Georgetown SSP

[KyleR]

So I just got my quasi-formal offer from Georgetown's SSP program! SSP would be a stretch for me at this point, since another DC program offered me strong funding, but I still would like to talk about the pros and cons to weigh everything out. Here's what I'm seeing:

Pros:

-Absolute strongest security studies reputation, and probably the broadest SS curriculum 

-Strong language / cultural faculty in Walsh, particularly with regards to Eurasia and Middle East

-Highly focused cohort with similar backgrounds (can be a con to some, but it's a plus to me)

-Flexible hours for those who want to work, as well as the ability to switch to part-time 

Cons:

-Little available funding (and no mention in my letter today, though will wait until the formal package gets here)

-Isn't as versatile for private sector placement. I'm sure most want to go public sector security roles, and so do I, but it's good to have a fallback.

-Little available funding (hitting it twice)

-No on campus housing

Thoughts?

 

[Alexis GS]

Hello! Congrats!

I'm in pretty much the exact same boat as you right now, just received notice that I've been admitted and just like you, no notification of any funding.

I also have a very strong financial aid offer from Missouri State's Defense and Strategic Program located in Fairfax. I'm not just considering it for that reason only, as they are extremely nice there, and the concentration of WMD studies really aligns with what I'm interested in.

I'm curious to hear how you knew Georgetown's SSP cohort being so focused in similar backgrounds. Coming from AZ, I don't know another person in my area who applied, let alone who has been accepted.

Also, I just made this account to reply to you, so hopefully that doesn't look suspicious.  

 

[KyleR]

Congrats to you as well! 

I was basing my statement on previous threads here, and on what I have heard from some current DC grad students I reached out to. But I should clarify that when I say "focused cohort", I mean relative to most of the other programs discussed on this forum. For instance, I'm also considering Johns Hopkins SAIS, which has 18 or 19 concentrations outside of strategic studies. 

[Tomes]

Have you received the portal update yet? It's past 3 EST and I still see nothing

[KyleR]

1 hour ago, Tomes said:

Have you received the portal update yet? It's past 3 EST and I still see nothing

Nothing here...

[njapp2020]

Hey everyone!  I was also admitted to SSP with no funding.  I was admitted with pretty good funding to the McCourt MPP, and to UVA's Batten MPP.  Batten has the National Security Policy Center and Cohort, so I'm heavily leaning towards that program as of now. 

 

It's going to be hard saying no to the "best" school in Washington, but SSP isn't giving me funding and I've heard it's difficult for McCourt students to get their electives filled in the School of Foreign Service.  I completely loved it when I visited UVA and Batten, so I'm not worried about that - just postponing the DC dream for a little bit more!

[GradSchoolGrad]

Hi everyone. In the absence of an SSP student or recent grad give perspective, I'll chime in. Of course, their perspective would be much much much better.

I can speak to SSP because I worked with SSP students in Georgetown, been in programming with them, and I know people from my last job who went to SSP. 

The awesome things about SSP:

1. Brand weight: Without a doubt SSP program carries a lot of brand weight between Georgetown and SSP specifically.

2. Caliber of People (for the most part): Most people I know who has done SSP has done either been A: a totally great human being that has done awesome things (scoring high profile Fellowships like Boren, high quality jobs, and and etc.). I have pretty much been impressed by every SSP person I have ever met. I will say that the average MSFS person is more impressive, but I still hold the SSP people in high standing. 

3. Connections: Bottom line, SSP has a lot of connections (like defense consulting firms or research organizations) that offer its students an opportunity to grow their network + build their resume while in grad school.

4. Flexibility to Do DC Internships: SSP is structured to basically make your life super super easy to do internships semester side. So you have no excuse to not get the opportunity to do it.

The interesting things to know about SSP:

1. Its interesting relationship with School of Foreign Service (SFS): I think it is interesting that everyone calls it the best program in the world etc. etc. It is true that the best IR grad program is the Master of Science of Foreign Service (MSFS) in the School of Foreign Service (SFS). Yes SSP is part SFS, but it is not the MSFS. Among the other major grad programs housed by SFS are SSP, Global Human Development (GHS), and all the area studies programs. That being said, nearly all of the classes, lectures, guest visits, and career opportunities are open to all who occupy SFS. HOWEVER - MSFS general has the best dedicated resources and budget. SSP is in relatively good position, but not nearly the prestige and full resources of MSFS. Also, SSP is seen as the little brother of MSFS, and within the SFS cultural environment. 

2. Unique social dynamic of SSP: What I always thought was crazy was that most of my SSP friends never knew each other (some never heard of each other) even though they were in the graduation year. This is because, SSP has lots of flexibility of when and how you take your classes. As consequence, there is not strong community bonds that take place as everyone moves to the best of their own class schedule / research / internship. 

Ultimately, what I'm trying to highlight is that what makes or breaks your SSP experience is the internships you have and the community you grow, which is rather easy in DC + how they schedule the programming. However, from an academic perspective, its good, but nothing to special. 

