Yale Jackson 2020 - Master's

[Bubba94]

Ahhh I'm in! Congrats to everyone who got in and for those who didn't, all you need is one yes and you're on your way to an IR career!!

[HopefulMPA]

I'm also in  Congrats to everyone else who is too! And best of luck to everyone who didn't- I'm sure you will still have some great options!

Did anyone get any funding information? Or do they send that later?

[bkscholar]

33 minutes ago, keurimja said:

Congrats @justaname and @bkscholar!

Thank you so much! I only applied to this program, and am just ecstatic. I'm sending all my good vibes to the rest of you waiting to hear back. 

[bkscholar]

Just now, HopefulMPA said:

I'm also in  Congrats to everyone else who is too! And best of luck to everyone who didn't- I'm sure you will still have some great options!

Did anyone get any funding information? Or do they send that later?

The individual program (Jackson) is in charge of funding. I'm looking into information now about what the timeline of those decisions looks like. Hopefully within a week or so?

[justaname]

10 minutes ago, HopefulMPA said:

I'm also in  Congrats to everyone else who is too! And best of luck to everyone who didn't- I'm sure you will still have some great options!

Did anyone get any funding information? Or do they send that later?

In the congratulations email from Jackson, it says that “If you requested financial assistance on your Jackson application, you will be receiving a financial award letter within the next few days.”

[justaname]

Just received my financial assistance letter. Half tuition. I'm beyond happy. Anyone else would like to share their package?

[Zendetta]

I am IN!!!!!

[Zendetta]

On 3/5/2020 at 4:07 PM, justaname said:

Just received my financial assistance letter. Half tuition. I'm beyond happy. Anyone else would like to share their package?

Hey! Congrats first. May I ask about the amount? I am not sure mine is half or full. Was it 45k or 22k? for the Tuition.

[justaname]

13 hours ago, Zendetta said:

Hey! Congrats first. May I ask about the amount? I am not sure mine is half or full. Was it 45k or 22k? for the Tuition.

Congrats! Mine was 22k a year, half of the tuition fee. The tuition is 45k a year.

[Bubba94]

Is anyone still checking this thread and want to talk about the pros/cons of Jackson? with admitted students cancelled I'm so bummed I can't discuss this with future classmates. my friends who have already been through this process said that's how they really figured out where they wanted to go

[justaname]

1 hour ago, Bubba94 said:

Is anyone still checking this thread and want to talk about the pros/cons of Jackson? with admitted students cancelled I'm so bummed I can't discuss this with future classmates. my friends who have already been through this process said that's how they really figured out where they wanted to go

yea I would love to talk about the pro/cons! i think they they are gonna pair us with a jackson buddy very soon. and i have a few video chats with professor and jackson staff scheduled for the upcoming weeks.

from my research in the past a few days, i think the class size is the biggest pro. very small and intimate. the people in the program (staff and senior fellows) all seem to be very friendly and willing to interact with the students. they always give very thoughtful email replies. i did see in some previous grad cafe posts it is said that Levinsohn often hosts students in his house during the weekend. senior fellows are very good at referring students to industry contacts. i see my master program as a important stepping stone for my future career, so i think these networking opportunities are critical. it's hard to say if jackson presents more networking opportunities than, say, HKS, because the latter is apparently a much larger program, so I'll have to talk to more people to be sure. lastly, the flexible curriculum is a no-brainer for me - i can't be more excited about being able to design my own curriculum.

ironically, a con for me is jackson's virtually non-existent industry lay-prestige. jackson is no yale law school, and as an international student who is undergoing dramatic career change, the industry reputation for my grad program becomes much more important. schools like HKS definitely have a stronger international draw.  in addition, i only get half tuition, so that means i will have to pay a good amount out of my own pocket. i think i might negotiate, but not really sure how generous they are in turns of upping their offer. also i am a very hardcore movie goer. the fact that new haven does not have an IMAX theater really bothers me.

Edited March 14, 2020 by justaname

[Karam2022]

Hello,

I hope you guys are all safe and having some good "home-office" time. I am writing to you to ask for your kind advice. I would really appreciate your help!

