k_angie Posted January 25, 2014 Author Share Posted January 25, 2014 Well hello fellow Indian As for your whole low GPA thing, I am sure your work ex should make up for it. Though if you have justified the reasons for it being low in the first place, I think that's excellent. Though I hope it was a. Proper explanation and not an excuse. Anyway your background sounds wonderful and I really think you have a good shot at IHEID. Anyway good luck with not only IHEID but other schools too. & welcome abroad on the thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchyna Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 Welcome Bonafide! I second angie's opinion, the adcoms are looking for diversity of experiences and academic backgrounds to make up the incoming class. However they usually do have a GPA cutoff point but seems like you've done so much since your undergraduate days that it's hard to overlook just because of a lower GPA. You seem to know exactly what field you want to focus on and you've been working towards that goal for a while now. Sounds to me like you have a good shot! May I ask what programs you've applied to at SOAS and Sciences Po? Development related as well? In any case I'm sure you'll be fine as long as you've laid down your case in your statement without overlooking your undergraduate performance and explained how you've grown and how much more focused you are. Besides you've taken steps to take classes to make up for it shows how commited and pro-active you are. I think you'll be just fine! Good luck and please don't hesitate to participate on this thread and share with the rest of us :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonafide Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 Aww! Thanks for such a warm welcome you two! Well here's the thing, I did not quite explain why I got a low GPA it was a bit hard to smack the 800 word limit with it. Instead I chose to talk about what I have done professionally, my current undertaking and what motivates me to take this course. Oh boy! I guess there are never any right answers but I've made it personal and I hope it works. Anyway thanks for your feedback, I have only applied to one university so far so time to ship - shape the rest of them. Luckily Sciences Po is a 1000 words. And I don't know if SOAS has a limit but I was told a page and a half is a good measure. Alchyna, I am applying for a Masters in International Development at Sciences Po and an MSc in Development Studies at SOAS. Have the two if you considered University of Amsterdam? Hey Angel, since you've got into Sciences Po, did you know Indian citizens who hold a Masters/ Phd from France now get a five year business/tourist visa as of 14 July 2013. http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/now-fiveyear-visas-available-for-students/article4918369.ece Its probably not as important as getting in but quite reassuring that you're not left out in the cold after a one year Masters in terms of internships/work experience. One of the reasons why I am gunning for IHEID is because one year as prescribed by most other universities is quite intense and insufficient in terms of time to settle in and learn about a whole new area, write a thesis and do an internship at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arbitist Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 Hello everyone! I've applied to most of the programs that you all have, plus a few schools in the US for public policy. I am still considering Sciences Po. There is no deadline for it, right? Approximately how long did they take to reply? I'm juggling work and the whole application process and it's driving me a little mad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k_angie Posted January 26, 2014 Author Share Posted January 26, 2014 (edited) Aww! Thanks for such a warm welcome you two! Well here's the thing, I did not quite explain why I got a low GPA it was a bit hard to smack the 800 word limit with it. Instead I chose to talk about what I have done professionally, my current undertaking and what motivates me to take this course. Oh boy! I guess there are never any right answers but I've made it personal and I hope it works. Anyway thanks for your feedback, I have only applied to one university so far so time to ship - shape the rest of them. Luckily Sciences Po is a 1000 words. And I don't know if SOAS has a limit but I was told a page and a half is a good measure. Alchyna, I am applying for a Masters in International Development at Sciences Po and an MSc in Development Studies at SOAS. Have the two if you considered University of Amsterdam? Hey Angel, since you've got into Sciences Po, did you know Indian citizens who hold a Masters/ Phd from France now get a five year business/tourist visa as of 14 July 2013. http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/now-fiveyear-visas-available-for-students/article4918369.ece Its probably not as important as getting in but quite reassuring that you're not left out in the cold after a one year Masters in terms of internships/work experience. One of the reasons why I am gunning for IHEID is because one year as prescribed by most other universities is quite intense and insufficient in terms of time to settle in and learn about a whole new area, write a thesis and do an internship at the same time. Okay well so you have applied for more or less same courses as me at ScPo, SOAS and IHEID. Anyway nope. I didn't consider univeristy of Amerstadam. Didn't even know about it. Care to mention something on it? Anyway as for the whole visa thing, I don't know people who have completed their masters yet but people who are currently pursuing it. Though I visited the French embassy in India and they assured me that France offers a 5 yeas visa