SIPA

[soaps]

I'm seriously having an issue deciding where to go since I would much rather work in the private sector and I am not sure which program gives me a leg up in that area. I'm thinking that SIPA's location in NY would help with that, but I'm not sure. Anyone care to chip in on this?

 

I think you're right about SIPA and NYC. I don't believe anyone who says SAIS has a huge Wall Street footprint, for example... no one I know who works at the big finance firms has even heard of SAIS. Then again, I'm sure SIPA doesn't have a huge footprint there either. Being in NYC, though, you encounter opportunities you never would have expected. As someone with just a BA, I almost took an investor relations position at a top hedge fund known to seek out smart people with non-linear backgrounds. I didn't need a SIPA degree for that, though--I just needed to be in NYC. I'm also a writer and find my connections here incredibly valuable, and the cultural/creative energies here are inspiring. In short, I think the opportunities here are tremendous for self-starter types. I hated DC because the city judges you purely on your institutional affiliations and pedigree and is a farce when it comes to genuine cultural/artistic interest.

Anyway, I might be trying to convince myself to go to SIPA with all this as well, but NYC is the biggest factor for me.

 

Edited March 19, 2013 by soapwater

[ohcoture]

I think it depends what you want to do. I don't have the luxury of choosing between HKS and SIPA, but $20,000 over two years isn't insignificant. I think, between all the top programs, the benefits of one school over the other (within public service) are pretty marginal. Is that marginal difference worth $20,000 for Harvard? Maybe if you want to broaden your career prospects, as HKS has better private sector placement. HKS definitely has the better brand name of the two, but (as others have pointed out) SIPA seems to be devoting more resources to the school in recent years including a new loan forgiveness program. Harvard's program isn't actually loan forgiveness. SIPA also has a combo of tuition assistance/stipend/salary for TAships compared with Harvard giving TAs a basic wage. 

 

Also, if each city factors into your consideration, I think New York offers a lot more for the money than Boston. $10,000 almost pays your rent in NYC for a year (if you're living in Harlem, at least).

 

Are any of these degrees with the money? That's a harder question. Good luck deciding!

thanks, appreciate the advice!

[traumerei]

UGH I just want to get this over with. I'm tired of waiting. 

[CreamTea]

Hi all,

 

Wanted to ask for people's opinions since I've realized how little I know about grad school since joining these forums...

 

Would you do HKS MPP for 40k/yr or SIPA MPA for 30k/yr? Neither worth the money?

 

Greatly appreciate any input.

Ignoring the fact that you got an offer from Heller, I would go with HKS MPP for 40K. No question about it

[Goose1459]

I'm sure he'd tell us the MBA students are far more beautiful than the SIPA students--there's not even a comparison! On top of that, SIPA students are routinely excluded from the far swankier MBA parties. 

 

Well I saw with my own eyes MBA students paying their tuition with gold bullion. Take that as you will.

 

But Columbia Business School isn't even top 3 so I wouldn't even consider it to have the most beautiful people or most socially exclusive parties that one could find...

Edited March 19, 2013 by Goose1459

[CreamTea]

I got in with $20K fellowship  . I got the news past 6pm New York time (what is going on?) 

 

I am still waiting on International Fellows. For SIPA, acceptance to a special (i.e. smaller) program is important to me because I don't want to get lost in the sea of students. It's a major factor in my decision making process.

 

Has anyone heard back on the International Fellows Program?

[gatsby8724]

Congratulations ASEANdumpling!

 

Yes, acceptance to IFP was part of my decision letter.

[newdisplayname]

Ignoring the fact that you got an offer from Heller, I would go with HKS MPP for 40K. No question about it

This is a bit off topic but I don´t understand the meaning of your comment. Are you saying Heller is better than HKS or SIPA for an MPP? Also, to what program where you admitted at SIPA?

[CreamTea]

This is a bit off topic but I don´t understand the meaning of your comment. Are you saying Heller is better than HKS or SIPA for an MPP? Also, to what program where you admitted at SIPA?

Oh, I'm not saying anything about Heller. I'm just saying that I am not factoring it into my comment since the post was just about HKS or SIPA.

 

MIA

[CreamTea]

Oh, bummed to know I did not get into IFP  

 

I wonder if there is a waitlist for it. If someone declines to attend, is there hope I can take their slot? 

