SAIS (Washington, Nanjing, and Bologna)

[ksaroya]

Is this the kind of thing SAIS students say?

Nope, business students.

[ksaroya]

Has everyone already received their funding decision for SAIS?

[le_neocon]

I haven't. I'm an international. I even got a conditional offer with a requirement to do some econ courses over the summer. So I really don't have high hopes.

[thombo]

I haven't. I'm an international. I even got a conditional offer with a requirement to do some econ courses over the summer. So I really don't have high hopes.

I have not, sounds like indication comes via email then you check a site. Just waiting on that email.

[goingintodebt]

In at the Bologna campus. Received 20k in loans, I also fell for it and thought I had funding.....

Does anyone know the % of students who receive a job offer before they graduate and how people actually pay off 120k of loans? I will have to go into the private sector and look for the highest paying job possible to pay off the loans.

Is there funding available to second year students based off grades?

Thanks!

-Going broke

[pshrichand]

Waiting on my funding decision email as well. The acceptance email said that financial aid info would be available by the end of the week, so hopefully something by t'row.

Question for the folks that got their decision - the loans that you're alluding to, are they loans from JHU or do you have to apply to a private bank that they're affiliated with?

[lomsaku]

The SAIS loan guarantees are for Federal Direct Loans (Stafford Loans), including up to a maximum of $8,500 subsidized and $12,000 unsubsidized loans. Loan eligibility is determined by financial need as demonstrated in your FAFSA student aid report. Subsidized loans do not accrue interest until after the student completes his/her education and a 6-month post-education grace period. Unsubsidized loans begin to accrue interest immediately, and students must make interest payments or refinance the loan while in school. Interest rates for both subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford Loans are 6.8%. In addition to Stafford Loans, students may take out PLUS loans to cover up to the entire educational costs, including costs of living, less other financial assistance. PLUS loans accrue interest immediately at 7.9%. The lender for all these loans is the U.S. Department of Education.

Students may also finance education through private lenders, typically at higher interest rates but with less restrictions on how the loan money may be spent.

I am not an expert on student loans, but this is my understanding of the situation.

[pshrichand]

The SAIS loan guarantees are for Federal Direct Loans (Stafford Loans), including up to a maximum of $8,500 subsidized and $12,000 unsubsidized loans. Loan eligibility is determined by financial need as demonstrated in your FAFSA student aid report. Subsidized loans do not accrue interest until after the student completes his/her education and a 6-month post-education grace period. Unsubsidized loans begin to accrue interest immediately, and students must make interest payments or refinance the loan while in school. Interest rates for both subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford Loans are 6.8%. In addition to Stafford Loans, students may take out PLUS loans to cover up to the entire educational costs, including costs of living, less other financial assistance. PLUS loans accrue interest immediately at 7.9%. The lender for all these loans is the U.S. Department of Education.

Students may also finance education through private lenders, typically at higher interest rates but with less restrictions on how the loan money may be spent.

I am not an expert on student loans, but this is my understanding of the situation.

Cool..thanks for the clarification. I'm not an American so those loans aren't applicable to me.

[loquepaso]

They are so tricky…so kind to sign me up for 20K in loans packaged into a gift. :-( What are the chances of more funding/any actual funding second year?

I was accepted to Bologna, by clicking the "either" box - figured it would be more competitive. But, I was declined a ID degree, and was told to "choose any other" - which is super strange! Am I the only one?

And, after a rejection from GT (still waiting on GW) now I am now between SAIS (0K) and Fletcher (10K)…

Anyone else in this boat?

[JBrodsky]

Is anyone else who submitted their FAFSA prior to February 15 still waiting for financial aid notification?

[ksaroya]

Any internationals, or anyone really hear back about funding today?

[fsowannabe]

They are so tricky…so kind to sign me up for 20K in loans packaged into a gift. :-( What are the chances of more funding/any actual funding second year?

I was accepted to Bologna, by clicking the "either" box - figured it would be more competitive. But, I was declined a ID degree, and was told to "choose any other" - which is super strange! Am I the only one?

And, after a rejection from GT (still waiting on GW) now I am now between SAIS (0K) and Fletcher (10K)…

Anyone else in this boat?

I am also in the same boat. I check either campus, now I'm in at Bologna after saying I wanted to study American foreign policy and development policy towards Latin America. I don't know how that makes sense but I supposed it's my fault for checking the box... Seems like they just want to make money off of people at the Bologna campus but I could be way off.

[estafan1]

I also checked the infamous Bologna box and was pretty upset about getting in there, esp. since I live 5 blocks from the DC campus. But...I went to a reception on Tuesday for Bologna alumni and newly admitted DC-area students, and I think it changed my mind about going to Italy. Everyone raved about the experience and I was surprised at how many alum were there who had studied in bologna 10, 20, even 30 years ago. It's clearly a close-knit bunch of alumni.

