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Does anyone know anything/have opinions about HOVA grad student housing? I submitted the interest form on a whim a while back not thinking I would be offered a space (as their site mentioned several times that they didn't expect to have much space available this fall), and was surprised this morning to receive a message offering me a spot there. I've tried to do some research on it, and it is giving me very undergrad dorm-y vibes. Also, it used to be a Howard Johnson, so I guess it may be strange living in a space reminiscent of a hotel room (although it has a great history). Apparently there are two shared kitchens (nothing beyond a microwave allowed in your room). It would be nice to be so close to campus, and it would instantly erase the stress of finding an apartment, but it's been four years since I lived in a dorm (all four years of undergrad) and I am leaning towards declining the offer. Anyway, just curious if anyone has heard anything really great about HOVA or has any horror stories that could really sway me one way or the other. I guess anyone really interested in living there could still submit an interest form as those who were offered a spot have until this Friday to accept, so maybe they will still be able to send out some offers.

I received an email after submitting my deposit saying registration info would be sent sometime in May. As I'm currently not in the US, I was worried that if the information was sent by mail, the registration dates would pass before I even received the information. I emailed my advisor the other day (advisor info can be found in the link that dali99 posted) and was told to register ASAP. They also said that they offer call-in advising on Tuesdays 11am-1pm and Wednesdays 4-6pm to answer general questions.

I'll be there for the MA in Asian Studies (Elliott School)!

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): private university—top 130 or so in recent US News rankings Previous Degrees and GPA's: International Relations/Asian Studies; 3.87 GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 590/640/5.0 Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): four years working in China for a start-up plus summer internship with State Department while in undergrad Math/Econ Background: Stats, Micro/Macro, 3-4 other international economics-related courses Foreign Language Background: near fluency in Mandarin Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 4 Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): one from former professor, one from current boss, one from professional associate (had to be called on last-minute when another former professor bailed right before the first deadline) Schools Applied to & Results: Accepted: GW Elliott-Asian Studies, Fletcher, GSPIA, UW Jackson School (all with funding); Stanford IPS (no funding) Rejected: WWS Ultimate Decision & Why: GW Elliott-Asian Studies. It was a tough decision but, overall, I felt that GW’s program and location offered the best fit at the best price. I lurked these boards quite a bit back in the fall before beginning the application process and only more recently began posting. Some helpful advice that I found on here then and also learned throughout my experience is: -When trying to decide where to apply, don’t forget to pay attention to the cost of a program and try to get a feel for how scholarships and other aid are awarded. Some programs are shockingly expensive, while others are surprisingly less-expensive (GW, for example). Some only give aid to second year students; some don’t give out any aid to second year students who didn’t receive anything the first year. If your projected career path isn’t going to be high paying, you probably don’t want to become overburdened with loans. -It is virtually impossible to predict where one may be accepted. International experience/relevant work experience/clear goals for the future and demonstration of how a particular program will help one reach said goals (through the SOP) are as, if not more, important as good grades and GRE scores. Also, you never know how competitive the applicant pool may be from one year to the other. Prepare as early in advance as possible and apply to a variety of programs. -Give you LOR writers plenty of advanced notice and try to keep a back-up in mind in case something comes up (see above). Glad all the waiting is over—now I just have to find an apartment! Good luck to everyone!

Hi Carthage, thanks for your response! Did you get any kind of feeling of the sense of community/collaboration amongst students at GWU? (this is something that has been talked about a lot at some of the other schools I'm considering, but I haven't heard much talk of this RE GWU)?

Hi! Not sure if this will help you with making your decision but, for what it's worth, GW's tuition is significantly lower than most, if not all, the other DC schools and their class scheduling makes it easier to work while taking classes, so even without significant aid you would still end up with less debt. It seems like SIS may be even more generous with aid, but I do believe their tuition is higher than GW's.

IMN22--thanks so much for your feedback. Best of luck at Stanford and perhaps I'll see you there! Globalsun--thanks for the clarification. Are many IPS students able to find work (or the time to work) outside of the program during their first year or if they aren't able to find an assistantship in the 2nd? I've heard that a lot of students TA in the econ department, but is it also common for students to find assistantships in other departments? Also, would you say that most students in the program take the same number of units you mentioned, or is that considered the absolute minimum (and do you feel like you are missing out on taking certain courses in order to reduce your tuition expenses)?

I guess it hasn't started yet, but I'm eager to hear back from those who are attending GWU's open house today. I won't be able to attend and am interested in everyone's impressions!

I don't think anyone has already started such a thread for Fletcher... I was not able to attend the Fletcher open house (although I did watch the videos online) and am wondering what everyone's impressions were. Anything particularly stand out? What did you learn that you can't find on their website? I'm especially curious about students' abilities to work part time while studying.

Hi! I haven't voted because I am not that familiar with Berkeley's program, but I am in a somewhat similar conundrum of weighing IPS against other, (much) less expensive programs (I also have a from others on here in favor of Stanford). I think if you already feel a stronger connection to Berkeley, in addition to the money, then I would say definitely go for it--unless you just really feel that the lack of an international focus at Berkeley is going to be prohibitive RE finding internationally-focused work in the future. I haven't had the chance to visit Stanford--did you attend the open house on Monday? I'd be interested in hearing any other impressions you may have had--do you know if students have the time to work PT outside of the program?

