SaraDC

I'm not familiar with the CIPA program - but for some reason I'm under the impression that it's a more academic and less "professionally-oriented". I have no idea if this is accurate or not, so don't take my word for it. I did consider applying for an MBA at Cornell, but then I looked up Ithaca and decided that it seemed 1) really cold 2) quite remote (compared to a program in DC/NYC/etc). That was enough to convince me not to apply. Have you visited both programs? Having said all this, it might come down to how much money CIPA is offering you. But if at all possible, don't commit with at least visiting first. You need to see it firsthand before you decide to spend 2 years of your life there.

I think it's a matter of your fit with the school, both personally and professionally. Have you had the chance to visit the campuses? That might help give you a sense where you'd fit on a personal level. Also, what do you want to do professionally in the short term/long term? Depending on your goals, one of the three programs you're looking at might be much better suited to your needs.

I went to undergrad at Hopkins so I had the chance to spend my 3rd year as a SAIS student in Bologna. It was a great experience. In fact, I'm excited about the possibility of going to SAIS again, but a little sad that I won't have the chance to experience the first year in Bologna (someone asked earlier - yes, it's just the first year). That being said, once is probably enough so I specifically applied only for the DC program. If anyone has any questions about Bologna, I'm happy to answer them (on this thread, or you can PM me). Disclaimer: I'm very pro-Bologna. The friendships, networking, and camaraderie, that you build as a class at the BC (Bologna Center) is unparalleled. Frankly, the people that have spent the year in DC together just won't be as close. That connection with your classmates matters long past graduation. Anyway, let me know if you have questions. Congrats again to everyone!

Sorry to hear that. It looks like you have at least two really strong programs to pick from though!

Bologna is a really great program. I actually spent a year there as an undergrad. If it wasn't for that experience, I definitely would have applied specifically to spend my first year at SAIS there.

Yeah, I agree with you. But I think there are lots of other variables involved. Students that are accepted to SFS are going to be strong candidates at other schools too, including SAIS, SIPA, WWS, HKS, etc. Maybe some end up receiving financial awards elsewhere. Or maybe some end up not enrolling because they get a promotion at work, or don't want to take on all the debt in a slow economy. I guess when it comes to MA programs, it doesn't take all that much to apply GRE, 75$, a couple essays, and somewhat standard LORs (compared to an MBA program that requires a higher application fee, a more expensive test, school-specific questions for recommenders, and more essays) . So there may be some applicants who applied just to keep their options open - and still might be unsure about whether or not the program is the right fit.

The letter only mentions concentration if you applied for IDEV (it's the only one that requires a specific acceptance). Rest assured that despite the tremendous competition, there is room for all of you to study Canada at SAIS Congrats!

Awesome! Tufts and SAIS on the same afternoon!

Same for me about IDEV, but I'm not broken up about it. I knew a few students who transferred into the program while they were studying at SAIS (they had to write some sort of proposal), and that was back when Fukuyama was there so demand was really high. I'm not sure about the extent to which the need-based scholarships are separate from other "financial awards". But I guess we'll know that soon enough. Congrats!

Oh my gosh, I'm in too! So much for "late March"! The letter indicates that they will release funding info by the end of the week.

It has to do with what the schools call "yield". That is, the percentage of students who are accepted that end up matriculating. Based on previous years, Georgetown SFS knows that if they admit 250 applicants, 90 will end up matriculating. Yield is one data point that people use to rank schools (if a school is really great, everyone who gets in will want to go). It's also a reason why if Georgetown is your absolute first choice, it's good to convey that to them because then they will be reassured that you'll matriculate if accepted (improving their stats).

Hurray!

That's crazy talk! edited to add: thanks for calling.

Oh I've definitely been keeping that base covered. I'm hoping to hear back from 3 programs by tomorrow evening and I am completely incapable of productivity. I check these forums, I check the results page, I check my email, I check the application sites. Then I try to be productive for 10 minutes. Then I check everything again. (Yes I'm aware this isn't healthy or logical) Seriously SAIS, website, facebook, twitter? You can't give us any info?

Not sure about what % of all applicants are competitive (or qualified), but this is from the website:

Good question - I just went back and checked why I'd written down that date, but I couldn't find anything definitive. My only two pieces of info are: 1) 3/15 is the date they started releasing last year (late in the day via email according to last year's thread) and 2) that's the date the MBA program releases decisions. So... nothing conclusive. Maybe just wishful thinking on my part? Apsuwa - I'm concerned about GPA too. My GRE scores were higher than the averages posted on the admission site, but my 3.2 undergrad GPA is definitely a source of worry! With a class size of less than 100, I think everyone is rolling the dice to some extent. Good luck everyone!

I totally agree. What are your career goals?

Thought I'd make a thread for Georgetown School of Foreign Service (SFS) since decisions for MSFS applicants are supposed to be released on Tuesday (3/15). I for one am a bit nervous given the small size of their incoming class (90 students!). Who else is applying? Feel free to share stats, career objectives, other programs applied for, and how you're passing the time until decisions are released.

There's a new post on the results page with an acceptance to Hopkins-Nanjing Center - first one this year. Is the admissions process separate for Nanjing like it is for some Bologna applicants? I wonder if this means anything for those of us waiting for an email from SAIS DC?

My impression is that there are a substantial # of Japanese applicants to SIPA every year, in part because of the Japan/WB fellowship opportunities. So hopefully this post is somewhat related to the thread. Based on the coverage I've seen, the earthquake/tsunami was really devastating. I'm not sure what to say on the topic without sounding trite, but I hope everyone is safe.

When I was working on my applications, one of the better pieces of advice I read was "don't apply to a school unless you know you'd enroll if accepted." Yes, applying to a "safety" makes sense, but only if you'd be excited about going there if that's the only acceptance you receive. I ended up applying to 3 MA programs and 3 MBA programs (hoping for a dual degree - fingers crossed). Between the GMAT, the LORs, and the essays, I'd say the business school applications were at least 5x more time intensive (and expensive!) for me than the MA program applications - but that's also because I was more familiar with what MA programs were looking for in an applicant. I was practically a shell of a person during December/January, so I don't think I could have possibly put together another quality app. Of course if I get a bunch of dings over the next two weeks I may be singing a different tune But there's always next year right?

1) Did anyone receive funding yet? Not on this board (or the results page), and not to my knowledge. 2) Does anybody have an idea how many (percent) are currently being considered for financial aid? Only the people working at SIPA Admissions 3) Does anybody know whether everybody that is 'considered' for financial aid will be accepted? I think it's safe to say that everyone accepted was/will be considered for financial aid, but I don't think that's what you want to know. Let's say that there are only 2 categories left of applications at the admissions office 1) people being considered for fellowship (and likely the top 15% of applicants as determined by the adcom (if fellowships are need blind - not sure about this)), and 2) people who the adcom still needs to discuss again. I don't think anyone outside of the admissions office knows if there is any overlap between the two categories. But if the people being considered for fellowship really are the top 15%, there probably isn't a lot of overlap. If that's the case, then it seems logical to me that the 15% who are currently being considered for fellowship will most likely receive admits. But I don't think there is any way to know if your application is in category 1 or 2, so that might not help much.

Wow, you applied to 11 schools? That's intense.

25% of applicants? Or are you asking about people on this thread? I think there are a few still waiting.

Wow - SIPA Admissions really knows how to amp up the drama!