[le_neocon]

No news here. I just realized a couple of days back that I may have filled up a different form to the one I saw on my application site. Thats made me wonder if that is the cause for the delay. I wrote to them and they replied that if one did apply for international aid, a response would be due shortly.

[JBrodsky]

So I emailed SAIS and they said that I will receive a letter by post next week. Haven't all of the other financial aid decisions been electronic? I'm trying to find some hope that this might be a good sign, somehow, but I'm really betting that they just processed my FAFSA late or something.

[saiser]

Current SAIS student here. Congrats to everyone who got admitted. I like SAIS enough that I'm willing to answer any questions you might have about the program. Swamped with work this week so I can't guarantee I'll answer every question or write that much but fire away any pressing questions!

Cheers,

SAISer

[etwhftb]

Any internationals, or anyone really hear back about funding today?

I'm an international student living in the east coast. I received my funding info by mail on Saturday.

[mpp_applicant]

Current SAIS student here. Congrats to everyone who got admitted. I like SAIS enough that I'm willing to answer any questions you might have about the program. Swamped with work this week so I can't guarantee I'll answer every question or write that much but fire away any pressing questions!

Cheers,

SAISer

Thanks for the offer Current SAIS student. The biggest question for me right now is the price tag. I was admitted to the IDEV program, DC campus. I have no doubt it's the best program I've been admitted to, but I received no grants, only federal loans. Do SAIS students worry about their debt after graduation, or do they seem confident their job placement will be strong enough to justify the cost? Any thoughts on the matter are greatly appreciated!

[La Voz]

My concern is the same as mpp_applicant's. I really want to attend SAIS based on program fit, but the lack of fellowship aid means $80k in tuition & fees after two years (plus another $10k in interest that'll accrue in that time), assuming no additional aid in the second year.

1) At SAIS, do a majority of 2nd-year students get some form of 'free-money' aid? Are there teacher/project assistant positions that pay for some measure of tuition, and if so, how common are they? Are there other ways that SAIS students pay for their education beyond loans?

2) Another big financial concern is cost of living in DC. Where do SAIS students typically live (if there's even one typical place), Alexandria, College Park, DC, other?

3) Do SAIS students typically work during their semesters, and if so, which semester do they begin working in?

Thanks for being willing to take the time to answer questions. Hopefully I can be in the position to do the same next year.

[le_neocon]

My concern is the same as mpp_applicant's. I really want to attend SAIS based on program fit, but the lack of fellowship aid means $80k in tuition & fees after two years (plus another $10k in interest that'll accrue in that time), assuming no additional aid in the second year.

1) At SAIS, do a majority of 2nd-year students get some form of 'free-money' aid? Are there teacher/project assistant positions that pay for some measure of tuition, and if so, how common are they? Are there other ways that SAIS students pay for their education beyond loans?

2) Another big financial concern is cost of living in DC. Where do SAIS students typically live (if there's even one typical place), Alexandria, College Park, DC, other?

3) Do SAIS students typically work during their semesters, and if so, which semester do they begin working in?

Thanks for being willing to take the time to answer questions. Hopefully I can be in the position to do the same next year.

I found this link..overall seems to be pro SAIS even though it ranks Gtown higher.

http://www.imadahmed.com/695955411/international-affairs-programme-ratings/

[La Voz]

Yep, I've seen that FP article, and I've read the associated TRIP study from William & Mary. It was quite influential in my selection process.

But now my questions are less about which program is the best and more about how the h3ll I'm going to pay for these programs. Oy. Daunting, to say the least.

[saiser]

Re: mpp_applicant

"The biggest question for me right now is the price tag. I wasadmitted to the IDEV program, DC campus. I have no doubt it's the best programI've been admitted to, but I received no grants, only federal loans. Do SAISstudents worry about their debt after graduation, or do they seem confidenttheir job placement will be strong enough to justify the cost? Any thoughts onthe matter are greatly appreciated!"

Congrats on getting into IDEV. It’s tough to get into that one,although I don’t know how the program’s dynamics will change given Prof. Fukuyama’sdeparture to Stanford.

Sorry to hear you didn’t get any grants. That sucks. I wasfortunate in that I received a good deal of funding from my former employer topursue my MA. Here’s the thing—and this applies to La Voz’s first question aswell—while the majority of first year’s do not receive much funding (maybe 5K,10K fellowships thrown out here and there, but certainly nothing approaching afull ride) there are A LOT of named fellowships you can apply for during theyear and going into your second year. This list http://www.sais-jhu....cholarships.htm is a good start.

