jointdegree

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I was in a similar boat as I only had basic calculus and stats, and then took Intro Micro and Macro at my local community college after undergraduate. Out of the schools you are interested in, the only one I applied to was Columbia SIPA. For the specific concentration I applied for at SIPA though, they strongly emphasized that applicants need a heavy econ and quantitative skills to apply. However, I explained in my personal statement that based on my GRE math scores (790), that I believe I have the foundation to succeed in their program. It appears to have went well as I was offered admission, though I decided not to attend due to the high cost of tuition.

Any joint degree students out there? I have been having lots of issues with one school because both the masters programs I applied to awarded me partial 2 year fellowships for the "2009-2010" and the "2010-2011" year. Yet , since I only can start out with one program, I won't be taking classes from my 2nd program until my 2nd year. I was hoping that my fellowships can be used during the semesters when I am actually in the program. At this point, both programs said they are unable to offer funding for the 2011-2012 (or the 3rd year, which is really the 2nd year for both of the degrees) due to the 'budget cycle'. Anyone out there have done the joint degree and dealt with the fellowship issues?

From my understanding and this is not specific to GWU, one does not receive the complete student financial aid package until after the mid-April deadline. The only thing people know before making their decision is whether they received any fellowship aid. Yes, it doesn't make any sense to me as I would want to know if I qualified for subsidized loans before making a decision. But I spoken with current students at each of my schools, and they said the packages come out in May or so. (maybe the financial aid office only prepares packages after they know who is attending? who knows). But it has been frustrating trying to figure out the money situation. It would be nice to get the subsidized loan. All I have to say is that it is not a transparent process, and after reviewing tons of sites and information, I am still in the dark.

Congratulations Zourah. Glad to hear the unexpected surprise. Is the fellowship for 17K each year? If so, that is a great deal!

I didn't apply to HKS, but you guys have hit all the points of concerns that I had about the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. It is nice to know that the possibility might be there, but there

don't lose hope. I am torn, but I might have to decline MSFS. I am a joint degree applicant, and although MSFS offered me 18K merit scholarship, the other GT program offered me nothing. Meanwhile, other schools have offered me fellowships in both degrees. Anyone else a joint degree candidate for MSFS? I would love to hear your thoughts.