Fletcher vs. SFS vs. SAIS

[Cadmiel]

I've been stressing over this decision for a while, so I figured I'd ask for any advice from the posters here. I've been accepted into MA programs at Fletcher, Georgetown SFS and SAIS. Fletcher is giving me a 1/3rd scholarship, SFS gave me loans and a 5k work-study, and SAIS just gave me loans. I'm pretty sure I'm out of the running for the Pickering Fellowship, so I'm looking at sizable debt for all of these programs.

I'm planning on going into the Foreign Service or working for the state department in DC, so previously I was thinking that SAIS or SFS were my best bets - SAIS for the strength of program and solid econ, SFS for the faculty reputation and alumni network. However, I really like Tufts for the academic flexibility - I have a BA in anthropology and I enjoy studying IR from that perspective. It'd be intellectually satisfying to do a self-designed focus on nationalism studies at Fletcher, but I'm worried that that wouldn't make me as competitive for a foreign service job as if I went through the standard MSFS or SAIS MA programs.

Any thoughts?

[le_neocon]

I've been stressing over this decision for a while, so I figured I'd ask for any advice from the posters here. I've been accepted into MA programs at Fletcher, Georgetown SFS and SAIS. Fletcher is giving me a 1/3rd scholarship, SFS gave me loans and a 5k work-study, and SAIS just gave me loans. I'm pretty sure I'm out of the running for the Pickering Fellowship, so I'm looking at sizable debt for all of these programs.

I'm planning on going into the Foreign Service or working for the state department in DC, so previously I was thinking that SAIS or SFS were my best bets - SAIS for the strength of program and solid econ, SFS for the faculty reputation and alumni network. However, I really like Tufts for the academic flexibility - I have a BA in anthropology and I enjoy studying IR from that perspective. It'd be intellectually satisfying to do a self-designed focus on nationalism studies at Fletcher, but I'm worried that that wouldn't make me as competitive for a foreign service job as if I went through the standard MSFS or SAIS MA programs.

Any thoughts?

This link might be outdated and you may have already found this

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/graduate-school/286389-fletcher-vs-sais.html

[dan451]

I've been stressing over this decision for a while, so I figured I'd ask for any advice from the posters here. I've been accepted into MA programs at Fletcher, Georgetown SFS and SAIS. Fletcher is giving me a 1/3rd scholarship, SFS gave me loans and a 5k work-study, and SAIS just gave me loans. I'm pretty sure I'm out of the running for the Pickering Fellowship, so I'm looking at sizable debt for all of these programs.

I'm planning on going into the Foreign Service or working for the state department in DC, so previously I was thinking that SAIS or SFS were my best bets - SAIS for the strength of program and solid econ, SFS for the faculty reputation and alumni network. However, I really like Tufts for the academic flexibility - I have a BA in anthropology and I enjoy studying IR from that perspective. It'd be intellectually satisfying to do a self-designed focus on nationalism studies at Fletcher, but I'm worried that that wouldn't make me as competitive for a foreign service job as if I went through the standard MSFS or SAIS MA programs.

Any thoughts?

I'm right there with you, freaking out over the same choice. Am looking at a possible career as an FSO. Got very similar deals from Georgetown (no $) and Fletcher (some $, but still expensive). I've eliminated SAIS and it's between Fletcher and Georgetown. I talked with an alum from Fletcher for about an hour today. Earlier today I was thinking Georgetown, now I'm not so sure. Obviously, he was biased, but here's what he did say that was useful.

1). If you absolutely know 100% that you want to work in the foreign service, there's no better place to study for that than Georgetown. There are people working as foreign service officers who came from Fletcher (the career services guy told me around 50 alums are FSOs) but Georgetown is just designed like no other program to churn out FSOs. It's the best at it, hands down.

2). If (like me) you're not 100% sure about being an FSO, Fletcher can be a great place to explore a vast array of other options. Think of it as a really good restaurant that serves all different kinds of food. Yeah, their lasagna won't be quite as amazing as the strictly Italian joint, but what if you sit down and decide you don't want Italian? It sounds like Fletcher alums find some pretty interesting and rewarding career paths after graduation, and the Fletcher network is so vast and strong that you can, in your two years of study, have ample time and opportunity to study the menu and find something you like.

