SaraDC

I found those #'s a little surprising as well. You'll probably be able to get a better picture of the selectivity of the schools when you visit them on accepted students day. The important point to keep in mind is that admissions statistics and rankings for "IR Schools" aren't really an effective tool for comparison - at least not as effective as they might be for something like an MBA program. Each of the schools mentioned has a very different comparative advantage and will appeal to students interested in different things. If someone wants to focus on the Middle East, (IMO) Georgetown as one of the top programs. If you want to focus on Finance/Econ - go with SAIS or SIPA. There are positives and negatives to all the programs, I just mentioned those three because those are the schools I considered.

Congratulations to all the admits! You will most likely be hearing from a current student over the next week or so. Feel free to ask them any questions you might have. If they don't know the answer to your specific question, they can find someone who does. Once all the dust settles down (read: next week when midterms are over), I'd be happy to answer a few questions as well. This forum was really helpful for me last year when I was making my decision, so I'm happy to repay the favor.

Word on the street is that SAIS will be releasing their decisions on March 14th. Good luck applicants!

This is just my preference - but I think that working for a while before going back to grad school is almost always preferable, particularly for these types of professionally oriented programs (maybe less so for a phd - I have no idea). Yes, work experience will help you get into a better school. It's also going to help you get a job after grad school (a fact that grad schools know and take into account during their admissions process). But perhaps even more importantly, (IMO) time spent working helps you shape your understanding of exactly what you want to do. I know a fair number of people who rushed back to grad school after undergrad (some without taking any break at all) and many of these people realized several years later that they needed another (sometimes completely unrelated) degree to do what they really wanted to do. Grad school is expensive and takes a long time (I know... stating the obvious). And being in the workplace really does help you refine your own career goals - it also gives you a chance to grow up a bit (at least it did for me). By the time I go back to school in the fall, I will worked for 4 years. As a result of the experiences I've had during these 4 years, I know exactly what I want to get out of school - which skills I need to develop, which internships I want to apply for, and which employers I'm going to target. If I'd have gone to school straight out of undergrad I wouldn't be able to bring the same level of perspective and focus to the experience. Having said this, when I was in my last semester of college I distinctly remember being petrified that I wasn't going to get a job. I was also somewhat envious of my friends who were going straight to grad school because they knew exactly where they were going to be for the next 2+ years. But now, I definitely I'm better for it. I think one counter-argument might be the job market. If you really don't think you'll be able to get a job in anything remotely related to what you want to do because the economy is seized up, that could be an argument for going straight to grad school. But how can you really know your chances in the job market unless you try?

I agree - at least for Fletcher, Georgetown and SAIS (I don't know enough about Stanford's program to say one way or the other). After quickly reading through your description, I think your selling points will be your time spent abroad and relevant work experience. Potential weaknesses might be your quant score - but I think you've addressed that weakness with the USDA classes (or the "Graduate School" - I can't stop calling it USDA). Since improving your quant score on a retake isn't a sure thing, I'd spend your time on application essays, informational interviews, scholarship research, school visits and, if time allows, maybe another language/quant class at the Graduate School. The major variable (IMO) to focus on in your applications is what you want to do after you graduate. Make sure that you convey to admissions that your experience/interests/abilities + their degree = your career goals. As far as safety schools go - you might want to pick a safety if you're 100% convinced that have to go to graduate school next year. Just make sure you ask yourself the question - "If this is the only school I get into, would I actually be willing to attend? Or would I want to wait a year and reapply at my top choice programs." If you aren't actually willing to attend, don't apply. A safety school makes a lot of sense for a high school student applying to college who is on a set timeline, or maybe if you're applying to programs which are all long shots (which doesn't seem to be the case here). But when it comes to grad school, it's such a huge commitment in terms of time and money you need to make sure that you're going to a place that will provide you with sufficient returns on your investment.

