alchyna Posted January 29, 2014 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! Ha ha ha it's not crazy at all to not make a decision based on rankings but I'm being pragmatic here rankings and by extension job placement do come into consideration for most of us. It is hard to ignore! Investing 2 years of your life and possibly taking on debt to move half way across the world is a big commitment. I surely wouldn't do it if I didn't think it would benefit my career goals even if I liked the curriculum. But we are all different. Now if I had endless funding then sure that would be an entirely different matter! I'd pick what I like to study regardless of other factors, unfortunately few students have that luxury. If you really want to dive into development issues then I guess IHEID and IDS have the right programs or maybe a research track like Angie mentioned. You should then stay away from more professional degrees like the one from Sciences Po because I contacted a PSIA student who told me that most courses don't really dive into topics. Courses are pretty general unless you decide to write a thesis on a specific topic. And you are right development is becoming quite competitive this surprised me. Not that I expected the process to be a breeze but I didn't realize competition would be so intense for so few spots. So much so that IHEID had to defer many of us to second round!
Katrun Posted January 29, 2014 Posted January 29, 2014 Hello friends! I was accepted to Sciences Po MA international development today! Now just waiting to hear from my US schools. I didn't apply to Geneva, but I lived in Lausanne (45 mins from Geneva) and visited quite often, I attended the University of Lausanne last year, so if anyone has any Switzerland related questions I am happy to answer them.
Katrun Posted January 29, 2014 Posted January 29, 2014 (edited) About living in Switzerland: Part time employment also depends on your visa. If you have a Schengen Visa or are Australian, you are allowed to work a certain number of hours a week. For Americans it is more difficult. Also banking for Americans is difficult in that you can only bank at certain banks because of the prior US/Switzerland financial scandal of hiding funds in Switzerland. I banked at Post Finance while I was there and did not have a problem. Assimilation is easy especially in Geneva and Lausanne because they are so international and it is easy to get involved in the international community. As mentioned above finding a close group of Swiss friends will be challenging. The Swiss are the most hospitable people in the world but very skeptical of foreigners and the level of skepticism is unfortunately determined by what country you are from. The younger generations are much easier to get to know, but it does require effort and do not expect to be invited into their home for the first year you know them. I would just say it requires persistence. The Swiss are incredibly sporty and if you are athletic or like outdoor sports then Switzerland is incredible for it. I ran the Geneva marathon last May and it was one of the most beautiful courses I have ever ran. Yes it is incredibly expensive, I mean beyond incredibly expensive. You will learn which grocery stores are cheapest and the outdoor markets are amazing for local fresh produce (knowing the language there definitely helps). Also if you speak French and learned it in France, beware that Swiss French is a bit different and they have a lot of different expressions and the numbering system for 70-100 is different. It is helpful to look these up before you go. There are ways to make things cheaper for students. Half-fare cards for the train and free trains after 7pm cards are available for purchase and are definitely worth the investment. Also some university sports centers sell discounted ski lift tickets. Edited January 29, 2014 by Katrun
alchyna Posted January 29, 2014 Posted January 29, 2014 Congrats on your admission at Sciences Po! That's great news :-) What U.S schools did you apply to? And would you consider actually attending Sciences Po? So far it's where I'm going... pending scholarship decisions and admission decisions from IHEID. It's great to have different posters familiar with Switzerland posting feedback and useful info. For instance I didn't know about the banking limitations. I do know the Belgians and Swiss say numbers differently which sounds incredibly odd to me as a France French speaker lol it's another thing to get used to. My main concern is the cost of living and eating in these European cities. I know you are not applying there but last week IHEID sent us a housing application email and the cheapest accommodation available was around 750 CHF a month for a private room with a shared bathroom if I remember correctly. And I thought to myself after converting in dollars... oh my is this supposed to be affordable student housing?! Which city with big universities do you guys think is the most budget friendly to students?
