Stanford IPS

[SRMC2003]

Nothing either. Wonder what that means.

[msal]

Here is quick facts from the program's website

Quick Facts

• Incoming Class Size: 20-25
• International Students: 50%
• Average Age: 26
• Nationalities: 10

[SRMC2003]

anyone get any news?

[kimme]

no news here

[msal]

no news yet.

[foodlover28]

2 hours before the office normally closes. Better start sending soon. I hope it doesn't get pushed off again to next week...

[prabbit]

I dont get it - when you call, it goes directly to voicemail..and it says notifications will be made sometime 15-17th. Its close to 4:00 p.m. on the 18th....

[prabbit]

Folks - his v.m has changed. It now says that they are working on processing the notifications. Nothing about the date.

Keeping my fingers crossed...

[SRMC2003]

going to be a long weekend.

[foodlover28]

going to be a long weekend.

check your email right now

I got in, but it appears that they don't give any funding. It says:

Admission to the program does not include fellowship funding. You will be responsible for paying tuition

and all other expenses associated with enrollment and participation in the program.

Edited March 19, 2011 by foodlover28

[compost&recycle]

I got in, too. wow, not expected at all. i received the same letter as foodlover28, no funding. bummer.

check your email right now

I got in, but it appears that they don't give any funding. It says:

Admission to the program does not include fellowship funding. You will be responsible for paying tuition

and all other expenses associated with enrollment and participation in the program.

[SRMC2003]

I'm in too!

[compost&recycle]

Okay, now that I am not only torn between GSPP, SAIS and Fletcher (the latter two gave generous funding and GSPP is affordable due to in-state tuition), acceptance to Stanford really doesn't make it easier. Since the IPS website does not give away too much information about the program, faculty and courses, I would love to hear insight on how Stanford compares to the other ones, especially in light of zero funding. I know its well respected but have a hard time believing it is worth $80K+ when I could pay less than half for the other schools. Any opinions (objective and subjective) are welcome! The next few weeks seem overwhelming.

Congrats to everyone else, we have come far! Now it's just about making smart decisions...

Edited March 19, 2011 by compost&recycle

[globalsun]

Okay, now that I am not only torn between GSPP, SAIS and Fletcher (the latter two gave generous funding and GSPP is affordable due to in-state tuition), acceptance to Stanford really doesn't make it easier. Since the IPS website does not give away too much information about the program, faculty and courses, I would love to hear insight on how Stanford compares to the other ones, especially in light of zero funding. I know its well respected but have a hard time believing it is worth $80K+ when I could pay less than half for the other schools. Any opinions (objective and subjective) are welcome! The next few weeks seem overwhelming.

Congrats to everyone else, we have come far! Now it's just about making smart decisions...

Hi Compost & Recycle,

Congrats on your acceptance!

I am a current IPS student and would love to answer your questions.

The overall the coursework is pretty quant intensive, more so than SAIS and Fletcher, but comparable to GSPP. The curriculum is less theory than it is portrayed on grad cafe, since there is no IR theory course at all. Much of the core courses are jointly held with Stanford's internal MPP program. IPS students also take classes with great IR Professors at the Freeman Spogli Institute like Fukuyama and Rice along with the opportunity to take courses at the GSB, Law School, and Engineering. Tuition is also lower than most programs since to meet graduation requirements, you need only to pay around 32k the first year and 25k the second year, so combined tuition is under 60k for two years. There are generous 2nd year funding opportunities serving as research or teaching assistants. For example many IPS students were offered introductory economics TAships which provided a total of 45k in tuition waivers and stipends. Also the program provides summer internship stipends of around 5k and funds a week long global study trip to destination of choice. Overall, the debt most IPS students is very low when compared to the other programs even with aid.

If you have any more questions please feel free to ask me.

[globalsun]

It is small and theory-oriented, I think. Though it is not as famous as other programs like WWS HKS, students in a small-sized class can get more opportunities and attention.

Hi xwt,

I am sorry you got the impression that the program is theory oriented. It is emphatically not. The curriculum is interdisciplinary and practical with emphasis on econometrics. All students partake in a final team based practicum project with real world clients like the World Bank and the Carnegie Endowment, instead of an individual thesis. Many courses are also based in the schools of business, law, and engineering, all top 3 in the world.