3). Fletcher class sizes are way bigger than Georgetown's. This is a big negative, in my view. You might have 50 people in some of the more popular classes, apparently. (I've heard it's the same deal at SAIS, some huge classes). The guy I talked to said this wasn't optimal, but that he never had trouble getting into office hours, and he still found the faculty quite accessible. Still, Georgetown has much smaller class sizes, somewhere in the 20 range. So Georgetown's the big winner there, looks like.

4). Location. Yes, Fletcher is in Medford. No, it won't rock your world, but this does apparently bring the students closer. Georgetown will get you plugged into the D.C. network a bit faster than Fletcher, if only because you can intern during the school year (most do).

5.) Career services at Fletcher is awesome and well-plugged-in to the "Fletcher Mafia". They make it their job to know you and your interests and help you line up contacts. Fletcher people are everywhere, so you can find alums for just about any area of interest.

That's it, I think. I'm hoping to make some contact with MSFS students this week. So probably in a few days I'll be all aglow about Georgetown again. Color me confused.

Edited April 8, 2010 by dan451

[lomsaku]

@dan451

Why did you eliminate SAIS?

[dan451]

@dan451

Why did you eliminate SAIS?

Well, first off, I was admitted to the Bologna campus, which I'll admit was very tempting at first. I applied to the Latin American Studies program and Bologna has a lot of coursework available in that area. But since applying, I've decided not to focus on a region. I may be interested in exploring American foreign policy, and a guy in the program told me he was really unhappy with what was available at Bologna in that area. D.C. has more, but you have to wait a year to take most of the courses you want. I'm also not sure I want to pursue a track that is so econ-heavy, as I'm not sure it'll help me much in the career I hope to carve out. Finally, the class size is so huge, and I wanted a smaller program. I got a $15k scholarship to SAIS, and it was hard to say no to such a great school (and to a year in Italy), but for what I want it's just not a good fit.

[Cadmiel]

I'm right there with you, freaking out over the same choice. Am looking at a possible career as an FSO. Got very similar deals from Georgetown (no $) and Fletcher (some $, but still expensive). I've eliminated SAIS and it's between Fletcher and Georgetown. I talked with an alum from Fletcher for about an hour today. Earlier today I was thinking Georgetown, now I'm not so sure. Obviously, he was biased, but here's what he did say that was useful.

1). If you absolutely know 100% that you want to work in the foreign service, there's no better place to study for that than Georgetown. There are people working as foreign service officers who came from Fletcher (the career services guy told me around 50 alums are FSOs) but Georgetown is just designed like no other program to churn out FSOs. It's the best at it, hands down.

2). If (like me) you're not 100% sure about being an FSO, Fletcher can be a great place to explore a vast array of other options. Think of it as a really good restaurant that serves all different kinds of food. Yeah, their lasagna won't be quite as amazing as the strictly Italian joint, but what if you sit down and decide you don't want Italian? It sounds like Fletcher alums find some pretty interesting and rewarding career paths after graduation, and the Fletcher network is so vast and strong that you can, in your two years of study, have ample time and opportunity to study the menu and find something you like.

3). Fletcher class sizes are way bigger than Georgetown's. This is a big negative, in my view. You might have 50 people in some of the more popular classes, apparently. (I've heard it's the same deal at SAIS, some huge classes). The guy I talked to said this wasn't optimal, but that he never had trouble getting into office hours, and he still found the faculty quite accessible. Still, Georgetown has much smaller class sizes, somewhere in the 20 range. So Georgetown's the big winner there, looks like.

4). Location. Yes, Fletcher is in Medford. No, it won't rock your world, but this does apparently bring the students closer. Georgetown will get you plugged into the D.C. network a bit faster than Fletcher, if only because you can intern during the school year (most do).

5.) Career services at Fletcher is awesome and well-plugged-in to the "Fletcher Mafia". They make it their job to know you and your interests and help you line up contacts. Fletcher people are everywhere, so you can find alums for just about any area of interest.

That's it, I think. I'm hoping to make some contact with MSFS students this week. So probably in a few days I'll be all aglow about Georgetown again. Color me confused.

