polisciworries

Ultimately, I think people are correct to say that you should go where you're most comfortable and will learn the most. People are also correct to say that there is a fairly large perception gap between the "big six" as someone called them and the rest. But, I think there is another point that is often lost in this discussion - the actual training provided at these different places. I think we can all agree that there are extremely smart students and profs at every one of these schools. But, the lower-ranked simply don't require as many classes or exams as the "big six." GW, for instance, requires the credit-hour equivalent of 12 full-time classes, and 3 one-credit "skills courses" (like public speaking, etc.), and a final one credit captstone class. That simply isn't the same as 16 non-language classes, plus possible language classes on top of those, plus 2 core exams, and an oral exam at SAIS for instance. Now, that doesn't mean one is necessarily better than the other. To answer that, you have to know what you want to get out of the program. This ties into another issue: the fact that many of the non-"big six" offer their classes predominantly at night tells you something - they're focused toward people who are either working or who will have significant internships during their grad school careers. Not a bad thing in the least (many would argue it's better - you get practical experience that will launch your career), but the emphasis is clearly different from the other schools like Fletcher and SIPA which require more classes. So, at the end of the day, I guess the question for you to answer is which kind of environment would you be most comfortable with?

Sounds like you're all over the place and not entirely sure what you want to do long-term (despite being interested in refugee, etc.). But, if you're concerned about name recognition in Europe, then go with Oxford. If you really want to take as many classes as you can, then go to SAIS (more requirements than Ox). People do go to UNDP from SAIS, not just WB and IMF. As far as the joint degree with Stanford law, a couple people do it and seem happy with it. Key is getting into Stanford law which is significantly more difficult than getting into SAIS. Keep in mind that you can do a JD at other schools too and still get a joint degree - SAIS apparently is quite flexible on this front, though it still has to be a "top" law school for them to accept it. Keep in mind that law school is 3 years and very expensive. If you don't want to be a lawyer, then it's just not worth the time and money. But, if you want to do jobs where that legal background is necessary or extremely helpful, then go for it. But, a lot of human rights work outside the courtroom (such as monitoring, etc.) does not require a law degree. If you decide the law is for you, you might even consider simply going to law school and saving a year of your time by not getting the MA. Most lawyers doing international law (be it private or public), are just lawyers and have no IR training. But, there's a lot to be said for these people actually getting some IR training... And finally, I really wouldn't do both Ox and SAIS, or Ox and KSG or WWS. You simply don't need two MAs in such similar fields. Since you're in already, I'd be tempted to just do Ox or SAIS. Maybe SAIS would win since you get to do a year in Italy and year in DC. New experiences. Good luck with the choice.

I gather this year they admitted 8 out of an applicant pool of over 100 (friend is currently in the program). Most PhDs from SAIS go into policy, though some do go into academia.

I think it's easy to overstate the finance and World Bank aspect of SAIS. There are certainly a number of people there who focus on those things, but the "functional studies" folks (i.e. Conflict Management, Strat, Intl Law, etc.) tend not to pay much attention to those areas. It's also easy to get caught up in the econ focus of SAIS, but only a small portion of students actually focus on the finance side of things (typically people who were also considering B-school), and the econ classes are really good for providing a necessary (in my opinion) understanding of a major aspect of world events, even if you plan to focus on non-economic issues like strat. Plenty of people go on to work at non-profits, the state dept, etc. and not in finance or the Bank. That all being said, a significant number of IDEV folks do end up at the Bank simply because the network over there is huge. Also, in response to a question about cross-registering - SAIS has no agreement with any other DC school for cross-registering classes so that won't be a possibility. You can take some classes up in Baltimore if you really want to (only for the electives you'll have), but frankly, I'm not sure you'll find that necessary given the number of classes offered (let alone the hassle of going up to Baltimore).

Yeah, you'll have a hard time switching because they've capped enrollment in Idev. The program size exploded the past couple years, so they're trying hard to keep it from swallowing the rest of the school. All that being said, if you're determined to do Idev, you can take many of the same classes they take - just switch to general IR and then you'll have a relatively flexible schedule to pick up Idev classes that you can get into. Won't be the same as the actual Idev program, but you'll get a rounded IR/Idev degree (and, it's important to note that many non-Idev people end up in the development field after graduating, so you won't be limited by not doing Idev).

I second publicpolicy79. As long as people understand the trade-offs, do as you wish. Plus, DC really is a great town with lots of part-time employment opportunities for people working on their PhDs which can lessen the financial burden somewhat.

It depends on your specific interests, of course, but the impression I get is that Minnesota is perceived to be a stronger overall IR program than UVA. However, Minnesota has something of a focus on constructivism with Bud Duvall and Michael Barnett (they also produced Alexander Wendt). They're also strong on human rights, global governance, etc. For straight IPE though, Freeman is something of a lone soul there. For what it's worth (which isn't terribly much), the William and Mary study that created a ranking for IR programs had Minnesota at 15 or 16 and UVA wasn't on it at all (the study only ranked to 25). UVA, obviously, is a great program though, so I don't think you can go wrong.

In terms of prestige and job placement, it's Maryland all the way. However, unless you have significant funds at your disposal it may be very difficult to accept an unfunded offer. There was a discussion about this a few pages back on this thread that you might want to look at. The basic point was that paying for a PhD is risky because academic jobs don't tend to pay terribly well. The flip-side, of course, is that you run the risk of having a much harder time getting an academic job in the first place if you go to a lower-ranked school. I'd check each school's placement record - they should be happy to provide it to you (if not, that's an indication that you can expect problems getting a job). Good luck with your decision!

In response to the Northwestern question about subfield - I still haven't heard and I'm IR. I assume I'm one of the many people on an unofficial waitlist...or they're just toying with us! Thank goodness I've gotten into one school at least - it'll probably be my only one. Best of luck to all who are waiting for at least one acceptance. Hopefully it'll happen soon.