Cab56

Hi southerhope1, I really appreciate your reply. I ended up enrolling in Fletcher and declining my other offer from Cornell CIPA, which would've left me with around ~35k in debt. I felt that Fletcher is the the much stronger program (in general and for what I want to do), and that an extra ~30k in debt would be manageable. I hope I'm right.

Hello and thanks for reading, Fletcher's total costs (including tuition, fees, and rooms and board) are about 120k and they are offering me 40k in aid. I plan to work during school, but will still graduate with ~65k in debt. Think it is worth it? I'm torn. Thanks again.

This is the first time I've heard someone mention a weak job market for graduates of elite international affairs programs. The employment statistics from these programs seem to be quite strong. I'm curious what is informing your opinion?

Coming from: Attended small liberal arts school where I studied IR and Middle East studies. Will have 1.5 years experience as a program assistant at a Foreign Policy think tank. Deciding Between:  Cornell CIPA- Offered me 20k scholarship a year plus 3k to fund a summer internship. Tuition is 36k per year Tufts Fletcher- 15k scholarship , 20k in unsub loans and 2.5k in work-study per year. Tuition is 47k per year Other factors: I would rather be in Boston than Ithaca, but that being said.. How I’m Leaning: I'm leaning towards Cornell because I'm not sure its worth the extra 28k to go to Tufts.