International Development Applicants 2014/15 for SOAS, IHEID, LSE or Sciences Po?

[CarefreeWritingsontheWall]

I have amazing people to thank for getting me a spot in our MA program here. I won't be applying again next year, in fact my current thesis advisor asked me if that was what I intended to do, and if that was the case not to because it would burn a lot of bridges. I intend to commit to the program. If I fast track it I can finish in a year and a half, but I think I will take my time and finish according to the two year timeline. It'll let me figure out if I want to go with a more academic route when I finish (that is, jump from an MA to a PhD) or if I'm more interested in a practical policy/trade law oriented job (in which case my MA here will be enough to get my foot in the door of some amazing internship opportunities). I was also shocked to find that they offered me partial funding (and I have an external scholarship that will carry over with me next year) so I'm financially covered. I'll also have teaching assistant options and I was given a research fellow position. I'm thrilled with the way this worked out, and I have great supportive faculty to thank. Admittedly it's not IHEID, Georgetown or a policy school in DC. My parents and a few of my friends definitely raised an eyebrow, and wondered why I didn't want to take a year off since I had the chance to. To be honest, I know I'm not ready to be out of school yet. I feel like I won't be productive enough to make it worth it and I won't have the money to travel. So I intend to make the most of my summer. Definitely happy and at peace with this whole process. :]

 

yay! Congrats. So there was a silver lining after all

 

 

It's good to hear from you!!

And it's great to hear that you got a good option working with ppl u know!

 

Will you apply again next year, or finish your MA first??

 

Glad to hear something's worked out for you! Your faculty does sound truly amazing and entirely supportive, so I'm sure the best is still to come for you. Keep us updated a you go along!

[dpgu800]

Well make some space for me aboard the LSE train because I'm in too! I was waiting for a final scholarship decision from Sciences Po but I have been waitlisted so LSE it is!

Dpgu, you've chosen LSE? Awesome! Let's hang out in the UK . Btw, great response up there

Hell yea!!

#London2014 

We should all hang, no doubt.

 

I have amazing people to thank for getting me a spot in our MA program here. I won't be applying again next year, in fact my current thesis advisor asked me if that was what I intended to do, and if that was the case not to because it would burn a lot of bridges. I intend to commit to the program.

That's good to hear.

It's great that you're in a financially secure position and can dedicate yourself to pursuing your academic interest and figure out your future priorities...

LSE wasn't my first choice, and I was rejected by all of my top choices, perhaps b/c I tried to rush myself into a professional masters before thinking seriously about my chances or about whether this is the route I wanted to commit to this route straight out of undergrad (It definitely didn't help that I (stupidly) rushed myself to graduate in 10 quarters instead of the regular 12 quarters while doing a double major, to get out before the UC tuition rate became even more ridiculous). 

But the very specific focus of the 1-year master will def allow me grow intellectually, even if it won't be as useful as a policy MA from a prestigious US university. 

Hopefully you can get a good sense of what you want to do with that MA program, as I will be the same trying to figure out what my long-term professional and academic goals should be during my time in London....

Def take advantage of summer internships, esp. in DC. I def learned a lot and grew a lot, both intellectually and professionally... (also DC's an amazing city to live in).

 

Thanks Dpgu, you've really summed up the issue very well. I agree on all counts. I am definitely drawn to AU but I still want to make some kind of a rational decision and not totally go with my gut. It seems silly to turn down 20% of my tuition and take on loans to go to a school I *feel* better about. On the other hand, I feel like with this kind of decision, you shouldn't be "settling" for anything and you should choose the best fit for you. I wish I had more time to decide -- I've been working 2 jobs for a few weeks, and the deposit is due tomorrow.

Damn.

Hopefully you made the decision that you think is best.... 

Personally I would go for GWU or AU, but then again I'm heavily biased in favor of DC.....

[kartoone]

Hi everyone! I'm new here and just found this thread. I graduated from college last year(2013) and am applying now for LSE MPA for fall of 2014 (the program is still open). How long did you all have to wait between application and finding out? it seems that it's rolling admissions now, so I would have a decision in a several weeks?