[foodlover28]

globalsun,

thanks for all the info!! There's not too much out there on the program, so I truly appreciate all your insights.

Three questions are on my mind right now:

1) do students take internships during their studies or are they more focused on their school work/projects (I get the impression that the program is flexible enough to allow time for internship/work)

2) how are the career services and networking? Do graduates stay in California and work in local organizations or do many end up on the East Coast? Do people gravitate toward public/private sector or is the split pretty much even?

3) if you don't mind sharing, why did you pick IPS? Are there any drawbacks to the program (I only ask because there are lots of pros already )

Thank you again so much!

Hi xwt,

I am sorry you got the impression that the program is theory oriented. It is emphatically not. The curriculum is interdisciplinary and practical with emphasis on econometrics. All students partake in a final team based practicum project with real world clients like the World Bank and the Carnegie Endowment, instead of an individual thesis. Many courses are also based in the schools of business, law, and engineering, all top 3 in the world.

[globalsun]

globalsun,

thanks for all the info!! There's not too much out there on the program, so I truly appreciate all your insights.

Three questions are on my mind right now:

1) do students take internships during their studies or are they more focused on their school work/projects (I get the impression that the program is flexible enough to allow time for internship/work)

2) how are the career services and networking? Do graduates stay in California and work in local organizations or do many end up on the East Coast? Do people gravitate toward public/private sector or is the split pretty much even?

3) if you don't mind sharing, why did you pick IPS? Are there any drawbacks to the program (I only ask because there are lots of pros already )

Thank you again so much!

Hey foodlover28,

I would love to answer your questions:

1) Quiet a few IPS students do internships, though its recommended to do start in the second year when one has finished the core quant courses and can take on a reduced unit load. There are many campus related research opportunities.

2) A large portion of last year's class ended up working in DC or went back to work for their prospective governments. Those that remain in California mainly work for the vibrant startup scene we have in the Silicon Valley. Career services are covered by three routes: the IPS Career Services, Stanford's Alumni Center, and the Career Development Office.

3) I picked IPS over the IR programs in the East Coast like SAIS, SIPA, Fletcher because of the stronger quantitative focus and the more innovative, interdisciplinary coursework. It really combines the best qualities of IR and Public Policy programs into one. A drawback (or positive) of the program is the size of the student body which is around 20 each year. This means that the IPS community is very tight nit and clique free. IPS students also interact with students from business, law, medicine and engineering on a constant basis, far more so than normal IR programs, which can become echo chambers.

[sincera]

I've been waitlisted by the program... anybody else in the same place?

[foodlover28]

Thank you so much globalsun! I can tell that you're happy with the program and believe that you made the right choice (and I'm glad you did!) I do have some follow up questions, if you don't mind

1) I know there's a practicum course required. What does it involve? I assume it's not an internship but more like a case study? Besides this, are there any other source of real client experience (internship in summer/spring?)

2) It seems like more people end up in the private sector, which makes sense given Stanford's location and entrepreneurial environment. Is it hard to get connected to the research institutions/think tanks given the small class size?

3) how easy/hard is it to get funding as TA? or from other sources?

4) lastly, how are the professor-student relationships? Are professors interested/open to students' research and inquiries?

Thank you sooo much!!!! Lots of kudos to you

Hey foodlover28,

I would love to answer your questions:

1) Quiet a few IPS students do internships, though its recommended to do start in the second year when one has finished the core quant courses and can take on a reduced unit load. There are many campus related research opportunities.

2) A large portion of last year's class ended up working in DC or went back to work for their prospective governments. Those that remain in California mainly work for the vibrant startup scene we have in the Silicon Valley. Career services are covered by three routes: the IPS Career Services, Stanford's Alumni Center, and the Career Development Office.

3) I picked IPS over the IR programs in the East Coast like SAIS, SIPA, Fletcher because of the stronger quantitative focus and the more innovative, interdisciplinary coursework. It really combines the best qualities of IR and Public Policy programs into one. A drawback (or positive) of the program is the size of the student body which is around 20 each year. This means that the IPS community is very tight nit and clique free. IPS students also interact with students from business, law, medicine and engineering on a constant basis, far more so than normal IR programs, which can become echo chambers.