which you mention and that employment opportunities are amazing. So well, I am hoping I can work for an international organization after my masters. Even I am all for the two year courses rather than the one year and specifically for more or less same reasons you mentioned. Though for me, funding would be the only criteria to go to. Be it ScPo or IHEID or SOAS. So I am hoping for the best and preparing myself for the worst. :/ Edited January 26, 2014 by k_angie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k_angie Posted January 26, 2014 Author Share Posted January 26, 2014 Hello everyone! I've applied to most of the programs that you all have, plus a few schools in the US for public policy. I am still considering Sciences Po. There is no deadline for it, right? Approximately how long did they take to reply? I'm juggling work and the whole application process and it's driving me a little mad! Hi arbitist! Good to see you here. The deadline for ScPo is 3rd April. Though I would recommend you apply soon. I applied in November by 14th and got my result on 17th Dec. So well roughly like a month. However I have heard that they take more than 2 months to get back if you apply by say Feb end of March. One of my friends applied in March and got her results in June. So she was in a deep trouble with the visa and accommodation and funding opportunities. So well I would say apply ASAP. Apart from that good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arbitist Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 Thank you Angie. You seem to have done everything in time! i wish i' been so organised. You got through IDS also right? When did you apply? I applied in mid Jan.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k_angie Posted January 26, 2014 Author Share Posted January 26, 2014 Yes i got through IDS. I applied by mid November! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katrun Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 In regards to low GPA for Sciences Po, i would definitely explain it in your personal statement. I have a friend who was just rejected from Science Po purely on a low GPA. He didn't explain it in his personal statement and I would hate that to happen to you. Although he did not have near the same work experience as you do. So maybe it balances out. Best of luck!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheikogin Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Hi All!! I am so glad I came across this thread..although after searching for months for discussion on Europe/UK DS programmes..nonetheless I'm glad I finally did.. So to give a quick brief I come from a finance background (academics) but have around 3 years of work ex in various development / public sector organisations (microfinance company, rural livelihoods project, NGO working in urban sanitation)..over the past two years I've been working as a public sector consultant in the energy space. I was initially keen on pursuing a MPA rather than a MA in DS since I didnt have the necessary econ / social science background and thought the MPA would seem more practical for me..but somehow I was keen on studying development challenges in greater depth rather than a comparatively generic MPA and decided to go ahead with the masters in development studies. Coming to the point I'd really like to get some feedback on IDS Sussex from you guys who defnitely know more about the DS programmes I'm kinda keen on IDS as compared to LSE due to its research and practical standing..SOAS would be a good option but I dont have a bachelors in social science which is clearly mentioned as an eligibility criteria for their programme.. Good luck to all of you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k_angie Posted January 28, 2014 Author Share Posted January 28, 2014 Hi All!! I am so glad I came across this thread..although after searching for months for discussion on Europe/UK DS programmes..nonetheless I'm glad I finally did.. So to give a quick brief I come from a finance background (academics) but have around 3 years of work ex in various development / public sector organisations (microfinance company, rural livelihoods project, NGO working in urban sanitation)..over the past two years I've been working as a public sector consultant in the energy space. I was initially keen on pursuing a MPA rather than a MA in DS since I didnt have the necessary econ / social science background and thought the MPA would seem more practical for me..but somehow I was keen on studying development challenges in greater depth rather than a comparatively generic MPA and decided to go ahead with the masters in development studies. Coming to the point I'd really like to get some feedback on IDS Sussex from you guys who defnitely know more about the DS programmes I'm kinda keen on IDS as compared to LSE due to its research and practical standing..SOAS would be a good option but I dont have a bachelors in social science which is clearly mentioned as an eligibility criteria for their programme.. Good luck to all of you! Hi Cheikogin Welcome to the thread. So well I had applied to both IDS and SOAS and have been accepted for their masters programmes. If I was to choose within the two, I would definitely go for the latter. This does not mean that IDS at Sussex is bad or something but due to my own personal reasons. First, given that SOAS specialises in specific regions and my future goals are in line with it. Secondly the placement options at SOAS are much wider than that present at IDS and finally because even though both programmes are renowed, I love the electives offered at SOAS. I am sure you will have some of your own personal reasons to join these institutes. As for LSE, I have been in touch with some people working with international organizations as well as my seniors, none of whom mentioned lse as an option to apply too. Apart from that, their degree is a lil academically oriented while I prefer a practical career oriented one! Anyway good luck to you! Btw if I may ask are you focusing on any other schools apart from these 3 in UK? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheikogin Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 hey angie! so glad to see your reply ..Congratulations on your offers!! Well up till now I've only applied at IDS for the MA in Globalisation and Development..I got their offer letter recently..Though I was planning to apply to SOAS / Sciences Po, I'm still figuring out whether I should..If I do decide to stick with IDS it would really save the application time which I can use for applying for scholarships..Handling applications with a job is tough! really appreciate your inputs..placements is also something I was skeptical about at IDS since there's no information available on it!..My basic reason for selecting the MA in Development over the MPA was that I could be closer to the issues I'm passionate about and I wanted to be in a place where I could learn about various challenges even though I may be studying only one..in that sense I feel IDS has a good mix of focus streams in their masters as well as research teams.. I read in the previous posts that most of the people have IHEID on top of their list..Unfortunately I hadn't heard of it (I came to know of IDS also pretty late)..My work circle has few people from MPP / MPA streams and hence my poor knowledge of development masters.. Do keep sharing.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k_angie Posted January 28, 2014 Author Share Posted January 28, 2014 (edited) hey angie! so glad to see your reply ..Congratulations on your offers!! Well up till now I've only applied at IDS for the MA in Globalisation and Development..I got their offer letter recently..Though I was planning to apply to SOAS / Sciences Po, I'm still figuring out whether I should..If I do decide to stick with IDS it would really save the application time which I can use for applying for scholarships..Handling applications with a job is tough! really appreciate your inputs..placements is also something I was skeptical about at IDS since there's no information available on it!..My basic reason for selecting the MA in Development over the MPA was that I could be closer to the issues I'm passionate about and I wanted to be in a place where I could learn about various challenges even though I may be studying only one..in that sense I feel IDS has a good mix of focus streams in their masters as well as research teams.. I read in the previous posts that most of the people have IHEID on top of their list..Unfortunately I hadn't heard of it (I came to know of IDS also pretty late)..My work circle has few people from MPP / MPA streams and hence my poor knowledge of development masters.. Do keep sharing.. I would certainly urge you to apply to SOAS as well ScPo. Both are really great schools esp for development. Even better than IDS. If not better then certainly more renowed. Though it's up to you cuz for me the end game is funding as well as the course structure. Apart from that, did you look into the US universities too? Anyway yes IHEID is like big attractive school here. Actually my top choices are IHEID, ScPo and SOAS. Btw what field of development are you keen in getting into? Plus where in India are you from? Edited January 28, 2014 by k_angie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchyna Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 hey angie! so glad to see your reply ..Congratulations on your offers!! Well up till now I've only applied at IDS for the MA in Globalisation and Development..I got their offer letter recently..Though I was planning to apply to SOAS / Sciences Po, I'm still figuring out whether I should..If I do decide to stick with IDS it would really save the application time which I can use for applying for scholarships..Handling applications with a job is tough! really appreciate your inputs..placements is also something I was skeptical about at IDS since there's no information available on it!..My basic reason for selecting the MA in Development over the MPA was that I could be closer to the issues I'm passionate about and I wanted to be in a place where I could learn about various challenges even though I may be studying only one..in that sense I feel IDS has a good mix of focus streams in their masters as well as research teams.. I read in the previous posts that most of the people have IHEID on top of their list..Unfortunately I hadn't heard of it (I came to know of IDS also pretty late)..My work circle has few people from MPP / MPA streams and hence my poor knowledge of development masters.. Do keep sharing.. Welcome to the board! I agree with a lot of what Angie said except for the LSE bit (my top choices are IHEID, Sciences Po and LSE). SOAS is a good school for development but I'm not so convinced of the ranking and job placements nowadays. LSE has a wider reach and connections, granted the Dev course electives at SOAS do look good. Did you consider doing a MPA with a Development focus? I think this would be good for you because you already have years of dev working experience you might not find a basic academic oriented curriculum challenging. And you come from a finance quantitative background so an MPA or a Development management degree sounds like the right thing for your profile. LSE has an MPA in International Development you should take a look at I almost applied to it but went with Development Management instead. And Sciences Po has a Development Practice 1 yr program I was admitted into for students with a few years