shorty007

Thanks for all who weighed in; I appreciate it! It really does help to hear different perspectives. I ended up accepting the offer at SAIS. It's just too great of an opportunity to pass up. If I can find a good job in my field in the next couple months, I may end up being swayed out of my decision, but for now, I'm really happy about this and excited to be heading to D.C. Good luck to everyone else who has made their decision or is in the process!

Yeah, I mean, that's definitely a possibility. I know at some point I'm going to have to stop asking "what if" and just make a decision. I wish I knew more about the average debt load for people going into the non-profit sector. Somehow people make it work, right? I'm just trying to figure out how...

Yeah. I'm pretty sure I could get into GWU and SIS and probably most of the other schools, since I got accepted to SAIS, but I'm clueless whether I'll get better funding there or not. It just seems more likely, I suppose, because of what I've read and heard from others. You seem to have been around a lot of people in the IDEV world...what other schools would you recommend looking at? I need a school that will give me credibility in D.C., but the name isn't that important to me. Also, do you have any advice about finding entry level non-profit work for someone with just a Bachelor's and a few years experience? I don't mind waiting a year to reapply, if it could mean better funding, I just don't know what I'm going to DO in the meantime... Thanks!

Thanks, I appreciate your response. What is your undergrad degree, and how far out of undergrad are you? I have about 3 years post-grad experience, and 1 yr volunteering overseas with a non-profit. I don't expect to improve my resume that much if I wait a year, but the thought that a better offer from another school might be out there is holding me up. I have heard so many horror stories about student loan debt.

Hi. Just doing some final number crunching and freaking out, here. I got into the IDEV program at SAIS with a merit award, but am still looking at about $70k in debt over two years. I am now kicking myself for NOT applying to GWU or American, two schools who IMO have better funding availability than SAIS (American even has the possibility of full tuition + stipend). My (surprise) success with getting merit aid at SAIS now makes me think that I probably would've gotten funding at those schools if I had applied. My career interest is in non-profit/development, so I really want to get this degree with as little debt as possible. "Name brand" doesn't matter much to me, though I do see the benefit of being in the Beltway. Should I just take this deal at SAIS and move on with my life, or re-apply next year to GWU and SIS and hope to get better funding options at one of those schools? Thanks to anyone who helps.

Just to let you all know, I emailed the financial aid office because there wasn't any information about federal aid in my financial summary; it only listed a first year fellowship. Well, they said they never received my FAFSA information (!!!) even though I listed the school code for SAIS on my FAFSA. So if anyone is in the same boat--if you submitted your FAFSA before the deadline but don't see any federal aid info in your financial summary--I suggest emailing the fin aid office to get it all sorted out. They responded very quickly and have been very helpful so far. Hopefully none of you have the same issue!!

I'm also finding the financial aid website confusing. It lists a first year fellowship for me, but nothing about loans to cover the rest of it. Shouldn't the loan info be there as well, or am I mistaken? Thanks...