[bblucy]

.... Tuition is also lower than most programs since to meet graduation requirements, you need only to pay around 32k the first year and 25k the second year, so combined tuition is under 60k for two years. There are generous 2nd year funding opportunities serving as research or teaching assistants. For example many IPS students were offered introductory economics TAships which provided a total of 45k in tuition waivers and stipends. Also the program provides summer internship stipends of around 5k and funds a week long global study trip to destination of choice. Overall, the debt most IPS students is very low when compared to the other programs even with aid.

If you have any more questions please feel free to ask me.

It's great to see a current student on here:) I'm curious about your comment on the cost of the program. I did not receive any funding from IPS (and did not get the FLAS I was hoping for) and felt a sinking feeling when I re-checked the average cost of graduate study at Stanford.

The 32k you mention for the first year is a bit lower than the 40k listed in that link--is IPS tuition lower than average at Stanford? Would you say that pretty much all students who seek out aid in their 2nd year are able to receive a decent amount? I know there's probably no firm answer to that question, but I worry about betting on receiving aid in my 2nd year when I still have UG debt to pay off. Also, do you find that living expenses are really around 25k (again, as described in that link)? That seems shockingly high, although I guess it is just an average, and I noticed on the graduate housing page that there were many options offered with lower rent than the 10K the link has listed.

IPS is one of my top choices as I am very interested in its concentration in democracy, development, and rule of law. I initially determined that funding would be my ultimate deciding factor, but I am still waiting to hear back from a few schools funding-wise and am beginning to feel indecisive like many people on this board seem to be:)

[globalsun]

Hey Foodlover28,

1) Practicum is an intensive 6 month group research project that involves working with clients like the Peterson Institute of Economics, World Bank, Carnegie Endowment, and Defense Intelligence Agency. Teams of 4-5 IPS and Stanford MPP students work on the project with the assistance of their Stanford faculty advisors. Students are expected to utilize the quantitative skills they learned in their first year to craft the research paper, policy brief, and client presentations. If the report are of sufficient quality, they can get quiet a bit of national press coverage as did the pension report from last year: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/business/07pension.html

As for internships, IPS provides generous funding for internships over the summer and many students also spend part of the academic year interning, so yes its definitely possible to get real world client experience during your time at Stanford.

2) I would say employment is very evenly split among the multilateral/research sector and private sector firms. Its actually very easy to connect to research institutes on campus and off given the intimate size of the cohort, since we are the only professional policy program in Stanford. Stanford's connection with research centers/ think tanks across the country are very strong. They actively seek Stanford students since they we come in with different perspectives about issues that help balance out entrenched east coast thinking.

3) Its pretty easy to get funding for those who actively seek it. One after all is not competing with hundreds of other IR/policy students.

4) The professor relationships are usually pretty great. People at Freeman Spogli Institute (FSI) and other centers on campus are very open to working with students from IPS. I have had great relationship with Stanford's the engineering departments as I concentrate on energy and environmental issues.

Edited March 23, 2011 by globalsun

[understatement700]

Did all of you recent acceptees to the program have all your prereq courses completed before application or were some of you admitted on the condition that you'd finish them up before the school year starts?

[bblucy]

Did all of you recent acceptees to the program have all your prereq courses completed before application or were some of you admitted on the condition that you'd finish them up before the school year starts?

I have at least 3 of the 4--the only one I'm not sure about is statistics as I don't believe the course I took in college was calculus-based. I'm still waiting for their official notification on whether or not I'll need to take that class.

Did you also apply to the program?

[hippieva]

I have at least 3 of the 4--the only one I'm not sure about is statistics as I don't believe the course I took in college was calculus-based. I'm still waiting for their official notification on whether or not I'll need to take that class.

Did you also apply to the program?

the calculus-based statistics requirement is REALLY WEIRD. where can one even take such a class outside of stanford undergrad? no local schools in my major metropolitan area offer it... (stats alone, yes, calc alone yes, but calc-based stats, no).

Edited March 23, 2011 by hippieva

[understatement700]

I didn't apply for this year but am considering applying for next year. While overall I like the program I find their prereqs a little much but we'll see. Even if I were accepted I'd have to take a few classes before beginning the program.