of working experience. As you see there are many options! It's a bit too late to apply to US degrees unless you have already taken your GRE but there are also many US Development focused programs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mych Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Hi folks! Thanks for the 16 pages of useful information, and congratulations those of you who've already been accepted at your other choices! It's certainly comforting knowing that others are in the same boat - I applied for MDEV at IHEID as well, but with the January 15th deadline. Other choices are Uni v Amsterdam, Uni Oslo, Uni St Gallen and Sciences Po. If anyone has any questions regarding Switzerland in general I'd be happy to help as best I can. Though I'm not in the French part I've been here for nearly 3 years now, and may be able to answer a question or three anyway. Also, has anyone heard anything of the Development Studies at Wageningen University in the Netherlands? I stumbled across it on the web, and while the university seems relatively acclaimed overall there's scarce mention of their Development Studies program specifically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mych Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Ah. I should mention: I have no experience with visas, so I'm afraid that's an area in which I'm of little use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchyna Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Ah. I should mention: I have no experience with visas, so I'm afraid that's an area in which I'm of little use. Welcome mych! Thanks for specifying because that is exactly what I was going to ask you about! Foreign students status in Switzerland and how easy or hard it is to rent a place or find part time employment as an international! I have never heard of Wageningen University and I can't really comment on any Dutch program or the Uni of Oslo. The only ones you mentioned and that I have looked into are St Gallen and Sciences Po. i ruled out St Gallen quickly because of the german language learning requirement and Sciences Po is at the top of my list. Can you tell me if you like living in Switzerland? Is it easy to adapt? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheikogin Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Hi Alchyna! Thanks for the inputs and yes I did look at a lot (I mean a lot) of the US schools and also the LSE MPA ID..As I said earlier I did go through a phase (of almost two years) of selecting between MPA and MA and although I was initially all set for an MPA, I wasn't too sure. When I came across IDS, as I mentioned, I really liked the research focus and felt that they truly questioned development issues in a way that I wanted to..Given that the professors as well as some students come with a lot of academic and practical development experience (which is the most important thing I feel) I finally decided to let go of the MPA. I know this must seem crazy to you guys but I didn't want to make a decision based on rankings / placements. Additionally I've always been in a highly stressed academic and work environment and I just wanted to be a little away from the rat race like situation, in applications as well as in studies..It's strange how development has also become a highly competitive field these days @Angie - I'm from Pune and well I have don't a very rigid focus on a specific sector though I am more interested in urban development and natural resource allocation issues (specifically how they are impacted by growth in energy use and consumption). I'm still figuring out if I want to keep a finance or policy focus in my roles..a mix of the two would be awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arbitist Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Hi Alchyna! Thanks for the inputs and yes I did look at a lot (I mean a lot) of the US schools and also the LSE MPA ID..As I said earlier I did go through a phase (of almost two years) of selecting between MPA and MA and although I was initially all set for an MPA, I wasn't too sure. When I came across IDS, as I mentioned, I really liked the research focus and felt that they truly questioned development issues in a way that I wanted to..Given that the professors as well as some students come with a lot of academic and practical development experience (which is the most important thing I feel) I finally decided to let go of the MPA. I know this must seem crazy to you guys but I didn't want to make a decision based on rankings / placements. Additionally I've always been in a highly stressed academic and work environment and I just wanted to be a little away from the rat race like situation, in applications as well as in studies..It's strange how development has also become a highly competitive field these days @Angie - I'm from Pune and well I have don't a very rigid focus on a specific sector though I am more interested in urban development and natural resource allocation issues (specifically how they are impacted by growth in energy use and consumption). I'm still figuring out if I want to keep a finance or policy focus in my roles..a mix of the two would be awesome! Hey Cheikogin, Congratulations on being accepted at IDS. I applied in mid Jan, and waiting to hear from them! When had you applied? I have spoken to a lot of people about ids and soas as well, and what i've gathered is that SOAS has more of an international reputation, and people will know about it wherever you go. IDS is sort of following SOAS' example in terms of teaching methods and the way they question ideas of development, and it's turning out to be a much better school than SOAS. Also soas used to be a place for really passionate people and now it's sort of full of rich brats who think