Edited March 17, 2020 by GradSchoolGrad

[KyleR]

Thanks for your perspective. I will add that the "rankings" which Georgetown normally cites (Foreign Policy, TRIPs) don't refer to any specific program at Georgetown SFS. Whether the MSFS is better funded or staffed internally than SSP, I can't speculate. Anecdotally, when I asked my IR professor about master's programs in International Security, he indicated that Georgetown SSP was the most highly regarded.

Interesting what you said about the social / community dynamics. I would personally prefer a more integrated master's experience, but everyone has different needs.

Edited March 18, 2020 by KyleR

[GradSchoolGrad]

2 hours ago, KyleR said:

Thanks for your perspective. I will add that the "rankings" which Georgetown normally cites (Foreign Policy, TRIPs) don't refer to any specific program at Georgetown SFS. Whether the MSFS is better funded or staffed internally than SSP, I can't speculate. Anecdotally, when I asked my IR professor about master's programs in International Security, he indicated that Georgetown SSP was the most highly regarded.

Interesting what you said about the social / community dynamics. I would personally prefer a more integrated master's experience, but everyone has different needs.

I mean those rankings are broad rankings that essentially made by opinion polls floated around about "supposed influential people". They do base it off of the whole of Georgetown... but realistically that rests mostly on SFS. Your professor is correct, in terms of specific Master's Programs in International Security, SSP is the best. However, there is relatively small group of programs that offer that narrow of a academic focus. The only other schools that event remotely competitive with SSP is George Washington and Northeastern. HOWEVER... there are many roads to Rome, and an alternative way to get into the security business is through a broader MSFS, MPP, MPA, M (use your imagination). You'll be competing against these folks for jobs period. 

Again, I want to highlight that I totally respect the academic chops of SSP, and they have have amazing resources. However, just to highlight how they are separate from the rest of SFS, consider how their program center is in a separate stand-alone building that is not part of the ICC (where SFS is housed).
 

[MA2020]

9 hours ago, GradSchoolGrad said:

I mean those rankings are broad rankings that essentially made by opinion polls floated around about "supposed influential people". They do base it off of the whole of Georgetown... but realistically that rests mostly on SFS. Your professor is correct, in terms of specific Master's Programs in International Security, SSP is the best. However, there is relatively small group of programs that offer that narrow of a academic focus. The only other schools that event remotely competitive with SSP is George Washington and Northeastern. HOWEVER... there are many roads to Rome, and an alternative way to get into the security business is through a broader MSFS, MPP, MPA, M (use your imagination). You'll be competing against these folks for jobs period. 

Again, I want to highlight that I totally respect the academic chops of SSP, and they have have amazing resources. However, just to highlight how they are separate from the rest of SFS, consider how their program center is in a separate stand-alone building that is not part of the ICC (where SFS is housed).
 

@GradSchoolGrad slightly unrelated question here since you seem to know a lot about the Georgetown SFS system....do you have any thoughts about the MSFS program vs one of the regionally-focused programs within SFS? I focus on a particular region and think the regional program would be more academically rigorous and interesting than MSFS, but am worried about pidgeonholing myself by getting a graduate degree that is too specific rather than a more general MSFS degree. 

[GradSchoolGrad]

1 minute ago, MA2020 said:

@GradSchoolGrad slightly unrelated question here since you seem to know a lot about the Georgetown SFS system....do you have any thoughts about the MSFS program vs one of the regionally-focused programs within SFS? I focus on a particular region and think the regional program would be more academically rigorous and interesting than MSFS, but am worried about pidgeonholing myself by getting a graduate degree that is too specific rather than a more general MSFS degree. 

So I actually hear that question a lot. I'm going to answer this from two perspectives.

1. Program Qualities: With area studies, you don't have to go through the pain of some of the annoying core course that you would have to in MSFS and get straight to what matters for the area. Generally speaking, I find the area studies people to have thinner resumes and to be younger. Interestingly, I also find a lot of them competing for the same jobs as MSFS people (granted they can market their area speak skills and languages). Obviously from a prestige factor, MSFS takes the cake. 

2. Personal Perspective:

Ultimately it comes down to personal preference. If you really really really love a region and want to dedicate your life it, area studies is the way to go. My personal preference is to go broad because:
A: I personally like to compare and contrast and believe a lot could be learned by comparative analysis. For example, I think there is a lot to be said about comparing China's coronavirus response vs. Italy's.

B: The world is getting more multi-disciplinary period. I think there is a lot be said about functional knowledge 

C : Broaden our network!!!! 

Also just something random to throw out there. You don't know what you want to do for the rest of your life. Most don't, even those in their 50s. I met a lady at conference who was really interested in Asian foreign affairs and been in the area for 7 years. This was 3 years ago. What is she doing now? Local governance issues in Portland, Oregon. She made the life switch for personal reasons. A broader education gives you more flexibility in the long run.