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riverguide

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Everything posted by riverguide

  1. Adam, please feel free to PM me about this...happy to share my perspective inasmuch as I have a broader experience than some of the other posters here. Keneisha's point is well taken. Gradytrip's is the usual mantra. Much of your decision should be based on what you ultimately want to do and how much debt you want to incur.
  2. Those who speak Korean or Japanese inform me that the transition to learning the other is very doable. I am simply passing on their experiences.
  3. Thanks for the "insight" DipNote. Hope that always works out for you.
  4. Your stats are good but your language abilities and overseas experiences are lacking. I would recommend the Boren/Fulbright to fill in the gaps. I would also suggest that you attend the Middlebury Summer Intensive Arabic Program at Mills to hone your Arabic skills. You need more study abroad experience and/or overseas internships/work experience. If you have that, you would probably be accepted to most of the programs in which you are interested. Your future professional goals should dictate where you should go. Obviously I'm partial to SAIS where I attend grad school. I was admitted immediately following my undergrad studies. In this field I would definitely recommend a DC grad school and there are only two. SAIS and Georgetown. SAIS has a rigorous economic component and usually takes 2 years to complete their program. Georgetown usually takes a year and a half to complete. International economics are a salient component of any International Relations career. There are many good grad schools in this field but DC offers a moveable feast for serious students in the field…just my 2 cents and I'm sure others would differ.
  5. The placement exam covers the usual topics…education (yours), personal (not too), current events (including international events in countries where the language is spoken), etc. I was a waived exception to the proficiency exam…based on other reasons, Anyone can develop advanced proficiency if you work it and spend time overseas. Korean, btw, is a strategic language. You should stick with it and pick up Japanese, too. Taking the Middlebury Summer Intensive language program (in the states or abroad) is the easiest route to achieving advanced fluency. SAIS encourages its students to learn strategic languages but romance languages will satisfy the requirements. Good luck! Hope to see you at the preterm Happy Hours!
  6. The placement exam is a one on one verbal exam with a senior language instructor. It is not challenging. Intermediate mid or high are usually the proficiency levels you need to achieve before you graduate. The proficiency tests are easier than the OPI. If you study in Nanjing, you will need to be at intermediate high to advanced low to be accepted into that program. The graduation proficiency test is not challenging and they waived it for me after the placement test. You will have to take a placement test in whatever language you study. Language classes at SAIS do not count towards your GPA. Most of my fellow students could pass the proficiency test upon admission. Many of us take advanced/post-proficiency classes. They usually meet once a week and keep our language abilities current. SAIS will tailor advanced language classes for your needs. SAIS has a diverse student body and many of us practice/exercise our language skills with native/heritage speakers while playing a game of snooker in the SAIS downstairs lounge. Here's a chart which should answer your instant question with regard to proficiency levels. http://www.sais-jhu.edu/languagestudies#section-3391
  7. My downfall for the Pickering was not preparing for it several years in advance. I prepared for it several months before the deadline. If there's one consistent trait in the recipients, its that they started during their freshman or sophomore year to prepare for it. If you're starting now, I'd make sure you have back-up plans A, B, C & D prepared and don't hold your breath. I started preparing for the Boren two years before the application deadline and was fortunate to receive it.
  8. Armadillo: There's a few current SAIS students and SAIS grads who have NPRjunkie's attitude and opinion. Every school has them. They carry chronic dissatisfaction with them wherever they go. Some people really don't know what they want to do when they go to Grad School. NPRjunkie is sharing his experiences with you in that regard. When it doesn't work out, most switch to what does work out. You should visit SAIS and check it out. Its easy to do. Don't be dismayed by NPRjunkie's commentary or his attitude. When NPRjunkie started posting, his side bio said he was presently attending SAIS. Now he says he's a few years out. I don't know if he even went there. You have to have a thick skin in this business. You have to be flexible. Several of my friends in conflict management switched to other fields. Some of my friends in regional programs have switched fields, too. SAIS is an I/R school. Some people aren't cut out for it. If you want to develop your I/R skills set, go there. I had a regional background and strategic language skills before I applied. I'm developing a skill set, now. I'm not sure I'd go there for conflict management. I chose not to apply to Columbia because it has a reputation for being a big and impersonal program. SAIS is a more intimate learning environment, although its individual programs are somewhat insular. I spoke with a lot of people in my field and a lot of potential employers before I made my decision. You should do the same. SAIS has been good to me. I could not recommend it enough. And NPRjunkie: Its always good to hear from my fans! Good luck to you too! I sincerely hope things get better for you...
