wantgrad

Nope...anyone heard about any fellowships? I believe they interview people for some of these...I guess this will happen before the 30th?

kayoko please do post back! There is no additional charge for the pre-term econ right? I am also an econ major, but I'm worried about the calc that comes with micro...haven't used that at all since graduating in 2009.

Thanks charlotte_asia...hopefully it works!

It will depend a lot on the funding, which SIPA is notoriously stingy with! When I visited schools, I really liked SIPA, but I don't know if I would pay more than an additional 5k/year to go there over SAIS. I'm rather econ inclined, and SAIS is the most explicitly econ-y of the programmes I'm looking at. But I do want a bit of management training, and it seems SIPA is best for that.

For people wondering about the first year fellowship, I had an email go into my spam which explained that if I maintain 3.25 then the fellowship is renewed for the second year. Anyone know if it's reasonable to bargain?? I have a free ride + 15k stipend (research assistantship) to AU, but would definitely prefer the SAIS programme. SAIS has given me 20k, which means it would cost me around 40k (including living expenses) per year. Is SAIS worth 80k more than AU over two years?? Of course HKS and Georgetown are more than welcome to come in with some $$$ and totally change my thinking haha. Not optimistic about getting funding from either of those two...

They are rolling out financial awards...just received mine...20k for the first year! exciting, not sure it's enough...

@hoggerjp would a print-out of the soft copy not suffice? that's what I'm planning on using...don't trust snail mail to reach me on time in new delhi (it always reaches, but sometimes gets delayed)

just got in too!!!! no financial info yet though...

I'm wondering though...if people are in and being considered for scholarship, can't they just inform them and say that financial info is to follow? That's what SAIS, GW, and HKS seem to do...

Thanks for the research @Hudwa!

I am choosing to believe the theory I read somewhere on gradcafe that people who haven't heard back yet are those being considered for $$$. Also, has anyone been able to verify that the responses really are based on when the applications were received? This was the only one I submitted way before the deadline (like 16 whole hours before), so I want to know now damnit!

Whoa I had no idea MSFS was rolling out today. Anyone know when they're announcing international development?

erry3779 I'm with you...got the SAIS email at 4am in India, and no news yet from SIPA. I'm trying not to do the refresh every 5 minutes thing, but it's hard to stay away from the damn computer!

Any idea if Georgetown MSFS will release their funding info with the notification, or at some later point?

Got into Idev! For some reason the letter says that I haven't completed the micro and macro requirements, which is not true....strange. Crazy night though. HKS and now SAIS. it's 4.30am here in India but obviously I'm not going to be able to fall asleep.

Congrats all!! Anyone have some insight on the kind of aid they typically offer? I applied to two of their fellowships (the only ones I was eligible for), but I have no idea how competitive these are. Many years ago a friend who was at WWS told me that HKS and WWS are very good with helping out. Anyone have some details? And will they really not say anything till the 30th?!

Gmail just pinged and I was so sure it was SAIS...it was Delta Airlines telling me about some offer. sigh. when will this agony end!

Me too!!! exciting stuff. Financial decisions by the end of the day March 30th.

Wait...where is this certainty that decisions are today coming from?? It's nearly 1am in India now so I guess I'm going to be up till the end of the business EDT! @hudwa - It wouldn't surprise me if SIPA has a higher admit rate than SAIS. They barely give any aid, so presumably need to admit more people per enrollee.

hmm I expect they'll announce the decision date on the blog before they actually roll out decisions, so I would reign in the hysteria as much as possible (this is easier said than done...I don't remember the last time I've had my browser open without gmail being one of the tabs)

@disintegrate - I think it depends on what you want to do with the degree. From a purely economic perspective, you need to look at the cost of the degree as the sticker price plus the interest you'll pay on any debt you incur. Then you need to see if your future job/business will allow you to pay this off, how long you expect it to take, and then decide if that cost is worth the degree. I would basically produce two personal financial projections of the future, with and without the degree, and then take a call on its value. Don't forget to incorporate 2 years of lost income (assuming you'll be a full-time student) in this model. Writing this makes me wonder if a tool for this already exists. Will google! Good luck!

In my timezone, I've received my two notifications at 6am and 3am. Needless to say, sleeping is going to be quite a challenge next week. Good luck for Hell Week all.

Good point Hansons Fan! Here in India it definitely did get some press coverage. On a different note, there's a new post on the blog with the different categories by which they'll release decisions, but still no news on dates. I have a feeling it's going to be Friday (don't know why...I just feel like that's when it'll happen!).

With due respect to Jeremy Lin, I wish the blog had some more exciting news for us!

Yes, it definitely matters. In New York and especially DC, you will meet and interact with a higher number of globally oriented people and institutions (not including corporates, for which Chicago should be fine but it doesn't sound like you're interested in that anyway!). So in terms of networking, internships, and getting jobs after you've got your degree, being on the east coast is going to be a major plus. My undergrad was from a small liberal arts college in the midwest, which was a disadvantage. I worked in DC for a year after graduation (nothing do with international development) and that opened a lot of doors. Of course Chicago is going to have a much wider reach than my college, but even then Chicago won't be as career-relevant as DC for international development professionals. But if you're interested in academia, definitely choose Chicago. Did you apply to any other programs?