Fletcher vs. SIPA vs. SFS - need help badly!

[soaps]

Fletcher isn't budging on the scholarship offer and is implying that second year funding opportunities and its loan assistance repayment program after graduation may make up for some of the funding shortfall from my first year. I am somewhat sad given all the love I have tried to show them.

 

You're getting 28k from SIPA without even considering second-year fellowships, right? The average fellowship the second-year is between 15k-20k. SIPA also has a loan forgiveness program if you're going into public service.

 

I think most SIPA students start taking 5 courses after their first semester anyway. If you aren't working, I don't think it's that big a deal. 3.4 is also a minimum threshold... once you reach it, everyone gets the same consideration for fellowships. It has more to do with your relationship with departments/professors.

Edited April 19, 2013 by soaps

[CreamTea]

Guys crazy stuff is happening. I excluded Georgetown from consideration and was deciding between SIPA and Fletcher (leaning toward Fletcher) when I got an email from SIPA sweeting the total funding for the first year to $28,500. As far as I can tell, this is a crazily high amount of funding for this program and along with being offered admission to IFP, it seems like I would be a fool if I gave this up - unless Fletcher matched or exceeded which I have asked them to do (although they have told me repeatedly that there is no more money for me). 

I will be honest: My key problem with SIPA is the language issue and this is why up until now I was seemingly trying to find a way to exclude it.  I seriously doubt that I will be able to get started on Turkish there - you can only get credit for languages at intermediate and above. And although it is theoretically possible to audit beginning languages, their intensity seems incompatible with the rigors of the MIA program.  Has anyone had any experience with this? 

I feel that grad school is one of my last chances to learn a new language because there are all these scholarships like Boren and the critical language scholarship that fund these endeavors (but they generally want people who already have some language experience) so I really fear that I am giving up this dream by going to SIPA. At the same time, the offer is almost too good to be true. 

If anyone could assuage my fears, it would make the decision a lot easier. I am still tempted to take Fletcher just because it is a lot easier to get credit for beginning languages.

 

Do you mind if I ask how you got SIPA to sweeten the offer? Did they do it so close to the deadline to get you to go on their own or did you ask them to match funding at SFS?

 

I don't know if it helps but i am in the same boat as you. I plan to start learning Spanish from scratch but the situation does not bother me at all. I kind of agree with soaps, I don't see what the concern is with taking a 5th course if you don't have to work. Also, if you audit the class (is that possible?) and don't do so well in it because the workload is too heavy (I don't think it will be), then at least it won't count towards your GPA. 

 

Why don't you call one of the profs and see if it can work with the Turkish classes? They might be able to assuage your concerns

[DaniCM]

Well, now Supbla I'm in your exact same shoes. SIPA offered me $15K for the first year (nothing for the second but I feel it's very likely I'll get at least $20K), so their offer is now competitive with Fletcher's ($19K/year). Since Fletcher offered funding both years, and their tuition and cost of living is cheaper, that's still clearly the cheaper option. But SIPA was my dream school when I began the application process. However, over the last few months they've kind of underwhelmed me in terms of communications. My interaction with the financial aid/admissions office seems to mirror and confirm the general negative reputation purported on Grad Cafe. At the same time, I have no desire to live in Medford, MA, and I didn't seem to connect with the Fletcher admitted students on a personal/social level. 

 

What did you end up deciding to do?

[trinidader]

These schools all draw from basically the same pool of people, so do you really think you'd connect more with SIPA folks?

[DaniCM]

These schools all draw from basically the same pool of people, so do you really think you'd connect more with SIPA folks?