  9. NPRjunkie: I'm sorry that your experiences haven't been as positive and rewarding as mine have been at SAIS. Perhaps you should consider changing horses in mid stream. SAIS by its very name is focused on I/R careers. I turned down "better branded" (sic) names to attend SAIS and in my field, it is the name brand. I interviewed others in my field and visited and spoke with students at other schools. I spoke with professors at SAIS, Harvard and Georgetown BEFORE I made my decision -and I also traveled to DC and attended a day of classes at SAIS. There have been no surprises for me at SAIS. I agree with you that the art of preparation shouldn't be underrated, my friend. I'm curious as to how your preparation landed you at SAIS and I'm sorry to hear that you've chosen to remain in what you describe as the "kiddie pool" (sic). It must be very frustrating for someone of your stature...
  10. SAIS is a two year program. It has a rigorous economic component and quite frankly, that is what separates it from the rest. I had a minimal economics background (Macro and Micro) and I'm doing quite well. Most students take preterm and the calculus refresher course in the summer and hit the ground running in the fall. Economics are an integral part of the tapestry of I/R. The language proficiency exam at SAIS is no where near as difficult as the OPI and your language grades aren't a part of your official GPA. I would suggest that you take a Middlebury summer program and upon the completion of one of their 6 week immersion programs, you'll be able to easily pass the proficiency test. You don't have to take further language courses after you pass the proficiency test. Most of us do. You can't take the proficiency test until your second semester. I could not recommend SAIS more. I/R in the states evolves around DC. I would recommend studying in DC if you want to be a serious player. I am not deprecating the quality of the other schools that have been mentioned on this post. I am simply pointing out that most of them aren't in DC.
  11. Pick something you know about. I used an independent research project from my studies abroad. This is an IR school so obviously the focus should be international despite the fact that the prompt says it can be national as well. The Bologna essay is actually a great example. It may be dry to you but SAIS is very economics oriented -and so is that essay. I chose a subject in my field and examined an economic aspect of it. What separates SAIS from Georgetown, Harvard and other IR grad schools is the rigorous economic component of the school's program. The ability to write short and succinct essays is de rigueur at SAIS.
  12. One last suggestion for prospective SAIS admittees; when it comes to renting an apartment in DC, everything is negotiable. Renting a great apartment very near the school is doable if you're patient, polite and prepared to negotiate. Be sure and use Craigslist.
  13. Thanks for the question! CONS: Of course, the non campus-like atmosphere of the DC location. The real cons and these shouldn't be a surprise to any of us are the large amount of work assigned, the high expectations and the overachieving peer group that ups the individual performance anxiety/pucker-factor to 9.5 on the Richter scale, lol. To some, these may be what you're looking for. They are exactly what I'm looking for. Given that most of us are shooting for the moon with regard to career placement, I can understand why the recruiters demonstrated such a profound interest in the SAIS grads and students at the multi-school Job Fair held at SAIS Tuesday evening. It appears to be the perfect boot camp to hone your career skills and language abilities. Getting admitted appears to be the easy part.
