[Georgetown SFS - Fall 2021]

17 hours ago, highoncaffeine said:

Georgetown generally announces awards fairly immediately, from what I have seen, so I imagine no word is not a good sign (others are free to disagree with me if that has been their experience!).

 

Another question would be, what is your goal in going to graduate school? Are you hoping for the benefits of Washington, DC networking and internships? Or would you rather be closer to the UN? 

If you are more interested in the academic track, I personally would recommend SIPA, especially if faculty are better in your field. However, I don't know a lot about either school's Eurasian studies programs.

No word is definitely a bad sign  I have a feeling I won't get much aid from Columbia if I get any. I think the alumni network at SFS would be really helpful- so, I'll probably choose Georgetown, but no aid is super disappointing. I'm going to try really hard to find a way to make a decent amount of money just to afford rent, and then I'm going to pray that student debt is canceled in the next few years lol

[Georgetown SFS - Fall 2021]

I'm really struggling to decide between SFS and Columbia- anyone here willing to offer some advice?

I'm studying Russian, Eurasian, and Eastern European Studies and I was accepted into both programs. Both programs have not given me any info on funding... Columbia announces their awards in early April, which is after the decision date- so I really can't compare the price. International relations was one of my undergrad majors, so I'll be studying the region with that background. Does anyone know which program would be better?? Like, SFS is better for international relations by far, but it seems that Columbia has better faculty for my area studies. I also have no clue how much funding both of these schools usually give to grads. Any advice would help a lot

[Georgetown SFS - Fall 2021]

I got my acceptance letter from CERES! I haven't seen anyone else on this forum talk about this program yet- anyone else planning to study Russian/Eastern European studies in sfs?

Now I just have to decide between Columbias program and Georgetown -- But I'll probably be choosing sfs!

[2021 Results]

Schools Applied To:  Harriman Institute @ Columbia and Georgetown SFS
Schools Admitted To:  Columbia
Schools Rejected From:  none yet
Still Waiting:  SFS
Undergraduate Institution:  BigTen school
Undergraduate GPA:   3.4
Undergraduate Major:  Comparative Politics and Russian, Eurasian, and Eastern European Studies
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores:  Didn't take the GRE 
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable):  0
Years of Work Experience:  0, unless you count fellowships
Describe Relevant Work Experience:  Athletic scholarship, FLAS fellowship, Boren scholarship
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc):  I had my SOP looked over by 3 professors and my grandfather who was a prof for 30 yrs.. They helped me a lot. I also included professors I'd like to work with along with specific classes I'd like to take. I don't think there was anything that stood out too much. However, I think that majoring in REEEC in my undergrad helped me a lot.
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc):  I had 3 LOR's. One from my program director, one from my minor's director, and another from the prof helping me with my honors thesis. 2 of them had helped me previously with fellowship/scholarship LOR's, so they already knew what my interests were, what I want to do with my career, and they had seen my academic growth over the past few years.
Other: Although I have 0 work experience, no internships or jobs, I've received a few scholarships and awards for papers I've written. I haven't received any funding from Columbia, but their website says they usually give them out in mid-April, so I'm really hoping I get something.