went_away

I think it's shades of grey and am not sure anyone really disagrees here. Know before you go, do your due diligence, have a plan, etc. My basic point is that full-freight tuition prices at elite public affairs grad schools - and the level of financial aid given out - is inconsistent with expected career earnings and job stability, much like how many have viewed law schools since 2008. My other point is that there's more than one way to skin a cat and that an elite master's degree is not the most sure-fire way to break into the field. One of those more 'surefire' ways of breaking into international and public affairs types of jobs is by being a veteran. When I talk about veteran's preference I am, of course, speaking about US federal government jobs and about federal government contracting in which there is an explicit preference. Being a veteran is also a traditional background for top-tier consulting and investment banking and given how business works in DC is a great background for any number of other private sector jobs, much like how being a former staffer on the hill is a great background for being a lobbyist.

My scholarship offer worked out to half tuition and I continued to work at my moderately well-paid job while in school.

Amen to that. Welcome to 1-3 month STC's (short term contracts). It's the 'glamorous' life of a temp worker. Veterans' preference will do FAR more for one's career prospects than an elite international affairs degree. Those who do the best coming out of these programs have a strong combination of things working in their favor. First they are probably quite successful BEFORE going to a top grad school. This means they come from a well-off family that values education and they were able to go to a top undergrad (think University of Chicago or U Penn). Next they joined the military as an officer and/or had a series of very elite level internships at top institutions. They likely also have family friends/acquaintances who are high level executives in the federal government, diplomats, or a Senator or Member of Congress. By the time they go to grad school they are already well on their way with a solid career assured to them. Others working low-prestige jobs see these glittering examples of success and think a grad degree on its own will get them there. Sadly, that's really not the case and most will struggle. Doing well is a result of a long series of good choices, fortunate breaks, family wealth (in most cases), and big investments in yourself.

You are completely correct in your assessment. The inescapable conclusion is that the elite (public affairs) grad school market is completely out of synch with career outcomes.

Hear hear!!! I work in DC policy circles as well. Those with money, power, and prestige - or even a decent paying upper-middle class - are not generally there because they went to a prestigious grad school. Far more relevant factors are, as you say, being a veteran or having worked for a successful political campaign.

Check out median starting salaries coming out of these programs. Even the most elite range from $55-90k annual. I am talking about Hopkins SAIS, Fletcher MALD, Georgetown MSFS, and Columbia SIPA. These numbers are abysmal when you consider the perceived prestige of the programs, the competitiveness to get in, and the (usually very significant) prior work experience of the entering class. Top-tier public and international affairs programs cannot compete on salary with even third-tier regional MBA programs. I went for the intrinsic value and because it was a life-long dream, but I would advise all out there to be very careful about "just going" and to drive a hard bargain if you get in. Paying full or nearly-full tuition just isn't worth it for at least 80% of prospective applicants.

The MALD is probably a superior program overall because it's far better established and will likely provide you with a stronger network and brand name over the course of your career. Both, however, are great and both are very much overpriced. This will come down to your personal preferences and fit and feel.

Coming out of an MA in International Affairs, you'll struggle mightily to get into international finance without a background in the field. SIPA wins this game, but you would likely have better luck with an MBA from NYU.

You should probably go to Berkeley because Follow The Money. Ironically to some, Berkeley may actually give you better career opportunities than Fletcher given its rather advantageous geographic location.

Go to Harvard Kennedy or Yale Jackson. (SAIS is borderline, but I'd counsel against it.) Otherwise, just get an MBA if you're competitive for a top 30 program. You are 100% correct - average starting salaries are awful coming out of most international affairs programs and are completely out of line with tuition prices. The current political environment doesn't really bode well for international affairs grads either (budget cuts, federal hiring freeze).

hehe, glad to hear I was right about your chances at Yale Jackson I would be *incredibly* annoyed if Fulbright decided I couldn't go to Jackson despite getting an offer. You might be able to get the school to give you a full tuition if Fulbright lets you down.

