lecorbeau Posted February 21, 2012 Posted February 21, 2012 Hi all, I am an American that applied to IR + IR-related master's programs all overseas (W. Europe). None of my prospective grad schools are in the US. Most of these programs, with the exception of my schools in the UK, are either bilingual or entirely in French/German/etc. I wanted to post and see how many other Americans were applying to schools abroad in these forums and discuss our reasoning, update us on your admissions, etc. My personal rationale is threefold. 1) Money. Many schools abroad are significantly less expensive if not free, despite the higher cost of living in some countries. 2) Language skills. I'd love the opportunity to boost my advanced fluency to professional/graduate-level fluency. 3) No GRE. I know it's silly and a bit of a cop-out, but frankly the GRE takes time and money and it was something for which I had neither the patience nor funds. Furthermore most of my schools are world-class and very well-known (in some cases household names), and I find it hard to believe that, as future diplomats/policy-makers/etc., we are somehow hampering our employment prospects by getting a degree overseas. Looking forward to the discussion.
JAubrey Posted February 21, 2012 Posted February 21, 2012 Full disclosure, I went to graduate school in IR in the UK, where there are a number of excellent university for IR / policy. As to the rest of western Europe, having studied abroad in France and grown up abroad, there are a few schools which will be recognized in the US. However, there is something to be said for the alumni networks of a US master's program. In France, for Americans, it is Sciences-Po (Paris). A great program, very prestigious university (every single Prime Minister and President in the Fifth Republic has studied here. They offer programs all in French, bi-lingual and even an all English MPA. The alumni network is also fairly strong in DC and NYC. ENA is also an excellent option, though not known at all in the 'States and I'd be surprised if any Americans who were not also native speakers, could make it through their selection process. Otherwise, HEI in Switzerland and to a lesser extent, the College of Europe in Belgium are of somewhat similar character. In the UK you have: Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, UCl, KCL, St Andrews and Edinburgh all with excellent IR programs who place their graduates well, though some programs, such as KCL and to a lesser extent St Andrews are more niche in nature. Where are you applying presently? JAubrey 1
lecorbeau Posted February 22, 2012 Author Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) I've applied to Sciences Po Paris, IHEID (Geneva), LSE, UCL, and for good measure will be applying to the Sorbonne in Paris when the application opens up in March. I've also entertained applying to King's ever since I had my first bout of oh-my-god-what-if-I-don't-get-in-anywhere syndrome. Collège d'Europe was on my list for months, but I dropped it when I realized I was not up for just how EU-centric the program was (I know, I know--College of EUROPE--duh!). But still, I am looking for a program more global in orientation. Anxiously awaiting their response! Anyone else on here? Edited February 22, 2012 by lecorbeau
beefmaster Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 I have a place to study at Sciences Po in September...deferred from last year. I have heard some good and bad things about the programme. I am still undecided as to whether I will be taking up my place in September.
MYRNIST Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 I have heard some good and bad things about the programme. Such as?
cresxxl Posted February 23, 2012 Posted February 23, 2012 I got admitted to Sciences Po earlier this month for 2012 Fall admission. The program I applied for is 'international public management', anyone knows more about this program? And it's pretty hard for me to decide whether to join the MPA/IR program offered by Maxwell, Syracuse or this one offered by Sciences Po... :/ any ideas about pro n con s in mind?
beefmaster Posted February 23, 2012 Posted February 23, 2012 Such as? Huge class sizes (some 500+), poor administration, inadequate library facilities, lack of student support etc.
washdc Posted February 23, 2012 Posted February 23, 2012 This is my second Master's (first is in IR here in Wash DC), so I am applying to a random assortment of universities. However I'm applying to the University of Hamburg, program is entirely in English.. I picked up German as my fifth language so I am super uncomfortable with doing a Master's-level education in it. European Studies! Specifically focusing on the EU as a political actor and its relations with international orgs and other states. I agree w/ lecorbeau.. Tuition is SO cheap. I thought about LSE, Imperial College and King's College.. however the cost of living in London is insane. Plus the tuitions are x1.58 (is that the current exchange rate?).
