D-Lux

Nothing yet...

For what it's worth, I took an online graduate IR class from Texas A&M (it happened to be the only place I could find that offered one online.) The required reading was all good (and there was a lot of it), but the class was completely on autopilot. The professor barely wrote more than a line or two of feedback on any assignment and was almost completely absent for the discussion. Basically, I paid like $2500 for a reading list and online message board discussions. Pretty disappointing. Also, not to put too much stock into rankings, but contrary to what someone else in this thread claimed, LBJ is decidedly not a top 10 program, at least when it comes to a terminal, professional master's degree.

The website says it's also open to MPA/Econ and IR/Econ students, but I don't know how many of those there are. If I don't get any funding at Maxwell, I'm probably going to have to go with the MSFS program at Georgetown. If I'm going to take on a six figure debt load, I might as well go all out, right?

Did any of you dual degree folks apply for the Robertson Foundation Fellowship? I'm really hoping that competition is light because: 1. You have to be a dual degree student. 2. It's kind of hidden on a page on the MPA website (I couldn't find any links to it on the IR side.) 3. You had to write a separate (albeit very short) essay and have it in before Feb. 1st. Otherwise it's going to be public service loan forgiveness for me...

My hope as well. blingem, given your funding at CM and Cornell, I'd say you should have a good shot at getting money from Maxwell too. I'm not as optimistic about my own chances. Congrats to everyone who's heard so far!

I can't speak for HKS or WWS, but you have a great shot at Maxwell. You can do the 1 year accelerated MPA program there, but you might also want to look into their 2 year MPA/MA in International Relations dual degree program given your Peace Corps experience. There are also degrees out there at various institutions that cater specifically to RPCV that might be a good fit for you. Good luck!

These are both $1300/credit professional degree programs located in very expensive cities (NYC and DC). I'm also accepted at both schools under similar circumstances. A 40% scholarship at Milano amounts to a 20K savings over SIS, but the cost of living in NYC is even higher than DC. That leaves $30-$35K per year (including cost of living estimates) that would be paid for with student loans, which still puts their total debt over $100K for the "cheaper" option. When you get to that kind of money, I would be looking at the public service loan forgiveness program anyway, whether I owe $100K or $130K (and based on the field and their interest in interning at NGOs during school, they're likely already focused on public/non-profit jobs.) Meanwhile, you're looking at a different kind of degree at rural state universities. You could rent a three bedroom house all to yourself in Moscow, ID for the same price they would have to pay for a tiny SHARED apartment in Brooklyn or Queens (forget even trying to live in Manhattan anywhere near the school unless you can get into student housing.) I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you wouldn't be willing to take on the amount of loans required to attend EITHER program. This is fine. One has to weigh their career aspirations and future lifestyle plans against the relative advantages to be gained from the programs they're considering along with the amount of debt they're willing to accrue. But not everyone wants or needs a new car (especially if they plan to stay in NYC or DC proper) just like not everyone wants or appreciates the city lifestyle and the high cost of living that comes with it. For someone who's going into a public service career anyway and for whom either option will to put them in six figure student loan debt, I'm going to say that they will HAVE to use the IBR payment plan and should strongly consider the public service loan forgiveness option either way and, as such, should go to whichever program better justifies doing so. This is probably not a good option for someone who wants to live more of a rural lifestyle where wages are lower and job opportunities more limited, even though the cost of living can be much cheaper.

The $21K is for Stafford loans. Grad Plus loans are available to make up the difference, albeit at a higher interest rate. Both are federal loans eligible for loan forgiveness. The only 'ifs' I see are whether they get a job at all and what sector that job is in. The idea is that you're taking a lower salary for a public service job than you would be capable of earning in the private sector. Even if someone with tkovach05's debt profile ends up in an entry-level position at a non-profit making $35k with no raise for ten years (which is unlikely), they'll only pay $230/month ($27k over ten years) before the remaining balance is forgiven (not counting any private loans that aren't eligible.)

Actually, if you have a $50K job and get on the Income Based Repayment plan, you're looking at payments of around $420/month. If you work in the public or non-profit sector for the next ten years, the remaining balance of your loan is forgiven after the 120th consecutive payment (Stafford and Grad Plus loans only.) Your payments will increase proportionately as your salary increases, but would remain at what I consider to be a manageable amount.

