aurora

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): London School of Economics and Political Science Previous Degrees and GPA's: BSc International Relations GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 650/590/6.0 Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 4.5 years, UN in Middle East, international NGO in Europe, freelance journalism, and communications consultancy for start-up social enterprises and government in my native country and abroad. Foreign Language Background: Scandinavian native, fluency in English, some background in French and Persian Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Humanitarian Affairs and International Communications Long Term Professional Goals: Head of Communications or Country Representative for UN agency or INGO focusing on humanitarian affairs. Schools Applied to & Results: LSE (accepted), SAIS (accepted), SIPA (accepted), Elliott (accepted with 25% tuition), MSFS (accepted with 50% tuition), Fletcher (accepted with 50% tuition). Ultimate Decision & Why: My decision came down to SIPA vs SFS vs Fletcher. Money talks, and I couldn't quite justify the additional cost at SIPA, plus I was not impressed by their admissions process or feedback from some ex MIA graduates. SFS offers very few courses in international communications and social media, while Fletcher's communications program is strong and includes a joint club with media@MIT and Harvard. Also looking for an exclusively academic experience with summer internships, rather than doing internships during the year. Turning down the scholarship offer from G-town was really hard, but I'm confident I made the right choice!

I'm also considering Georgetown v Fletcher at the moment, both gave me the same amount of scholarship (approx. 50%). I am still leaning toward Fletcher, mainly because the courses are a better fit for me. I have met several Fletcher alumni and really would not worry about future career prospects - I think this is mainly down to how proactive you are building a network, attending career events in NYC and DC, writing a relevant thesis, getting the right internships etc. Apart from the internship option while studying (at G-town), I think internship opportunities between first and second year are the same. I have certainly met plenty of UN staff who are Fletcher alumni. I am still feeling like it's pretty 'luxurious' to say 'thanks, but no thanks' to G-town, but at the end of the day I think both these schools are very good and it has to be down to content of courses, and faculty. Let us know what you decide?

Just realised it was SSP you were after - nevermind! I have been leaning toward Fletcher for a while now due to the scholarship they offered me, but then Georgetown offered me the same amount last week and now I'm not sure. The curriculum at Fletcher does seem more suited to my background and future goals, but I just can't quite get over the DC connection argument, and the fact that Georgetown has some seriously amazing professors I would love to study with. This is harder than I thought it would be!

Ashes75 - I'm doing the exact same thing. Apparently 4 or 4.5 courses at Fletcher, I think it's the same for Georgetown. I got some more detailed course lists from somebody I know at SFS sent over as their website has much less info than Fletcher's - do you want me to e-mail it to you? Are you close to making a decision?

Interesting input, thanks! Since I last posted, I've been admitted to a few other schools and offered a scholarship from SFS at Georgetown too... Really wish these schools would do events for admitted students outside the US, but I've been trying to get in e-mail/skype contact with as many alumni as possible to get a better idea. Doing lists of academics and specific courses now to weigh my options. Since I do not have financial aid offers from SAIS and SIPA, the decision is really between Fletcher and G-town now. As you've noted, Fletcher really strikes me as a place where, with enough of a proactive approach in shaping the curriculum and taking advantage of cross-registered courses at MIT, HBS and KSG, one could get a brilliant 'best of both worlds' experience. It disheartens me a bit that so much of the debate in these forums is about the relative 'brand weight' and questionable rankings of schools rather than actual content and specific courses... Still contemplating! Any feedback from those of you who are able to attend Open Days or admitted student events would be much appreciated! Let us know when you make a decision? Good luck. Admitted: Fletcher ($), Columbia, Georgetown ($), Johns Hopkins, George Washington ($), LSE.

Hey, no worries about the 'tacky' question - I received the same scholarship to cover 50% of tuition, but have a Fulbright scholarship and a national government grant to cover a significant part of the remaining costs. Working very very hard between May and September to save up too. Have early signs of an ulcer thinking about the amount of money needed for these two years! I am still looking at additional funding from a variety of sources in my country of origin. There must be alternative sources you can apply to, so you can effectively 'meet them in the middle' without having to borrow too much?

My pleasure javajava! I'd still find it interesting to hear more about your thinking around this, if you find the time to share? Best of luck with the decision, I found it incredibly hard too but money talks... And I've leant toward Fletcher ever since the interview. Let us know what you decide! Perhaps see you in Boston later this year.

