KyleR

Edit: I mistakenly attributed some of the statements made by other posters to you, Coffeetea. Sorry about that. I'm going to leave the information below for people to consider in the future. -This is a BCG webpage solely for the purpose of recruiting directly at HKS: https://www.bcg.com/careers/join/on-campus/harvard-kennedy-school.aspx. Why would this exist if they only wanted dual degree candidates? -Here is a McKinsey Networking event held at HKS: https://www.mckinsey.com/careers/students/advanced-professional-degree-candidates/harvard-university This one is for MPA-IDs, but I have seen similar events for other programs in the past. -Here is the most recent HKS career report, which segregates between dual-degree and solely HKS candidates. On page 5, note that MPP-only candidates placed in numerous consulting roles including MBB: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/OCA/files/OCA_17_employment_snapshot_facingpages.pdf . The same goes for each of the reports available going back to 2014. What you said about HKS students not being able to get through the interviews is an overgeneralization at best. Any consultant at these firms will tell you that candidates are on equal ground once they have secured an interview, regardless of background. Anecdotally, the current global managing partner at McKinsey came from a non-target law school.

Random thought, but does anyone else here think that the $2 Billion gift from Mike Bloomberg to JHU has dramatically improved SAIS' financial aid? It seems that professional programs usually don't vary their fee structure too much based on endowment, but I sure wasn't expecting to receive anything close to what I was offered.

They are not just dual degree candidates. Many of HKS older career reports segregate between the results of dual degree and strictly-MPP grads. A large number of the latter place at MBB each year. Check them out for yourself if you don't believe me. Moreover, you can go on the McKinsey website right now and find scheduled networking events at HKS. Not to pile on, but I strongly disagree with the sentiment you expressed about consulting and policy degrees. Aiming first and foremost for a public sector career is fine (I sure am), but it is borderline irresponsible to count on one while ruling out private sector options. Particularly since consulting and other private sector jobs often overlap directly with the world of public policy, and utilize many of the same skills. Harvard knows this, which is why they offer it is as one of MANY career options for MPPs. Have you ever worked in a full-time government role? I have. And I can tell you that there are a long list of unforeseeable variables that can make that job you've always wanted disappear. The work just isn't redundant in the way that private sector jobs are, because in many cases, a single agency has a complete monopoly. Went to grad school to become a diplomat? Oops, we're not hiring for the next 2 years. Want to get a security clearance? Hmm, we're not so sure about that distant uncle of yours in China. Want to serve as a career military officer? Sorry about your unexpected health problems, and good luck with the VA (my personal sob story). Same more or less goes for non-profits and multilaterals, which are inherently reliant on capricious external players for their funding. Bottom line, there is nothing wrong with considering ALL of your options.

Hi Jonathan, I'm also in at HKS with $20k and SAIS with $45, and struggling with the decision. I think we talked on another thread a few months ago, funny that we're back into this. I was leaning very heavily towards SAIS, but I did some research on career outcomes today, and found that Harvard MPP is actually much stronger in the private sector than I expected. An old career report listed median salaries for graduating MPPs in the private sector at $120,000, and apparently they place many more in consulting than I had expected (40-50 per year). The list of private sector employers was generally a little bit broader and more impressive than SAIS'. Bear in mind, the average HKS MPP candidate also has slightly more experience. On the other hand, my first choice would still be a public sector job in defense policy, and SAIS is probably better for that. I recently spoke with a internship recruiter who immediately recognized the school, and indicated that they get a lot of people from there. Can't beat that!

Just got one seconds ago.

I'm in for the MPP!

I've got to say, all this speculation is really unhelpful. Computer errors happen, they don't always mean something. Blog posts sometimes go unwritten when staffs are busy. The blog said it would likely be later this week, but it could just as easily be pushed back again. Just relax and go on with your lives.

Thanks for your perspective. I will add that the "rankings" which Georgetown normally cites (Foreign Policy, TRIPs) don't refer to any specific program at Georgetown SFS. Whether the MSFS is better funded or staffed internally than SSP, I can't speculate. Anecdotally, when I asked my IR professor about master's programs in International Security, he indicated that Georgetown SSP was the most highly regarded. Interesting what you said about the social / community dynamics. I would personally prefer a more integrated master's experience, but everyone has different needs.

Do not accept the aid if you want to try and renegotiate.

Yep! Just barely

I applied regular decision. Got my offer (30k / year) with the admissions letter just now. Sorry if that is bad news guys, they did mention assistantship options however. Keep your heads up.

Nothing here...

