dft309

I go to SAIS, and a lot of my classmates live in Columbia Heights.

My experience at SAIS thus far has been absolutely fantastic-the amount of access we get to speakers, career events, trips, etc. is absolutely incredible. Going to Bologna was actually a huge benefit for me, as the connections you make both with your Bologna cohort and Bologna alums are really tight and with people you would have never thought. I've gotten interviews, albeit informational to now, but I haven't really been on the job market in DC for reasons I'll explain, in part, at least, due to my Bologna connection. I'm in Strategic Studies. I interned at NDU and at a think tank near SAIS, will be interning at State overseas over the summer and possibly for USFCS overseas in the fall. I should note that I haven't formally been looking for internships in DC-I got both internships in the spring from Bologna and the State one via their online application system, though I have developed a contact within Foggy Bottom who works in the Bureau to which the post is assigned. As for USFCS, that comes from a job fair held on Thursday at SAIS where they showed up. One thing that's been consistent-recruiters are pretty enthusiastic about SAIS and SAISers. I'd like to go FSO after graduation, though probably private-sector immediately afterwards working for a Deloitte or something similar. I'm not interning now, though purely by choice-if I had wanted to intern, I certainly could have. As an aside, one of the things I hadn't anticipated was that internships would be offered on the various listhosts through the semester-if you decide to intern after the semester starts, there's a decent chance you can get one, even later on in the semester. If you decide to go to SAIS, send me a message, and I can send you lists of suggested courses and syllabi for Bologna and DC.

If you want to do this, why not just apply to IR schools next round? Why bother with a degree that isn't really going to help you much?

I'm a SAIS Bologna grad, and all I can tell you is that Commerce-ITA loves SAISers. We apparently formed the largest single intern contingent there last summer. USFCS, where you're looking, also loves SAIS, judging from the enthusiasm from their recruiter when I told her I went to SAIS. Bottom line, I can't tell you if SFS or SAIS are better for becoming a CSO, but I can tell you that SAIS would be very good for that goal.

Could you clarify re: SFS-MSFS or SSP? Speaking as a SAISer, we do send a quite a few people into political risk firms. Eurasia Group and Oxford Analytica, among others, recruit here and hire interns from here. Speaking as one who has an interest in working for the USG in a national security capacity, a lot of people work for government agencies and contractors because they want to, not because they are forced into in for a lack of options. If anything, the default SAIS immediate post-grad job is a short-term contract at the World Bank. I know at least one person who works in the WB's political risk unit (MIGA) on a short term contract, or at least was working there as of January. In terms of the private sector, there are a number of firms in the DC area that kind of function as "farm teams" for SAISers. Places where recent grads can get some experience in international business and finance before moving on to larger firms. If you message me, I can give you some names. Those places and the World Bank seem to be the places where SAISers tend to end up if they want to get into international finance and business and haven't gotten a position at larger firms for some reason. If you want to do political risk at SAIS, talk to Charles Doran. He's the head of the IR department at SAIS, along with Global Theory and History and Canadian Studies, and teaches a career course on political risk. From my perspective, if you want to get into that, I'd take courses in finance and a region of focus in which you have or are gaining proficiency. I'd look into an Emerging Markets Specialization, so you could note that sort of coursework on your resume. One thing I've noticed, noting things on your transcript is next to useless, as people really look at those at the end of a hiring process to verify that you are what you say you are. If you are really interested in international business and have the means, you could look into doing a dual degree with INSEAD-it's one of the top business schools in the world and it's just an additional semester.

SAIS Strategic Studies Class of 2012 here (Also a Bologna alum, if anyone has any questions). While you are right, somewhat, in your perception that Strat is a bit outside the "SAIS orthodoxy", you are absolutely incorrect with regard to the level career services support. Of our four career counselors, one is dedicated to the IC/DoD/defense contractors/other "strat employers". We have a lot of on campus recruiting, career treks, and career fairs that are pretty much targeted to Strat students. Furthermore, the department is pretty active in going to bat for getting jobs for its students and has the power to pull strings. With regard to the curriculum, while you are right that you have to deal with the econ, you only have to take four of them for credit (assuming you take Macro and Micro during pre-term), and they do give you a leg up when applying for jobs. Aside from those four, the only requirements are that you take two non-Strat IR courses and an additional IR course, either in or out of Strat. Something else to keep in mind-Strat is the second largest single concentration at SAIS, after Energy, Resources, and Environment. It also has a very active and well-funded extracurricular component, especially the Staff Rides. The end result is that while Strat is a bit distant from the mainstream, it is pretty powerful in its own right. Also, I really think the perception of SAIS as a primarily finance/development focused school is grossly overblown. It has a very strong presence within the US National Security Establishment and associated organizations. That side of SAIS just doesn't show up in our marketing materials (I note that there hasn't been a Strat student in Voices of SAIS for two years), and I think for good reason.