sgw

I have a question somewhat relating to the "brand" issue for Fletcher, but I'm particularly interested in it from the security studies aspect. Based on the open house -- and this may just have been due to the people I happened to talk to -- it seemed like Fletcher is very strong in "softer" topics like development, international organizations, conflict resolution, etc. What I'm trying to work out is how strong the school is, both in terms of actuality and in terms of reputation among employers, from the "hard" security studies angle (I'm interested in things like WMD proliferation, intra-state conflict, etc.). Thoughts? Also -- I attended both Fletcher and SIPA. A few thoughts off the top of my head: [*:2ok5xpgy]Fletcher continued to push the strong community aspect, and I really did see it. They arranged to put admitted students up with current student hosts, which no other school I visited did. The night before the open house my host got a group of her friends together with their admitted students for dinner. Fletcher has its own complex of buildings, including its own library and dorm, and it seemed like students seemed to hang out there a lot outside of classes. [*:2ok5xpgy]The Fletcher professors who spoke during info sessions and whose courses I sat in on were all were engaged, friendly, and funny. They invited me to participate and ask questions during class if I wanted to. SIPA didn't let us attend classes. [*:2ok5xpgy]Fletcher emphasized the flexibility of their curriculum as both a positive and a negative. Basically it means you have a lot of choice, but it also means you probably need a decent idea of what you want to do, otherwise it's easy to just sort of drift without direction. SIPA's curriculum is much less flexible; most of your first year is spent taking core courses. [*:2ok5xpgy]Fletcher and SIPA both emphasized the importance of their diverse student bodies and the ability to take courses outside the school itself (ie at Harvard or at other Columbia schools) [*:2ok5xpgy]I didn't realize just how large SIPA was until I got there -- 1200 students in all, approximately 600 in each class (note this doesn't match what the website says, so maybe I'm mis-remembering?). So that means at least 300 MIAs alone (the website indicates it's more like 350), compared to 248 for Fletcher's entire 2008 entering class. And it really did feel huge. [*:2ok5xpgy]That said, the students I met at SIPA really seemed to love it. I asked about competitiveness and sense of community, since I'd heard less-than-positive things about those aspects, but the students I talked to said that it was a supportive and active community. [*:2ok5xpgy]SIPA talked a lot about their location in NYC and all the city has to offer, generally from the "why on earth would you want to be anywhere else" perspective. I've never had much desire to live in NYC (yes, I'm one of THOSE people), and I think that factor -- plus the size and the time-consuming core curriculum -- may knock SIPA off my list. However, I spoke to several people there who loved it during their visit and had decided to attend.

I'll give you my impressions, though I'm sure others have different ones. I'll say outright that the SSP open house was not as helpful as the others that I attended, primarily because it was only half a day. That means fewer information sessions and -- even more importantly, to me -- much less time to interact with other admitted and current students. As a result, I didn't come out of it with much of a feel for what the SSP students are like. Dr. Byman, the Director of the program, kicked things off by giving an overview of the program and talking about how it compares to other similar programs. Things he said that stand out to me one week out, with the caveat that any subjective comments are his, not mine: [*:2n8sjoz7] Focus. The SSP is all security, all the time. If you're unsure you want to focus on security, it's probably not the best place for you. That said, if you know that's what you want to do, it's the absolute best place to do it. [*:2n8sjoz7]Faculty. In addition to its full-time faculty, the program has the advantage of pulling from a huge variety of practitioners in the DC area to teach courses. These professors are chosen because of their exceptional academic creds and practical experience, and are extremely dedicated to their students. [*:2n8sjoz7]Courses. Dr. Byman oversees the course options, and strives to keep it as dynamic, relevant, and up-to-date as possible. That means that if an issue arises mid-summer that he thinks there needs to be a course on, he'll get someone to put one together in time for the fall if at all possible. He also emphasized their small class sizes, and that they will continue adding sections as necessary rather than vastly exceed their desired size (max seems to be around 20). [*:2n8sjoz7]Students. Due to the tights focus, you can be sure that you'll be surrounded by other students with similar interests yet with a huge range of backgrounds. I don't remember what they said about number of international students, but theoretically the stats are available somewhere. They gave an overview of the academic requirements, which are basically what's available on the website. The people from the career services office talked, and most of that was what you expect -- dedicated staff, lots of events, be sure to take advantage of what they offer. The one thing to note would be that as an SSP student you have both an SSP career services person AND the SFS-wide career services office to draw on. The alumni panel didn't make a huge impression on me, other to emphasize that many students work while in the program. The official stats they gave was that it's about half-and-half split between part-time (2 courses/semester) and full-time (3-4 courses/semester) students. That said, even some full-time students work or have internships. We weren't allowed to attend classes because of the number of students who attended the open house, so instead Dr. Byman held a 'mock class' where he talked about the Lebanese Hizbollah. He did a short lecture and a little bit of discussion, which was interesting enough. Aaand...that's about all I've got. Hope that's helpful...

In addition to the initial email saying I'd been recommended for admission, I've received a snail mail letter from the Dean confirming that I'd been admitted and an email last Friday from Tiffany regarding scholarship funding. I also received a letter via email, but mine was internally consistent with regard to amount.

Yep, had the exact same thing happen (right down to the amount).

I just got the same letter (yes ,for SSP) and had the exact same reaction. I plan to send Tiffany a note about it tomorrow, since if other SFS programs have later deadlines it's clear that April 15 is not a mandate from higher up. I think it's ridiculous.

For those admitted to Gtown SSP, has anyone received scholarship info yet?

Waitlisted, email came around 8:20. Text of letter, for anyone who cares:

I got an email earlier this afternoon with an acceptance (pending approval by the Dean) for the SSP. Maybe I'll have an official letter waiting in the mailbox at home? (I'm in DC)

There is an IGA-specific fellowship through the Belfer Center. It's listed on the Fellowships page -- http://www.hks.harvard.edu/degrees/sfs/ ... mestic/hks. You're automatically eligible for it if you marked IGA as your first choice concentration.

FYI, all. I just received an email from Gtown SSP -- "The Admissions Committee for the Security Studies Program (SSP) has completed its review of your application. The committee has recommended your admission to the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. You will soon receive a letter pending a final review of general admissions requirements. This is a routine step preceding full or conditional admission to the SSP." It also says that merit aid information will be available sometime in the next couple weeks.