Kole_Kolt

If you want to work for lower paying NGOs or aid-focused government positions, I'd just keep in mind how debt will affect your willingness to take on jobs. That great gig working on an amazing project, but making less than desirable salary, may not be feasible if you have 82K in debt. Plus you have to consider how much living costs will stack on top of your tuition. I don't know as much about the ID field or how highly GT is thought of among its professionals. BUT, with a lot of these programs in the D.C. milieu, the differences between them are marginal, especially after your career gets going.

What's the financial aid offer at GWU vs GT for you and what do you want to do career wise?

Did you get off the waitlist yet?

You too! I'm really hoping things get back to normal with the pandemic and all that so we can have a good, normal fall semester lol.

Fair enough. But this is a government affairs forum and we were talking about MPPs and foreign policy oriented master's degrees. When it comes to JDs and MBAs, I'd acknowledge the game is far different.

That really helps. Thank you. I have a full time job now that's in the field I'm gunning for and pays decently (just lower on the rung of responsibility) and SSP means I can keep it. I think I'm going to head that way then.

I'm deciding between SAIS MAIR and Georgetown SSP. Would you say the same thing about the interdisciplinary focus of SAIS? Really struggling between the two. My personal priority is to work in the realm of security assistance accountability, monitoring foreign military sales and Leahy Law-type enforcement. I'm a bit quant-adverse and concerned that SAIS' econ requirements could drop my GPA, which would make me lose my scholarship and pay full tuition.

Those are strong programs, for sure, but their Ivy League status might as well be divorced from their graduate programs. That poster mentioned SIPA. And while Columbia is a great undergrad, SIPA doesn't place better than Georgetown MSFS or even Hopkins SAIS, neither of which are Ivy. I would also argue that HKS is a cash cow for Harvard proper. But in the end, all of these programs are cash cows to some extent and not worth sticker price.

I don't think the Ivy league advantage really applies outside of undergrad. Most graduate programs are cash cows for these schools.

Coming from: 8 years of work experience - 4.5 in the military and the rest in defense journalism with a break to go to undergrad separating the two jobs. Deciding between: Georgetown SSP - I'm very keen on defense/natsec issues, which this program specializes in. But I also worry that since it's not the flagship SFS program that I'll be left feeling like I missed out on something bigger. Johns Hopkins SAIS MAIR - 50% scholarship and a decent security studies concentration Leaning towards SSP. SAIS offered a good scholarship that, when combined with the GI Bill, makes the program tuition-free. But the econ requirements worry me. If my grades aren't great and my GPA slips below 3.4, I lose the scholarship. SSP offered no money, but the program also is much easier to use with the GI Bill and offsets the extra costs through an internal fund, so this would be nearly tuition-free, as well, and I don't have to worry about grades so much. The only downside to SSP for me is that it doesn't have a language requirement and seems less rigorous than SAIS. I wonder how that will impact career prospects?

Always worth a shot IMO. Especially since people will inevitably decline their offers in the coming days. Not sure what happens to the money set aside for their scholarships they no longer need, but if the world was fair, it'd go to other deserving students.

Sorry that happened to you with the GRE and ETS. It might be worth gathering more work experience and reapplying down the line. I was accepted, but I also have double the work years you do. My GPA was similar to yours, and my GRE was middling. The defining factor may simply be your work years, honestly. I think SSP prioritizes that.

I would personally recommend MSFS or SAIS then, since it will provide the easiest opportunity to intern at State. Of those two, MSFS seems more intimately connected to the Foreign Service than SAIS, which has a reputation for placing grads in roles like the World Bank and IMF. Ultimately, though, a lot of these differences are negligible and if the price for each program is the same, I would say go to the one you will be the happiest at. If Yale is free and you're in love with the program, then that's the best choice for you. No need to have a cookie cutter resume.

What do you want to do career-wise?

Curious what your stats and work experience were like, if you don't mind me asking?

To be honest, I'm seeing this across the board for programs. Each school still mints professionals into great careers, but the numbers/chances seem less than impressive. I think there's an over-saturation.

Yeah, that 3.4 GPA requirement is a bit intimidating. I received a 50 percent scholarship, which would be the driving factor in me attending SAIS, but if I lost the scholarship because my grades slip, then SAIS would by far be the most expensive program for me. It's hard to gauge the difficulty in maintaining that GPA until classes start...

Since no one else has really responded to you, I'd just personally recommend GW over American. I think that Elliott has a stronger alumni presence throughout DC than American. It's anecdotal, but just my dos pesos. That being said, the cheapest program is often the best, especially when it comes to federal jobs where graduate degrees are generally held equal regardless of the school.

What program specifically at GWU are you looking at?

I have an SSP offer I might turn down. I'm leaning towards SAIS MAIR right now, but the program might be too generalist for me since I am more interested in national security policy, which SSP specializes in. That said, SAIS also seems more prestigious, which counts for something.

Are you from the UK? I wouldn't come to the US for work if I were you lol. St And has a good program too.

Which SAIS program did you apply to? I thought SAIS was far more competitive than SSP, honestly

For those who received SAIS scholarships, do we need to accept the aid package before the April 20 decision deadline? I'm still trying to decide between programs. I sent an email to the JHU admissions office but haven't heard back yet.

I got into SSP but no mention of funding and I've yet to see anything specific from the SSP program at Walsh itself. The admissions letter is from the school of arts and sciences dean.

Ditto on all accounts. Hopefully there's still a chance for aid.