JAC16

Hello philologus... I'm glad "the wind is back in your sails". in any case... here is some info in case you change your mind again... In response to your second question... I believe language majors as yourself will be able to land professional interpreting jobs in an international organization. In your case though, the only language that might be useful in this sense is german. Latin, ancient greek, middle high german, and syriac are languages that, as you might imagine, are not useful in this sense. That is, unless you want to translate anciet sriptures or other documents of the sort. I imgine you wouldn't want to do this, given that you are transtitioning out of academia. Other kind of jobs (i.e. state department) will probably be very difficult to land with your background. In response to your third question. YES... many universities provide full tuition remission fellowships and a stipend for masters in international affairs/public affairs. There are also a variety of IR masters where you could study subjects related to interfaith dialogue and religious freedom. These scholarships, however, are given to the top candidates as you might imagine. Despite your exceptional academic background in laguages, I imagine you probably won't be in this group. This is mainly because MAIR/MPA/MPP programs usually look for certain skills in mathematics and economics that, given your background, you probably don't have.

They are both different programs, and both will get you where you want to be. Each is great in its own way, and which program you choose really depends on your personal preferences. SAIS has better networking opportunities, a stronger alumni network at those institutions, and a better reputation in the IR world. It's location is also a plus, as it allows you to intern during the year. Harvard will always open doors though. It is more multidisciplinary as a program and allows you to take PhD level economics classes, which could be a plus.

Considering your interests, I think you should also consider Maxwell...

I would say the best masters to get a job at WB, IMF, UN would be: 1) SAIS-JHU (MAIR) 2) Harvard KSG (MPA-ID) 3) Princeton WWS (MPA) 4) Columbia-SIPA (MIA)

Thanks for your comments... I decided on Maxwell in the end. I see you're attending too. See you at Maxwell.

Previous Schools: Top tier international university Previous Degrees GPA's: B.A. Economics 3.96 GRE Scores : 650v/750q/4w Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 4 years in consulting Math/Econ Background: Calc I, Calc II, Calc III, up to intermediate Micro, up to intermediate Macro, various other courses in economics (i.e. game theory), linear algebra, diff. equations, 4 courses in statistics, econometrics I and II. Foreign Language Background: Arabic, Italian, Spanish Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International Relations Schools Applied to & Results: Accepted to all American ($$$) GW/Elliot ($$$) GSPIA ($$$) Korbel ($$$) Maxwell ($$$) SAIS ($) Stanford IPS (no $) Ultimate Decision & Why: Maxwell. SAIS was always my first choice, but a fellowship of 20K wasn't enough to make it viable. IPS was my second choice and since they gave me no money, it wasn't viable either. All the others gave me a full ride (apart from GW that gave me 7K/year short of that). From those, Maxwell is the best fit. Their faculty is the strongest in my area of interest, and their program is the best fit. Also, I believe they have the strongest network.

I understand leaning towards SAIS. It is a great school. But a debt of more than 125K is a VERY heavy burden. Also, I don't know how much of a difference SAIS' network will really make in the long run. Immediately after graduation it will be very helpful, but the salary of SAIS' graduates in the private sector is around 60k/year (Which is not that different from the salary of GW's graduates in the private sector). Whether paying SAIS' higher cost is worth it or not, will depend on the job you want to get after graduating. It will only make a big difference, in my opinion, if you're aiming to get a job at the IMF, the WB, a DC think tank, some finance related job or if you want to work in an oil company. Also, for three of those places (IMF, WB, think tanks) you will need a PhD for the really nice jobs. So, that should be your aim. Everywhere else, I think the difference will be marginal. Finally, if you do want one of those kind of jobs (where SAIS does make a difference) I would say, do some numbers. SAIS will probably give you a better education than GW. But is it worth 125K in debt? And if you think it is worth 125K in debt... can you realistically pay that debt after graduating without severely diminishing your quality of life? You say that you're already in debt. If you don't have a fellowship from SAIS (you don't mention if you do), the debt will amount to about 125K + your current debt. Will that be manageable with the kind of job you want to do? If you want to go into public service for example, I think it is unmanageable.

Just rejected an offer from SAIS. Hopefully one of you guys will receive the spot and the 20k....

I believe the MA IR class has aprox. 100 students per year, and the MPA class has around 125 students. The alumni network is VERY strong in the US (I would say stronger than SIS'). I don't know how strong the alumni network might be in your country.

Hey... FYI at Maxwell you can do the summer and 2nd fall semesters at DC if you want... AU's DC advantage is diminished in such a way...

I intend to go into a PhD. In this sense I guess there is pros to each school. SAIS' quantitative strengths are always a pro when preparing for a PhD. At Maxwell I would be able to do much more research (since I would be an RA) which could be a pro.

SAIS only requires 6 econ courses (Micro, Macro, Int. Trade and Int. Mon. Econ + 2 electives.). That means you have 10 out of the 16 courses of the masters to focus in whichever area you like. Also, you could attend Pre-term if your worried about the economics classes. That way you can ease into the program and free up two more courses. In this manner, you would have 12 out of a total of 16 courses to focus in what you want. Also, if you end up having problems with the pre-term courses and don't pass for some reason, there will be no record of this in your transcript. You would only have to take the courses a second time during the first year.

Have you made a decision yet?

SAIS is the better option without a doubt. Even if it were true that SIPA is better known outside the IR circles, it is irrelevant. The prestige of the program with the people that will hire you is what matters. Apart from that, I would say SAIS is the best IR program in the nation (apart from GU which would be best if you're interested in the State department) and it is where you will be able to do the best networking. I would say go to SAIS even if both programs had the same cost. But that is not the case... you would be paying about 70K more for SIPA. You should definitely choose SAIS.

Ok... so I just received the last piece of information I was waiting for to make a decision: I got an assistantship at Maxwell that gives me full tuition. This helped me narrow down my choices to Maxwell and SAIS. SAIS also gave me some money, but it doesn't come close to covering the total cost of the masters. Which would you guys choose?