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wantgrad - thanks, that's quite helpful. I finally did get my ID for logging into ISIS & accessing my JHU email account. They also sent out info on the math prep today. Still waiting on official word for how to register/pay the deposit for DC pre-term (though I did some exploring on ISIS and discovered how I expect they'll tell us to register).

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): George Mason University Previous Degrees and GPAs: BA, Global Affairs - 3.5 GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 167V (98%)/159Q (82%)/4.0AW Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 3 years defense contracting (international but not directly aligned with my intended focus in grad school) Math/Econ Background: Calc/Stat in HS and repeated at "Grad School USA" (DC)//Principles of Micro/Macro plus two other econ courses Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Minored in French Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International Affairs: International Economic Growth & Development Long Term Professional Goals: World Bank? USAID? Probably try and give private sector a shot immediately following graduation Schools Applied to & Results: Accepted - GW-Elliott ($15k/yr); NYU-Wilf Poli Sci; Georgetown-MSFS; Johns Hopkins-SAIS Bologna ($12k/yr); Tufts-Fletcher ($8k/yr); Univ of Michigan-Ford ($10k/yr) Waitlisted: Columbia-SIPA Rejected - American-SIS Ultimate Decision & Why: SAIS-Bologna. This was a very difficult decision for me (almost went with Fletcher), but ultimately I chose SAIS for the following reasons: - offered me 2nd highest funding - "best of both worlds": one year in Bologna to really focus on academics and not work, one year to balance my academic goals by interning and jump-starting my career search as I shift focus from defense to econ - reputation and focus in my field of interest: intl econ - opportunity to gain a European persepective on intl affairs and be in a student population that is ~55% non-American - the obvious bonus: living in Italy for a year. every single alumni I spoke with absolutely raved about the Bologna experience, "best year of my life!" "you'd be crazy to turn down!", etc. - I'll admit it: rank and brand name I'll also say that this decision will put me into a fairly large amount of debt as well as put me in a long-distance relationship I ultimately justified that based on the above points and my overall value in the experience of grad school rather than viewing it as a "means to an end." Advice for Future Applicants: - Shoot for the stars and you will reach the moon! I was terrified I wouldn't get in anywhere, and I got into several top schools. Don't let apprehension about aspect(s) of your application prevent you from applying to your dream school(s). - Narrow down your choices before you apply - I applied to 8 schools. This was expensive, time-consuming and very stressful. - Study for the GREs, starting with vocab as this is a longer term effort - it can make a big difference. - Get started on your SOP early - mine went through more iterations and transformations than anticipated. - Don't discount the other aspects of the application. For some schools, these additional requirements can also be very time-consuming. - If you have the time and resources, consider taking classes at a community college to boost your academic background in quant or a language and demonstrate your commitment.

Has anyone received additional information on the JHU user id? I'm also trying to figure out when we'll get access to the online math prep. I'm guessing the Preterm email address is overloaded with questions since they've been especially slow in responding to my emails. I wish they had prepared a timeline and checklist with this type of information. I keep thinking they somehow left me off their distribution list but based on this thread, it seems a number of people have unanswered questions.

SAIS2013 and the other current students - really, really appreciate you going into such depth and giving what appears to be candid reviews of the program. I'll do my best to "pay it forward" and do the same next year once I finally get through this process. I was accepted to the Bologna campus - could you elaborate more on this point? Also, regarding your comments about concentrations - I would do IR general b/c I'm not particularly attracted to any one functional concentration and I do not want to do a regional concentration. I assume this means it might be especially difficult for me to get into any number of classes, does that sound right? With a professor or adviser's advice, I'm planning on creating my own program based on economic growth and development underneath the IR general concentration. Do you have any thoughts on students that have taken a similar approach?

For your additional encouragement, if it helps: I had two Fs and an "incomplete" my freshman year. I ended up graduating with a 3.5, but I was paranoid like you when it came to applying. However, I knew I wanted to go to a top school and nothing less, so that's all I applied to, even with my apprehension about the Fs. I only briefly touched on this aspect of my application in one of my SOPs because everything I read about the SOPs advised against spending too much time on any negative aspect of your application. I was admitted to six top schools and it's not as if I worked for the White House or started my own NGO or anything terribly extraordinary like that. So, I wouldn't stress too much about it. It sounds like you aren't the type of person to slack on the other aspects of the application (GRE, SOP, LORs), so I bet you'll do better than you expect. I know my results far exceeded my expectations - I was sooo sooo worried I'd get rejected by everyone. phew!

I would only add that COA typically includes more than tuition.

I can sympathize - I too hate my job and I cannot wait to quit come August. For me, I refuse to spend a whole bunch of time looking for another job that may or may not be better (I'd have a required salary as well) only to then spend a whole bunch more time (and money) re-applying to grad schools & fellowships. And then, like you said, you don't even know that you'll end up better off. Like OregonGal said, the IBR plan, in conjunction with the PSLF program, make a significant amount of debt at least manageable. Sure, it wouldn't be pleasant having that much debt upon graduation, but at least you'll know you got the most out of your (likely) one-and-only experience in grad school. With that said, I still haven't decided. I'm hoping the open houses will help me decide whether what I'll get out of the pricier schools will justify the extra money.