[Durian]

Hi Durian (are you perchance part Malaysian, given your username?)

Fellow Swiss citizen here: You can indeed get a scholarship for ScPo. It's true that we aren't eligible for the Emile Bountmy or Eiffel scholarships, but we can apply for this one: http://formation.sciences-po.fr/en/content/bursaries-and-financial-assistance

 

The information you want is under the title "Financial Assistance from Sciences Po". They do not explicitly mention Swiss citizens, but because they use the same requirements as CROUS, we are also included. I emailed them to confirm some weeks back. Do note: your parents' combined salaries need to be below a certain amount for you to receive anything. If you qualify, the scholarship amount ranges from only a tuition fee waiver to a tuition fee waiver + a few thousand Euro annually.

If your parents' income disqualifies you from this, you could also look at obtaining funding from your home canton. As each canton is different I'm not sure what Geneva's conditions are, but they usually contribute towards a first degree (your first bachelor and master) even if it's abroad. The main exception is if it's a private institute. Since ScPo is a public university, that's fine. Zurich helped fund my BA in Asia, for example, including a year in China. There are certain restrictions to studying abroad vs studying within CH, but again that varies from canton to canton. You should be able to find most of the relevant information here: http://www.geneve.ch/bourses/

 

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

 

Hi mych!

Thank you so much for your answer! I am not malaysian, but I've eaten a lot of durian in Asia;)

 

I was thinking that since we are not part of the EEE, we were not eligible for the "Financial Assistance from Sciences Po", but if you asked them directly it should be okay. That's a great news, I am gonna apply then! As for the canton financial aid, I am not sure they can help me since they refused me a scholarship this year, but I am gonna go to talk with them and see what's possible.

 

Thanks for your advices!!

[dpgu800]

Hi everyone! I'm new here and just found this thread. I graduated from college last year(2013) and am applying now for LSE MPA for fall of 2014 (the program is still open). How long did you all have to wait between application and finding out? it seems that it's rolling admissions now, so I would have a decision in a several weeks?

Copy and paste from my past post:

 My application was sent on and became complete on January 29, 2014, and I received my decision on March 26, 2014 (so approximately 8 weeks).

 

The time differs between departments apparently, but I would think it should still be around 8 weeks. 

But it's important to note that it was 8 weeks after the application became complete, not submitted.

It took a week or even a little bit more for them to process my stuff and if you don't submit all the required materials with your app, it's gonna take longer.

Also that was during the US application season, and many US applicants were prob trying to submit their apps to LSE at the same time as their other apps, so maybe the wait time is less now? Not sure tho.

 

Good luck! 

Edited April 22, 2014 by dpgu800

[kartoone]

Copy and paste from my past post:

 My application was sent on and became complete on January 29, 2014, and I received my decision on March 26, 2014 (so approximately 8 weeks).

 

The time differs between departments apparently, but I would think it should still be around 8 weeks. 

But it's important to note that it was 8 weeks after the application became complete, not submitted.

It took a week or even a little bit more for them to process my stuff and if you don't submit all the required materials with your app, it's gonna take longer.

Also that was during the US application season, and many US applicants were prob trying to submit their apps to LSE at the same time as their other apps, so maybe the wait time is less now? Not sure tho.

 

Good luck!

Thanks for your response! That's not bad at all. Congrats to you on your acceptance and attending LSE!

[SGD06]

Hello, long time lurker but first time commenter. I have been accepted into the International Public Management program at Sciences Po (yay!) but have yet to receive my Student ID number or an official acceptance letter by mail. I received the acceptance email a little over 3 weeks ago, is this normal? Has anyone else been waiting or had to wait long for these? 

 

I also have a question concerning the dual degree program for Sciences-Po-LSE. Does anyone have any idea how long it takes to hear back? As I mentioned above I was accepted on the Sciences Po side 3 weeks ago on April 1st and submitted the original application on February 17th. 