  14. No, I left on Wednesday; but I'll treat you to a taco there on Thursday
  15. My visit to SAIS last week: Rather than providing the info by PM I am going to publish it. Most of the info is generic and for any in the Strat program, I will provide details by PM. Of course, if there are any other specific questions I will answer them by PM. I will say that the students and professors could not have been warmer to me, especially Professors Habeck and McLaughlin: Johns Hopkins SAIS Location/Campus The SAIS campus consists of several buildings along Massachusetts Avenue. It is wedged between various embassies, including Papua New Guinea, Chile, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and think tanks such as the Brookings Institute, the Carnegie Endowment for Peace, the Peterson Institute, and the Center for Global Development. The Middle East Institute is one block from SAIS. SAIS DC is an urban compact campus without exercise amenities. It does have showers. I stayed at the Embassy Row Courtyard Marriott and received the SAIS discount (clear this by phone at the time you make your reservation). Rooms were $259 a night (parking is an additional $25 a night) and it was a 2 minute walk to campus. There are cheaper rooms at other hotels but they fill up quickly. There are also some boutique hotels in the area, with quality rooms and food, albeit with bathrooms located down the hall. Great location for socializing and grabbing a meal with friends after class. SAIS is a 2-minute walk from the Front Page and James Hoban’s Irish Bar & Restaurant. Each building has tight security. First-time visitors must sign in and show their driver’s licenses at the front desk. In some cases, you may still be denied entry without a scheduled appointment with the faculty. I suggest printing off your admissions offer and presenting it with your driver's license. Name dropping the administrator you contacted helps as well. Most buildings at SAIS will be a 2-5 minute walk from the Dupont Circle Metro Station and several bus stops. The Rome Building has bright and visually appealing colors inside. Elevators are quick and reliable. Each floor consists of a small hallway with either regional studies offices or large classrooms on each end. There are 3-4 small to medium-sized classrooms in the middle of each hallway. Classrooms consist of either 3-10 rows of long, horizontal tables or a roundtable for smaller classes. The Strategic Studies office looked nice from the outside, but I was unable to tour the office because neither Eliot Cohen nor Thomas Keany were at SAIS that day. The Nitze Building is my favorite building. The lobby is spacious and filled with comfortable couches. It has one flat screen showing different news stations, including Al-Jazeera and CNN, and another flat screen listing weekly events at SAIS and other institutions. The lobby connects to the Kenney Auditorium, which usually hosts a variety of job and graduate school fairs, academic forums, and other events. The lobby also connects to the medium-sized cafeteria. I am unable to comment on the food, but I heard that SAIS is updating the cafeteria this summer. One floor below the lobby, there is a kitchen, set of showers, and a game room/chill area. A couple floors above the lobby, there is a large library, silent study area, and computer lab. Elevators are quick and reliable. The SAIS Job Fair: This is the second job fair I have attended in DC, in my field, during this academic year. When I mentioned that I was attending SAIS, it was as if I had waived a magic wand. Recruiters gave me their personal cards, personal follow-up interviews and much greater attention. Consulting firms (top 5) offered paid internships and said they would work around my classes. There were grads and students from other top schools who weren't getting the same attention. SAIS was the magic word. I put it on my resume and it opened a lot of doors. I have been delayed in posting this because of all of the summer job applications, paid internship applications and other paperwork I've had to fill out. Most of them require newly updated LORs. Classes Classes usually occur once a week and last around 2-2 ½ hours. Some classes offer afternoon and evening options. One of the classes I attended met at either 2:15-4:15 PM or at 6-8PM on Tuesday. Some classes are very insular and appear to be military or current government employee only. SAIS uses the Blackboard program for many classes. Class sizes can range from 5-50 students depending on the professor and classroom. Most students arrive 30 minutes before class. Classes require a significant amount of reading and multiple 1-2-page policy memos every week. One example would be an 800-word policy memo in Courier 10 point font. Some classes also have big group projects. One student told me that they recently had to form groups, write a 25-page brief on a specific country, and present their finished product to the class the following week. Standard language classes take you up to the high Mid-level. There are a paucity of dialect classes offered. Students who want advanced language training from advanced Mid to Superior are dealt with on an ad hoc basis, usually through media classes where open source media is presented and quick summaries and analyses must be promptly made. Outside referrals are also made but one student expressed disappointment with those options. SAIS tailors individual advanced language packages, in house, for advanced speakers. I received the impression