kbs48

Thanks 'carpecc' for your useful insights. I'm in the same boat. SAIS gave me $10K first year, SIPA nothing and UCSD IR/PS a full ride, and I'm weighing all of them up carefully. I have a China regional focus and am interested in going into the private sector post-masters, so I like SIPA for that, as NYC's job market is more wide-reaching than DCs. Having said that, SAIS also sends a lot of people into the private sector too, albeit, more into the DC government-type of consulting. One thing about IR/PS that is jarring, is how bad California's economic outlook seems to be. I've spoken with some IR/PS folks, and they do seem to have a decent network in DC (World Bank, QED group), it obviously can't match up with that offered by SAIS. But unless you go private sector, and even then, not having to worry about school debt is a massive benefit. I'm not sure how much more money a SAIS/SIPA MA is worth over an IR/PS one, but $60K sounds a lot to pay for prestige. I think all of them offer fairly solid quant backgrounds, which is what I'm after, with SAIS being strongest, as all students must specialize in international econ. By forcing you to focus in econ, SAIS makes you choose between technical specializations (for me, i-development), and regional ones. SIPA forces you to take a policy focus, with regional among a variety of second specializations. In that way, they are somewhat different in orientation. In terms of China, only IR/PS and SAIS have China specializations. SIPA's is more general, though its China offerings look robust. In terms of management, only IR/PS offers a specific focus.

Dear forum, I'd love your input on the following options. I've applied to masters in public policy and public administration as well as MBA programs. I have a non-profit background and am looking to work in social enterprise and on private/social sector collaboration programs, social philanthropy, things along this line. After graduation I'd like to spend some time gaining best practices in the private sector before heading back into the social sector long-term. I've been accepted to SAIS (MA), SIPA (MPA) and UCSD IR/PSs Masters in Public Intl Affairs. SAIS gave me $20K over two years, SIPA no funding, and UCSD a full ride. I'm waiting to hear from the following MBAs: Haas, Fuqua and Stern. While I wait to hear though, I've got to decide between the three MPP/MAs. I'm leaning towards SAIS at this point, because as nice as a full ride from UCSD is, I don't think that it's policy/non-profit sector focus is the best alignment for me. Also, the SAIS network is a lot stronger. In comparing SAIS and SIPA, I think that they're comparable for private sector networks, though I like SAIS' smaller size and funding (plus cheaper cost of living than NYC). If I get into Haas, Stern or Fuqua, the equation would change, but that's for another day. Would love your thoughts! Thanks!