Hi everybody - was still living in the SIPA v Fletcher conundrum until I finally received news of financial assistance from the latter yesterday. Now the choice has effectively been made for me! Have been in touch with people who have an opinion on the SIPA v Fletcher debate because they have studied at/ are familiar with both schools, summary of what they came back with below in case it is useful to some of you. A lot of people wax lyrical about Fletcher so it is obviously important to get second opinions from those who have studied at SIPA recently or who are studying there now - I have not spoken to half as many SIPA graduates as I have Fletcher graduates so the below will inevitably be skewed in Fletcher's favour. Still thought it might serve as food for thought for some of you. The fact that one apparently has to apply to each class with CV and cover letter at SIPA sounds almost unbelievable!? Advantages of Fletcher over SIPA -The student body is smaller so you really get to know your fellow Fletcher students. - The school has an incredible sense of community and bond. - Fletcher students are really welcoming and go out of their way to help each other out and prospective students. - Alumni are far more engaged and helpful than SIPA alumni. - Average class sizes are smaller than at SIPA. - One really gets to know the professors at Fletcher so one is not anonymous at SIPA - Apart from one class (conflict resolution) there are no caps on any classes at Fletcher. In contrast, the most interesting seminars taught by the most famous professors at SIPA are often capped to 15 students. One has to apply, typically with cover letter and CV, in order to compete for a space in the class. The SIPA program has more students and hence chances of getting in the seminars you want are slim. - Fletcher staff are really friendly, professional and supportive, one really feels in good hands. - Fellowships at Fletcher are not based on GPA of the first semester whereas SIPA's are. "This creates an unhealthy competitive environment at SIPA, which did not go away the second semester or the second year. I'm all for competition, but when competition stiffles learning and mutual respect, I don't enjoy the environment." - The Fletcher program is more interdisciplinary and flexible than the SIPA program. - Fletcher allows students to take courses at Harvard, which offers many exciting courses and excellent contacts. - The Tufts campus is more of a campus than Columbia is. - The quality of scholarship and rigorous research expected at Fletcher is notably higher than at SIPA where more time was spent writing short policy memos than being engaged more in-depth, policy-relevant research - Fletcher organizes two dedicated career trips every year, one in NYC and one in DC, where current students attend panels with Fletcher alumni currently employed in leading organizations and companies. Advantages of SIPA over Fletcher - There are more courses to choose from at SIPA/Columbia. - SIPA is in NY where the UN and other major organizations are based. - Columbia has world famous professors and the Ivy League title. - The student competition at SIPA allows you to quickly learn how to elbow your way and get ahead. I'm sure we can find people to add to the SIPA list of advantages so feel free to expand! My mind is made up, to a significant extent because of the scholarship assistance received. Peace of mind, finally! Accepted: MALD/ Fletcher, MIA/ SIPA, Development Institute/LSE Waiting: MFS/ Georgetown

'Research' in the widest possible definition of the word! Should probably have more conversations with people at SFS and SIPA too, the moment I started making connections at Fletcher it sort of snowballed from there... Security Studies - I honestly don't know as it's not my area of expertise. I could put you in touch with some of the people I've spoken to if you wanted to ask them directly?

It seems a lot of us are having an internal debate regarding concern about Fletcher's 'brand' vs concern that brand really should not be such a big deal. The flipside of the argument against Fletcher is of course that SIPA's more recognisable name means that it can allow itself to be more of a conveyor belt education - prestigious academics but relatively little access to them. It seems as though Fletcher alumni enjoyed great access to their professors in a small and 'transparent' community which will be harder to find in NYC - at graduate level this is in my opinion absolutely crucial. SAIS students who chose the Bologna option quote the year in Italy as really important in terms of their future career because it was such a small, 24 hr dedicated environment. As has been noted previously, the sense of community/ network of Fletcher alumni does really seem to set it apart also post grad school. I do occasionally wonder if this is overstated (it's certainly emphasised in the PR materials from the school), but the alumni I've met seem to think otherwise. They all seem to have gone on to do very interesting jobs perhaps a bit more 'off the beaten track' than some of the other schools - perhaps this also has something to do with Fletcher falling a bit outside the 'usual suspect' group of schools? Quality does of course differ depending on the concentration - my sense from the people who are currently enrolled at Fletcher is that the Humanitarian Affairs concentration with Peter Uvin is particularly well respected, as is the International Negotations/ Conflict Resolution option. The links to Sloane/MIT and Harvard are of course big selling points. I also think Fletcher is more recognised, certainly in the UN/NGO worlds, than people give it credit for. As is probably obvious, I'm leaning toward the Fletcher option... Would be very interested to hear where other people are in their decision making process - especially anybody who strongly disagrees with me! My gut feeling is very much based on having had tremendously interesting conversations with Fletcher alum, and feeling as though they are people who have put a lot of thought into what they want out of education at this level, what kind of people they want to meet and what kind of conversations they want to have. But again, I might have just been lucky with the people I met through my Fletcher connections - I obviously didn't speak to a representative sample at all the schools! The very 'personal touch' approach to admissions obviously also helps. Accepted: MALD Fletcher/Tufts, MIA SIPA/Columbia Waiting to hear from: MFS Georgetown