 

Any help with these questions would be much appreciated  

[k_angie]

Hello, long time lurker but first time commenter. I have been accepted into the International Public Management program at Sciences Po (yay!) but have yet to receive my Student ID number or an official acceptance letter by mail. I received the acceptance email a little over 3 weeks ago, is this normal? Has anyone else been waiting or had to wait long for these?

I also have a question concerning the dual degree program for Sciences-Po-LSE. Does anyone have any idea how long it takes to hear back? As I mentioned above I was accepted on the Sciences Po side 3 weeks ago on April 1st and submitted the original application on February 17th.

Any help with these questions would be much appreciated

Hello!

So yes its quite normal to wait for months. I got my ID and password after almost 2 months or so. Hence it's possible that you won't receive it before May end.

As for dual degrees, one hears back real late in June or July I suppose, in any case, why don't you confirm with the admin dept of ScPo. They have been a great help to me with my queries and all.

Last but not the least, congratulations on your acceptance

Edited April 24, 2014 by k_angie

[kittythrones]

Hello, long time lurker but first time commenter. I have been accepted into the International Public Management program at Sciences Po (yay!) but have yet to receive my Student ID number or an official acceptance letter by mail. I received the acceptance email a little over 3 weeks ago, is this normal? Has anyone else been waiting or had to wait long for these? 

 

I also have a question concerning the dual degree program for Sciences-Po-LSE. Does anyone have any idea how long it takes to hear back? As I mentioned above I was accepted on the Sciences Po side 3 weeks ago on April 1st and submitted the original application on February 17th. 

 

Any help with these questions would be much appreciated

 

Hi! I also applied to SciPo & LSE dual programme. I have not heard anything back so I gave up on it since I had to tell my other schools whether or not if I am going or not xD. Congrats on your acceptance!

 

Good luck on the Dual programme!! 

[SGD06]

Hello!

So yes its quite normal to wait for months. I got my ID and password after almost 2 months or so. Hence it's possible that you won't receive it before May end.

As for dual degrees, one hears back real late in June or July I suppose, in any case, why don't you confirm with the admin dept of ScPo. They have been a great help to me with my queries and all.

Last but not the least, congratulations on your acceptance

 

Hello k_angie, thanks for the reassurance! I am still half-convinced that my acceptance is just a big joke since I received the email on April Fool's day and the fact that I have not received the student ID email or official letter is only fueling my paranoia... haha. I have called Sciences Po in the past concerning visa questions and they were not particularly helpful, but perhaps they will be more so in this case! Thanks for the help and for the  congratulations! Good luck for next year  

 

Hi! I also applied to SciPo & LSE dual programme. I have not heard anything back so I gave up on it since I had to tell my other schools whether or not if I am going or not xD. Congrats on your acceptance!

 

Good luck on the Dual programme!! 

 

Hi kittythrones, I was hoping the results would come out sooner since I am in a somewhat similar position which you found yourself in. I must let my employer know if I am staying on for another year or going back to school next year ( so do I want to make more money or be a poor student again, womps). Of course I could not defer the dual-degree program and they need a response now-ish. Thanks for responding and best of luck to you in your future studies!

[dbj]

Hello all.

 

I know I'm a bit late to this thread, considering it began in December 2013! 

 

I'm an American student who is applying for the postgrad in Development Studies at SOAS, with my second option being the International Politics program. I'm just wondering if anyone can assess my chances? I'm currently waiting for a professor to submit my second LOR and hope to hear back relatively soon. I applied about 3 weeks ago. (Hate waiting- alas.)

 

About me:

 

I know there is no direct equivalency between American and British uni marking systems, but I have a 3.67 Grade Point Average from a public university. My major GPA was about 3.8-3.9. SOAS mentions the cut off point for American students being 3.5 from a non-competitive university. I think my GPA still quantifies as first or second class honours. My first degree is a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology, with a specific focus on the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. I was on two full scholarships during my undergraduate years for merit, and I conducted an ethnographic research project via uni funds in Nepal. The past four years I've finished two internships in Nepal, an internship in Cairo, and one in New York (where I live)-- all with small to large, well known and unknown NGOs, and all for longer than a month. (In the case of Nepal, I've lived there about a year total on and off since 2010.)