Hard to say without knowing more about your current job, your career trajectory, and how much 'intrinsic value' there is for you in getting a top-tier IR master's degree. In your case, my gut says it's a close call, but yes, Fletcher would be worth it. Generally speaking, IR schools are way too expensive relative to expected starting salary. Fletcher grads typically start at $50-$90k, depending on the sector, which is about half of what you'd expect to get in starting pay coming out of a a second or third-tier MBA program.

Take the money and run. The economy is weak and getting weaker and these programs can barely justify their cost vs. salary return.

You'll be strong at all of the schools you're interested in - you have a powerful, cohesive story. Your gap on the resume should be fine; just briefly mention it to explain what you were doing. The big issue that jumps out is the potential lack of intellectual rigor in your career focus. It really seems like a top program with more of an analytical focus could really help you fill that gap and merge that cerebral acumen with your good hands-on and volunteer recruitment experience. Given your strong midwestish focus, I'd recommend you drop an app at the Chicago's Harris School.

That's extremely promising and the director pointed out all the things I mentioned in my earlier post. With that kind of feedback, it sounds like it would definitely be worth it to drop an application at Jackson. Honestly, it sounds like your Fulbright point of contact has rather limited knowledge of how 'prestigious' any particular school is and is basing it on some vague memories of US News magazine rankings from the mid-90s (ie overestimating how prestigious SAIS is because of the Johns Hopkins name and perhaps underestimating how prestigious Fletcher is). Best of luck - I would drop an app at Jackson if I were you.

As you've rightly assessed, you'll be a borderline candidate at SAIS/SIPA/Fletcher type schools. Your academics are iffy and I don't see much international experience. Big question is how responsible/elite/glam your current work experience is viewed and the quality of your internship organizations. If you have done internships for places like CFR and State Department that will help a lot. Tech IS hot now though, so you may get some extra brownie points for your interest in 'tech policy.' Fletcher for example is hiring a 'cyber' prof and will be interested in students with prospects and interest in tech policy.

Rather odd advice. If they're so hung up on 'prestigious' schools, I would submit the following list. 1- JHU SAIS 2- U of Denver Korbel 3- Syracuse 4- U of Pittsburgh GSPIA Substitute Yale for SAIS if you are feeling very confident in the competitiveness of your profile.

A bit confused by your post; your resume feels spotty and weak until GOLDMAN SACHS comes out of nowhere. If you truly did a summer internship at Goldman Sachs - one of the most competitive internships in the world to get - you should be competitive at nearly any top international affairs school, including Fletcher's MALD program.

Yep, I would classify Seton Hall as borderline. The broader context here is that international affairs is a 'soft' field so to speak, and its grads don't have a lot of leverage or earning power as compared to other professional post-graduate degree programs; it follows that school eliteness is that much more important to be successful post-graduation. FP's ranking system is a good jumping-off point, but is ultimately of limited utility. The methodology is based purely on a survey of profs, so it is mostly measuring name recognition and perceived eliteness from professors across the United States. I agree with it in terms of broad strokes (Korbel and American are rightly ranked lower than Kennedy and SAIS), but it needs to be taken with a very large grain of salt. Chicago's Harris school for example, scores quite low, but is widely considered to be the best program out there in terms of academic rigor, and its grads do just fine in policy-oriented careers. I think you are on the right rack in seeing Seton Hall as a peer competitor with American School's SIS, though I would likely rank SIS a bit higher, at least for those interested in jobs in DC. I've run into quite a lot of SIS grads working at interesting NGO-type positions, but on the whole they seem to make significantly less money and work in marginally less prestigious orgs than Fletcher and SAIS grads. Of course, YMMV and it all depends on the individual's career history, luck, and connections. If you're interested in schools that are a little easier to get into, I would counsel you to take a look at Syracuse and NYU's grad programs in international affairs; both are quite good.

