posliv

Anyone trying to decide between Georgetown MSFS/Johns Hopkins SAIS/SIPA? Columbia has been my dream since I was a high school student, but the amount of attention I have received from Gtown and JHU makes SIPA pale in comparison (not to mention the scholarship from Gtown). The reason I'd like to go to SIPA is that I was exposed to a lot of their faculty/students while working at an NGO's UN advocacy office. Very impressed by their students' work, but have also heard complaints about how large and impersonal the program is, not to mention an 85% employment rate upon graduation is somewhat worrying. I do want to work for a multilateral organization that does not have an American policy focus when I graduate (I'm an int'l student) which is why I'm not terribly keen on Gtown or JHU. What are other people's reasons for choosing SIPA?

where are you getting the decisions? on the embark website? nothing on there for me, argh!

Schools and Programs Applied To: SIPA, Georgetown MSFS, Fletcher, SAIS, NYU Wagner, GWU Elliott, HKS Schools Admitted To: Schools Rejected From: Still Waiting: All Undergraduate institution: Top 30 university Undergraduate GPA: 3.53 Undergraduate Major: International Relations and History; minor in Arabic GRE Quantitative Score: 780 GRE Verbal Score: 650 GRE AW Score: 5.0 Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 2 Years of Work Experience: 2 Describe Relevant Work Experience: Internship at refugee centre in Cairo, one year at large INGO working with UN advocacy affairs, currently working with trafficked children in India (6 months) Languages: Fluent Bengali and English, advanced Arabic, proficient French, learning Hindi currently Quant: Two undergraduate classes in economics; one in statistics, and one in math (with grades of B or higher) Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Not sure how strong it is but talked about experience growing up in different places, my internships, what I hope to do in the future and how each school can help me. Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): Former employer who used to be a SIPA professor, very highly regarded in the NGO community; well-known professor and advisor from my university; professor who knows my skills well. My absolute dream is to go to SIPA. I worked extensively with SIPA students and professors while at the NGO in New York, and was highly impressed with their connections with institutions and level of access. Also, a SIPA professor who isn't involved in the admissions process, but is influential nonetheless said he'd "keep an eye" on my application. Was wondering what my chances were specifically at SIPA, and what kinds of candidates they usually look for. Thank you.