strangertimes

I'm still confused.. one thing I'm wondering about is how much attention students get from the professors at CIR. Many of them are big names and have PhD students as well. From what I have learned about AU so far, the professors will be extremely accessible and helpful. The fact that the director of the program called me yesterday to congratulate me and help answer questions is indicative of the kind of atmosphere at AU. I worry that Chicago might be completely different, and I am used to have close relationships with faculty and the administration at my undergraduate institution.

Thanks! Yes, that is definitely a factor. Especially since for DC it's going to be for 2 years instead of 1, and if I really want to take advantage of AU's network then I'll have to stay there in the summer as well to do an internship.

Has anyone ever done it/spoken to anyone who has successfully accomplished it?

$8,000 fellowship. not nearly enough. will be declining unless something changes.

Perhaps the MPIA GPE just does not have those funding options? That's the same program I applied to.

I haven't gotten any of those. I'm an international student, so that may be why? Unless you guys are also international students. What program did you apply to?

I think the easiest way to get an answer to that is to contact them!

Thanks for the information! Maybe I'll email them about it if I don't hear soon.

Yes, I got my acceptance to the MPIA GPE Major on March 8.

Urgh, first all this waiting for the decisions, and then for money! Out of curiosity...If you got funding at GSPIA, would you consider going there over Elliot or SAIS?

Anyone?

I reckon there will be a lot of people who will decline due to better offers from other schools/lack of funding. I just said no to Elliot, so that's at least one spot! And you'll find other people saying the same thing on other topics. Good luck!

Yep, I went back and checked and 2/3 of those fellowships were for US citizens only, and the 3rd was a small 5k award that won't help me anyway. Well, fingers crossed

:/ THERE WERE APPLICATIONS FOR FULL TUITION ONES? I'm confused... I didn't see any... Damn I feel so silly now. SAIS is my dream school but I would have to get pretty much that full tuition one to attend. I'm not complaining because I have some generous offers from other great schools but if I missed an application I am seriously regretting it. Was it something in your FAFSA? Since Im an international I didnt have to do that...

Does anyone have any idea what SAIS's biggest fellowship award is? They have so many named fellowships listed on their website but many have no amount listed next to them...

Accepted!

Accepted at Elliot with 20k, but will be declining the offer.

That's wonderful advice! Thank you! Time to sit down and do a lot of serious thinking. Out of curiosity, how have you found the development world in South Asia? Do you find your work fulfilling? And was it difficult getting a job in the WB without an MA degree?

Thanks! That's solid advice. I talked to an alum from CIR who is from my part of the world, and they said a Chicago degree will matter much more if I decide to go back. Plus it will be cheaper (1 year as opposed to 2). I'm not making any final decisions yet till I go to the open house though. Let's see. But thanks so much!

Undergrad GPA/Major: IPE and Philosophy double major/3.9 (small US liberal arts school, lower end of top 60) GRE Score: I forget the actual scores but I do remember the percentiles - 93% Q, 99% V, 5.5 Int. Experience: I am an intl student, and have two good internships in my home country. While in the US I also studied abroad in the UK. Any X factors that would make your app stand out: I believe my LORs were good. Although I did nothing for them except for ask (no conversation about what I want highlighted, etc) they were from my closest professors who are very familiar with my work ethic, quality, interests, etc. Also I am quote involved on campus as an RA and as someone working to set up a student led foundation. Hope that helps

Sure, no problem I'm not sure what stats includes, though - I'm a gradcafe newbie - so let me know what you would like to know and I'll be happy to share!

You're definitely right about DC looking great on the resume - I chose to look for internships there this summer not only because I was interested in the work the organizations do (and this is the most important thing), but also because I was aware of the impact something like that has on your resume. My area of interest is South Asia (mostly India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan). I'm interested in both security and development. That's the area I want to go back to, and at the moment I don't see myself actively pursuing work in DC outside of internships. My question was, I guess, whether it's important to have worked in DC to get a WB job in a place like India or Pakistan. I know it wouldn't hurt at all, but I wonder how important it is. And YES, if you know anyone and could put me in touch, I would be extremely grateful for that!

Thanks, I think I will do that. In your opinion, does being in DC matter so much if you do not want to work in the US? Also, I will likely be interning in DC this summer anyway (regardless of whether I go to Chicago or AU). Does that help things a bit if I decide to go to Chicago?

That's the same one I applied for! Got my acceptance this morning. Any idea when funding decisions are out?

Thanks for your feedback everyone. I am SO CONFUSED. In terms of expense - it will be comparable, BUT AU is two years, so I suppose it will be more there... I would benefit so much from talking to former students from CIR and the SIS MAID program. Are there any here? Could someone perhaps put me in touch with their friends who have graduated from those places?