Georgetown SSP

[cestoch]

congrats! no email here... now I will dread opening my mailbox when I get home tonight. :X

Same here. I guess I can hope for the waitlist if one exists.

[baileycesario]

E-mail received an hour ago:

"The Admissions Committee for the Security Studies Program (SSP) has completed its review of your application and 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.

Decisions on SSP merit-based aid will be communicated under separate cover in the next two weeks. In the meantime, information on student loans, grants, and other Georgetown funding opportunities is available from the Office of Student Financial Services..."

All I have to say is: Thank... God. (BTW, my last name starts with a B so maybe they're working their way through the alphabet.)

[cestoch]

E-mail received an hour ago:

"The Admissions Committee for the Security Studies Program (SSP) has completed its review of your application and 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.

Decisions on SSP merit-based aid will be communicated under separate cover in the next two weeks. In the meantime, information on student loans, grants, and other Georgetown funding opportunities is available from the Office of Student Financial Services..."

All I have to say is: Thank... God. (BTW, my last name starts with a B so maybe they're working their way through the alphabet.)

I still haven't received anything in the mail or email. Does anyone know if they are doing waves of acceptances or if I should just be waiting for the letter in the mail?

[cestoch]

E-mail received an hour ago:

"The Admissions Committee for the Security Studies Program (SSP) has completed its review of your application and 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.

Decisions on SSP merit-based aid will be communicated under separate cover in the next two weeks. In the meantime, information on student loans, grants, and other Georgetown funding opportunities is available from the Office of Student Financial Services..."

All I have to say is: Thank... God. (BTW, my last name starts with a B so maybe they're working their way through the alphabet.)

I still haven't received anything in the mail or email. Does anyone know if they are doing waves of acceptances or if I should just be waiting for the letter in the mail?

[HopefulIR]

I still haven't received anything in the mail or email. Does anyone know if they are doing waves of acceptances or if I should just be waiting for the letter in the mail?

I am like a hawk on gmail.  If you check results search, someone got an email today.  So... today might be another day of acceptances.  Although I think some rejections were sent out in the mail last week, so they might come this week too =[

[efs424]

I got the email yesterday. What do you all think of the SSP program?

I was also accepted at American, GWU, and waitlisted at SAIS (my first choice). Though I guess Georgetown might have a better name (and it's nice it's just a 1.5 year program), I'm leaning a bit towards GW because of the convenient location and the strength of their study abroad program (I really want to do a semester at Jawaharlal Nehru University). I suppose one of the biggest considerations will ultimately be financing for me - still waiting to hear about all of that.

Thoughts?

[GatorFan315]

I received the same email as some that my application had been "recommended to the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences." Anyone know what the percentage chance one doesn't get accepted at this stage? Is this just a cursory review that I shouldn't worry about?

[HopefulIR]

Okay, so I haven't received an email or snail mail.  (It should have reached me by now, I think, since I live in NYC.)

Do you think I should call in and see if they even read my application?  I'm getting super paranoid because there were complications in early Feb with transcripts.  It's creating scenarios in my head where my file is stuck in a cabinet somewhere and no one ever glanced at it.

[LeeLeeLove]

Okay, so I haven't received an email or snail mail. (It should have reached me by now, I think, since I live in NYC.)

Do you think I should call in and see if they even read my application? I'm getting super paranoid because there were complications in early Feb with transcripts. It's creating scenarios in my head where my file is stuck in a cabinet somewhere and no one ever glanced at it.

I say give them a call. What do you have to lose?

[Bilk]

Okay, so I haven't received an email or snail mail. (It should have reached me by now, I think, since I live in NYC.)

Do you think I should call in and see if they even read my application? I'm getting super paranoid because there were complications in early Feb with transcripts. It's creating scenarios in my head where my file is stuck in a cabinet somewhere and no one ever glanced at it.

I haven't received any communication either. Let me know if you find anything out.

[HopefulIR]

I haven't received any communication either. Let me know if you find anything out.

I called earlier today but no one picked up.  I guess no one would be in on a weekend =\

I'm just gonna wait till Monday.  If no word then I'll give them a ring.

[quantic]

Unfortunately, I think its safe to assume a wait list decision or worse. SSP already hosted their live web chat for admitted applicants on March 24. It seems that Georgetown is needlessly and infuriatingly slow in communicating wait listed and rejected decisions. You could call if you want, but you probably won't get a straight answer (as has been the experience of those in the MSFS forum)

[HopefulIR]

Unfortunately, I think its safe to assume a wait list decision or worse.  SSP already hosted their live web chat for admitted applicants on March 24.  It seems that Georgetown is needlessly and infuriatingly slow in communicating wait listed and rejected decisions.  You could call if you want, but you probably won't get a straight answer (as has been the experience of those in the MSFS forum)

damn seriously? the results show that many only got their acceptances on the 22nd/one on the 23rd.  I have vain hope since last year they had acceptances on the 20th and then a second wave on the 26/27.