 

As for work experience, in addition to my internships, I actually have a large background in non-profit organizations in the US. I worked as a freelance campaigner organizer with a national LGBT org (required me to work around the US in different states) and at a family planning clinic as I finished my degree. I did take a few semesters off to work, all of which I explained in a letter to accompany my application.

 

My goal is to continue working in South Asia and the Middle East with a focus on HIV, family planning, reproductive health, and the LGBT community. Coming from "the field" and having met many SOAS alumni and those affiliated/in the know, I think it's the best fit for me professionally and academically and personally. Plus, I spend a lot of time in London and really would not mind setting up camp there for the year.

 

Ha, so what do you think? I just want to know!

 

Congratulations to everyone who has heard back. 

 

Nervously yours,

dbj

Edited April 25, 2014 by dbj

[k_angie]

Hello all.

 

I know I'm a bit late to this thread, considering it began in December 2013! 

 

I'm an American student who is applying for the postgrad in Development Studies at SOAS, with my second option being the International Politics program. I'm just wondering if anyone can assess my chances? I'm currently waiting for a professor to submit my second LOR and hope to hear back relatively soon. I applied about 3 weeks ago. (Hate waiting- alas.)

 

About me:

 

I know there is no direct equivalency between American and British uni marking systems, but I have a 3.67 Grade Point Average from a public university. My major GPA was about 3.8-3.9. SOAS mentions the cut off point for American students being 3.5 from a non-competitive university. I think my GPA still quantifies as first or second class honours. My first degree is a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology, with a specific focus on the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. I was on two full scholarships during my undergraduate years for merit, and I conducted an ethnographic research project via uni funds in Nepal. The past four years I've finished two internships in Nepal, an internship in Cairo, and one in New York (where I live)-- all with small to large, well known and unknown NGOs, and all for longer than a month. (In the case of Nepal, I've lived there about a year total on and off since 2010.)

 

As for work experience, in addition to my internships, I actually have a large background in non-profit organizations in the US. I worked as a freelance campaigner organizer with a national LGBT org (required me to work around the US in different states) and at a family planning clinic as I finished my degree. I did take a few semesters off to work, all of which I explained in a letter to accompany my application.

 

My goal is to continue working in South Asia and the Middle East with a focus on HIV, family planning, reproductive health, and the LGBT community. Coming from "the field" and having met many SOAS alumni and those affiliated/in the know, I think it's the best fit for me professionally and academically and personally. Plus, I spend a lot of time in London and really would not mind setting up camp there for the year.

 

Ha, so what do you think? I just want to know!

 

Congratulations to everyone who has heard back. 

 

Nervously yours,

dbj

 

Okay first the thread began in October 2013. Irrelevant but still.

 

Also you are in for SOAS. Dont worry. Your profile is good though the only thing that can go wrong in your favor is the fact that you applied so late. Apart from that, its all cool. 

Good luck  

[k_angie]

Hello k_angie, thanks for the reassurance! I am still half-convinced that my acceptance is just a big joke since I received the email on April Fool's day and the fact that I have not received the student ID email or official letter is only fueling my paranoia... haha. I have called Sciences Po in the past concerning visa questions and they were not particularly helpful, but perhaps they will be more so in this case! Thanks for the help and for the  congratulations! Good luck for next year

 

 

You know you are very lucky. My friends who got their acceptances in December, still havent received their student ID or official letter. My official letter came a week ago. So well you dont need to worry. Even though they declared your result on 1st April ( how weirdly cool is that ) but really all jokes apart, dont worry. 

Plus yes ScPo wont take your visa queries. Actually they will but wont be a great help. So you should direct them to Campus France Paris or the one based in your country. In any case, stop worrying.

Edited April 25, 2014 by k_angie

[dbj]

Thank you for the response. I appreciate the input.

 

I was in London about two months ago and sat with an admissions counselor/advisor at SOAS. She mentioned that as long as I applied before Easter, I should be fine. I think the technical deadline is 30 June, though I know you should obviously apply well in advance. I just hope that my prof gets the LOR in ASAP and all works out... My alternatives are Edinburgh and maybe King's.