 

Oh, I just saw that you applied for MPA. Should I go hold onto to tiny hope that they have not decided MIA IFP yet?

 

Are you going to accept gatsby8724?

[Goose1459]

Oh, bummed to know I did not get into IFP

 

I wonder if there is a waitlist for it. If someone declines to attend, is there hope I can take their slot? 

 

Oh, I just saw that you applied for MPA. Should I go hold onto to tiny hope that they have not decided MIA IFP yet?

 

Are you going to accept gatsby8724?

 

You can always apply during your first year at SIPA. I think it is only a one year program. What is the financial assistance like for IFP?

Edited March 19, 2013 by Goose1459

[1belle]

Admitted for the MPA program! Still in utter shock, especially since I was well-aware of the staggered release of decisions!! Congrats to other admits and good luck!

[CreamTea]

You can always apply during your first year at SIPA. I think it is only a one year program. What is the financial assistance like for IFP?

I think it is only $3K but I want to do the dual degree program so will probably spend only a year at SIPA. I really hope I can take someone else's slot. 

[CreamTea]

Admitted for the MPA program! Still in utter shock, especially since I was well-aware of the staggered release of decisions!! Congrats to other admits and good luck!

1belle, I am from the Philippines too! I work in Beijing now. Send me a private message so we can connect

[Pinkman]

Congrats to everyone with the good news! The wait continues for me

[soaps]

I've been researching SIPA more the last couple days, and I think these forums really give SIPA a bum rap it doesn't deserve. I was thoroughly convinced I wouldn't go to the point where I didn't even bother applying for fellowships, but I'm finding that even in terms of financial aid, SIPA is more generous than people here make it out to be. I think 2009-2010 were bad years for employment statistics, but the closest schools in terms of quality (GTown, SAIS) either don't publish complete employment data or fare worse in terms of salaries, or their employment data is incredibly vague (Fletcher). GTown SFS doesn't give average salaries, which is rather telling.

Anyway, I think employment prospects in 2011-12 were vastly improved at SIPA. A SIPA MPA student can expect to earn more than either SAIS or Fletcher grads (again, no info. from GTown). The average MIA salary is also higher than SAIS for the private sector (although SIPA doesn't parse out "multilateral" from its public sector statistics). And SIPA is the only school to publish specific employment data (organization plus title/position) out of the four. SIPA is also the most competitive out of Fletcher/SAIS for both the MPA and MIA according to Peterson's despite having the largest class. 

Even though Columbia's career services are notoriously bad, the other resources at SIPA and the quality of faculty are pretty enormous (in fact, there's little to distinguish it from HKS in that regard). And speaking from experience, the route between the UN, CFR, and SIPA is a well-traveled path for visiting leaders/scholars. They aren't visiting Tufts.

 

Anyway, I'm pretty pissed I didn't bother applying for fellowships just based on a woefully inaccurate impression these forums have given me over the years. Its financial aid is better than HKS, its employment data is better than SAIS, Fletcher, and maybe GTown, and its resources are both vast and unique compared to other schools. 

In short, don't trust the self-serving, self-perpetuating impressions you get on TheGradCafe. It's remarkable how much these forums can distort reality. Several years ago SIPA was my dream school because I loved NYC so much, and then coming to TheGradCafe altered that impression to where I almost didn't apply to SIPA (I did the 2/5 deadline this year). Now I can say confidently that, in a variety of ways, people here often don't know what the hell they're talking about.

Edited March 19, 2013 by soapwater

[biscuits]

I've been researching SIPA more the last couple days, and I think these forums really give SIPA a bum rap it doesn't deserve. I was thoroughly convinced I wouldn't go to the point where I didn't even bother applying for fellowships, but I'm finding that even in terms of financial aid, SIPA is more generous than people here make it out to be. I think 2009-2011 was a bad year for employment statistics, but the closest schools in terms of quality (GTown, SAIS) either don't publish complete employment data or fare worse in terms of salaries, or their employment data is incredibly vague (Fletcher). GTown doesn't give average salaries, which is rather telling.

Anyway, I think employment prospects in 2011-12 were vastly improved at SIPA. A SIPA MPA student can expect to earn more than either SAIS or Fletcher grads (again, no info. from GTown). The average MIA salary is also higher than SAIS for the private sector (although SIPA doesn't parse out "multilateral" from its public sector statistics). And SIPA is the only school to publish specific employment data (organization plus title/position) out of the four. SIPA is also the most competitive for both the MPA and MIA according to Peterson's despite having the largest class. 

