MSFS applicants report here

[ssslik1]

Who's applied for fall '09? Have you guys received any sort of correspondence from the program or any sort of indication that they have your application? My status checker says "complete" since 11/03 but I haven't heard a peep. I did get a "received" e-mail from the general graduate school department but nothing from SFS.

Does anyone know when we're expected to hear? Acceptances go out as e-mails and rejections/WL are mailed, correct?

Good luck to you all.

[younglions]

I haven't applied yet, but will. I am sure MSFS, like most other programs, will notify you sometimes around the second week of March. It's a long wait, but part of the normal admissions process. I hope they use all that time to make sure the best candidates get in.

Where else are you applying?

[ssslik1]

I didn't apply to any other IR programs. Just couldn't get excited about any other school. The ID concentration is tailored to my interests and the school's small size and hallowed reputation is extremely appealing. What about you, where are you applying? And what concentrations at GU are you interested in?

[younglions]

I'm only applying to 2 straight IR programs: SFS and Fletcher. Although I'm interested in subjects that would generally be classified under the IR-wing (or economics), I sought out a variety of degrees and found that MPP programs quite often have my desired mix between quant and theory. Many even allow you to specialize in development, and from what I can gather, offer a little more financial aid than most IR programs. Unfortunately, it still isn't much. That said, I'm applying to Fletcher, SFS, Chicago Harris, Carnegie Mellon Heinz, Princeton WWS, and Harvard KSG. If I don't get a good chunk of my studies funded, I'm probably not going. (So maybe I won't be going to graduate school next year!) Since I'm interested in a dev career, it's just not feasible to have a large debt load.

If I go to SFS I would concentrate in International Development. I think it's a wise move to apply to just MSFS if it's the only school that strikes your fancy. I'm not convinced these degrees have a huge return on investment, so it's better to be prudent and do something you know you want to be doing.

[ssslik1]

Very true about high debt load and what that means for a dev career. From what I gather, though, the nice thing about the MSFS is that while it certainly opens up doors in development, you're by no means limited to those positions. Not sure if private firms will continue to recruit at SFS in this economy, but in the past graduates were hired by lots of places that paid fairly well. So yeah, while immediate entry in a dev position may be difficult with a high debt load, you can certainly aggressively pay it off for a couple years and then segue your way into the kind of work that you want to do. Maybe load up on quant courses while still specializing in ID.

From the theory vs quant angle, though, MPP programs are probably the better bet.

Anyway--to answer my own thread, got an e-mail today from the program inviting me to an online chat. I guess this confirms that they have my application.