I was recently admitted to the MA in Global Affairs at Jackson Institute, Yale and the MPA in Development Practice at SIPA, Columbia. I am an international student, with big dreams to pursue a career in international development. While both schools gave me really generous offers, and I feel so privileged to have to choose between both, after really not being able to be in a position of choice for all my life. However, I am really in need of communicating my fears.

- I feel like while Jackson institute could be great for an American student who wants to proceed in diplomacy and work in the state department, for example, it would still not be as efficient as SIPA for an international student. Am I wrong in this assumption?

- Do you think that Jackson would offer sufficient practical experience or would it be more theory-based? Do you think that an MA in Global Affairs can still boost someone's career in International Development vs Diplomacy?

- New Haven vs New York: when it comes to networking, and finding internships?

- Can I get IT, Cyber Security, Big Data Analysis, or more practical ID skills at Yale vs SIPA?

I would really appreciate your answers and advice!

[Bubba94]

13 hours ago, justaname said:

yea I would love to talk about the pro/cons! i think they they are gonna pair us with a jackson buddy very soon. and i have a few video chats with professor and jackson staff scheduled for the upcoming weeks.

 

Hi I also love the class size, that's a pro for me too! Some schools in DC were making me nervous because it seems like students are just doing their own thing and I really want to be friends with fellow students but I also want the kind of close relationships with at least one or 2 professors or senior fellows where I can continue to get their help for years to come. I don't want to go to a school where I'm just one of hundreds of students and where nobody will really help me with recommendations, connecting me to people, or offering me career advice. I have one professor from college and 2 former bosses that I've stayed in close touch with and their mentorship and willingness to write insane letters of recommendation for me has helped me get jobs, get into grad school, etc.

I'm also a little nervous that Yales reputation is still so underdeveloped in our field. I know this is only one comment, but one girl from Georgetown said to me, "we always talked about students from our competitors schools like SAIS, SIPA, Fletcher, GW, HKS, etc. but we never talked about Yale, which should tell you something." I know that's one student and one comment but I'm worried it might be representative of how others will feel about us, where they might dismiss us because were not coming from one of the well-known powerhouse IR programs.

11 hours ago, Karam2022 said:

Hello,

I hope you guys are all safe and having some good "home-office" time. I am writing to you to ask for your kind advice. I would really appreciate your help!

I was recently admitted to the MA in Global Affairs at Jackson Institute, Yale and the MPA in Development Practice at SIPA, Columbia. I am an international student, with big dreams to pursue a career in international development. While both schools gave me really generous offers, and I feel so privileged to have to choose between both, after really not being able to be in a position of choice for all my life. However, I am really in need of communicating my fears.

- I feel like while Jackson institute could be great for an American student who wants to proceed in diplomacy and work in the state department, for example, it would still not be as efficient as SIPA for an international student. Am I wrong in this assumption?

- Do you think that Jackson would offer sufficient practical experience or would it be more theory-based? Do you think that an MA in Global Affairs can still boost someone's career in International Development vs Diplomacy?

- New Haven vs New York: when it comes to networking, and finding internships?

- Can I get IT, Cyber Security, Big Data Analysis, or more practical ID skills at Yale vs SIPA?

I would really appreciate your answers and advice!

I don't know enough to fully help you so I hope other people share their opinions as well, but I do know that my friend who is at SIPA right now took 2 classes in cybersecurity and is now doing an internship with some kind of cybersecurity startup thing at Columbia. I think SIPA is very very practical, which can be a minus if you're ever interested in going into academia because something like only 2% of students get their PhD afterwards, but if you want to just wrack up a ton of practical skills, SIPA may be better for you. You'd also have an easier time doing internships in New York while youre a student. The only downside to SIPA I'm seeing for you is that it's a lot of students and you have to make sure you build a good relationship with at least one professor who will help you in your career, and not get lost in the crowd. But I would look at classes at the school of management at Yale and see if those offer the kinds of practical skills you want too