Edited March 27, 2010 by HopefulIR

[LeeLeeLove]

Hi everyone! Two questions for the panel:

1. I got my official acceptance letter in the mail yesterday, but no mention of funding. Does this mean I didn't get any? Has anyone heard about funding yet?

2. The letter says I need to have sent in my acceptance, deposit, etc. by 15 April. However, the Open House isn't until 13 April. Is anyone else confused by this fast turnaround time? To get something in the mail to SSP by 15 April, I'll have to send it on 12 April... before the Open House.

Hope everyone is getting beautiful spring weather this week!

[baileycesario]

Hi everyone! Two questions for the panel:

1. I got my official acceptance letter in the mail yesterday, but no mention of funding. Does this mean I didn't get any? Has anyone heard about funding yet?

2. The letter says I need to have sent in my acceptance, deposit, etc. by 15 April. However, the Open House isn't until 13 April. Is anyone else confused by this fast turnaround time? To get something in the mail to SSP by 15 April, I'll have to send it on 12 April... before the Open House.

Hope everyone is getting beautiful spring weather this week!

I haven't received mine yet, but I live in hawaii and it's not yet mid-day here. How much is the deposit? And yes, I am surprised that they want it before the Open House. Seems backwards. BTW, have you decided on Georgetown then? I know you were torn between SAIS and SSP for a bit. Also, did you participate in the online chat? I missed it and wondered if they mentioned the acceptance rate this year. Just curious...

[LeeLeeLove]

I haven't received mine yet, but I live in hawaii and it's not yet mid-day here. How much is the deposit? And yes, I am surprised that they want it before the Open House. Seems backwards. BTW, have you decided on Georgetown then? I know you were torn between SAIS and SSP for a bit. Also, did you participate in the online chat? I missed it and wondered if they mentioned the acceptance rate this year. Just curious...

No-- I am still Hamlet and unable to make a decision! I am planning on attending both Open Houses (13 and 14 April) and trying to get a better feel for the programs. As soon as I resolve one issue with a program, another one crops up. I just got a new apartment that's blocks away from both the red metro line and Wisconsin so transport is equal between schools. But now I'm worried about SSP's brand value. The program is only 1.5 years and has no language requirement. That has to mean it's looked down at least a little, right? But the course catalogue is much more interesting. Sigh... But thank you for asking! It's comforting to know I'm not alone here.

Anyway, I have (sort of) answered my own posed questions by calling SSP today. However, I spoke to two people and they gave me completely conflicting information.

First person: Since there was no mention of funding in my letter, it means I didn't get any. Don't worry about the 15 April deadline-- as long we hear from you during the week, you're fine.

Second person: No funding decisions have been made yet. Funding decisions will be sent out via e-mail. The 15 deadline is very strict. The Open House was planned before Walsh set the official deadline, so it's regrettable timing.

The second person I spoke to is a big muckity-muck over in SSP admissions, so I'm going to take her word for it. However, SAIS's open house is on 14 April and there's no way I'm making a decision before then. So it looks like I might be driving into Georgetown with a check on the morning of the 15th. We'll see.

I missed the online chat (dumb) so I feel like my decision will be coming down to the wire. Oh, and the deposit is much less than other schools-- $200. I suppose you won't be making it to any of these open houses from Hawaii? Are you looking at the same programs? Thank you for commiserating with me!

[bb12345]

I haven't received mine yet, but I live in hawaii and it's not yet mid-day here. How much is the deposit? And yes, I am surprised that they want it before the Open House. Seems backwards. BTW, have you decided on Georgetown then? I know you were torn between SAIS and SSP for a bit. Also, did you participate in the online chat? I missed it and wondered if they mentioned the acceptance rate this year. Just curious...

They said there were about 550 applicants, of which about 100 were accepted......

Haven't gotten my letter yet either.

[baileycesario]

They said there were about 550 applicants, of which about 100 were accepted......

Haven't gotten my letter yet either.

Good info- thanks!

And, LeeLeeLove: That's frustrating about the conflicting information from the admissions office. I think it's smart to attend SAIS's Open House before committing either way. If their Open House is on the 14th the timing will be tight, though. I actually didn't apply to SAIS, nor any other IR program. Rather, I applied to the joint Security Studies M.A./Government Ph.D program. Unfortunately, I didn't get accepted to the Ph.D program but plan to apply again in the fall. Hopefully, demonstrating good academic performance in the SSP program and directly networking with professors at G-town will benefit my application on the second time around.

So the deposit is only $200? Not bad at all.

[SBL]

Are everyone's letters saying the deadline is April 15th? Mine says April 26th...

Also it was mentioned in the online chat that funding decisions likely wouldn't be made until this week. The transcripts for the online chats are available on the SSP website. They aren't particularly easy to follow, but they answer a number of questions many of you likely have.

[quantic]

Today I finally received my official letter and admission packet from SSP. Despite being a fairly thick mailing, there was no mention whatsoever of the following critical details:

• Merit scholarships
• Financial Aid
• Deposit amount
• Protocol for accepting/declining admission (website, forms, etc)
• Deadline for making matriculation decision

They did, however, include a nice flyer on the Women in International Security (WIIS) program. I guess this would be helpful, if I was eligible

Do we have clear answers on any of the above questions? Does anyone else get the felling that we are dealing with a fairly amateur operation here?