 

I was going to apply for the fall 2013 intake and in January of that year I stopped at SOAS to ask some questions. An admin claimed that I couldn't apply for the Dev Studies program because anthropology wasn't considered a social science in the UK and that was a requirement for entry. That's strange, because I actually attended the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at my uni. I know US/UK standards are not the same, but anthropology is considered a social science universally... I was planning on only applying to the International Politics for 2014, but the admin I spoke to on this last trip to SOAS says it is not an issue at all.

 

Oh the fun of applying for a postgraduate degree! 

[k_angie]

Thank you for the response. I appreciate the input.

 

I was in London about two months ago and sat with an admissions counselor/advisor at SOAS. She mentioned that as long as I applied before Easter, I should be fine. I think the technical deadline is 30 June, though I know you should obviously apply well in advance. I just hope that my prof gets the LOR in ASAP and all works out... My alternatives are Edinburgh and maybe King's.

 

I was going to apply for the fall 2013 intake and in January of that year I stopped at SOAS to ask some questions. An admin claimed that I couldn't apply for the Dev Studies program because anthropology wasn't considered a social science in the UK and that was a requirement for entry. That's strange, because I actually attended the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at my uni. I know US/UK standards are not the same, but anthropology is considered a social science universally... I was planning on only applying to the International Politics for 2014, but the admin I spoke to on this last trip to SOAS says it is not an issue at all.

 

Oh the fun of applying for a postgraduate degree! 

 

Well dont worry you shall be fine. Though yes, i came across this thread sometime ago here which mentioned how Anthropology is somewhere in the area of psychology which I found pretty weird. But then what do i know. 

King's and Edinburgh are good too. Though if i may ask, why are you specifically applying to only UK and not other places as such? 

Edited April 25, 2014 by k_angie

[dbj]

Anthro can encompass many fields, of course, but I think it's a social science at the end of the day. Unless everyone has been lying to me for years! Ha.

 

Why the UK? For many reasons. I'm in London a few times a year to see family and friends. I've done a lot of work with British organizations. I prefer London to New York. But most importantly because of what SOAS is and the specialization being my fields of interest... It's also cheaper. I don't really want to live in the US anymore. Been abroad about 2.5 of the last 4 years.

 

I'm currently traveling, actually, which just adds to my anxiety about wanting to know where I'll be in the fall. I was in Southeast Asia for 4 months, then made my way to Portugal... Currently in Berlin. Enjoying myself but would not mind a bit of routine again, either! 

 

I'll trade places with anyone for an admissions offer. 

[k_angie]

Anthro can encompass many fields, of course, but I think it's a social science at the end of the day. Unless everyone has been lying to me for years! Ha.

 

Why the UK? For many reasons. I'm in London a few times a year to see family and friends. I've done a lot of work with British organizations. I prefer London to New York. But most importantly because of what SOAS is and the specialization being my fields of interest... It's also cheaper. I don't really want to live in the US anymore. Been abroad about 2.5 of the last 4 years.

 

I'm currently traveling, actually, which just adds to my anxiety about wanting to know where I'll be in the fall. I was in Southeast Asia for 4 months, then made my way to Portugal... Currently in Berlin. Enjoying myself but would not mind a bit of routine again, either! 

 

I'll trade places with anyone for an admissions offer. 

Its almost a month since I checked it out but I hope you did receive your admission letter from SOAS. If you havent yet received it then good luck  

[yayayaya]

I would like to thank everyone who had given your thoughts and suggestions under this topic. It is a wonderful thread. 

 

I am an international student but I am getting my BA in the US. After this application season, I finally deposited at my favorite program in U.S.. However, LSE contacted me that they have decided to give me a scholarship which will cover all the tuition and living expense. (I applied to LSE's one year taught master: MSc Development Management)

 

My dream job is to work at multilateral development organization and regional banks such as WB and IFC, or development consultancy firms. I believe the U.S. school I deposited at is the best fit for me and will help a lot in getting my dream job, even though I need to shoulder a massive student loan. However, getting a master degree at LSE for free is super attractive since i have never been to Europe and may not get a chance to visit/live there in the near future.