This is basically what I've been considering as well. For me it's come down to the cost - if I had the same funding from both, I'd probably pick Georgetown for the more intimate class sizes and for all of the friends I have in DC already. However, the scholarship makes up for the small downsides (in my perspective) of Fletcher and the graduate student housing is significantly cheaper than finding an apartment in DC, though I'm not looking forward to living in a dorm again.

Thanks le_neocon and dan for weighing in!

[dan451]

This is basically what I've been considering as well. For me it's come down to the cost - if I had the same funding from both, I'd probably pick Georgetown for the more intimate class sizes and for all of the friends I have in DC already. However, the scholarship makes up for the small downsides (in my perspective) of Fletcher and the graduate student housing is significantly cheaper than finding an apartment in DC, though I'm not looking forward to living in a dorm again.

Thanks le_neocon and dan for weighing in!

Hey, no problem, Cadmiel. And congrats on making a choice! I have no doubt you'll be happy with it. You're right that the downsides to Fletcher are small. It just seems like such a great environment and a top-notch school. The people I talked to there were so impressive, and the flexibility of the curriculum is special. You can't go wrong.

For me, however, the pendulum has swung again, and I'm going for Georgetown. As someone who's never lived in D.C. and has basically no connections in the IR world (for me this is a drastic career change), I think I need all the help I can get in getting a foothold in D.C. circles. But, yeah, it's going to be expensive. Not looking forward to that.

[thombo]

Hey, no problem, Cadmiel. And congrats on making a choice! I have no doubt you'll be happy with it. You're right that the downsides to Fletcher are small. It just seems like such a great environment and a top-notch school. The people I talked to there were so impressive, and the flexibility of the curriculum is special. You can't go wrong.

For me, however, the pendulum has swung again, and I'm going for Georgetown. As someone who's never lived in D.C. and has basically no connections in the IR world (for me this is a drastic career change), I think I need all the help I can get in getting a foothold in D.C. circles. But, yeah, it's going to be expensive. Not looking forward to that.

For what it's worth, I have the exact same decision to make (MSFS, Fletcher, SAIS), and I share the sentiments of most everyone who's posted above. I will say that I have been very very impressed by Fletcher's outreach to their admitted students - to the point where they found an alum who is currently doing what they figured I would like to do and had him call me. Like a poster above, I am also in the LatAm Studies track at SAIS (though not Bologna), but I've decided that I'd rather get a functional area degree and apply it to a region of interest rather than get a regionally focused degree. I'll likely want to focus on LatAm in my career, but I don't want to be pigeon holed there by way of a regionally specific degree.

I'll be attending this week's accepted students programs at SAIS and GTown and will make a decision after that, but while I'm almost certain I'll choose GTown. I presently live in DC and don't have much desire to move out of it yet, and the $ Fletcher offered just isn't quite enough to entice me - reality is that I'll be in a boat load of debt regardless of where I go.

Any of y'all heading to the accepted student days in DC this week?

[dan451]

For what it's worth, I have the exact same decision to make (MSFS, Fletcher, SAIS), and I share the sentiments of most everyone who's posted above. I will say that I have been very very impressed by Fletcher's outreach to their admitted students - to the point where they found an alum who is currently doing what they figured I would like to do and had him call me. Like a poster above, I am also in the LatAm Studies track at SAIS (though not Bologna), but I've decided that I'd rather get a functional area degree and apply it to a region of interest rather than get a regionally focused degree. I'll likely want to focus on LatAm in my career, but I don't want to be pigeon holed there by way of a regionally specific degree.

I'll be attending this week's accepted students programs at SAIS and GTown and will make a decision after that, but while I'm almost certain I'll choose GTown. I presently live in DC and don't have much desire to move out of it yet, and the $ Fletcher offered just isn't quite enough to entice me - reality is that I'll be in a boat load of debt regardless of where I go.

Any of y'all heading to the accepted student days in DC this week?

Wish I could go, but I'm in Korea. I'd love to hear any reports from there, though.

[researchnerd]

I'm going to the accepted students day for the MSFS. I'd be happy to write a full report! Ugh, I'm deciding between SIPA and SFS. Leaning towards SIPA tho!