 

I don't know. It's hard to say since I wasn't able to attend the open house. That's a good point. I do think, though, that a particular type of person is drawn to living in NYC. It's a much faster pace of life and much more exciting/crazy city. So I think the people it attracts are the kind that would thrive in that environment. But, clearly, that's an assumption I'm making. I will say, though, from all the random SIPA stuff I've reviewed, the social aspect is really emphasized, to the point I kind of thought SIPA students might party too much. One of the alumni even said the social scene is on par (in terms of being a draw/benefit of SIPA) as the acadmics...which I thought was weird. I want to have fun, but SIPA might actually go too far in the opposite direction of my perceived boringness of Medford, MA.

[JFactor]

I will say, though, from all the random SIPA stuff I've reviewed, the social aspect is really emphasized, to the point I kind of thought SIPA students might party too much. One of the alumni even said the social scene is on par (in terms of being a draw/benefit of SIPA) as the acadmics...which I thought was weird. I want to have fun, but SIPA might actually go too far in the opposite direction of my perceived boringness of Medford, MA.

 

I think they might be doing that because they know it's an advantage they have over all the other top IR programs including the DC schools and Fletcher. So because they know that's something that the other schools can't offer, they want to emphasize their relative strength in that area. And this might lead to them being a little too vocal about it which might come across as weird. I haven't visited SIPA so this is all just speculation, but open houses and online chats etc. are basically just marketing tools and the schools will always try to find a hook with which to reel you in. At SAIS it was the "DC experience" and the alumni network (bringing in Wolf Blitzer) and also to a degree the Bologna "party scene". They did this because these are their relative strengths (no other school can offer a year in Europe, and the location/alumni combo is only matched by GTown etc.). So I believe they're just emphasizing the one thing they believe makes them unique; all the top schools can boast about awesome academics and faculty, so they need to find something else to differentiate themselves. At SIPA, the NYC experience offers the perfect answer.

Edited April 23, 2013 by JFactor

[DaniCM]

I think they might be doing that because they know it's an advantage they have over all the other top IR programs including the DC schools and Fletcher. So because they know that's something that the other schools can't offer, they want to emphasize their relative strength in that area. And this might lead to them being a little too vocal about it which might come across as weird. I haven't visited SIPA so this is all just speculation, but open houses and online chats etc. are basically just marketing tools and the schools will always try to find a hook with which to reel you in. At SAIS it was the "DC experience" and the alumni network (bringing in Wolf Blitzer) and also to a degree the Bologna "party scene". They did this because these are their relative strengths (no other school can offer a year in Europe, and the location/alumni combo is only matched by GTown etc.). So I believe they're just emphasizing the one thing they believe makes them unique; all the top schools can boast about awesome academics and faculty, so they need to find something else to differentiate themselves. At SIPA, the NYC experience offers the perfect answer.

 

Excellent point. I think I heard "diversity", "flexibility", and "community" about a hundred times at Fletcher.

 

I wasn't necessarily putting SIPA's emphasis on the social scene in the negative, but I was confused by it. In the end, I think I shouldn't overthink it, as that is a huge draw for me to SIPA, as I'm sure it is for most students. They were just trying to play up their strength in that market.

 

(also, that's awesome SAIS brought in Wolf. I heard he makes appearances like that on the regular...he loves SAIS! and I LOVE him. It'd be awesome to meet him and hear him speak! It makes me wish I would have attended the open house!)

[lobsterphone]

Hmmmm although I can't speak to the party scene at SIPA, I didn't perceive it as a huge emphasis of the students--if anything, I've heard more from current students about staying in the international affairs building til midnight, spending 12-15 hours on econ homework per week, and attending as many speaker events as you can.  NYC offers functional alcoholics a great haven, but it also just as highly values intellectual exploration.  In general, yes, there's probably way more to do in NYC and you can be out every night til 4 am if you want; and sure, maybe when you first move here you'll go a little bit nuts; and no, you probably can't find that many things to do in Medford; but at the end of the day if you want to hole up and study you'll likely find just as welcome of an environment in local libraries, coffee shops, and on campus.  Just my two cents.

[JFactor]

Excellent point. I think I heard "diversity", "flexibility", and "community" about a hundred times at Fletcher.

