compost&recycle

thanks itsfridayfriday! it was a emotional roller coaster of decision making indeed. how about you? Which school have you decided on (and why)?

Hi there, I feel bad nobody responded to Nimesis' thread yet. So I thought I'll start. Congrats to all GSPP '13ers! I am sure we all went through some serious decision making over the past few weeks (I sure did) and it feels good to finally know and get excited about it. A couple logistical questions: Anyone else from SF who will be commuting to Berkeley on BART or across the bridge? Would be great to get a carpool together.Does anyone know how the health insurance works? Couldn't find much on the GSPP website, would it be the same UCB campus-wide?I will probably see most of you in Math Camp, which is supposed to start August 9.

hi there, I didn't have a chance to attend the SAIS open house and would love to hear what you thought? How did it compare to other open houses (especially between GSPP, Stanford IPS, Fletcher if anyone visited those also)? I would be going to Bologna for the first year, so any information on that would be great. I went to Fletcher's open house last Monday and it was pretty good, although I was not a fan of the location/campus. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Last Friday, I received the unexpected e-mail notifying me that I am a finalist and am now trying to gather more information on the fellowship stipulations. I heard not all programs qualify (only certain IR programs, but not all policy programs), which affects my school decision to a certain extent. Would love to connect with other prospective fellows or people who know more about the fellowship. Thanks!

Before I start, I admit that I do have a bias against SIPA, but inspiration this seems like a clear case to me. SAIS is the better IR school AND gives you $35,500, which is extremely high compared to other admitted students or other programs (almost a full ride). Plus you got into IDEV, which I hear is capped and hard to get into. On the other hand, SIPA, in my opinion is a mediocre IR cash cow. Overpriced, huge (i.e. impersonal) program that relies on the Columbia name and its NY location. Much less selective than SAIS or other IR schools. The professor/student ratio is not desirable and I hear more students dislike SIPA than any other IR program. In my view, NOT worth the price or turning down an almost full ride at SAIS (the second year is usually renewed if you show good performance, I would not worry about it too much) So my vote is clear. SAIS - the BETTER program, take the $$$, and enjoy both Bologna and D.C. (you get twice the network that way and Bologna people seem to bond tremendously)! Good luck!

hippieva, thank you for your response. i appreciate your insight and agree that stanford is "worth the price". it sounds like you have decided for IPS already or are you still in the process as well? while i don't doubt stanford's quality, the small size of the program is a bit of a concern. as it is so interdisciplinary, i wonder how strongly connected the IPS students are or whether they are spread out most of the time due to their very individual schedules. i don't mind getting to know new people in different departments (i actually like that diversity a lot) but I wonder how close of a cohort and feeling of community there is among the IPS students (from a social perspective as well as for networking purposes). I would love to hear your thoughts if/why you decide for Stanford compared to your other choices. thanks!

foodlover28: Thank you for your reply. I talked to Globalsun and it did alleviate my concern about tuition to a certain extent. Yet, first year's tuition of $35 still needs to be paid for + living costs in SF (which are not cheap as you probably know well as a UCB alum). I am acquainting myself with the thought of taking on a large loan, although I am from Germany and have an innate aversion to accruing such considerable debt (I am the saver kind of person). Running the risk of sounding like a complete rookie, I honestly don't even know how to go about the loan. Even the Stanford coordinator was unable to provide me with information loans and financing and the Stanford website is not the most conclusive whereas other programs, such as Fletcher have sent me a comprehensive document with various subsidized and unsubsidized loans, federal work/study, etc. in addition to the large scholarship, which made it seem much more manageable. I will call Stanford's FinAid but if you have advice on how to tackle the financing issue, I'd be happy to hear suggestions. Regarding your question: I live in San Francisco and my previous industries were international corporate marketing (in Germany and here) and most recently energy policy. In response to your school choices, I just want to throw my little bias your way concerning SIPA. I honestly do not have a high opinion of their program (in particular in comparison to the other options you have). I believe that their program is too big, hence professors are not very accessible (students wait in line at the prof's offices and get maybe 5 minutes of face time) and getting into classes is not a given due to the large cohort. Also, I feel as if SIPA is less selective and I personally don't think that NY is the best environment for those who want to experience a campus feel since many commute, spread out, and are exposed to distraction of the city's big hussle. Obviously that is my personal bias, but considering the other choices you have, SIPA would get my lowest vote. Re: Sanford. Good school but somehow I have the feeling that it is not very strong in international policy, which is one of my priority and also makes me a bit hesitant about GSPP. Even though they have the International Affairs concentration, I heard in a recent conversation that the IA "department" is pretty much non-existent and you'd have to make a big effort to make your degree more international. Once again, GSPP is a top school and I still strongly consider it but the domestic focus is a big deterrent for me. Let me know what you find out. Since GSPP and IPS have their open house on the same day, I am curious to hear which one you will be attending.

