SAIS

[invictus]

I requested a scanned copy of the letter via email since I'm traveling out of the country.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any funding from SAIS. I can't say I'm too surprised. They did clarify that I was accepted into the IDEV program.

[Cornell07]

No unique assistance, just federal loans.

[IRboundgrad]

I think this is the first acceptance package to be received in the mail. Does that mean mine is waiting for me at home?

Cornell07, did you get into your track?

[therunaround]

They are out...finally! Check your mail. I live in DC so might be an extra day depending on your location.

[xingping]

Howdy! I've got some questions regarding Bologna I just want to put out there, see what your thoughts are.

Are Bologna students at a disadvantage to the DC students with the summer internships? Is it difficult to get one since we're out of the country? And the timing: the Bologna semester ends later. Are some or most of the internships not even possible?

For tuition, the price is not listed per credit. As long as you are full time there seems to be just one price. So does that mean, whether you take 4 classes or 4 +language, it is the same price?

DC students can only do one pre-term, while Bologna students are permitted 2 (one here, one there)? (I think that is the case, just double checking..)

I read somewhere that the pre-term price was $1,000 for a class but if you signed up for 2 classes, there was a special price of $1,500. A pre-term class in Bologna is 700Euros. So if you wanted to do both pre-terms, is it $1,000 + 700Euros, or do you get the special price?

Last one is about the perception of studying in Bologna. In the SAIS community, is it regarded as somewhat of a joke compared to DC? Is the level of education at the Bologna Center a ton better, a little better, the same, ?? compared to DC?

Hopefully I found the right spot to pose the questions. With all the different threads, this forum business can be a bit daunting if you've never posted before!

[IRboundgrad]

Anyone else tried to appeal their rejection from a capped program? They said it couldn't hurt to try, but ... Ouch!

[impatiens]

For people who've gotten their packages, I'm assuming it tells you what stream you go into (and funding if any)?

No package today, which means I will have to wait until Monday to check again because Canada Post doesn't deliver on weekends. This is kind of excruciating although far less so than before.

[impatiens]

Anyone else tried to appeal their rejection from a capped program? They said it couldn't hurt to try, but ... Ouch!

Were you admitted into a different (noncapped) program than the one you picked as your first choice? Bummer that the appeal didn't pan out.

[slothrop99]

For people who've gotten their packages, I'm assuming it tells you what stream you go into (and funding if any)?

No package today, which means I will have to wait until Monday to check again because Canada Post doesn't deliver on weekends. This is kind of excruciating although far less so than before.

Argh. Still no package, and I'm in California. I feel like they notified me via email eons ago...

[jduds]

I'm in the mid-Atlantic (East Coast), and I got my package today. Small envelope with a March 25 postmark date. It included the admissions letter, including a notice of which track I was admitted into. A letter from the track. And financial aid information.

Hope that helps.

[escincau]

Did any of you guys get a call from a professor in your proposed department? If yes, was it a general conversation or are they gonna grill about future plans/classes etc?

[IRboundgrad]

Were you admitted into a different (noncapped) program than the one you picked as your first choice? Bummer that the appeal didn't pan out.

When I say package, it was actually much smaller than the others I have received. It's a letter-sized enveloped stuffed with some program and loan information. The letter told me that I had not been accepted into the I-DEV program but that I was welcome to choose from any non-capped program to concentrate in. Given the ability to switch between non-capped programs at will, I guess they figure there's no point in assigning you to one at this point.

Now, I find myself in a larger conundrum than before. None of the other non-capped concentrations really appeal to me, and International Policy only somewhat. If I go to SIPA, I can be a development student--not having to cede my spots in those classes to students who are, like at SAIS. I don't know if I'm putting too much weight on the name of the elective concentration. After all, one half of the concentration at SAIS is forcibly International Economics.

But, I would hate to spend that much money at any school, regardless of reputation, and not be able to study what it is I want to study. What do you guys think?

[pika2]

IRboundgrad, if I were you, I would choose SIPA since you can concentrate in development there. You're probably not going to enjoy SAIS that much if you can't study what you're interested in, and if you say that none of the other tracks at SAIS really appeal to you, you might find it harder to keep up and stay focused b/c chances are, other people in those tracks will be really passionate about their chosen concentrations. SIPA might be more expensive, but I'm assuming it's not that much more expensive than SAIS. Plus, if you're thinking at all about working outside the US, you will benefit from the Columbia name (I know many Americans roll their eyes at this, but I've learned from working abroad in various countries that the perceived prestige of your school can be really important in determining how far you can go and how people treat you).

A couple of SAIS students told me that International Economics isn't really considered to be a concentration--it's more like a basic requirement that every SAIS student needs to fulfill in order to show that they have the quantitative skills needed/desired for a future job in IR. I'm sure many other IR programs require their students to take econ courses--they just don't give the program a separate title or label it as a "concentration."

I live on the East Coast, and I too received the SAIS package yesterday (Friday). Seriously, if the admissions office hadn't emailed me about my acceptance, I would've thought it was a rejection letter since the envelope's so small. My letter didn't tell me which track I've been accepted to, but the director of the program that I applied to emailed me a few days ago to tell me I'd been accepted into the program of my choice (he tried to call me but for some reason I didn't get the call. My phone's sometimes weird like that.)