 

For now I am considering defer my matriculation to the U.S. school (if it get approved), since I can use this year to upgrade my resume, save up for further education, and experience London. The difficulty is that my appeal won't get approved. In that case I will have to reapply this year, or try to find a job.  

 

I would really appreciate your thoughts and advice. 

 

1. Does anyone know anything about this program at LSE? I could't find much information curriculum and employments statistics. I have heard that it may be very theoretical based which makes me nervous. I have a rather quantitative background and wish to get further training. 

 

2. In your opinions, will getting two masters in three years worth the time and effort? 

Edited May 24, 2014 by yayayaya

[dpgu800]

I would like to thank everyone who had given your thoughts and suggestions under this topic. It is a wonderful thread. 

 

I am an international student but I am getting my BA in the US. After this application season, I finally deposited at my favorite program in U.S.. However, LSE contacted me that they have decided to give me a scholarship which will cover all the tuition and living expense. (I applied to LSE's one year taught master: MSc Development Management)

 

Hey, yayayaya.

First of all, congrats!

I'll be attending LSE this fall, so my opinion's of course gonna be biased towards LSE, but still I think LSE with a full ride and living stipend is gonna be hard to beat, unless you get a substantial FA offer to match it from the US schools you got into.

I can see that the program you got into is the program you prefer to go, and that should be the most important factor, but a full ride offer from LSE is an extraordinary circumstance indeed. 

 

You say you want to work for a multilateral development organization, and LSE would be a good choice for that career path. 

While getting a degree from a foreign country could be somewhat problematic if you wish to work in the US for a primarily American organization (I had a friend who did a taught master at King's College and initially had some trouble getting a good paid job in the beginning), multilateral organizations will be much more accepting of international grads, and LSE alums will of course have healthy representation in those organizations. So in terms of networking, it wouldn't be too bad, tho you won't benefit from the very active networking of US policy schools.

 

Even if LSE's networking isn't on par with US schools, I still think being debt-free and the opportunity to live and study in London would be great

 

As for employment data, here's the link from the LSE website: Link

 

It used to be divided by courses, but it's now aggregated and divided by departments only.

I remember that 90+% people from the Development Management program found paid employment or further academic opportunities upon graduation, and many of them with IOs.

The ID department in general has a very high rate of postgrad employment, compared to other LSE departments.

Here's the ID department's own take on their grads' employability: Link

 

As for the program being theoretical, that has been noted by many people I've talked to both on- and off-line, because the taught masters in the UK are not meant to be full professional degrees in the same way that degrees from IR policy schools are supposed to be (many of which only have terminal masters for IDEV). They're supposed to be the first postgrad degree on the path that leads to a PhD if you want to pursue that route. I suppose they can be thought of as a social science degree with a slight professional bent, b/c of LSE's reputation for being a policy powerhouse. 

Another thing is that the program is very short and writing the 10,000 word dissertation will take quite a bit of the entire length of the program. That may or may not be ideal for you. But at the same time, I think the Development Management program requires you to do a consultancy project with one of the organizations that the department matches you with, and you can also come out of the degree with a dissertation approved by your faculty supervisor and a consultancy project that was assessed by a third party. That'd be extremely useful, I would think. 

 

As for deferring, I personally wouldn't defer if I were to choose LSE, but that's b/c I have getting PhD in the future in mind. If you just wish to be employed and work your way up the ladder, then it's probably enough to just do either a masters at LSE or a masters at a US school, and maybe contemplate doing a PhD or an executive master that caters to professionals with lengthy exp, after you get couple years experience. Especially in this economic climate, it seems more prudent to just set your mind on one degree and seek employment and experience immediately (But since you already paid the deposit, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to defer if you don't have to pay any extra money and/or if there's no way to get your deposit back).   

Edited May 25, 2014 by dpgu800

[yayayaya]

Hey, yayayaya.

First of all, congrats!