cheikogin Posted January 30, 2014 Posted January 30, 2014 Ha ha ha it's not crazy at all to not make a decision based on rankings but I'm being pragmatic here rankings and by extension job placement do come into consideration for most of us. It is hard to ignore! Investing 2 years of your life and possibly taking on debt to move half way across the world is a big commitment. I surely wouldn't do it if I didn't think it would benefit my career goals even if I liked the curriculum. But we are all different. Now if I had endless funding then sure that would be an entirely different matter! I'd pick what I like to study regardless of other factors, unfortunately few students have that luxury. If you really want to dive into development issues then I guess IHEID and IDS have the right programs or maybe a research track like Angie mentioned. You should then stay away from more professional degrees like the one from Sciences Po because I contacted a PSIA student who told me that most courses don't really dive into topics. Courses are pretty general unless you decide to write a thesis on a specific topic. And you are right development is becoming quite competitive this surprised me. Not that I expected the process to be a breeze but I didn't realize competition would be so intense for so few spots. So much so that IHEID had to defer many of us to second round! Hi again! I completely agree with what you said about being pragmatic and no I don't have endless funding that's the reason I joined this post to get some more information on IDS. I was curious if the school was not good / sub standard (specifically in teaching) and that was the reason why it was not among the top choice for many in this post..Nonetheless I'm grateful for all the honest feedback and I agree IHEID does seem like an awesome place, especially considering the tuition fees and being based in Geneva! Wish you the best for IHEID! I cant imagine how hard it is to wait three months for a decision..I was loosing my head in one month!
cheikogin Posted January 30, 2014 Posted January 30, 2014 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! Hi Angie! You do ask many soul searching questions . Well as I said I'm not sure of the exact role that I want in the future but I do want to keep my options open..As for the urban development masters, I again don't want to specialize at this point..Once I start studying on the issues I'm gonna try and get more focused. Thanks for the facebook tip although I have already been stalking few people and groups on it
cheikogin Posted January 30, 2014 Posted January 30, 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. Thanks for the offer arbitist and good luck for the results!!
k_angie Posted January 30, 2014 Author Posted January 30, 2014 Hello friends! I was accepted to Sciences Po MA international development today! Now just waiting to hear from my US schools. I didn't apply to Geneva, but I lived in Lausanne (45 mins from Geneva) and visited quite often, I attended the University of Lausanne last year, so if anyone has any Switzerland related questions I am happy to answer them. Congratulations Also thanks for the info on Swiss. You mentioned how it was difficult for Americans to open bank accounts and easier for Australians. Do other foreign nationals have it easy or rough? I am an Indian who will be going abroad for the first time hence a lil wary of everything. Any additional info about anything is appreciated. Or maybe once there is a definite answer from IHEID will all this help more. In any case, thank you
Curious_Grad Posted January 30, 2014 Posted January 30, 2014 I just checked my application status, it says UNDER CONSIDERATION.. Do you guys have any idea how long does it take to go through a application and give out the decision ?
arbitist Posted January 30, 2014 Posted January 30, 2014 Thanks for the offer arbitist and good luck for the results!! Good luck to you too!
k_angie Posted January 30, 2014 Author Posted January 30, 2014 I just checked my application status, it says UNDER CONSIDERATION.. Do you guys have any idea how long does it take to go through a application and give out the decision ? Is this for IHEID? If yes, then they won't get back before March to you. For ScPo, it takes usually 40 days!
k_angie Posted January 30, 2014 Author Posted January 30, 2014 Hi Angie! You do ask many soul searching questions . Well as I said I'm not sure of the exact role that I want in the future but I do want to keep my options open..As for the urban development masters, I again don't want to specialize at this point..Once I start studying on the issues I'm gonna try and get more focused. Thanks for the facebook tip although I have already been stalking few people and groups on it Soul Searching? Haha, nice way to put it. Oh that way IHEID programme was really good, you know with In depth knowledge of various issues regarding development, but you missed the deadline. Anyway, I am sure you will be fine with the other programmes as well. Hope that Facebook thing works out for you. Really helped me.
Katrun Posted January 30, 2014 Posted January 30, 2014 I don't know specifically for Indian nationals in Switzerland, but there were definitely loads of Indian students in my apartment complex so clearly they didn't have it too bad. In regards to rent, I lived in student accommodations it was a private room and bath with a shared kitchen and living room between 25 people. It is microscopic, but fun. Probably not where I would want to live for more than a year though. We paid between 575-630chf a month. It is definitely incredible expensive housing-wise, but I know Paris can be crazy expensive in regards to rent. The difference being that there are more choices in Paris. I applied to 8 US schools all in DC and Boston except for Harvard and Yale (I only applied because a professor asked me too, I do not think that I actually have a reasonable shot so I kind of forget that I applied there). I would love to go to Sciences Po but as of now Johns Hopkins SAIS in Bologna, Italy is my first choice. Bologna, Italy would definitely be much cheaper than Paris or Geneva, but then you have to consider the massive tuition to go to SAIS compared to Sciences Po. I am about to move to Haiti for five months and I will have to make all these decisions from there. I have lived in Paris before and spent a lot of vacations in Italy so I have a good grasps of living in those two places, not sure what will end up being the deciding factor. Most likely it will be tuition fees and how the program fits with my goals.
