respice finem

Wow, that's great. I would be happy to commute 30 minutes for that rent. Is that a normal price for the area or did you find a really good deal?

Thanks for all the information. Really, I think the Syracuse program is pretty weak in the area of international economics. They seem to have good connections in Asia for internships, though. Both the courses and the faculty at SAIS seem superior. SAIS has more people working in the private sector and more people working outside of the United States. Maxwell actually shows higher starting salaries for the private sector than SAIS, however this is the description they give with their graph: "These are the most common fields used to identify where Maxwell students are finding employment immediately following graduation. Average starting salary ranges for the three major sectors are as follows:" Which seems to be saying that it isn't giving the average starting salaries of actualy Maxwell graduates. I'm not expecting second year funding to make a meaningful difference at either school. The second year at Maxwell is only one semester and it is a global internship. They offer $1,000 to $5,000 in aid for that. As to SAIS, I guess I need to find out what percentage of students who didn't get first year funding get second year funding. The debt load of SAIS is scary relative to income in absolute terms, but a little less so when looked at in terms of additional cost over Maxwell. If I tried to get it paid off over 10 years, it would be about $7,500 a year more in loan payments. It seems like there would be a decent chance of securing a job paying $7,500 more in the private sector with a degree from SAIS. That spreadsheet was great. Thanks for sharing it. Is $500 a month really doable for rent in DC?? I would be very happy if it is. Thanks for the SAIS information! I have read that it also depends on concentration. I should give them a call too. I'm not sure that the dual degree would work for me, as I don't have the math background for an econ masters. The great thing about SAIS is they know that since it is an IR program there will be people without that background and they teach the math. Thank you for the great advice about contacting students there. Just before I started this thread, I actually sent an email to the student who I had previously been in contact with there. He is in global markets. He said that he is fortunate in that his particular situation is working out well, but in general international economics seems like somewhat of an afterthought for Maxwell. And while he has great things to say about Maxwell overall, he said that in regards to my situation he would strongly recommend going with SAIS. Thank you all for the helpful replies

So I hesistated to make another of these "(this school) vs (that school)" threads, but I just don't have enough knowledge to make an informed decision. I would like to work overseas (probably Asia) for a least the first part of my career in the area of international trade/markets. I didn't get funding from either of these schools. I guess I won't get much advantage from SAIS's DC location, but from what I understand it also has a great reputation with private sector employers due to it's rigorous program. I would like to develop quantitative skills, but don't have a strong math background (I haven't even taken calculus). From what I understand, while SAIS's program will be demanding, it is also structured to allow people like me to develope the needed skills (online math lessons, the math DVDs, and Pre-Term). In the age of "big data" these skills might be very valuable. Maxwell's program is shorter and looks quite a bit easier (and probably more enjoyable with a whole semester being a global intership). But I imagine that employers would recognize this. I don't really know how great of a reputation it has in the area of employment I'm interested in. And while I could take more quantitatively demanding classes at Maxwell, since they aren't required, I don't know if the program would assist in the development of new skills the way the SAIS program does. In the end, is SAIS worth probably an extra $40k of debt if I intend to work in the private sector where the better school might make a difference in starting salary? If anybody has any insight on this, I would greatly appreciate it.

How likely do you think you are to find another partner that fits what you want if you get the PhD? If you get the PhD and have a great career but miss out on the family, would that be worth it to you? It isn't just a question of whether you want a PhD. Basically, it comes down to an issue of risk. You seem pretty happy with the life you have now. What would you put the odds at that getting your PhD will lead to a better life?

Has anybody heard about money yet? I know the email says no later than April 1, but I'm getting impatient, haha.

Accepted to SAIS DC. Also very worried about the price.

I know this is old, but I'm interested in this too if anybody has any knowledge they would share. Since everybody does the economics concentration, does the other concentration really change one's career options that much? Particularly, would chosing something like strategic studies or American foreign policy to go with the economics give one options for public and private work?

I also applied to the MAIR in early January and received an email a few days ago.