Even though Columbia's career services are notoriously bad, the other resources at SIPA and the quality of faculty are pretty enormous (in fact, there's little to distinguish it from HKS in that regard). And speaking from experience, the route between the UN, CFR, and SIPA is a well-traveled path for visiting leaders/scholars. They aren't visiting Tufts.

 

Anyway, I'm pretty pissed I didn't bother applying for fellowships just based on a woefully inaccurate impression these forums have given me over the years. Its financial aid is better than HKS, its employment data is better than SAIS, Fletcher, and probably GTown, and its resources are both vast and unique compared to other schools. 

In short, don't trust the self-serving, self-perpetuating impressions you get on TheGradCafe. It's remarkable how much these forums can distort reality.

 

Perhaps you should have done this research before deciding not to apply to fellowships? I enjoy reading our (sometimes shrill) discussions as much as anyone, but I wouldn't base major decisions on the word of internet strangers. 

[intlrlns]

Perhaps you should have done this research before deciding not to apply to fellowships? I enjoy reading our (sometimes shrill) discussions as much as anyone, but I wouldn't base major decisions on the word of internet strangers. 

I was an avid gradcafe reader and based on past discussions on student profiles I felt utterly dejected about my chances at the schools I've applied to. One meltdown(by looking at past profiles) and a tough application process later I'm going to end up at HKS after assessing all my choices. I think seeking advice is helpful on this forum or through personal contacts but in the end we need to own our decisions based on personal conviction as well..

[soaps]

Perhaps you should have done this research before deciding not to apply to fellowships? I enjoy reading our (sometimes shrill) discussions as much as anyone, but I wouldn't base major decisions on the word of internet strangers. 

 

I think that goes without saying, but like I said, these forums often distort reality and manipulate your emotions and motivations. I had done that research the first year I considered applying and developed a great impression of SIPA, but like everyone here, we want a more subjective/anecdotal impression of these schools. It's only in the last several months I've realized how little those impressions matter.

[Denisse]

Regarding not applying to fellowships, I unfortunately didn't apply to any of the essay ones, short of applying to IFP. I regret that decision but honestly I didn't have the time. Aside from applying to grad schools, I am a teacher and work ridiculously long hours. So I would say one thing that I am (maybe wishfully counting on) when I attend SIPA is applying to those fellowships for the 2nd year. While SIPA is a big financial committment, I think getting some sort of funding in the 2nd year if you put in the work to your grades + actually apply to all fellowships is almost a guarantee and will offset your debt in a big way.

 

So basically soapwater don't give up. If you decide to attend SIPA, I think there is still an opportunity to really make it work financially with the 2nd year offsetting the first. At the end of the day, I remember what a college advisor told me (and I think this would apply to more to grad school). The money's secondary. Eventually, one way or another, it will get paid, you will make it work and the loans would get paid. I've seen people make such a big deal about how they would never get into debt for a grad school, but honestly, I come from a low-income family and I'm a first generation American. Education is really the only way I'm going to continue to push myself further, so I think taking on the debt is worth it in the long run as it really is the only way I can get to where I want to be.

 

(I also don't know your personal situation, how much you would have to take out, etc. I've been working for three years as a teacher, and I have managed to save enough + will most definitely work throughout grad school - I'm used to taking 5 classes, having a work study position, and an unpaid internship during my undergrad career- in order to cover my living expenses so I don't have to take out that money in my first year).

 

All I'm saying is don't give up! I almost started to think I wouldn't accept SIPA either, but it really does have an amazing program that you can really tailor to your interests! If you decide to go to SIPA, or want to discuss it more, you can always PM me. I will be there Fall 2013!

[rz922]

Im in at SIPA as well as Columbia Journalism school. Going to be a tougher choice than I thought...deciding between joint Journalism/SIPA program and MSFS--attracted to the program size and where I can work at number of DC publications. As a political journalist, I expect to be in DC at some point, and have no connections there right now. I agree as well that SIPA gets an unnecessarily bad rap on here. I'm from NYC and I don't mind the "no hand holding" of career services, etc. but I also went to a huge university for undergrad, and the small size of MSFS seems appealing.  

