Is Georgetown SSP worth it?

[sypher2k3]

I have been accepted into Georgetown SSP for next year with a heavy scholarship (turned down at Fletcher and SAIS).

Fletcher and SAIS both rejected me for lack of professional experience, and I am sure Georgetown MSFS would have yielded a similar result. However, it is clear that Georgetown MSFS gives you a much broader range of skills than Georgetown SSP - plus, it's longer, has electives and is more flexible, and has a much wider range of full-time professors.

I guess I am wondering if it's worth it to go to Georgetown SSP, given the above, rather than getting some professional experience, and reapplying later to MSFS, SAIS and Fletcher, maybe just concentrating in security at MSFS. I want to do MA programs because I have career goals - but, simultaneously, I want to be competitive for a PhD program, and I feel like MSFS would be much better for that.

Do some SSP students go on to PhD programs later on? Are they competitive - do they get into top tier programs for international relations? Is Georgetown SSP looked down on as sort of JV? Are there good opportunities while at SSP for publishing in the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs? Would it be better for me to skip the funding, suck it up, get some work experience and reapply for other programs? I want to work in security in the public sector, but my academic goals make me wonder if Georgetown SSP is a dead end.

Thoughts?