irishpg10

i'm of the opinion that through extra work and resourcefulness one could offset the extra costs of attending a more prestigious institution. examples include applying to outside scholarships or finding some part time work. on the flip side, there is no amount of work one can do that can change the level of prestige or connections that a certain school has. so, my gut tells me to choose the school you feel is going to help your resume the most for the next 40 years or so.

thanks s800x. it looks like if you take away the estimates from the "summer" column, the overall price is close to that $42,000 number that was in the admission packet. very interesting.

Where are these estimated AU living expenses coming from? All i got was was an estimate of $42,758 for 2009-2010, which includes tuition, fees, and allowances for room, board, books, transportation, and personal expenses.

jly: I'd do the International Politics program at AU and most likely the Security and Intelligence studies program at GSPIA. May I ask why you're leaning towards Pitt, other than the money? escincau: I'm not so sure second year funding is readily available at AU, unless you know something I don't (?) A paid internship is certainly a viable option, but I hear those are tough to find and I'd hate to pass up a great internship just because it doesn't pay. Also, is your characterization about the competition for jobs in the DC market based on your own experiences, and is Pitt really at a sizeable disadvantage in that regard? firefly85: those are good points to ponder. Pitt does have a DC center, and I just learned that anyone at GSPIA can study there for a semester if they choose to. If it weren't for that fact this may not even be a debate. hisroyalhighness: You sound like the rational side of my brain, which is saying take the money and the peace of mind and be grateful. Nonetheless, I'm still finding myself drawn to AU. Also, you say that Pitt is just as regarded as AU, yet I rarely do I see this mentioned by anyone else. In other words, I'd feel better if I heard some more positive feedback on the program. Thank you all for your input!

So I was all but prepared to sign the dotted line at American (and was pretty content no less) when out of the blue I get an email from Pitt GSPIA offering me a pretty substantial scholarship to attend there (with the option of renewing it with a GPA over 3.5 my first year) Now I'm very torn. I love the possibility of studying in D.C. at SIS, where I can intern at the same time and really build a network, but I will no doubt graduate with upwards of 50k in debt. At Pitt, on the other hand, I won't have the same networking opportunities, but will graduate with more freedom because I will have have barely any debt obligations. So what to do? It seems like people don't have much to say about Pitt GSPIA around here. Is it a pretty respectable program, and what are the job prospects for their grads? I will most likely be focusing on security studies at both programs, if that helps.

Leica, thanks a lot for weighing in on the debate, and my apologies for my unsubstantiated critiques of SIS. The flexibility of the program is certainly a plus for me as well, and it's reassuring to hear that the professors are open to working closely with grad students. Your insights certainly added some points to SIS in my book, so thanks again!

Congrats on the funding to SIS. I have also been accepted to the SIS international politics program, but alas no funding. SIS is definitely under heavy consideration for me though. My pros is its location in D.C., which gives you a chance to intern, build a network in D.C., and get a degree all at the same time. Besides that it seems to be a pretty respected name among employers, at least in D.C., and although the living in D.C. is expensive it is offset by the school's relatively low tuition. Cons, the school doesn't seem as academically focused as say a Denver, but unless you're hell bent on going for phd or going to a think tank eventually I guess it doesn't matter. I'm not sure if that's entirely accurate, that's just the impression I get. Also I'm a little underwhelmed by the resources and job statistics available through the SIS website, especially compared to it's closest rival, GWU. I guess in that sense SIS is sort of an enigma to me, but there's time to contact the admissions office and obtain that information I suppose. Bottom line, I'm still waiting to hear back from the Elliott School on Friday, but if it's a no go I will probably end up choosing SIS.

Money was a big factor for me, but of the three I'm looking at the most now, it looks the amount of debt I will be taking on will be about equal. With that in mind, what do people think is a reasonable amount of debt to take on in order to get a master's in international relations from a top 10 program? does the $40,000 to $50,000 range seem reasonable?