poverty/ development is a "hot topic". But having said that, i'm sure there are those kinds everywhere, and it depends on you to make use of the institute. Going by the syllabus and course structure, SOAS also seems a lot more generalised. For example, measurement of poverty and the reach of social schemes is a very important issue right now, especially in developing countries, and atleast at the Masters level. SOAS doesn't seem to address that. I have a background in economics, and while i don't want get into core econ, i would like to have that as a base for any Masters i take up. Does that make sense? But IDS is fairly new, so it doesn't have any funds at all, incase you want to pursue a PhD there later. one of my best friends went to IDS last year, and while she really enjoyed it she said their reach is kind of limited right now. Agree with angie about placements at SOAS. This friend of mine happened to find a position with the Columbia Global Centre in Mumbai on a job portal, and she seemed to think IDS profs are eager to help, but don't have great resources to help you find jobs at the end of the Masters. Also, I'm from Pune as well. Where do you work? I know of Prayas that does the kind of work you mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheikogin Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 (edited) Hey Arbitist!! Thanks and good to know that you're from Pune!. I applied in December end, they usually take around 4-5 weeks to confirm..Well I work with PwC (in a team called GRID) right now. I was based out of Mumbai but recently shifted back to Pune..Are you working as well? You raised some really important points with respect to IDS..I'm trying to get touch with a fellow student as well to get some more recent updates..had come across this thread and thought you guys would definitely have some information and views on IDS, so joined in. I think it makes sense to use your econ background while not getting burdened with it..in a sense that you don't necessarily have to pursue pure econ if you would like to study development..which courses are you applying for? Edited January 29, 2014 by cheikogin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arbitist Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Yes, i'm a journalist, and i work in Pune. If you have any specific questions on IDS, let me know. I'll pass them on to my friend. And the reason i mentioned my econ background was that i think Dev studies is typically meant to introduce you to basic economics which Soas doesn't do. I might be wrong though. It is also for these reasons that i've applied to MPP courses in the US, LSE MPA-ID and MDEv in IHEID. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k_angie Posted January 29, 2014 Author Share Posted January 29, 2014 Hi Alchyna! Thanks for the inputs and yes I did look at a lot (I mean a lot) of the US schools and also the LSE MPA ID..As I said earlier I did go through a phase (of almost two years) of selecting between MPA and MA and although I was initially all set for an MPA, I wasn't too sure. When I came across IDS, as I mentioned, I really liked the research focus and felt that they truly questioned development issues in a way that I wanted to..Given that the professors as well as some students come with a lot of academic and practical development experience (which is the most important thing I feel) I finally decided to let go of the MPA. I know this must seem crazy to you guys but I didn't want to make a decision based on rankings / placements. Additionally I've always been in a highly stressed academic and work environment and I just wanted to be a little away from the rat race like situation, in applications as well as in studies..It's strange how development has also become a highly competitive field these days @Angie - I'm from Pune and well I have don't a very rigid focus on a specific sector though I am more interested in urban development and natural resource allocation issues (specifically how they are impacted by growth in energy use and consumption). I'm still figuring out if I want to keep a finance or policy focus in my roles..a mix of the two would be awesome! Did you look into Mphil at Oxford? I dont know exactly if you are research oriented or more for hands on job prospects but anyway, check the programme out. Also there are many universities that offer just master in urban development and policy. Esp in USA as well some European countries. Anyway as for the whole IDS v/s SOAS v/s LSE, I think one has to talk to people from there and then make up their mind. I mean the whole choosing of the institute depends on ones future goals as well interests. So I hope you go through every institutes curriculum and course structure and then decide! Also one more thing, if you want to get in touch with fellow students, I suggest you check the institutes facebook groups! They have been immensely helpful to me. Hope they can help you out too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mych Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Welcome mych! Thanks for specifying because that is exactly what I was going to ask you about! Foreign students status in Switzerland and how easy or hard it is to rent a place or find part time employment as an international! I have never heard of Wageningen University and I can't really comment on any Dutch program or the Uni of Oslo. The only ones you mentioned and that I have looked into are St Gallen and Sciences Po. i ruled out St Gallen quickly because of the german language learning requirement and Sciences Po is at the top of my list. Can you tell me if you like living in Switzerland? Is it easy to adapt? Hi alchyna, thanks for the warm welcome! It struck me after my first post that most people are probably most