global444

My guess is that if you are a strong enough applicant to get into SAIS, you would get funding at GW or SIS. But I'm definitely not an admissions officer, and of course there are no guarantees. Of the DC schools, SAIS Georgetown, GW and American have reputable international affairs programs. I personally think it would be worth it to go to strong IR school outside DC if you get funding there. As for job advice, umm... It took me 9 months of applying after peace corps to land something in the non-profit field. I hadn't originally been planning to apply to grad school last fall, but did because it was so hard to get a job, and a lot of positions require Master's degrres (even for jobs in which the work itself is fairly menial). It's a lot easier to get a job teaching english overseas, and I think that is a fantastic way to get international experience (if you don't have it) or strengthen a grad school app while learning a lot.

I have a Bachelor's in History from a top 25 university. I graduated 5 years ago, worked at a law firm for a little over a year, peace corps for a little over two years, plus several short term jobs/internships, and travel experience. I'm not at all sure I would actually get more funding at SAIS with extra work experince, just hoping that is the case. It's more likely that I'll go to a school where I do have funding, and I did get some awards from other schools I applied to, so I'll re-apply to them as well. I'm worried about the debt burden as well, particualrly in the non-profit/government field. Even with income based repayments and the government service loan forgiveness options, $500-$1000 a month in payments for 10 - 25 years is a big chunk of change, and could easily prevent me from taking jobs I'd really enjoy in favor of those that pay more. In certain fields a top school degree is an investment that you really do reap benefits from for life, and therefore worthwhile. But I don't think that's the case in the non-profit field, or at any rate the difference it would make wouldn't be financially significant enough to make it worthwhile.

I'm in pretty much the same situation, though with zero funding. I was surprised I got into SAIS in the first place, let alone into the IDEV program. But I'm also interested in the non-profit world, and just can't justify $120k in debt. As I recently started a new job in the development field with an organization I really like, I'm putting off grad school for the time being. I'm hoping that with additional experience, I'll be more competitive for funding in a year or two. Of course, I have no idea how likely it is that I'll be accepted into SAIS again. But while the brand name degree would be nice, the general advice I've gotten from people working in the field is that as long as you have a relevant degree from a recognized institution, experience matters more. So I'm turning down SAIS for now, and re-applying in a year or two both to SAIS and other schools. GWU and SIS have great reputations within the international and development fields, so I'm personally okay with holding off and going where the funding is. Definitely a hard decision though. Good luck!

I'm one of the lucky ones who got accepted into the IDEV track (which frankly, I was surprised by as my econ background is limited to 2 courses taken at the USDA Graduate School). However, as I recently started a job that I really like with an international development NGO, I'm actually not planning to attend grad school at all this year (so one of you may get my spot from the IDEV waitlist!). I'm debating whether to defer for a year or to decline altogether and reapply in 2-3 years. I didn't get any funding (other than loans) this time around. If I decline, am I hurting my chances of being readmitted in the future? Am I likely to get more funding with several years of additional experience in the field? (I already have two years of Peace Corps experience and some other semi-relevant work experience). Has anyone here declined and later been admitted? For those who did get funding, how many years of work experience do you have?

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with the MPP program, International Policy and Development track, at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute. I'm interested in international development and ultimately want to work abroad with and NGO or USAID. How is the program regarded for that type of work? I'm in an unusual situation. I returned from a few years of volunteer work abroad and applied to several of major IR programs. I was accepted to U Chicago, Duke, and SAIS. However, I recently got a job in the development field with an organization in DC that I really like, so I'm planning to defer school for a year anyway. Plus, if I stay at my job, I could have free tuition for grad school, so now I'm looking at other possibilities. SAIS or Georgetown MSFS (which I didn't apply to) would be my ideal degree, but neither has a part-time option, which GPPI does. Much as I would love to go to SAIS, and would rather go to grad school full time than try to balance a full time job and part-time grad school, I have to consider finances. A free MPP, going into a field where I'm not going to be making a huge salary, may be a better decision than taking on $80-$100k in debt. I hear a lot about Georgetown SFS, but not much about PPI. Anyone familiar with the program? Any current students or alum like or dislike it? How is it regarded among employers, especially in the international and international development sectors? Does it even matter that much where the degree is from in this field? Should I consider part time International Development programs at American and GW as well (assuming those exist, I haven't looked into them yet)? Comments on what you would do in my situation are also welcome .