One thing is that your chances of receiving a fellowship alsodepend on your concentration. Some are known to be better funded than others(i.e. SEA, Korea Studies because the USKF is very generous, Japan Studies becauseit's a very small group and there’s more money to go around). My concentration also seems to be getting new scholarships established althoughthe size of the department probably means it’ll be tougher to get second yearfunding. But in general, I’d say your chances of getting something your secondyear are very good, given that you maintain decent grades.

SAIS students definitely do worry about the debt their amassing(especially if they’re coming in with undergraduate loans) but generally studentssatisfaction is very high. I don’t hear people griping about money too much,but that’s probably because it’s a private matter. I do know many students dointernships, some unpaid, or part time jobs during the year. Others carry onwith their old jobs in a freelancing capacity. People are pretty resourceful.

La Voz’s questions about TAships and the like: Yes, theydefinitely exist. You’d be in better shape if you’re good at Econ, because theEcon department is always looking for people to TA their classes. There arealso pre-term/summer session positions. Salary, I believe is close to 18 anhour, but don’t quote me on that. Also, there are Federal workstudy jobsavailable at the SAIS library, language and computer labs but I think you haveto be eligible for workstudy to get those positions. Wages are not as good.Think 10-11 an hour.

Final thing about getting money from SAIS: certainextracurricular leadership positions get you a stipend. I’d recommend thisarticle http://www.saisobser...paid-positions/ for starters. Obviously, it’s no good to join a club just becauseyou want the stipend, but just saying. Not many people are aware of this.

Living in DC: Yep, Dupont Circle is very expensive. You can geta 1000-1100 dollar efficiency at the “SAIS Dorm” aka 1500 Mass but you get whatyou pay for. A nicer one bedroom, studio or efficiency in the area costs closerto the 1300-1400 range. There are, however, several group houses where you’d beable to get away with cheaper rent. Think 700-900. Anything cheaper than thatand you’d have to think beyond the box. Mt Pleasant, Columbia Heights, and Shaware good options and within biking distance. I don’t know too many people wholive much further away because the Metro is notoriously crappy (and DANGEROUSTHESE DAYS!) but one or two people do commute from the burbs. It is notimpossible.

One final thing: summer is time when students who are interestedin the private sector make money, but a lot of people also take unpaidinternships. That’s just how it is for certain fields like nonprofits anddevelopment. However, SAIS, and the academic programs do offer small stipendsfor people taking on these types of internships.

The takehome is that SAIS is very supportive, and while you mayfeel poor at times, the financial aid people (more like person) is veryhelpful. I’ve certainly never felt that I was being abandoned in a big sea ofbureaucracy. It’s a small, tight-knit community and removed from the JHUmothership, so things get done a bit differently.

Hope that answered your questions.

Edited March 22, 2010 by saiser

[ashtangi]

Saiser,

I was admitted to the Nanjing campus for the MA program. Do you have any classmates that have spent a year in Nanjing? what is the general reputation of the Center among China Studies concentrators? what about among the faculty?. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[saiser]

Saiser,

I was admitted to the Nanjing campus for the MA program. Do you have any classmates that have spent a year in Nanjing? what is the general reputation of the Center among China Studies concentrators? what about among the faculty?. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Oh wow, sorry about the lack of spacing in my previous post. Formatting is all messed up and I can't edit it anymore.

Hi Ashtangi,

I do in fact know a lot of classmates who came from HNC. I've heard that the number of people who did a year at HNC coming into SAIS was exceptionally high this year. If you do China Studies you'll get to know each other, and a lot of people take post-proficiency Chinese for their language class since HNC folks generally have pretty solid Mandarin skills.

I've also visited the Center and although I wouldn't really want to spend a year there (not so much because of the curriculum itself but because I can't really justify spending American tuition in China, no matter how good the program is) it's a very modern building with an excellent library. I have heard that you don't have much privacy because you get roomed with a Chinese student at the center and, well, everyone has to live in the dorm so word gets around.

Having sat on one or two classes, there's definitely hit or miss professors, but that's the case in every school. My other issue with the program was that I wasn't sure if I wanted to be boxed into doing just China. For language-immersion purposes, however, I think it can be a great experience provided you and your roommate come to some kind of agreement about the balance of English and Chinese that ought to be spoken amongst yourselves.

Nanjing is a great town. Close enough to Shanghai that you can get away on the weekends, although I presume you'll be very busy at the center unless your written Chinese is good since you'll be writing a thesis IN CHINESE! For a town its size its got a fair share of "western" restaurants which is important for quality of life in the long run. Some people can survive on Xinjiang noodles for a year. I can't.

If you want more info send me a PM.

[saiser]

Forgot to add that HNC has a very strong alumni network in China. However, the Center itself lacks a career services, so I've heard the folks there gripe about how it's annoying to have to go through DC in order to access career services. Not 100% sure about this.