fso2k11

I think federal consulting demands less hours than business consulting...especially if you work on-site at a federal office. I have a few gov't consultant friends (Booz Allen, LMI, Deloitte) and sometimes they work their asses off, depending on the client, the boss, and where you are in the project (I get a sense that Deloitte is worse than Booze in this regard because their federal and business practices are under one company, unlike BAH, but maybe someone can contradict that?) The end of the fiscal year is proposal writing season, and it seems to kick your ass if you're on a proposal team. But it doesn't seem to be anything like business consulting hours. They work as much as big law associates.

I didn't apply for the fellowship either! Yep, the website's mention of the fellowship is definitely not obvious to the untrained eye....competition sure will be light, especially if they only admit 20 dual degree students like their letter says! Three of your 19 competitors missed the boat! Good luck to everyone...I really hope we hear something soon. I wonder if they give any special consideration to the joint degree students, considering it costs almost double...

Congrats to both of you! I'm holding out hope that they haven't gotten to the joint degree students...it sounds like everyone who has reported funding is an MPA-only student. Or maybe they're saving the best for last?

Just crickets so far today...

You have about 9 months, I think you can gain some convincing certainty/focus by then. The top schools will all expect it, I think.

Ugh, makes me wonder if they've dolled out the assistantships.... I guess I'll try not to jump to conclusions until April 1.

I hope we didn't all get passed up... If assistantships are the most common award, then the decision is probably more individual than other schools' fellowships so we might not all hear at the same time. The website says "Don't contact professors directly, assistantships are awarded by the dept." but are they gonna make a professor work with someone he/she doesn't want or didn't have a hand in selecting?

No one has heard anything today?

You're saving way more than $36k at Syracuse. For starters, I can rent a whole house in Syracuse for about $700/mo. or share it with someone for $350. Cambridge is a lot more expensive overall. So look at the total estimated cost of attendance for the programs. I'm calculating that Syracuse MPA total cost is $65k including living expenses (Maxwell website estimates $14,400/yr for living expenses). By this same standard, HKS total cost is $70k/yr x 2 years = $140k! More than double. However, a top candidate of either program would be competitive for government consulting jobs that pay $100k/yr or more, so if you want to go that route then the $140k sticker shock may be easier to handle. Like when the Playstation 2 came out and cost $350...with only one controller included! Then I got a summer job at McDonalds and realized I could make that much in 2 weeks. From what I understand about the consultant job market in dc, live modestly in school and afterwards for a few years, and a good "senior consultant" position could pay off the loans fairly quickly. Just don't be tempted to rent a 1 bedroom in Dupont for $2,000/mo. That would be dumb. I can live in the hood and walk to Dupont for $700.

Has anyone heard any rumblings on when we'll hear about merit funding awards?

"0 doubt" - Can you discuss why?

Wow, thats really great.

Any idea what that got him?

Womp. The deadline for that was March 11.

Ha! Well I guess I'm a chicken too!. CC139, did you have any idea of the student's background, etc. who you talked to? Did the question "how the hell did you do that?!" slip out?

I've been looking at funding levels for past applicants. Have heard of a very few full fellowships and RAships (20 hrs/wk), but also some 40% total cost of attendance packages. Are there any current maxwell students lurking on the board who can talk about their funding packages? Have any current applicants called to check on the status of their funding letter?

Have you looked into the Carnegie Mellon dual mba program and its requirements? I am very interested in doing the same, although I haven't looked into the MBA program at all. How would that work with your 2nd year in DC?

I think the federal government's debt program only applies to government subsidized and unsubsidized loans, of which the limit is ~20k/yr if I recall correctly. I am almost positive that the forgiveness program does not apply to private loans (although maybe you can consolidate and then they forgive that? I haven't looked into it).

Probably not. I think you have to be a US citizen to do the PMF programs (and to work for our government, with few exceptions). Could be wrong though.

Sarah, I have a feeling that federal workers with master's degrees don't necessarily start at a GS11. It's more like a GS9 or a GS10...check what PMFs start at, but I'm pretty sure its a GS9. I'm also familiar with the foreign service hiring process and I don't think SAIS will help you over any other school. A master's in IR from the University of Phoenix would probably put you on that playing field. The fact that you may be headed to SAIS Bologna is important though. Living and work exeprience abroad is a very important component of their assessment. If you're gonna do the foreign service, take your test NOW. You'll see what I mean about the hiring process. AND almost EVERYONE fails their first time. Obviously, considering the 20,000 people who take the test each year for approx. 400 job openings. Given the crap-shoot of finding employment in the State Dept (Career OR Civil service), I say follow the money and take a semester or an internship abroad (or both).

I think every admitted Aermican student had a 1400 composite GRE or higher. Can anyone refute this?

when you post your admission, if you wouldn't mind posting your stats? GPA, GREs, work experience? I'm really curious to see what it takes to get in here....

I'm rejected. Oh well, good luck to the rest of you!

Dang, I should have applied to AU. AU has great internship/PMF connections. CMU rarely produces PMFs, and outside of DC the federal career internship programs & other student programs aren't possible. AU has access to specific programs for federal employment while attending part time, if thats something you end up being interested in/transitioning to.

The original poster isn't talking about SAIS. I think he/she is talking about the MPP.