Curious_Grad Posted January 30, 2014 Posted January 30, 2014 Is this for IHEID? If yes, then they won't get back before March to you. For ScPo, it takes usually 40 days! Thank you so much Angie...As of now, i got into NYU Wagner school...Waiting for IHEID, Sciences Po, Kennedy School...
alchyna Posted January 30, 2014 Posted January 30, 2014 Congrats on NYU Curious_Grad! That's great and what is your top choice? Katrun, I think all the cities I picked are crazy expensive to live in regardless so now that admissions are coming in and this whole grad school thing is becoming real I'm now getting increasingly worried about cost of living more so than admission to the rest of the schools I applied to. The D.C/NY//Boston area is where you want to be to study International Affairs in the US but the first thing I looked at was tuition costs and that alone scared the heck out of me! lol I head great things about Bologna! Is that the program where you do one year in Bologna and one year at Johns Hopkins? Or will you be studying in Bologna the whole time? Haiti that sounds exciting! You are quite an accomplished traveler, what are you going to be doing there? Dev work I suppose?
Curious_Grad Posted January 30, 2014 Posted January 30, 2014 No problem Congrats for NYU :)Thank you Angie.. NYU is out of the EQUATION as of now..i dont think I want to move to NYC..I rather take year off and re-apply to IHEID
Katrun Posted January 30, 2014 Posted January 30, 2014 Congratulations on NYU! I decided not to apply there solely cause I didn't want to live in NYC. Don't freak out too much about cost of living. The connections you will get from being in one of those cities will totally be worth it. Someone said to me it cost the same everywhere to live like an American, except for maybe Switzerland where it costs a bit more haha. The point being that if that's where you want to be you can make it work, just have to cut out the things that you might have splurged on in the US. When I lived in Switzerland for the year I ate out three times. I became a great cook though! There are trade offs. I didn't go get my haircut at a salon. You learn to adapt and it is fine. The big costs will be housing but I honestly dont think it is that much more than Boston/D.C etc.
alchyna Posted January 30, 2014 Posted January 30, 2014 Yes you are right! It doesn't help that I am a worrywart! Since I'm pretty much done worrying about getting rejected everywhere (thank god that has not happened) I have found a new thing to worry about, ie cost of living!
Katrun Posted January 30, 2014 Posted January 30, 2014 What is behind your decision to go to Sciences Po, unless you get in to Geneva that is?
alchyna Posted January 31, 2014 Posted January 31, 2014 Well Sciences Po makes sense for me because of the way we can personalize the curriculum. I want to become a practictioner and Dev Practice is totally focused on the professional side of the dev field. Students get to work on real case studies alongside project managers from big French economic development agencies. That's really attractive to me because I want to acquire real skills not just learn theories in a classroom. Not to mention the program is 12 months instead of2 years. The program looks super intense but I would be done faster and ready to jump back into the job market. On a more personal level Paris is already familiar to me and I have family in France so it would also make my life a bit easier. However I do slightly favor Geneva because of its location, and the opportunities to work for big agencies there but also because IHEID seems at least to me a bit more laid back in its curriculum. I will actually have time to absorb what I'm learning and not feel huge amount of pressure like at Sciences Po. The institute is so specialized that they are better equiped to place their graduates in positions in the big agencies/ngo in the Geneva bubble and beyond. While Sciences Po offers tons of programs and PSIA is not their sole focus. I actually read on a French site that PSIA masters have lower job placements than their other programs but that it was also probably due to the fact that it is fairly new.
mickun88 Posted February 1, 2014 Posted February 1, 2014 Good to see people back to the forum. It is always good to have different people here to share insights and opinion. My very first offer has come at last. MPP of Hertie School of Governance. Financial aid pending. Btw, the germans are very efficient. I got this offer within 7 working days. (Maybe because of the fact that not many people apply) I hope Sciences Po and IHEID could be as efficient as their german counterparts. I submitted my application to Sciences Po on 9th Jan. So I am not expecting to hear anything back before the end of Feb. Good luck everyone.
Curious_Grad Posted February 1, 2014 Posted February 1, 2014 Hello all, I got a offer for Master in International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS. I would really appreciate any thoughts about it ?
Katrun Posted February 1, 2014 Posted February 1, 2014 Alchyna, thank you for the information. That was very insightful. I got into the MA International Development and my biggest fear is job placement, especially if I ever considered coming back to work for a US organization. Mickun88 I received the "admissible" email from SAIS on January 11 and heard on January 29th. I think the turn around is all over the place so no guarantee of how quick or how slow they get back to you.
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