JAubrey Posted February 23, 2012 Posted February 23, 2012 Huge class sizes (some 500+), poor administration, inadequate library facilities, lack of student support etc. Having studied at Sciences-Po previously and having friends who are recent alumni of this specific program, this is patently false. JAubrey 1
beefmaster Posted February 23, 2012 Posted February 23, 2012 Having studied at Sciences-Po previously and having friends who are recent alumni of this specific program, this is patently false. I don't know who you talked to but I am in contact with a CURRENT student on the international security programme. There has been a HUGE influx of new students in the past year and I assure you that it is 100% true. A quote from the CURRENT student. "The PSIA program at Sciences Po is very new for that reason they are not very organized so this can add more frustration. First semester classes are huge I mean 100 + in most classes and the biggest I had was 595 (yes almost 600 students... I never went)" Azrou and JAubrey 1 1
hello.operator Posted February 23, 2012 Posted February 23, 2012 Having studied at Sciences-Po previously and having friends who are recent alumni of this specific program, this is patently false. take what i have to say with a grain of salt as i didn't do a masters at sciences po paris, but i was a year-long exchange student there for the premier cycle in 2007-08. although i can't comment on the masters program, i'm inclined to agree with beefmaster about library inadequacy and poor student support from the administration. the library system at sciences po suffers from a lack of space. the overall collection is modest and spread across multiple buildings. even if you find a book you want, you'll likely have to face long wait-times in the inter-library lending process. the sciences po library and i did not get along, but i'll also admit that i was spoiled by my home university's much vaster store. on the flipside, it's not difficult to get membership at france's ginormous national library. maybe sciences po its grad students differently, but i found myself consistently frustrated with the student services. they've perhaps changed in the past five years, but back then important things like transcripts or comprehensive schedules were not digitized. the server for the course sign-up system crashed more often then not. internal messages about things like class cancellations, classroom changes, etc. were not sent in a timely manner if at all. subsequently seeking help from the staff didn't prove to be much better. a lot of the mandatory administrative tasks like student registration were simple enough (if you were even informed about them!) and i managed to scrape by. but i often felt like i was blindly feeling my way around without clear instructions. maybe i alone was unlucky or just dumb. but i do not have a favorable opinion of the school's administrative services. that said, i really enjoyed my experience at sciences po, for better or worse. i was impressed with the quality of the faculty, program rigor, and international student body. extremely helpful in boosting my french to academic/professional proficiency, too. ultimately, french pedagogy is not my thing. swhy i've applied to schools in the states, despite the much, much higher tuition. beefmaster 1
jflorezi Posted February 23, 2012 Posted February 23, 2012 (edited) Although I'm applying to schools in the US, I once considered applying to the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneve. I eventually decided not to. My perception is that their programs are well regarded/ranked. Any comments on this school? Edited February 23, 2012 by jflorezi
JAubrey Posted February 23, 2012 Posted February 23, 2012 This is my second Master's (first is in IR here in Wash DC), so I am applying to a random assortment of universities. However I'm applying to the University of Hamburg, program is entirely in English.. I picked up German as my fifth language so I am super uncomfortable with doing a Master's-level education in it. European Studies! Specifically focusing on the EU as a political actor and its relations with international orgs and other states. I agree w/ lecorbeau.. Tuition is SO cheap. I thought about LSE, Imperial College and King's College.. however the cost of living in London is insane. Plus the tuitions are x1.58 (is that the current exchange rate?). Given what you want to study, College of Europe, Sciences-Po, HEI, or even Hertie or Freie which are both in Germany, would all be better bets.
JAubrey Posted February 23, 2012 Posted February 23, 2012 I don't know who you talked to but I am in contact with a CURRENT student on the international security programme. There has been a HUGE influx of new students in the past year and I assure you that it is 100% true. A quote from the CURRENT student. "The PSIA program at Sciences Po is very new for that reason they are not very organized so this can add more frustration. First semester classes are huge I mean 100 + in most classes and the biggest I had was 595 (yes almost 600 students... I never went)" I was referring to the flagship MPA, not the nascent PSIA program.
legallyproper Posted February 25, 2012 Posted February 25, 2012 I applied to Central European Union for the MA IR and European Studies and had a chance to have lunch with an alum and past professor of CEU and she taught in the program and it's a really great one year masters if you're interested! I passed through first steps and awaiting next decision sometimes before or on March 20th
DualCitizenIR Posted February 27, 2012 Posted February 27, 2012 Roughly half of my applications are in Europe (5 US, 5 UK, 1 SUI). I am most excited about the possibility of IHEID if I can get fully funded, although it would still be cheaper unfunded including room and board than the one admit I have (Korbel w/18K a year). It seems like a good program that is well regarded in Europe at least, and I got a great vibe of the school from its representative at an APSIA fair I went to. Plus I like the location a lot for experience opportunities available. SOAS is another interesting prospect for Middle Eastern studies. I am not so sure about attending LSE, Oxbridge, or Durham for various reasons like poor fit, a question of reputation vs. quality, and low name recognition, respectively.
