RunnINcircles

ah ok, very nice

Ah okay, thanks for the info Stan! That's really good to know!

Oh wow, congratulations! What department are you going to be TAing for? And thanks, I'll start looking into possible positions now in case I want to work from the beginning!

ah nice! Wait so to backtrack a bit, you said that you were offered an interview for a GSI position- did you have to contact different departments to begin that process or is it for a GSI position within the Goldman school? I'm thinking of pursuing a tutoring or reader position

haha I'm totally with you on the sports thing- I'm from Chicago as well so I asked about the sporting teams too... aaand got the same response. So I second your question!!

haha thanks, ya it's a great program, just not the right fit for me right now. Good luck to all of you if your decisions are still pending!

Hi all, Thanks for your opinions, it really helped to talk it out! I accepted at Berkeley yesterday :)

Thanks I think in the end I could be happy at either, it just seems that Berkeley might allow for more balance and more opportunities (though less in IR). Once I decide if those IR opps are what I really want then I think I can finally make my decision. I think this is one of those my heart says Berkeley but my brain says Hopkins situations. Wish they both said the same thing but what can you do

wow that's an awesome offer, hopefully that works out for you! I loved the program at Berkeley but I don't know if going there means I'm giving up something I really shouldn't be turning down- everyone seems to look at me like I'm crazy for thinking of saying no to SAIS which keeps me questioning my decision. It would be nice if SAIS would pick up their phone today...

to s33- you are right, in that I do not think I would want to stay in D.C. for very long, so having the option to move to the Midwest is a big plus for GSPP. I keep wanting to make my decision official but then end up questioning whether I should be so quick to say no Hopkins which seems to be *the* place for international relations. sighhh fallmpp- A 15% increase is definitely steep, but if that keeps the ranking of the program from going down then I guess maybe it evens out with a GSI position or at least a reader position to offset that increase- where have you decided to go?

Well it's decision day for me, I need to let Hopkins know by tomorrow whether or not I'll be attending! I am having a difficult time deciding between Berkeley's Goldman School (MPP) vs. Johns Hopkins' SAIS (MA in IR) programs- mainly because they differ on many points. I originally applied to mostly IR schools because I think that in the end I'd like to make use of my language skills and I'd love to work at a think tank or research institution. I'm originally from the Midwest, however, and being able to come back there would be really important to me. I am unsure if I can do that with an IR-degree so that is something that does make me nervous, an MPP seems to be more flexible in that sense. I should also mention that I graduated last year, so I'm on the young end for all of these programs, and I really don't have much work experience because of that. That being said, these are the main points for me now: Berkeley- This program is smaller, with an entering class of about 80 students. The program is located across the street from the main campus, and thus has separation from the undergrad programs. Courses are held in two buildings, one of which is an old frat house that all the GSPP students have keys to (for studying purposes, etc.). The program is quant-heavy and there is not much course freedom due to the fact that there are many required courses; however, it is possible to audit courses, though doing so for language courses is apparently difficult. For the 5-6 courses that I can choose for myself, I can take them at any of the Berkeley grad departments (all of which are very well-ranked). Basically I'd be able to make use of any of the main campus facilities, like the gym, the many libraries, and pools, but I'd still be able to get away from the undergrads. There are about 30,000 students on the campus though, between the grad students and the undergrads. The program would come out about 50K cheaper than SAIS so that's definitely something to consider. SAIS- The SAIS program is bigger, with somewhere around 150-200 students on the DC campus the first year, and about the same in Bologna. The second year everyone would be together on the DC campus. (I would be in DC for both years.) The program is very well-known, especially for its economic focus, and it seems to a feeder to places like the World Bank and the IMF (with over 300 alum at the former). As many have pointed out, the campus can't really even be considered that- it's made up of 2.5 office buildings = no gym or facilities besides the library. The name of the school pulls a lot of weight though and it seems like no one really says no to them once they are admitted. Jobs seem to be tougher and I also wonder if it's difficult to have a well-balanced life because it seems that the program is incredibly intensive there. I wonder if without work experience I can even stand out there because everyone seems to have such incredible resumes from the start there. Both schools have excellent alumni relations and career services from what I can tell, though of course there are many more SAIS alum so perhaps that makes those connections better? People don't recommend trying to get a job while at SAIS because of the intensity (unless you already have a lot of econ experience which I don't), but it seems possible at Berkeley. Berkeley also requires two policy projects- in which for your second semester each year you work for a client for a policy analysis project- so I would be able to add that to my resume. All that being said, I'm still stuck and unsure if Berkeley will open the same doors as Hopkins with think tanks or IR related positions... Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated since all I keep hearing is the ticking of the clock- this time pressure makes things difficult! I'm just glad that soon we will all be set on a program and will be able to focus on the more exciting parts- meeting new people, looking for housing, seeing new places, etc.