Edited March 14, 2020 by Bubba94

[shishishishi23]

On 3/14/2020 at 6:57 AM, justaname said:

yea I would love to talk about the pro/cons! i think they they are gonna pair us with a jackson buddy very soon. and i have a few video chats with professor and jackson staff scheduled for the upcoming weeks.

from my research in the past a few days, i think the class size is the biggest pro. very small and intimate. the people in the program (staff and senior fellows) all seem to be very friendly and willing to interact with the students. they always give very thoughtful email replies. i did see in some previous grad cafe posts it is said that Levinsohn often hosts students in his house during the weekend. senior fellows are very good at referring students to industry contacts. i see my master program as a important stepping stone for my future career, so i think these networking opportunities are critical. it's hard to say if jackson presents more networking opportunities than, say, HKS, because the latter is apparently a much larger program, so I'll have to talk to more people to be sure. lastly, the flexible curriculum is a no-brainer for me - i can't be more excited about being able to design my own curriculum.

ironically, a con for me is jackson's virtually non-existent industry lay-prestige. jackson is no yale law school, and as an international student who is undergoing dramatic career change, the industry reputation for my grad program becomes much more important. schools like HKS definitely have a stronger international draw.  in addition, i only get half tuition, so that means i will have to pay a good amount out of my own pocket. i think i might negotiate, but not really sure how generous they are in turns of upping their offer. also i am a very hardcore movie goer. the fact that new haven does not have an IMAX theater really bothers me.

hey im a undergrad student and im thinking about applying to the Jackson institute this year but the only thing worrying and deterring me from applying to the course is the financial costs. Is it possible you could let me know how it goes with funding for you? (whether you end up having to take money out of your own pocket through loans or if the uni provides further financial assistance to you). thank you if you can!  

[spidy]

On 3/14/2020 at 4:54 AM, Karam2022 said:

Hello,

I hope you guys are all safe and having some good "home-office" time. I am writing to you to ask for your kind advice. I would really appreciate your help!

I was recently admitted to the MA in Global Affairs at Jackson Institute, Yale and the MPA in Development Practice at SIPA, Columbia. I am an international student, with big dreams to pursue a career in international development. While both schools gave me really generous offers, and I feel so privileged to have to choose between both, after really not being able to be in a position of choice for all my life. However, I am really in need of communicating my fears.

- I feel like while Jackson institute could be great for an American student who wants to proceed in diplomacy and work in the state department, for example, it would still not be as efficient as SIPA for an international student. Am I wrong in this assumption?

- Do you think that Jackson would offer sufficient practical experience or would it be more theory-based? Do you think that an MA in Global Affairs can still boost someone's career in International Development vs Diplomacy?

- New Haven vs New York: when it comes to networking, and finding internships?

- Can I get IT, Cyber Security, Big Data Analysis, or more practical ID skills at Yale vs SIPA?

I would really appreciate your answers and advice!

 

- Do you think that Jackson would offer sufficient practical experience or would it be more theory-based? Do you think that an MA in Global Affairs can still boost someone's career in International Development vs Diplomacy?

Jackson is what you make it. You can easily take a more academic route and only take theory-based classes, or you can take classes with a more practical element (see: https://jackson.yale.edu/apply/glbl-772/ or https://som.yale.edu/fall-global-social-entrepreneurship-gse-course at SOM). There are lots of opportunities with people currently working in the field.

- New Haven vs New York: when it comes to networking, and finding internships?

New York is obviously much stronger for this. However, two caveats: though there are obviously a lot more connections you could make in New York, Jackson is small enough that if there's someone that you're interested in working or connected with, then you can definitely make it happen––not sure how true that is in NY. In addition, Jackson's summer experience funding helps ameliorate the situation a bit.

- Can I get IT, Cyber Security, Big Data Analysis, or more practical ID skills at Yale vs SIPA?

I can't speak to what you'd get at SIPA, but there are definitely a lot of options for this at Yale, both at Jackson and throughout the university. Happy to put you in touch with someone who can talk more about these offerings at Yale.