n.1991 Posted March 7, 2012 Posted March 7, 2012 I currently hold an offer from IHEID and as far as I have researched, this school has excellent reputation for IR plus the location couldn't be any better. But I'd like to know what people here have to say about it. I too have applied to some US schools,waiting for the results but I already dread the financial part. Will it really be such a big disadvantage to not attend in US and rather study in Europe ?
washdc Posted March 7, 2012 Posted March 7, 2012 Given what you want to study, College of Europe, Sciences-Po, HEI, or even Hertie or Freie which are both in Germany, would all be better bets. Well, the reason I am applying to Hamburg is solely because my boyfriend works in Hamburg as a consultant (following love, this could either be an 'aww' moment or a 'what are you thinking?!' moment, haha)... and so if I go to Europe I want to be with him. I don't really need the prestige as I knocked out my first MA from a top 10 IR program here in the US. But! If I get accepted to Columbia it will be really hard to say no, so I guess I have to wait and see :/
wasistdas Posted March 7, 2012 Posted March 7, 2012 Well, the reason I am applying to Hamburg is solely because my boyfriend works in Hamburg as a consultant (following love, this could either be an 'aww' moment or a 'what are you thinking?!' moment, haha)... and so if I go to Europe I want to be with him. I don't really need the prestige as I knocked out my first MA from a top 10 IR program here in the US. But! If I get accepted to Columbia it will be really hard to say no, so I guess I have to wait and see :/ what is your rationale behind a second masters degree since you already have one from a top 10 program? is columbia another MA or is it a phd?
washdc Posted March 7, 2012 Posted March 7, 2012 what is your rationale behind a second masters degree since you already have one from a top 10 program? is columbia another MA or is it a phd? It's basically free for me (outside scholarship + stipend + books) but I have to use it before I'm 26 or it just disappears.. I still won't have used all the months even after three years of schooling. Since PhDs are generally full funded + stipend I didn't need to use it for that.. which is why I decided against a PhD, plus I would like to work a few years before applying to PhD programs. So this is my IR grad degree, and my second degree is more of a speciality degree. I applied, for instance, to NYU but the program is in Madrid and it's for Spanish Linguistics; so I would solidify my Spanish speaking abilities and learn translation etc. Hamburg, bf lives there.. I would get my German proficiency down pat, since like I said it was one of the last languages I learned a few years ago and I am really rusty. Columbia because I am branching out from being a Latin American specialist to include Europe as well. If I have more than just Latin America under my belt I'll be more competitive for jobs in say, the State Dept.. or really, I will probably be applying in the intelligence field. tl;dr: Free degree, 2nd Master's on my resume for job prospects/Chance to gain better fluency in languages. Does that semi make sense? I get this question a lot.
verdigris Posted March 8, 2012 Posted March 8, 2012 I've recently been accepted to IHEID as well (without funding) yet it is still cheaper than my partially funded offers in the USA. I sometimes question how much of my interest in the program is predicated on wanting to live in Switzerland versus some of the more academic arguments I have seen outlined here. Do you suppose that a European MA would be useful in the event that I want to do a PhD in the USA at a later date? Or would that hurt my chances?
rox87 Posted March 12, 2012 Posted March 12, 2012 Hello! I've received an offer by the Graduate Institute but I'm waiting for the scholarship . I'd like to know if somebody have news about it. (in my status of application is written "waiting list")!! Thanks a lot.
lecorbeau Posted March 13, 2012 Author Posted March 13, 2012 Something I will be sure to tell all future applicants to grad schools overseas is to get used to weeks of restless nights. After all, because of the time difference all the action happens while you're sleeping and at any moment (whether it's midnight or 4 AM) you could get life-altering news in your inbox. I can't tell you how many times in the last few weeks I've involuntarily gotten up around 3 AM only to check my inbox before going back to sleep again DualCitizenIR, Lud and lecorbeau 3
lecorbeau Posted March 17, 2012 Author Posted March 17, 2012 *bump* now that most of the decisions are in, how many of you have decided/are leaning toward programs overseas? Which ones?
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