Sroek

I'm stoked about Denver, but not sure about Chicago because is not an APSIA member, but an affiliate member. I just want the whole package. You know...the reputation, faculty, network base, etc. Thanks for your responses.

I was accepted into the University of Chicago's Committee on International Relations and I was wondering if anyone knows the pros and cons to going to the school? Has anyone been there or know somebody that is attending. I was told by the director of admissions at GTowns CPASS to make sure I went to an APSIA member school, but Chicago is an affiliate member and doesn't have full membership because it lacks one or more of their requirements. What are your thoughts? So far I've been accepted to Korbel in Denver and Chicago and my area of focus is security studies. Is it worth going? Opinions?

I applied to thirteen schools! HKS, SAIS, GTown MSFS and CPSS, Yale, Chicago CIR, WWS, GWU Elliot, American U. SIS, USC Annenberg, Josef Korbel, Tufts Fletcher, Columbia SIPA. Accepted: Denver and Chicago Rejected: Yale, Tufts, Columbia, Princeton, Waiting: HKS, SAIS, MSFS and CPSS, GWU, SIS, USC I'm feeling a bit dejected because I'm worried I won't get a ticket to at least one of the top schools because of my recent rejections. My focus is Security Studies, and I like many of you I'm dreaming of going to a top school. We've all worked hard for this opportunity to go to grad school and I feel somewhat of a camaraderie on this forum because of that and willingness to share our hopes and anxieties. I think I'm down on myself because I never graduated from high school, grew up in the ghetto, and always dreamed of going to a top rate institution despite coming from an undeserved community. Although I'm flattered by Univ. of Chicago, my eye now is on GTown, Hopkins, and Harvard because the programs are exactly what I want. Denver has an amazing curriculum for Intl Security, but I feel second classed compared to the others. I fear about moving my wife and two kids to an unknown place and accruing a debt to live out my dreams. What are your thoughts? Am I alone? Is there a brighter side to all this madness? Some responses would be appreciated.

UCSD is great for Pacific / Regional studies, especially China! I personally think that the curriculum at Korbel for International Security looks amazing. Toe for toe in terms of just a securities program, I think that only Georgetown's SSP has a stronger securities program than Korbel and GWU has a slighter advantage because of location, reputation, and access to one of the best law schools for Intl Law. There are other great schools to study security, but you sacrifice classes to take other classes. For example, Harvard has the new Global and Security Studies, but you have to spend your first year taking the core curriculum which consist of Economic, Leadership, and Management courses. The same goes for Hopkins. Hopkins has an amazing security studies concentration, but it is mandatory to concentrate in International Economics as well. Therefore, for every two classes you take at Hopkins,Harvard, and even SIPA (Columbia) only one of those courses is for security studies. As opposed to Korbel and SSP at GT, every course you take will be some form of security class such as U.S. Foreign Policy, Military Ops, Intelligence, Conflict Resolution, Regional Security (especially China and the Middle East), etc. So this makes my decision process a lot tougher. Do I go to a school with a higher reputation, prominent faculty, world class network base, and location and sacrifice the extra money it would cost and the extra classes I really don't care for? Or do I go to the less reputable, better than average faculty, decent network base, etc and study every course that I'm passionate about? This is the tricky part. If I only get accepted to Denver (although I've been excepted to Chicago's CIR and I don't want to go there over DU) I guess I have very little choice. I just want to make sure that Denver is going to help me achieve my goals and provide me the education I need to succeed in all my academic and career endeavors. I was told personally by the Dir. of Admissions to Georgetown's SSP that I have to make sure that whatever school I apply to is an APSIA Member and Korbel definitely is, so that is a relief. Well Guys let me know your thoughts!

I'm freaking out guys! I want to make the right decision. HisRoyalHighness are you going to attend the open house for admitted students in early April at DU?

JPA: What other schools/programs did you apply to? And is there anybody else out there with their opinion about DU or any other Security Studies programs?

Can anyone tell me what they think are the pros and cons of The Josef Korbel School at the University of Denver? Especially the M.A in International Security.