[JFactor]

I've been researching SIPA more the last couple days, and I think these forums really give SIPA a bum rap it doesn't deserve. I was thoroughly convinced I wouldn't go to the point where I didn't even bother applying for fellowships, but I'm finding that even in terms of financial aid, SIPA is more generous than people here make it out to be. I think 2009-2010 were bad years for employment statistics, but the closest schools in terms of quality (GTown, SAIS) either don't publish complete employment data or fare worse in terms of salaries, or their employment data is incredibly vague (Fletcher). GTown SFS doesn't give average salaries, which is rather telling.

Anyway, I think employment prospects in 2011-12 were vastly improved at SIPA. A SIPA MPA student can expect to earn more than either SAIS or Fletcher grads (again, no info. from GTown). The average MIA salary is also higher than SAIS for the private sector (although SIPA doesn't parse out "multilateral" from its public sector statistics). And SIPA is the only school to publish specific employment data (organization plus title/position) out of the four. SIPA is also the most competitive out of Fletcher/SAIS for both the MPA and MIA according to Peterson's despite having the largest class. 

Even though Columbia's career services are notoriously bad, the other resources at SIPA and the quality of faculty are pretty enormous (in fact, there's little to distinguish it from HKS in that regard). And speaking from experience, the route between the UN, CFR, and SIPA is a well-traveled path for visiting leaders/scholars. They aren't visiting Tufts.

 

Anyway, I'm pretty pissed I didn't bother applying for fellowships just based on a woefully inaccurate impression these forums have given me over the years. Its financial aid is better than HKS, its employment data is better than SAIS, Fletcher, and probably GTown, and its resources are both vast and unique compared to other schools. 

In short, don't trust the self-serving, self-perpetuating impressions you get on TheGradCafe. It's remarkable how much these forums can distort reality. Several years ago SIPA was my dream school because I loved NYC so much, and then coming to TheGradCafe altered that impression to where I almost didn't apply to SIPA (I did the 2/5 deadline this year). Now I can say confidently that, in a variety of ways, people here often don't know what the hell they're talking about.

 

Well put. SIPA was also one of my top schools when I was applying and I was very surprised about the negative impressions here. But when I went beyond gradcafe it was clear that SIPA is very competitive in terms of career/earning potential, academics, and even financial aid with other top IR programs.  I got waitlisted at SIPA so it doesn't matter to me personally anymore, but it's a good point you're making. It's true that even though this forum can be very useful, it often offers only one point of view that is obviously skewed based on the interests and impressions of people who post here. That's just life. Good luck with SIPA, hopefully you'll figure things out.

[Kadisha]

Just to update on decisions here especially for those of you in the military. I've been emailing back and forth with the VA rep at Columbia to figure out how much my GI Bill benefits would cover along with the YRP. I'm still having a hard time believing this is true, but around $38,000 per academic year is covered at SIPA. I was on the fence between going there and GU, but this just made making up my mind a whole lot easier. 

[Rugger]

Kadisha: That is accurate. SIPA also has about 12 slots for the YRP. I have not had a chance to talk to them to see just how close they get to that max number, but you can get the basics here: https://www.gibill.va.gov/benefits/post_911_gibill/yellow_ribbon_program.html (and here you can scroll down to Columbia and SIPA specifically: https://www.gibill.va.gov/gi_bill_info/ch33/yrp/2012/states/ny.htm)

Edit: The latest data is for the 2012-2013 academic year... I don't know how things may or may not change for 2013-2014.

Edited March 19, 2013 by Rugger

[Kadisha]

Kadisha: That is accurate.  SIPA also has about 12 slots for the YRP.  I have not had a chance to talk to them to see just how close they get to that max number, but you can get the basics here: https://www.gibill.va.gov/benefits/post_911_gibill/yellow_ribbon_program.html  (and here you can scroll down to Columbia and SIPA specifically: https://www.gibill.va.gov/gi_bill_info/ch33/yrp/2012/states/ny.htm)

 

I'm assuming that there isn't much competition for those 12 slots. The reason I'm saying that is because they make you place a deposit on the 1st of May and you're not able to apply until the May-June time frame. It's kind of messed up if they reject you in that case. Thanks for the links.

Edited March 19, 2013 by Kadisha