[pacer]

I live in Southern California and tomorrow, it will have been two weeks since I received my email from SSP saying that I had been recommended by SSP for admissions, but that only Graduate Admissions Office could issue the formal offer letter.

No such letter has come. I have an April 9th deadline for Kings College London to accept their admissions offer, or it evaporates, and other several other offers or scholarships which expire on April 15th if not accepted. Other schools have also asked for early decisions so they can reallocate scholarship offers if necessary.

The formal SSP offer letter is supposed to be routine, according to SSP admissions website, but it sure is taking a long time. SSP is my first choice but before turning down everyone else, it would be great to have the official offer in hand.

It would be helpful to know if those who have already received their formal letters live on East Coast, and if anyone on the West Coast has received, or not received, their formal admission offers. Thanks.

[SBL]

I live in Southern California and tomorrow, it will have been two weeks since I received my email from SSP saying that I had been recommended by SSP for admissions, but that only Graduate Admissions Office could issue the formal offer letter.

No such letter has come. I have an April 9th deadline for Kings College London to accept their admissions offer, or it evaporates, and other several other offers or scholarships which expire on April 15th if not accepted. Other schools have also asked for early decisions so they can reallocate scholarship offers if necessary.

The formal SSP offer letter is supposed to be routine, according to SSP admissions website, but it sure is taking a long time. SSP is my first choice but before turning down everyone else, it would be great to have the official offer in hand.

It would be helpful to know if those who have already received their formal letters live on East Coast, and if anyone on the West Coast has received, or not received, their formal admission offers. Thanks.

I am in Europe and I have already received my letter.

Dated March 24, it said the following:

"Upon the recommendation of the Admissions Committee, I am pleased to approve your admission to the M.A. in Security Studies program, effective with the Fall 2010 Semester.

A $200 nonrefundable deposit is required in order to ensure your place in the program. This deposit will be applied to your tuition upon matriculation. Your deposit and the enclosed Confirmation Form must be submitted to Georgetown University, Office of Graduate Admissions, Attn: Enrollment Confirmation, Box 571004, Washington, DC 20057-1004, by April 26, 2010. If applicable, please submit your check or money order in U.S. dollars, made payable to "Georgetown University".

If there are any specific departmental or programmatic conditions of admission, you will be notified by separate letter. Please contact your department or program for information about advising, orientation, and registration.

Congratulations and best wishes on your admission. We look forward to working with you in the fulfillment of your education and professional objectives.

Sincerely, Timothy A. Barbari (Dean)."

Quantic, I however have not received the admission packet you mentioned. It seems that came from the SSP whilst mine came from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Maybe GSAS are still mailing out their letters. It seems GSAS are responsible for official admissions notifications as well as details on deposits etc (it is GSAS that takes the money after all, not SSP).

Pacer, it might be worth contacting the GSAS next week?

[pacer]

I am in Europe and I have already received my letter.

Dated March 24, it said the following:

"Upon the recommendation of the Admissions Committee, I am pleased to approve your admission to the M.A. in Security Studies program, effective with the Fall 2010 Semester.

A $200 nonrefundable deposit is required in order to ensure your place in the program. This deposit will be applied to your tuition upon matriculation. Your deposit and the enclosed Confirmation Form must be submitted to Georgetown University, Office of Graduate Admissions, Attn: Enrollment Confirmation, Box 571004, Washington, DC 20057-1004, by April 26, 2010. If applicable, please submit your check or money order in U.S. dollars, made payable to "Georgetown University".

If there are any specific departmental or programmatic conditions of admission, you will be notified by separate letter. Please contact your department or program for information about advising, orientation, and registration.

Congratulations and best wishes on your admission. We look forward to working with you in the fulfillment of your education and professional objectives.

Sincerely, Timothy A. Barbari (Dean)."

Quantic, I however have not received the admission packet you mentioned. It seems that came from the SSP whilst mine came from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Maybe GSAS are still mailing out their letters. It seems GSAS are responsible for official admissions notifications as well as details on deposits etc (it is GSAS that takes the money after all, not SSP).

Pacer, it might be worth contacting the GSAS next week?

Thanks for your quick reply. I will see who else replies, as some US schools send admissions notices to Europe via expedited methods vs. regular U.S. postal mail here in America. It may be that many others, especially away from the East Coast, have also not received their admission letters yet. Has anyone out there received notification of merit scholarship offers yet (or notification they are NOT getting any)?

[SBL]

Thanks for your quick reply. I will see who else replies, as some US schools send admissions notices to Europe via expedited methods vs. regular U.S. postal mail here in America. It may be that many others, especially away from the East Coast, have also not received their admission letters yet. Has anyone out there received notification of merit scholarship offers yet (or notification they are NOT getting any)?

98 cents USPS....

Maybe they sent internationals earlier than domestics assuming it would take that much longer for us to receive them.