I think I'm going to decline, but I haven't completely discounted it yet. They didn't offer me any funding and I'd like to focus more on economics anyhow. I'm debating between SAIS, Fletcher and GW.

I think that depends on how far you want to go and where you want to work. I've found that most of the best jobs are out of reach if you do not have a masters. Eventually you can probably reach some of those jobs once you have 5-10 years experience, but even then you may be paid less. For example, my employer won't consider you for a manager position unless you have 5 years or a masters degree. Some organizations won't even consider you at all, even with experience, if you don't have a masters. I'm fairly certain you can't work for the World Bank or the IMF w/o a masters, and I think the UN may have similar requirements. I would argue that you are limiting yourself in the field of IR if you decide to continue on with only a BA/BS. I am facing a similar choice - GW with cheaper tuition & a greater fellowship or SAIS or Fletcher with a lot of debt. I've been thinking about this and I rthink the choice to take on a large amount of debt does not have a clear answer. I've talked to some people who have described grad school as a means to an end, rather than an end in and of itself, and so have encouraged me to go with the cheapest option. Many people view it that way, and if that's the case with you, I think GW would serve that purpose equally well as SIPA, especially given GW's location in DC. On the other hand, if you're like me, and you view these next two years as an important experience in and of itself, then I would say taking on the extra debt could be "worth it." I think that your more personal values should weigh equally against which school will get you a better job, faster. If you think you'll have a richer experience in one school b/c it has a stronger community, a curriculum that suits you particularly well, b/c you've always wanted to live in x town, or b/c you've always wanted to intern for x organization that is located in x town, etc., those are all characteristics to consider in addition to just brand name. Because ultimately you want to be happy and not always thinking "I wish I'd gone to x school." Clearly people have figured out ways to manage large amounts of student loan debt in the past, so it can be done. If I decide to go that debt route, I plan to work my ass off my first year so that I'll have a better chance at a larger 2nd year fellowship. I'd also plan on getting a govt job after graduation to take advantage of the public service loan forgiveness program. And, I'd probably pick Fletcher b/c they offer their own student loan repayment program.

I am considering these schools as well as SAIS, though I'll be taking on considerably more debt with SAIS and MSFS... Anyway, I went to the DC reception for Fletcher admits last night and spoke with a few alum that I thought had good points on the program: - Fletcher students go there for the program, not the location. Their students tend to be more committed to the experience of the school - they don't have internships, jobs, or previously-established social circles to return to once class ends. Furthermore, Fletcher is on an actual campus. The speakers at the event and the school often boast about how tight-knit the community is, and all of the alumn reiterated this and seemed genuine in saying so. - Another benefit of Boston is the intellectual community -sure, it might not be as professionally-oriented as DC or NY but you can't discount the benefits of being near some of the best minds in the country, if not the world. - Thesis (this initially put me off as well since it has an academic rather than practical connotation): At least two of the alum I talked with spoke about how they were able to spin their thesis in a way that allowed them to use it as a product for a former internship/potential employer. The one guy said he wrote his specifically for an issue that his summer internship's organization encountered in Brazil and provided it to them once it was complete. They offered him a job but he turned it down for one at the World Bank, where he used that thesis as an example during the interview. To me, that means that you can, in effect, make your thesis into your own individual "capstone project," having all the benefits of practical application plus the bonus that only your name is on the cover. - Finally, and most people probably are already aware of this, there is the flexibility of the MALD program. If you know exactly what you want to do and/or if you want to combine two diverse topics (say security & development or the environment & security, etc.), then it could be a very suitable choice. For me this makes the program very attractive. - One alumn said something like "I have my whole life to work and these were likely to be my last two years of education - I wanted that to be the focus." I like the point he made, but some of us are hoping to include internships/jobs as way to finance costs. I don't think I'm going to the Open House as I can't afford travel costs, but one of the alums who had also considered SAIS & SFS said that's what sold Fletcher for him (and he went to the others as well). Hope this helps! Good luck with your decisions...I seem to change my mind every other day. If only I were rich =/

Accepted to SAIS's Bologna campus though I didn't specifically apply there - did this happen to anyone else?

In at SAIS! ...though they said for the Bologna campus. I didn't apply specifically there, but instead said to be considered for either. Does that mean I was rejected by the DC campus? I'm so confused. Wonder if I could request DC instead of Italy? I'm not sure I can make Italy work though that would be an AMAZING experience.

Got in! This was my favorite program toooo! Too bad only $5k funding..got $30k from GW. Gonna be a tough decision

haha! those were my thoughts when I posted my acceptance. congrats!

got into the NYU MAIR but no funding. Really, I just wanted to live in NYC. Maybe SIPA will show up and offer me a full ride (ha!)