Hi sacdude, I can respond to some of your questions. During the last application round I applied to both MA and MBA programs hoping to pursue a dual (or joint) degree. I only had mixed success with MBA admissions, so eventually I decided to start at SAIS in the fall and reapply to a few MBA programs during my first semester. You said a couple things that jump out at me: 1) You're coming from a private sector background - this is valuable. I only have public sector experience, so for me, an MBA would likely play a larger role in my ability to potentially transfer to the private sector post-graduation. But as someone with this background already, you'll likely have more mobility with "just" an MA degree. Since you already have a masters degree (in something which sounds very business-oriented to me), I think you'll find that a lot of your quant/business skill boxes are already checked for potential employers. 2) You're a non-US (presumably Indian?) citizen. Do you want to work in the US or in your home country? You're right to say that being an international citizen limits your job options as they relate to the US government (and even some US government contractors). On the other hand, you have other options available to you that are far less available to me as a US citizen (IMF, WB (check out the IFC), and regional MDBs). Depending on what country you're from, you might also be interested in central bank/development agencies within your government. To respond to your last question - I'd suggest identifying exactly what jobs specifically you're interested in. You may find you need another degree, but you'll at least be able to determine what kind of degree is required for the jobs that appeal to you. When all is said it done, the degree decision depends on what you want to do. If you want to focus on the consulting side of the equation, maybe you'll need the networking and structured b-school recruiting/internship schedule. But if you're more interested in the public affairs/policy side - an IR MA will definitely make a difference. When you research the MA programs, you'll find that some are more private/public sector oriented as well. As you probably know, some have pre-established dual degree programs. These programs have a lot to offer, but they do mean an extra year in school and +$80k or so. Its a great setup for some career paths, but for some of the jobs that you might be interested in (particularly on the development side) the extra debt load likely does not make sense. Good luck!

When you're talking about upper level security clearances (required for intelligence agencies), nothing is a sure bet. Polygraphs aren't perfect - or anywhere near perfect for that matter. If you want to find out a bit more about polygraphs and clearances in the federal process you might check out this website (try one of these threads) - but don't get too put off by the message board chatter of (often disenchanted) federal employees. I know people that have passed polygraphs and I know people who haven't (sometimes due to situations out of their control). My advice is follow your passion but, to the extent possible, have a plan B.

Ha - don't worry. You didn't miss much. Go to the website, click on Prospective Students, then you'll see a link on the right hand side of the page under Tools and Resources that says MySAIS (for prospective students).

I went to both open houses. For me, the first major difference is location and the second is size. What are your career goals? Given that the schools have very different focuses, knowing what you want to do after school will (IMO) help you make the right choice.

I should have added - If you don't mind, would you post a link to the unofficial SAIS Class of 2013 FB group in the BC group? Thank you in advance!

Bologna Center seems to be more on top of their online presence (IMO) - during the application period I felt like their blog was more informative than anything put out by the DC campus. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the "MySAIS" page - but I never really got any valuable information from it (I was sort of expecting decisions to be posted there).

Thanks for the info about admissions and the facebook group - a bit disappointing. I think a lot of the inter class communication is done via a mailing list (at least that's the way it's done for alumni) - maybe a current student can correct me if that's not still the case? I'm happy with our current facebook group, but it would be nice to have a communication method that also includes current students - I'm picturing shared information about professors and apartments opening up etc.

That's very helpful - thank you! I'm sure I'll have a more substantial question after I think about it a bit, but in the meantime - did your incoming class set up a facebook group independently or via admissions? Inspiration set one up for us informally (see above) - but it would be nice to find a way to let other accepted students know about it. Any ideas? Thanks again for the info about your experience in pre-term.

I had a 3.2 undergrad and took a stats course at a local school. I'm not sure if that was a deciding factor for any of the schools I applied to, but it certainly didn't hurt. You have plenty of time before applications are due next year, so if you have the time/inclination/$ - go for it. Just make sure to put in the time and get an A!

Silly question here, but I haven't been able to find any information about declining the offer. Are they assuming that everyone who doesn't send in the check is turning down the offer, or is there some sort of online form? Thanks!