Congrats to you as well! I was basing my statement on previous threads here, and on what I have heard from some current DC grad students I reached out to. But I should clarify that when I say "focused cohort", I mean relative to most of the other programs discussed on this forum. For instance, I'm also considering Johns Hopkins SAIS, which has 18 or 19 concentrations outside of strategic studies.

So I just got my quasi-formal offer from Georgetown's SSP program! SSP would be a stretch for me at this point, since another DC program offered me strong funding, but I still would like to talk about the pros and cons to weigh everything out. Here's what I'm seeing: Pros: -Absolute strongest security studies reputation, and probably the broadest SS curriculum -Strong language / cultural faculty in Walsh, particularly with regards to Eurasia and Middle East -Highly focused cohort with similar backgrounds (can be a con to some, but it's a plus to me) -Flexible hours for those who want to work, as well as the ability to switch to part-time Cons: -Little available funding (and no mention in my letter today, though will wait until the formal package gets here) -Isn't as versatile for private sector placement. I'm sure most want to go public sector security roles, and so do I, but it's good to have a fallback. -Little available funding (hitting it twice) -No on campus housing Thoughts?

My situation was pretty unique so I'm going to post in the results page when all of my schools get back to me, but for now: 3.75 double major - economics, international studies GRE: 170V 168Q 5.5 AW 1 year (full-time post grad) work experience - US military. Hope that helps.

Thank you! It looks like we both did ok without the Priscilla mason scholarship

My Financial aid is out for DC! 46K a year...I'm losing it. GW offered me nothing, and I spent last weekend thinking I had dramatically overestimated my chances...

If you go to the "accept your offer" form on the admission letter, you have the option to request a switch to your concentration. The way it is laid out makes it seem likely they will grant your request. They say "I would like to update my concentration to:", not "I would like to request a change to..." Also, the deadlines to accept are April 20 for Scholarship offers and May 1 for non scholarship.

Results are up for DC! Edit: Saw that other people were posting this just as I posted it. Congrats everyone! In for Strategic Studies.

@AONomad Thanks for putting in the work to try and find some answers. I did undergrad on an ROTC scholarship with a service commitment, so I've been down this road before. At the moment, I'm leaning in the same direction that you are. Cheers!

Could you please tell us what you hear from them? I'm also on the fence for this - it seems risky to commit yourself to 5 years in the public sector for only 50% tuition, given the recent state of federal hiring. Particularly at a school which places well in the private sector.

I was slightly annoyed when I saw that they wanted a biographical statement. 2 resumes, 2/3 essays and the optional statement weren't enough? Good luck.

Well the nice thing about both consulting and ER is that they seem to scale more to experience. I'm in a similar boat as you in two ways: (1) I was discharged from the military early after an injury and have "less than optimal" years of experiences, and (2) I'm looking at consulting roles as a backup if I can't get a government job in foreign affairs (it's a crapshoot for everyone these days). What I've been led to believe by recruiters / coffee chat connections is that they will simply place you as the advanced version of a recent graduate if your experience doesn't meet what they are looking for. Consulting firms tend to call this a "senior analyst". Assuming you perform, you will simply move up starting from this role - a year or two behind - instead of from the "associate" or whatever they call recent MBA hires with sufficient experience. In my view, placing at the right firm is more important than placing at a "post-mba" level if your goal is to stay in the private sector. That's where the MBA's value comes in - from networking opportunities and on-campus recruiting with MBB / bulge bracket / whatever. The top masters in international affairs programs seem to also place at these firms, but it takes a little more effort to show that you are a "fit." I hate how much branding matters, but it does. Again, this is all just the impression I have gleaned from conversations and my own research.

Hey Jonathan, I will preface this by saying that I am currently applying, and don't have any special "insight" other than what I have gleaned from a number of hours pouring over university admissions blogs and other sites. I personally recommend applying for the dual MBA. As an international student, you will have a really rough time getting a security clearance in 2019 - which means many (most?) foreign policy jobs associated with the US government will be difficult for you to get. I hate to be this blunt, but I have seen even naturalized US citizens wait over a year and a half for their clearance in the military. It doesn't sound like you are even a permanent resident. With other federal agencies, or military roles with a top secret clearance requirement, you likely will not be considered. Similarly, world bank and similar seem to be largely based around who you know. This still allows for academia, NGOs, and as you have mentioned, consulting or macro equity research (clearance sometimes required for the latter two). Based on your background, it sounds like consulting and ER will be your best bet. With that in mind, your strong scores and investment banking background should make you competitive for an MBA even with limited work experience - although you might struggle more at Harvard Wharton Stanford based on what I've read. You might want to dig around on LinkedIn and check if IR graduates with similar backgrounds tend to place in the areas you are looking at.