym!

I still haven't gotten my admissions packet in the mail. Anyone else in the same boat?

I received a very nice email back from admissions: Basically they said because my specialization is in international development, the admissions review committee decided that I didn't have enough related experience at the time of my application, despite work experience in nonprofit work. She also went on to say that students complete this during the spring or summer semester before the second Fall semester, since you must complete it before Capstone and that's typically when full-time, fall-start students register for Capstone.

I won't be able to attend Admit day April 9, but I will be in NY another time so I'm trying to see if I can sit in on some classes. Please share what they say in regards to the PER on Admit day. I wrote an email to the admissions folks asking about this too so I'll post what they say.

What are people's thoughts when comparing the MPA program at SIPA vs. Wagner's program? -- purely on quality of program: academics, job prospects, networking, etc. Currently I'm planning to go into the Economic and Political development track at SIPA and the Non profit management specialization at Wagner. Thanks.

I just got accepted to Wagner MPA - Non profit management. The offer letter said I would have to fulfill their professional experience requirement, which is like 240 hours throughout your time at Wagner. The website says students would have to fulfill this if they don't have at least 2 years of related professional experience. I've been working for the past 5 years (not for the same org) in nonprofits/public sector (education research, city department, teaching, etc.). What I want to know is that exactly what professional experience are they looking for? Also, is it difficult to fulfill this requirement (ease of finding a job/internship and workload-wise)? Whatever the internship or job, it would have to be approved by the school and I'm thinking the types of positions for an MPA student would be unpaid internships (I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but given that I'd have to fulfill this requirement I would probably be more pressured to take anything - and the choices are probably more limited to folks who have to do this). Thoughts? Anyone care to share their professional experience who does or does not have to fulfill this requirement? Current students who are fulfilling this requirement are welcome to comment as well!

I'd like to start a thread for folks who've attended an admitted student day to share their experience and give any advice to others who've yet to go to theirs. Did it help you make a decision about whether or not to attend? What aspects of the Admit Day was the most useful? Thanks!