What's your beef with it? (sorry, couldn't resist). Going to a significantly more elite school generally gives one a bit more of a credibility boost through their career. So for example, those who go to University of Chicago's business school (Booth) will get a few more appreciative 'oohs' and 'ahhs' than those who go to Foster at the University of Washington. Same in International Affairs; a significantly more elite school will give you a few more browny points and - all else equal - few more second looks at your resume and more built-in credibility. This credibility, or 'being taken seriously' gap certainly would apply to Seton Hall vs. the more elite schools like SAIS/SIPA/Fletcher. Same goes for federal jobs - it matters A LOT where you go to school for the more elite agencies. FBI, State (especially), Treasury, Energy, and the White House (NSC, etc) all recruit heavily from the most elite schools, but these days being a veteran matters far more than anything else because of the preference system. But do keep in mind - school 'eliteness' is not a huge factor and one I downplayed quite a lot in my post. You just copy and pasted one sentence out of context, which significantly altered my overall point. Simply reading my entire post probably would have cleared up any confusion you might have had.

You'll likely struggle a bit to be taken as seriously as Fletcher/SAIS/SIPA grads throughout your career and you'll probably have to scrounge more for that initial internship and job offer, but honestly it doesn't really matter all that much. What's most important is your writing ability and selling skills if you can get in the interview seat. After that, your work history will take off and be by far the most important factor. I've met a couple grads from there and they were in management at a top international affairs school, so not a bad gig, if not the most competitive. Mostly I would counsel you to not pay full-price tuition there if it's anywhere near as high as Hopkins/Columbia/Tufts.

No problem, drop me a line when it comes to decision time; I'll be curious to see how you do. Another point on the issue of 'giving back:' being humanitarian and all is helpful - especially if its genuine and backed up by history of doing it - but it would also be helpful to give a sense of giving back to the grad school in question down the line once you graduated through mentoring, career panels, being a Very Prestigious Graduate, and helping out the school's students that come after you. You can start to build that profile by showing ways in which you've been involved during and after life at UVA and in ways more specific to the schools in question. This will take some research and brainstorming; good luck.

No worries - all the best. I am a former IELTS examiner, so know all about that stage of the prep process. I would add once again - you are already doing what many, many students of post-graduate International Affairs programs aspire to do - work in a substantive, international government position in challenging circumstances. If being posted in unaccompanied, conflict areas is the problem (as opposed to practicing law), you might do some thinking and reach out to others in your field to find ways to continue to progress in your career, but to do so in less dangerous/stressful places.

The question isn't if you can get in; the question is how much $$$ the programs will give you. You're a nearly ideal candidate, so drive the hardest bargain you can. Schools will slobber over your UVA degree and GPA, Cairo experience, and - especially - your FBI internships (schools love gold-plated names like the FBI). Three years of relevant, if low paid, international affairs experience is the cherry on top. Just be sure to work hard on your statement of purpose. If you have a security clearance from the FBI, that drastically improves your career chances (and is something you should make clear you have in your apps), though I see you did not pursue a career with them post-graduation. As you don't seem to have a huge preference regarding schools or location, I would suggest applying at ALL of the programs you listed and simply taking the one that gives you the most money. I would counsel you to be disappointed with anything less than a half-tuition scholarship, and to shoot for more. One more thing - you come off as having had a rather charmed life, so infusing your application with a sense of purpose and determination to 'give back' and 'make the world a better place' in a very specific way will be helpful for making you more competitive for scholarships - and/or revealing any significant hardships you have personally overcome. Good luck.

But if you're worried about funding, why quit your job for two years? Even if you get in with a full tuition scholarship (highly doubtful) - you'll forgo two years of an income and go even deeper into debt because of your living expenses. Also, I am not sure why you think you need an MA to get into a PhD program - you're already quite well-qualified with a post-graduate degree in Law (and a prestigious career) and many good US schools would certainly consider you - Georgetown's PhD in Government comes to mind immediately. Fletcher's MALD program certainly would suit you quite well - they're known for rigorous academics and supremely interdisciplinary approach and the extensive curriculum would give you the opportunity to take regional courses focused on the Middle East. You could also consider Fletcher's one-year residential MA program for mid-career professionals - which might be a better fit for a relatively established professional. Also, if you really want to scratch the MA itch, I would encourage you to take a look at Fletcher's GMAP degree as it would enable you to continue working and also to get the prestigious, rigorous degree. In fact, GMAP just might be the very best fit for you as you seem to primarily be looking for the additional intellectual stimulation and growth, not to break into a new field. But, you may be looking to go back to school a little too soon; why not pay off your loans before taking on any new expenses...