Nope, all quiet over here. Not really expecting to get much/any funding, but it would be nice to find out and be able to finally make a decision.

I'm in the NW, got mine in the mail today (3/16). Someone said they'll be coming in waves, so try not to panic if you don't get anything this week. (I know, easier said than done.)

You might want to try posting this in the Government Affairs subforum of Professional Programs. That's where all the International Relations action is. I get the impression that American is sort of the safety school for people who are applying to top tier International Affairs programs. The fact that you haven't been able to find enthusiastic alumni probably isn't a good sign either. They have a great (and very green) new building, but their emphasis on study abroad programs instead of international internships strikes me as kind of undergrad-y. Plus, they didn't offer me any funding, so maybe I'm a little bitter... haha

I've been considering Monterey too (New School and American as well, actually.) They offered me 1/3rd tuition for the MPA program. Even so, I'd still be looking at taking out a ton of student loans to cover the rest. I feel like if I'm going to do that anyway, I might as well just go for it and pay a bit more for Georgetown or Syracuse. I like the language aspect of MIIS (not to mention the weather), but I'm not convinced it's the best option for me given the alternatives. That said, it's a great school if you can afford it.

Got the big envelope today! No funding, though, so it's off to Georgetown or Syracuse and six figures of student loan debt. If all your award letter consisted of is the same $21K/yr. in Stafford loans that every other student at every other university is eligible for, then you didn't get any grants or scholarships. And I'm right there with you on that one.

OH MY GOD! Accepted to the MSFS! And I got waitlisted at Elliott?? Whatever... haha Notified by email, packet to come in the mail next week.

I haven't received anything from their Financial Aid office yet. Have you officially accepted already? The most recent email I received was yesterday about Welcome Weekend/Funding Graduate Study Webinar/the office moving to a different part of the building.

They mention that some additional funding becomes available after you get there. There are also university wide fellowships offered beyond the departmental ones in the Maxwell School. Even if I come away empty-handed, I'm pretty confident I'm going to accept regardless, then try for a TA/RA/GA-ship once I'm there. The assistantships I've heard about have all been 24 credits of tuition remission with varying stipends.

Thanks for the input. It's worth mentioning that the forgiveness program applies to state and local government jobs as well, as well as non-profits.

That's what I'm banking on, personally. Here are some specific links to check out: This PDF covers eligible loans and eligible employers (basically any governmental employer, 503c non-profit, university, etc.) Income-Based Repayment (IBR) info: Includes a calculator and a chart. Between these two programs, you would end up repaying about $50-$60K of your $120K in loans over 10 years, depending on income, whether you get married, etc.

I can't believe that American still notifies applicants strictly by mail. I guess those of us on the west coast will be waiting for another day or two...

I imagine a good number of people who are admitted with no funding are hesitant to take on the high cost of the program coupled with the cost of living in DC. Especially if these same people might have full/partial funding elsewhere. I'm not holding my breath, but if I do somehow luck into getting admitted to the MSFS, I would almost certainly not get funding and ultimately have to decline.

There's already a thread going on this that includes some feedback from a current Pickering Fellow. If you do a search, you can find some threads from previous years as well. The timelines of the fellowships are staggered so the 20 Rangel Fellows have already been named before Pickering announces their 40 finalists. I thought I had a good shot at getting an interview for one/both, but after getting shut down by Rangel, I'm pessimistic about my chances for Pickering.

Waitlisted. Notified by an email, telling me to check the website. Seems like an unnecessary extra step, but oh well.

I did a little searching on the forums and found posts from around March 17th-20th of last year where people reference funding amounts. Hopefully that means we'll hear back next week sometime. (Thanks for the moving company tip, btw.)

My wife won't finish her program here in Portland until later in the summer, so I plan on subletting a room during the Summer term and looking for housing then. My big problem is going to be trying to coordinate the move. I was counting on that week gap between the end of summer term and the beginning of fall to fly back and work on getting our stuff moved over, but I noticed in the letter of admission that there's a three day IR orientation that week. Time to start thinking about how much of our stuff to move and how best to do it....