Hi! I can't speak to NYU's program, but I graduated from SHU as an undergrad diplomacy major several years ago. I'm sure you've seen the internship/job info they list on their site, and as an undergrad I know that a lot of students were able to find very competitive internships during the summer/semester. I'm not sure how the costs of the programs compare, but with Seton Hall the cost of living should be lower and you will still have access to NYC internships/networking opportunities that will help when looking for a job later on (I wouldn't view not studying directly in NYC as a negative--it's very easy to get into the city). I know the alumni network is pretty active in the NY/DC area. The Whitehead school seems to be continually developing and working to advance the program and I know that the university itself strongly supports Whitehead's programs. They have some superb professors who are very willing to work with students and overall the program has a very friendly and personal feel to it. I hope this information helps and I would be happy to try to answer any other questions you may have!

Thanks for your feedback. I notice you were also accepted by Pittsburgh, Stanford, and UW—which programs did you apply to at these schools? Have you made a decision yet? The problem with GSPIA is that, upon closer examination, I could not find one faculty member whose research I was interested in—there doesn’t seem to be anyone with a focus on East Asia. And while I am interested in Security Studies, I feel the other schools’ programs match up better with my specific interests. Pittsburgh does offer the opportunity to add a certificate in Asian Studies, which definitely appeals to me but, when looking at the overall curriculum and course descriptions, the program doesn’t excite me as much as the others. I do have to say, though, that I do think I would like living in Pittsburgh and the cost of living is unbeatable. As far as I can tell, GSPIA grads tend to work either in DC or in the Pittsburgh area and grads from the other three schools tend to have a bit more range in their career destinations. Regarding Stanford’s newness and smaller alumni base, these are definitely factors to consider, although I’ve heard that there is a longer line of alumni when including those from the former one-year IPS program. I’ve also heard that, because IPS students take courses in a variety of departments, that there are many opportunities to broaden ones network within Stanford. For what it’s worth, here are the approximate annual costs I’m looking at (excluding cost of living, including scholarships): GSPIA: $8000 GWU: $12,000 Fletcher: $25,000 Stanford: $40,000 Since GWU and GSPIA’s tuition costs aren’t that far apart, I’ve been leaning towards GWU as its program is more relevant to my interests and I’ll hopefully be able to find more relevant/better paying PT work in DC. Would any of those who have voted for Stanford mind sharing why you feel the potential for having to take out large sums of loans is worth it compared to what is offered by GWU?

I haven't decided yet, but am curious to hear back from anyone who attended the IPS Admit Day today (I know it's not Monday yet there, but it will be soon)!

I’m hoping for input and also listing out some pros/cons/comparisons that will hopefully help others who may be making similar decisions. I apologize in advance for the length! I am narrowing down my options to Stanford IPS, Fletcher MALD, and GWU Elliott Asian Studies. I’ve pretty much ruled out Pittsburgh's GSPIA (they offered me the best financial deal, but the program doesn’t match as well with my interests) and UW Jackson School-China Studies (due to location, lack of professional emphasis, and general lack of communication from the school). My primary interests are in East Asia and study of foreign policy/regime structures & changes and I hope to eventually work in a think tank, nonprofit, or governmental agency. I still have some UG debt so I want to avoid taking out exorbitant amounts of new loans. Also of note, I am not currently in the US, so I have no way of visiting any of these schools before making my decision. If you have conflicting pros/cons from what I have listed, let me know (or at least vote:))! GWU Pros: Least expensive when factoring in scholarship (approx ½ tuition)Classes in evening, so will have more time to work (make $ to at least hopefully cover living expenses) and, because of the location, will hopefully be able to work part time somewhere related to studies/interestsLocation great for networking in DC and will hopefully make finding post-grad work easierAsian Studies program offers a nice mix of regionally-focused courses mixed with practical and professional training High cost of living (although similar to Stanford’s)Really, the biggest “con” is that it is not as “big name” as Stanford and Tufts. I’ve never been one to put much stock in ranking and “prestige” and I hate to admit that, now that I’m in this situation, I’m feeling the pangs of supposed prestige. I’m not sure if the level of the faculty/research/opportunities offered here would be of a “lower-level” than the other two schools. Would I really be missing out on something if I chose GWU over my other options? Stanford: Pros: Concentration in Democracy, Development, and Rule of Law definitely meshes the best with my research interestsEach concentration linked to major research center at Freeman Spogli Institute for Int’l StudiesSmall program size means hands-on opportunities and individualized attention—students have both a faculty and IPS advisorVery research oriented yet very practicalAbility to take classes in any Stanford department EXPENSIVE! And no fellowship offered…I hear that 2/3 of 2nd year students get very generous assistantships but I fear ending up in that 1/3 without, and with 2 years of no aid I would probably have taken on 120K in loans.Not sure if/how I can take on out-of-school work to help cover costsAlthough I meet their Quant requirements, I am still intimidated by the quant-heavy nature of the program as it has been 4+ years since I actually took an econ class (although they do offer a refreshers course a few weeks before the program begins…) Fletcher Pros: [*]All I hear is how friendly people at Fletcher are, how great their alumni network is, how happy everyone is at Fletcher. Their blog posts certainly make me feel like I have an “inside” look at their operations and I’ve appreciated their transparency and willingness to reach out.[*]Program seems geared to really help prepare students for their professional future[*]“Depth” requirement does offer 2 fields that match my interests (Pacific Asia and Political Systems and Theories)[*]Can take courses at Harvard/MIT Cons: [*]Not cheap (1/3 tuition fellowship helps, but still leaves a lot of expenses)[*]Not sure if/how I can take on out-of-school work to help cover costs[*]Boston location not as relevant? What would you do? Good luck to everyone else who has to make a decision this week!

Hi Ahab, I have also been accepted by GSPIA and am interested in East Asia. Honestly, one of my major concerns about the program is the seeming lack of focus on East Asia by the faculty (based on what I've read online) and I'm wondering what else you may know about this aspect of their program. I know there is the Asian Studies certificate option, but I'm still not 100% clear on the relevant courses available. I'd appreciate your thoughts...