Thanks for your post Nimesis. Good point. Are you going to the GSPP open house on April 11? I am unable to go so I'd love to hear your impressions.

Hi grad cafe friends, I am still in the decision process (as most of you) and am struggling with the thought of accepting a school (Stanford IPS) that offered no funding and turning down other schools (Fletcher, SAIS, GSPP, Georgetown) who offered decent to very generous funding. I would love your insight on whether going for a school's reputation justifies denying a great financial package of a school of less prestige. While Stanford's IPS program seems like a good fit, the other schools are probably just as good. How much does the school's name matter? Is it worth $35K+ more debt to go to a prestigious institution or would an almost free ride at GSPP, Georgetown or Fletcher make more sense and provide me with an equally good education/network/academic & social experience? Any thoughts regarding IPS as well as the other programs are welcome. Who else is deciding between these schools? Would love to establish a dialogue. Thanks!

I received a half tuition scholarship. Since I will most likely not go to Georgetown, this money may free up for those on the scholarship wait list. Best of luck!

Program Applied To: MPP, MAIR, MEM Schools Applied To: Berkeley GSPP, Duke Nicholas MEM and Sanford MPP, Johns Hopkins IPS, Georgetown GPPI and MSFS, Fletcher, Stanford IPS, HKS, Yale FES, Schools Admitted To: Berkeley GSPP ($), Duke Nicholas ($), Johns Hopkins SAIS ($$), Georgetown GPPI and MSFS ($ next week), Fletcher ($$$), Stanford IPS ($0) Schools Rejected From: HKS, Yale FES, Duke Sanford Decision: between GSPP, Fletcher, SAIS and Stanford IPS Undergraduate institution: first two years – relatively mediocre German University, second two years - middle tier U.S. State University and study abroad in Sydney Undergraduate GPA: 3.95 Undergraduate Major: International Relations <br style=""> GRE Quantitative Score: 740 GRE Verbal Score: 500 (English is not my native language - can you tell? ) GRE AW Score: 4.5 Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3 Years of Work Experience: 10 (worked before I went to school and in between) Describe Relevant Work Experience: Media planning, marketing, consulting, translation, energy regulation Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I started in July and reviewed/edited it at least 50 times. I had it proofread by a few friends for grammar purposes; I put a lot of effort into telling a cohesive story and clearly expressing my passion/goals Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): my undergrad IR professors, my old boss and my current boss (used them alternatively 3 out of 4). Didn’t read them but I assume they were very good. I believe it is important to ask the recommenders if they feel comfortable writing a strong recommendation to make sure they don’t feel obligated and write you a mediocre one, which can severely hurt your chances. I heard of horror stories where professors wrote "I was asked to write this letter. I honestly don't remember the student at all....(that cannot be good!) Anyone who has an opinion on Stanford IPS vs. SAIS, GSPP and Fletcher please let me know because this decision has become harder by the day! Thanks.

Quick update. I also received my acceptance to Stanford IPS yesterday and am now expanding my "choice dilemma" to GSPP/SAIS/Fletcher and Stanford IPS. It appears that Stanford has a great reputation (both the school overall as well as the IPS) and it seems a hard one to turn down. I would love some insight on how IPS compares to the other three. The program itself is fairly new and small, so I wonder about its alumni/network strength. It is also known to be more entrepreneurial and according to an IPS student many grads who stay in CA go Silicon Valley, which is not my priority. My focus is Energy Policy, which SAIS/Fletcher/GSPP are all strong in. Hearing from people that Stanford's name carries far makes me think it would be good choice. At the same time, I am a bit concerned about the financial aspect as there is no funding offered with the admission. Having received some generous scholarship offers from the schools named above, I am hesitant to accrue debt for a program I don't know much about. Please offer your thoughts! Thanks.

Okay, now that I am not only torn between GSPP, SAIS and Fletcher (the latter two gave generous funding and GSPP is affordable due to in-state tuition), acceptance to Stanford really doesn't make it easier. Since the IPS website does not give away too much information about the program, faculty and courses, I would love to hear insight on how Stanford compares to the other ones, especially in light of zero funding. I know its well respected but have a hard time believing it is worth $80K+ when I could pay less than half for the other schools. Any opinions (objective and subjective) are welcome! The next few weeks seem overwhelming. Congrats to everyone else, we have come far! Now it's just about making smart decisions...

I got in, too. wow, not expected at all. i received the same letter as foodlover28, no funding. bummer.

I received my acceptance last Monday. I believe the Non-U.S. applicants receive their acceptance in April. Good luck!