wow they are out of control I cannot believe so many of us have been waiting for so long and still nothing! I guess I should try emailing them just to get that closure from them. GSPP or SAIS for me! good luck everyone on your decisions!!

haha glad I'm not the only one becoming real impatient about their slow decision-making! It's the last decision I'm waiting on. Good luck everyone

wow so if they mail it by April 1st it could still be a few days til we all finally hear back! to killerbees: I applied for the same concentration and no word here either unfortunately. I hope you hear some good news soon soon though!

oof agreed, MSFS is the last program I'm waiting on so it would be nice to have that decision in so that I could really focus on deciding where I will be going in the fall. Hopefully someone tells us something soon!

wow, congrats, that's really exciting! I haven't heard back from GT nor do I expect to get in but I did get into SAIS and that has definitely been something that worries me about SAIS- lack of a university environment. I'm glad I'm not the only one worried about IMs and a lack of a campus haha that's the reason I'm between SAIS and Berkeley at the moment! Good luck with your decision, you've got great programs to debate!

haha I completely understand- it really helps to write it out and talk it through though right? I'm sure whichever you go to will help you with your career goals but it definitely is a big decision to make. It'd be nice for someone to be able to make that decision for us haha That's why I'm stuck between the MPP vs. MAIR debate because I could use the MPP to manage at nonprof or something to that effect but I'm still unsure if that's what I want to do- I think in the end I do want to work at a research institute or nonprofit but I just need to figure out in what respect I'd like to do that... boooo hard decisions that have to be made against a ticking clock haha

Thanks Ya I'm really honored to have gotten into these programs- glad that spending way too much time on apps and stuff worked out! But that's a good point- and if I was in DC I would have the opportunity to network and get a few of those years behind me... I guess I just really need to figure out where I would go with the MPP if that's the route I choose to take... you said you're trying to do something in international development? Where are you aiming to work?

oof I guess that means we'll just be staring out the window for the mailman instead of refreshing our inboxes... goody.

hmm cruel is right- why can't they just release everyone's decisions! don't they know everyone reports these things to each other so we're all anxiously awaiting an email (and apparently dreading the small snail mail letters)?! here's hoping to hearing back before the weekend!! I'm not really expecting to get in but it'd just be nice to hear something!

Ya I definitely agree with you about Dupont Circle- it's a great area and there's always something amusing happening by the fountain there. I really just wish there was more of a campus at SAIS- I'm sure they do a lot of activities to make everyone feel like they are a part of one but still sad~ oh well! I am not expecting Gtown to accept me so it'll be between Berkeley (MPP) vs. SAIS most likely- I really hope SAIS gives more money to everyone for year 2! haha

Oh goodness I'm in your boat with all of this Minerva- I am debating MPP and IR programs- and I'm really confused now! I've only been out of undergrad since last June so that's definitely not helping with the confusion for me (lack of work experience). I'm basically debating between Berkeley (MPP) vs. Johns Hopkins SAIS (MA in IR) right now...Berkeley's GSPP is really quant-focused which was expected- I almost feel unprepared for it since I only took intro micro & intro macro during my undergrad- I would love to have that statistical and quantitative training though because it seems like a great skill to have when going into the workplace... getting an MA in IR appeals to me because I want to use my language skills and I loved the int'l studies courses I took for my major- my problem is basically that my interests are too wide and maybe that was because of my background in IR- it encourages multidisciplinary approaches and in the process I liked too many things I would love to work at a think tank or research institute either for something internationally focused or even housing/poverty-focused topics... buuuut I want to settle down in the Midwest in the end- I'm just wondering if an MPP is more suited to doing that vs. an MA in IR? You would think that there would be more IR jobs outside of DC but it really doesn't seem to be the case in the midwest...

DC for me~ I probably should have debated the Italy option more. So does anyone know much about the DC campus? It's a little sad that it's not really a "campus" really... just a building here and there. Anyone else sad about this?

has anyone gotten the official acceptance packet yet? I only got the letter from the admissions committee (with the info about the open house)- anyone get the other packet yet?

to LeeLeeLove: oof I'm sorry that sucks, especially cuz they make it sound like you get aid and then they just tell you about loans They did that for me too so initially I thought I had 30K from them... booo loans! to ksaroya: they will send you an email with the decision and you have to log into a different website with an ID that they provide for you- I'm sure you'll hear back soon!