 

I wasn't necessarily putting SIPA's emphasis on the social scene in the negative, but I was confused by it. In the end, I think I shouldn't overthink it, as that is a huge draw for me to SIPA, as I'm sure it is for most students. They were just trying to play up their strength in that market.

 

(also, that's awesome SAIS brought in Wolf. I heard he makes appearances like that on the regular...he loves SAIS! and I LOVE him. It'd be awesome to meet him and hear him speak! It makes me wish I would have attended the open house!)

 

Yeah I think SIPA's social scene is definitely a pro for you. Lobsterphone is right in that no matter where we go, we will spend a lot of time at the library hah.

 

When they brought in Blitzer it was so funny; the lady who was speaking got a note and she read it, kind of a like a President getting an extremely important note in the middle of the speech. And then she was like "I need to stop for a moment because we have a very important guest here" etc. And everyone started turning around and Blitzer walks up to the podium from the back of the room. I just found it so dramatic that it was funny. Also, I'm not a huge fan of what Blitzer does on CNN but I think that's just because of the restrictions CNN has in place (always emphasize Twitter and social media, repeat the same talking points every three minutes so new viewers know what's going on because they have to be treated like idiots etc.). I thought he came across as pretty intelligent and I think he could be a much better journalist if CNN gave him more free rein.

 

Anyway, yeah it sucks you couldn't attend the SAIS open house but since they didn't give you any money your decision was pretty easy (like mine with Fletcher who only gave me $5k).

Edited April 23, 2013 by JFactor

[trinidader]

I thought he came across as pretty intelligent and I think he could be a much better journalist if CNN gave him more free rein.

 

 

[JFactor]

 

I know...I'm just saying he probably has a worse reputation than what he actually deserves, but he might be a complete tool, who knows. I had seen the video as well (and his CNN exploits) before seeing him speak and he beat my expectations, but I guess that wasn't that hard to do.

[supbla20]

I ended up going with Fletcher. In the end, there was just too much about SIPA that bugged me. Maybe it was a huge mistake, I don't know. I know my mom is upset that I am no longer going to be an Ivy Leaguer. Oh well.

Edited April 24, 2013 by supbla20

[123seekay123]

I ended up going with Fletcher. In the end, there was just too much about SIPA that bugged me. Maybe it was a huge mistake, I don't know. I know my mom is upset that I am no longer going to be an Ivy Leaguer. Oh well.

Don't look back! Fletcher is a great school and I think  a lot of these schools are similar! As for the Ivy League thing, who cares.

[DaniCM]

I ended up going with Fletcher. In the end, there was just too much about SIPA that bugged me. Maybe it was a huge mistake, I don't know. I know my mom is upset that I am no longer going to be an Ivy Leaguer. Oh well.

 

Congrats! It must be great to make a decision. And Fletcher is a top tier program. Your parents and friends may not know much about it, but those in your profesional field will, and that's what matters!

[rhodeislander]

When they brought in Blitzer it was so funny; the lady who was speaking got a note and she read it, kind of a like a President getting an extremely important note in the middle of the speech. And then she was like "I need to stop for a moment because we have a very important guest here" etc. And everyone started turning around and Blitzer walks up to the podium from the back of the room. I just found it so dramatic that it was funny. Also, I'm not a huge fan of what Blitzer does on CNN but I think that's just because of the restrictions CNN has in place (always emphasize Twitter and social media, repeat the same talking points every three minutes so new viewers know what's going on because they have to be treated like idiots etc.). I thought he came across as pretty intelligent and I think he could be a much better journalist if CNN gave him more free rein.

 

Haha, this actually describes the general over the top theatrics of the scene perfectly. Funny, while searching old SAIS posts on this site I came across a thread from 2009 describing another "surprise" visit from Mr. Blitzer

I also have a much more favorable impression of him after his talk; he came off as intelligent and thoughtful, awkward jokes about his beeper aside.