mako06

IMN22 makes a very good point. Do you see yourself working internationally or here in the US? My Harvard bias is due to the fact I have lived 10 years overseas in Cyprus, Japan, and Kuwait. Harvard very much transcends borders and is one of the few, if not the only, US school that is easily recognized internationally.

BTW...forgot to mention. The brand is worth nothing unless you are willing to leverage it. It you just want a Harvard diploma on your wall, then go to another school. That is not the reason to go, though many people do.

All of what these posters have said is good info to consider. But, just want to correct what is a rumor about KSG being "a money-maker for the college". This is not necessarily the case in the traditional sense. Let's face it, with a $30B endowment, Harvard doesn't need to money. It could easily survive without the KSG. The reason why Harvard started this program in the first place was to build a network, associated with the school, of the well-connected, and in some cases well-funded, current and future "leaders". They have grads working throughout the world in all kinds of influential positions, who are carrying the Harvard brand and (this is the part your cannot imagine) making deals with other Harvard grads to things accomplished. I know this sounds crazy and conspiratorial, but it is not meant that way. The networking you get from the Harvard brand is not something people can place a value on right now, but that is what you are buying, everybody wants it, and there is absolutely no other place on earth you can buy it. Trust me on this one. BTW...all of this pays huge dividends financially for Harvard on the back end with government research grants, private and corporate donors, etc. That is why they have the KSG anyway. It helps the school be the hub of a vast network of the wealthy and influential and the school feeds off that.

I am a career Marine officer looking at PhD programs in Security Studies/IR. You would be crazy to not go to school in DC. There is nothing security related in NYC (forget about the UN) . Georgetown has a fantastic program and every think-tank, government agency, and defense contractor have offices there. Just my two cents...probably a little late anyway.

This is a no-brainer...KSG. You are too worried about money right now. The money is out there in all kinds of forms. The right long-term decision is KSG. I have several friends who went to KSG for various programs and it pays dividends that you literally cannot imagine (and I am not exaggerating...you cannot imagine them unless you have been to Harvard). Whether people want to admit it or not, brand is everything. Trust me.

Interesting to note the vast majority of the faculty at Harvard KSG PP program all have PhDs in Economics.

I would appreciate any input on this especially from veteran professors who have seen the disciplines move through their various stages. I am a Marine officer in a terminal MA security studies program. I will graduate in June and retire from the military this summer or fall. I desire to enter a PhD program (probably 2012) with IR/security studies/"grand strategy" (a hate how pretentious "grand strategy" sounds btw) as my research focus. Upon graduation, I desire to work for a think tank (RAND, CSIS, Brookings, etc), the USGOV, or in academia, in no particular order. Having done a ton of research on PhD programs (polisci and PP) and leading scholars in those programs, my question is which PhD program, polisci or PP, is more appropriate for what I want to do? I know some polisci programs have a security studies/strategy focus: MIT, Georgetown, Chicago somewhat, Yale but more so in History. Then there are a few unusual programs: SAIS with Prof. Eliot Cohen and RAND grad school. The there are all the PP programs many of which have a security track option. I have looked at the curriculums and courses in most if not all of these, and am leaning towards a PP PhD program. I just wanted to get the input of the gradcafe crowd. Let's just assume for the moment that I am a competitive candidate for the top programs. Is it better to go to Chicago and study with Mearsheimer and Pape, et al., a polisci program with a security focus like MIT/Georgetown, or a top PP program? Thanks...

Good to know...thanks.

Absolutely agree. As a Marine, I am not one to ask for special treatment anyway, but some people around me are trying to convince me I should use it to get as much as I can. Others are not. To be honest I find that kind of entitlement attitude pathetic. It probably will get brought up anyway by the authors of my LORs like you say. My stats and work experience are pretty good anyway and speak for themselves, so I would rather play things straight. If it comes up, it comes up. If not, then it doesn't. Thanks... Any other opinions out there? Am I off base for any reason?

I know this post is a few months old, but I have a question that nobody can seem to answer. I am a 40 year old Marine officer with 13+ years of service. I am about to graduate from the Naval Postgraduate School with an MA in a regional studies curriculum. But, I am being medically retired due to a service connected disability (nothing that would prohibit me from the rigorous academic work required of a PhD). I want to continue on for a PhD and I am wondering if I should mention, in passing, my disability in my SOP or somewhere on my application. It is unfortunately a major part of my life and is the only reason I am leaving the military. I know schools are not supposed to discriminate, but at the same time, I do not want to give someone an opportunity to do the wrong thing. On the flip side, not to be crass, but could the disability help me? Thoughts?