concerned about visa issues, so I figured I’d best preempt it with that disclaimer. J I apologise for the length of the following. Re. your questions: Living in Switzerland In a word: great. It’s certainly a higher standard of living than I’ve experienced anywhere else (with corresponding prices). Plenty of nature and fresh air, a continuous array of events, concerts, carnivals and festivals, and – most of all – fantastically located for exploring the continent. I quite like the fact that even the cities retain their traditional appearances in contrast to the congregation of glassy skyscrapers that characterise many other major cities. The opening hours of shops took some getting used to though. Shops generally close at 6pm on weekdays, 4pm on Fridays and all day Sundays, with slight variations depending on where in the country you are. True to stereotype, everything if highly organised and runs extremely efficiently – I’ve genuinely heard train drivers apologising for 2 minute delays. Adapting I had little trouble adapting to Switzerland (with the exception of the aforementioned shop hours), though given that I do speak the local German dialect my experience could well be skewed. Other international friends also claim to have found it easy to acclimatise here. Language is not necessarily an issue – many foreigners I’ve met don’t speak any of the local languages, and get around fine purely with English. Having said that, the locals do appreciate it when foreigners put in the effort to at least try, and many from the older generations are unable to converse in English. It can also be rather challenging to break into a local’s inner circle. In my experience the Swiss are rather guarded and more difficult to get to know than, say, Brits or the Dutch. Most are certainly friendly and helpful, but getting to know a Swiss person on a deeper level does seem to take more time. This, of course, is a generalisation based on my experience, and may not ring true everywhere. In terms of shopping, most major international brands are available here, along with many local or regional ones. Grocery shopping is where a local language comes in extra handy; most products only carry details in German, French and Italian. Accommodation There is unfortunately a hierarchy when it comes to renting. It isn’t too different from most other countries though. Owners tend to prefer local applicants, followed by foreign professionals from reputable companies and so on. The chances for foreigners depend largely on the type of visa they have (short term vs long term), where they are from (while not true of all places, discrimination does play a role), what company/university they’re working/studying at, and so on. The longer the validity of your visa and the more stable and trusted your company is, the better your chances. Geneva is known to have some of the highest rents in the country, due largely to the high demand and low supply of available accommodation. Switzerland also uses this odd system in which there are two “official moving dates” each year – 1 April and 1 October. Because of this system there’s usually a larger selection of places for rent available in the run up to these dates as compared to “unofficial” periods. I favour this site for vacancy listings: http://en.comparis.ch/immobilien/listgeo/show?mode=1. The following article also contains links to several other property sites: http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/specials/switzerland_how_to/daily_life/Living.html?cid=29177976 (side note: www.swissinfo.ch is useful for updates on life in Switzerland, and www.englishforum.ch is a great resource for pretty much anything that an expat might need to know about moving to/living in Switzerland) Employment I have no experience with part-time employment here either. The usual student jobs exist (Starbucks, supermarkets etc), but it is extremely difficult to find part-time work if one doesn’t speak the local language, especially in a customer-facing role. You mentioned earlier in the thread that you’re fluent in French, so this shouldn’t be an issue in your case. From what I’ve read IHEID also assists students with finding part-time work, so that’s the route I’m planning to take. I reckon there’s a better chance of obtaining part-time work relevant to the programme in this way. tl; dr Switzerland is great, as expensive and organised as people say, and accommodation and employment can be difficult to obtain. www.englishforum.ch is a fantastic resource. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k_angie Posted January 29, 2014 Author Share Posted January 29, 2014 (edited) Hi Mych, That is very informative and uselful. Though only if IHEID accepts us. In any case, thanks Edited January 29, 2014 by k_angie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchyna Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Hello Mych Wow thank you so much for the wealth of info you just took the time to type! That is extremely useful to all of us IHEID hopefulls! I do hope we actually get to use it lol It will take time for me to get used to shop hours because in the US everything is always opened but I suspected that it was like in France so no surprise there. Same with renting apartments and thanks for the links! I'm glad to know you actually like living there and that there are tons of things to do. I always hear that Geneva is super expensive and kind of slow compared to cities like London or Paris. At this point I don't even know if I have a preference anymore I've turned possible outcomes in my head so many times. I will go wherever I am lucky enough to get a scholarship, as they say beggars can't be choosers! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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