that an intermediate mid or high will sail you through the language qualification. The age range for the students was all over the board. I am just out of undergrad. There were some wunderkinds who looked like they were just out of high school and there were some students who could have been my grandfather. The medium age appeared to be in the upper 20s to mid 30s. The student body has a large international make-up. All were bright, engaged, very warm to me, included me in their humor, and very committed -naturally! In each class, and before class (everyone shows up 30 minutes early) most students engaged me. It was very warm and the students were very inclusive. However, I had the impression that the students in each department are somewhat insular in socializing. Strat students hang out with Strat students, etc... For Strat studies, there are three all inclusive staff rides paid for by the school each year. Two are domestic and one is international. The international trip this year was a week spent in Viet Nam. Everyone including most of the profs attended the staff ride in Viet Nam. I do not know whether other departments offer these trips. Professors/Classes Most professors will allow class visits pursuant to notice and correspondence with the SAIS admissions office (with me it was 12-24 hours notice). All responded with very kind emails. You first have to contact the front office in your department. Telling them you've been admitted gets you through the Chinese Wall. Responses were quick. They ask that you follow-up with a direct request to the professor. I did so with a short introduction and attached my resume. All of the professors gave me lots of personal time either before, during the class break or after class. Some teachers prefer to lecture with limited discussion while others alternate between lecture and discussion with their students a la the Socratic method. One teacher literally lectured for 2 hours and used a single PowerPoint slide. The lecture was so fascinating that it seemed like it was 15 minutes. Another teacher started with a movie clip, outlined its key points on a dry erase board, expanded on the topic with a brief lecture interspersed with jokes and personal anecdotes, and ended with a class discussion. Former government officials enrich each class with personal anecdotes related to the subject matter. I can provide examples in PMs. Academically focused faculty supplement each class with new information from their ongoing research in a related field. The professors are down-to-earth and friendly towards first-time visitors. I was surprised at the degree of access that I had to each professor.
  16. Always good to hear from my fans! I certainly don't take your comments personally. Now that everyone seems to be over their indignation regarding my valentine to Revolution and the fact that it worked, I'm glad to get back to the point of this forum. Thanks for asking about SAIS and I'll share my impressions with you by PM so that I can speak more candidly. I'm taking a day to reflect and gather my thoughts so that I might present a more thoughtful evaluation.
  17. My former boss in the senate (who I reported to) went to Princeton for his MPA/IR. He liked it a lot. He was a TA there as well.
  18. You're a reasonable guy. There are others on the forum who find some of his commentary to be demeaning and disrespectful. They have asked him to stop. He hasn't. After my valentine to him, he has. I welcome his constructive or not so constructive opinions and those of others. There are some which cross the line. I grew up in a family of trial lawyers. Perhaps it was an undue influence on me...
  19. Unfortunately, none of your cherry-picked comments are those which I find to be malicious or demeaning. We live in a free country that allows free speech. I whole-heartedly support it. I don't know anyone who found the comments you've based your post on to be offensive or demeaning. They weren't any of the ones I've complained about. The right to voice an opinion is absolute, with some qualification. Some of those opinions, however, can legally get you fired or dismissed. Some of his points are very well made. I don't disagree with some of his criticisms. Those aren't the problematic posts. Over two dozen of us have asked him to cease and desist with his unkind colloquy on this post and the Bologna post. But hey, its still Revolution's right to voice them. They can also, legally, result in offers being withdrawn; because we live in a free country and certain privileges and offers don't trigger due process or other constitutional rights, ie, "buyer's remorse." You don't have to be a lawyer to know that any offer can be withdrawn before its accepted...
  20. 1) There are a litany of responses it could trigger from an admonishment to a rescission... 2) Two dozen people in 31 pages of posts have asked him to cease and desist. I enjoy the camaraderie. Its not uncommon in public policy to have to confront a problem with the mop and pail. 3) Its always good to hear from my fans. It has been pointed out to me in more than one PM that you appeared as a misguided apologist (with a paucity of prior posts and a birth date of March 13) when Revolution started getting flak for his commentary. It has been pointed out to me that some regard you as his alter ego...who knows and who cares? This particular approach has been the only effective one and I'm a results oriented kinda guy...
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