Oh, and the email was nice--very nice. So I'm sure the phone calls from the professors are just congratulatory--they're most likely not going to grill you or anything like that.

[pika2]

to IRboundgrad: well, on second thought, if there's a certain region you're interested in for your development studies (say, Africa), then perhaps you could concentrate in something like African Studies at SAIS and take some international development courses on the side? I've heard SAIS has phenomenal regional studies programs (I applied to one of them).

[zourah]

Indeed, the small envelope was disconcerting even AFTER having gotten the acceptance email. No room in Int'l Policy; choose another track (this on top of the conditional "we must see your final Econ transcripts" conditionality is getting to me - so many obstacles! Are you sure you really want me after all?) Also no aid info - I'm guessing something went wrong with the FAFSA and will have to look into that one on Monday. Gah...

[globalsun]

Did anyone else kicked out the International Policy at SAIS get an email regarding the Bologna option? I was told this was the only way I could get into the capped Policy track.

[zourah]

Did anyone else kicked out the International Policy at SAIS get an email regarding the Bologna option? I was told this was the only way I could get into the capped Policy track.

I sure didn't.

[console]

For those of you considering SAIS, I'd like to add a few points to the discussion.

1. SAIS area studies is only strong in *certain* regions. China, Latin America, SE Asia and the Middle East are particularly well developed, while Korea, Japan and Canada seem to be a bit weak. Africa's at a crossroads--great director, small program, limited funding, but growing. Not sure about the other regions, but I think the particulars of SAIS's area studies should be considered, rather than the whole.

2. While you can still take classes offered by other concentrations, you're at a significant disadvantage in certain cases. SAIS goes by a bidding system for oversubscribed classes. You start with 1,000 points and earn 100 each semester. The popular/small classes could be out of your reach if you need to bid significant points more than once. It's rare that you'll need to bid a minimum of 1,000 points to get into a class, but it actually has happened. Blows my mind. Even for the required econ classes you might have to bid 50-100 points to take it with the "good" and/or easy professor. To be fair, most of the classes aren't subject to bidding, but it's something to consider when you're about to commit to a school for two years and possibly a chunk of money. I had no idea about it until orientation. This issue might speak to the person trying to decide between SIPA development v. SAIS not. Since Intl' Policy is out too, SIPA might make more sense unless you're into other concentrations, which doesn't seem to be the case. In my view SIPA and SAIS are peer schools, and in your case SIPA might provide advantages in terms of interests and access to classes. Plus I wouldn't discount the access to the other unbelievable departments/school at Columbia. The B-school, law school, ed school, poli sci, history. Shit, now I'm starting to think I should've went there. Seriously though, SAIS just doesn't have these opportunities, at least not at the same caliber and feasibility. Joint degrees are a whole different animal. But I understand there are other variables in your decision equation. Damn, I'm becoming one of those quant nerds (as opposed to a nerd in general).

3. Is the concentration that important? I've heard mixed opinions on this. Some say employers are gonna look at the degree more than anything else. Others have cited things like the IP concentration being instrumental in working at the Dept of Energy. I'm not sure myself, but it seems that what the SAIS degree adds most is the intl' econ component. It's true that some students just want to get the requirements out of the way, but I'd say more students either value it from day one or see the importance and go beyond the required 6 courses, as evidenced by the good amount of people doing an econ specialization. The SAIS-World Bank connection is well advertised, but outside of that, being quanty is already and increasingly crucial for IR and especially development. That's my sense anyway.

I hope this helps someone somewhere. And I really hope this helps dispel the notion that rankings make a program. Also, generalizations about the entirety of a program, including mine, should be considered with a healthy dose of caution.

I'd be happy to answer any other question you have about SAIS.

Good luck with your decision and enjoy what you've got going on before grad school starts!

[impatiens]

Two questions for you, Console:

1. Are you a current student at SAIS? (It sounded like it from your post, that's all.)

2. Can you elaborate on your descriptions of strong vs. weak, particularly regarding Canadian Studies? I can tell SAIS doesn't have an enormous faculty for Canadian Studies (three profs) and there are fewer classes than in other concentrations, but from my research (mostly googling and the recruitment brochures that I got at an APSIA fair), SAIS is the only viable place to study Canadian Studies in the US (not to knock the University of Alaska in Anchorage but I am not moving to Alaska, and JHU has prestige that few can deny). The other three of "big four" IR schools (Fletcher, SFS, SIPA) don't have Canadian Studies concentrations (I'm not sure about SIPA but there's nothing in their brochure. I am sure Fletcher and SFS do not have Canadian Studies because I visited both in the fall).

Thanks!

[pika2]

Wow, impatiens pretty much read my mind, except in my case it's Korea Studies and not Canadian Studies. I too assume that you're a current SAIS student, console?

Why do you say that SAIS's programs in Korea/Canada/Japan Studies are weak? Weak in what sense? I got the impression from talking with SAIS students that the Korea Studies program there was great (none of them were actual Korea Studies students but either had friends who were or heard rumors about the program). If you mean that the program is relatively new and doesn't have that many professors in it, I think I could handle that b/c it seems to me to be the best IR program for someone wanting to study Korea and US-Korea relations at the master's level. I mean, the other two IR programs I can think of off the top of my head that actually offer Korea Studies (and there are only a handful, I'm sure) are SIPA and UCSD IR/PS. I didn't apply to UCSD b/c I felt it didn't quite match SAIS in terms of reputation and caliber of students/faculty (plus there ain't no way I'm moving all the way over to the West Coast). I applied to SIPA but later withdrew my application because I talked with a few SIPA students who had some complaints about SIPA (e.g., school feels more like a factory b/c of large # of students, little student-professor interaction (both inside and outside of class), no advising/mentoring from professors, etc.). And after reading an online catalog of East Asia courses offered at Columbia/SIPA, I got the impression that most of the classes on Korea (or East Asia in general, for that matter) were those that were offered by other departments w/in Columbia such as law, business, history, etc. and not SIPA, and weren't very IR-related, whereas JHU SAIS's Korea Studies program seems to be much more IR-focused. All that said, I think SIPA is still a great program, but it just seems that SAIS has a stronger (albeit newer) Korea Studies program for those wanting to do IR-related work on Korea.

Plus, SAIS has the US-Korea Institute, which invites prominent guest speakers to give lectures on Korea and carries on a number of research projects on Korea, which students are allowed to assist with. I haven't been able to find a comparable university-affiliated research institute (on Korea) anywhere else in the US.

And yes, I've heard about the bidding system at SAIS, which I find to be really weird (still not sure how it works), but I checked the online course schedule for JHU and most of the classes at SAIS seemed to be open well into the semester, which is why I thought that most students wouldn't have trouble getting into their chosen electives.

A current SAIS student told me that he took some int'l development classes there and said that he was pretty disappointed w/ the quality of the material and teaching. He later switched to Strategic Studies and has been pretty happy and impressed w/ the Strat program. Well, seeing that IDev is a capped program and so many people seem to want to focus on IDev at SAIS, I'm thinking it still has to be a great program and that the student I talked with probably just had some unrealistically high expectations, right? I hope I'm right on this...

One of the reasons I applied to SAIS is b/c it requires students to have a primary concentration in International Economics, and since I'm not a very quant-type person, I thought the only way I would end up taking econ in grad school was if it was actually required and if I knew I was going to be recognized for my efforts (i.e. w/ a clearly labeled concentration in int'l econ). I've heard that econ classes at some other places like KSG and SIPA are more rigorous and more integrated into the curriculum (as in, students are concentrating in econ in practice, if not in name), though I don't know if that's true. Maybe the SAIS students I talked w/ didn't feel int'l econ was really a concentration b/c everyone else at SAIS was also concentrating in it? I don't know.

Anyway, those are just some things about SAIS (and other schools) I've heard so far. I do appreciate comments from other SAIS students who might have different perspectives on the school, since I need as much input and advice as I can get before making my final decision (though it might not make it any easier!)

[escincau]

Console,

I've heard that a majority of second year SAIS MA students receive some funding during the second year. Is this in fact true and if yes, how much is the average award?

In addition, by and large do most SAIS students who enter into the World Bank, OPIC etc. usually have strong finance/consulting/private sector development before having come to SAIS? Also, are the students who are able to obtain jobs in the multilateral organizations usually foreign nationals or are American citizens competitive for jobs there as well?

Also, I'd appreciate any insights you might have concerning SAIS as compared to MSFS if you're familiar with that program.

[decisionsihope]

My family received on Saturday on the west coast the small letter from SAIS. Great to be in the China Studies program but not a single dollar offered in funding. This, I suppose, make it easy to take SAIS off the list. Will hope for assistance from HKS and explore if there is a way Fletcher may be able to provide more.

The best to everyone as they narrow down their choices.

[jpa]

Am I the only one who didn't have my intended concentration mentioned in my letter? I'll just assume I got into Strat Studies? When I mailed in my letter accepting their offer, I just said that I was planning on studying strat studies...uhhh

[zourah]

Am I the only one who didn't have my intended concentration mentioned in my letter? I'll just assume I got into Strat Studies? When I mailed in my letter accepting their offer, I just said that I was planning on studying strat studies...uhhh

They only cap two concentrations. Seeing as they don't limit your choice, I don't know how they could possibly block you from taking it.

[pika2]

Am I the only one who didn't have my intended concentration mentioned in my letter? I'll just assume I got into Strat Studies? When I mailed in my letter accepting their offer, I just said that I was planning on studying strat studies...uhhh

My letter didn't mention my intended concentration (Korea Studies) either, but I got an email from the director of the program who told me I was accepted into the program. I'm guessing perhaps only those who applied to one of the two capped programs were notified in their letters whether or not they were accepted into their program of choice? And as for the rest of us who've been admitted to SAIS, I think we can just assume that we got into our first choice program?