I'll be attending LSE this fall, so my opinion's of course gonna be biased towards LSE, but still I think LSE with a full ride and living stipend is gonna be hard to beat, unless you get a substantial FA offer to match it from the US schools you got into.

I can see that the program you got into is the program you prefer to go, and that should be the most important factor, but a full ride offer from LSE is an extraordinary circumstance indeed. 

 

You say you want to work for a multilateral development organization, and LSE would be a good choice for that career path. 

While getting a degree from a foreign country could be somewhat problematic if you wish to work in the US for a primarily American organization (I had a friend who did a taught master at King's College and initially had some trouble getting a good paid job in the beginning), multilateral organizations will be much more accepting of international grads, and LSE alums will of course have healthy representation in those organizations. So in terms of networking, it wouldn't be too bad, tho you won't benefit from the very active networking of US policy schools.

 

Even if LSE's networking isn't on par with US schools, I still think being debt-free and the opportunity to live and study in London would be great

 

As for employment data, here's the link from the LSE website: Link

 

It used to be divided by courses, but it's now aggregated and divided by departments only.

I remember that 90+% people from the Development Management program found paid employment or further academic opportunities upon graduation, and many of them with IOs.

The ID department in general has a very high rate of postgrad employment, compared to other LSE departments.

Here's the ID department's own take on their grads' employability: Link

 

As for the program being theoretical, that has been noted by many people I've talked to both on- and off-line, because the taught masters in the UK are not meant to be full professional degrees in the same way that degrees from IR policy schools are supposed to be (many of which only have terminal masters for IDEV). They're supposed to be the first postgrad degree on the path that leads to a PhD if you want to pursue that route. I suppose they can be thought of as a social science degree with a slight professional bent, b/c of LSE's reputation for being a policy powerhouse. 

Another thing is that the program is very short and writing the 10,000 word dissertation will take quite a bit of the entire length of the program. That may or may not be ideal for you. But at the same time, I think the Development Management program requires you to do a consultancy project with one of the organizations that the department matches you with, and you can also come out of the degree with a dissertation approved by your faculty supervisor and a consultancy project that was assessed by a third party. That'd be extremely useful, I would think. 

 

As for deferring, I personally wouldn't defer if I were to choose LSE, but that's b/c I have getting PhD in the future in mind. If you just wish to be employed and work your way up the ladder, then it's probably enough to just do either a masters at LSE or a masters at a US school, and maybe contemplate doing a PhD or an executive master that caters to professionals with lengthy exp, after you get couple years experience. Especially in this economic climate, it seems more prudent to just set your mind on one degree and seek employment and experience immediately (But since you already paid the deposit, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to defer if you don't have to pay any extra money and/or if there's no way to get your deposit back).   

Dear dpgu800,

 

Thank you very much for your reply. I have read every word of it and I appreciate your effort and time in providing your thoughts. 

 

I have informed LSE that I would like to accept the award and reinstate my offer. My U.S. program also approved my request of deferral. Everything went well except that I am still under the shock that I am going to spend a year in London! 

 

I am excited to know u r going to LSE. Urbanization and Development is a fantastic course! Though we will not be in the same dpt but I guess we might be able to take come classes tgt

 

FYI, where r u planning to live in London? Have you applied to any LSE residential hall? 

[alchyna]

Hey, yayayaya.

First of all, congrats!

I'll be attending LSE this fall, so my opinion's of course gonna be biased towards LSE, but still I think LSE with a full ride and living stipend is gonna be hard to beat, unless you get a substantial FA offer to match it from the US schools you got into.

I can see that the program you got into is the program you prefer to go, and that should be the most important factor, but a full ride offer from LSE is an extraordinary circumstance indeed. 

 

You say you want to work for a multilateral development organization, and LSE would be a good choice for that career path. 

While getting a degree from a foreign country could be somewhat problematic if you wish to work in the US for a primarily American organization (I had a friend who did a taught master at King's College and initially had some trouble getting a good paid job in the beginning), multilateral organizations will be much more accepting of international grads, and LSE alums will of course have healthy representation in those organizations. So in terms of networking, it wouldn't be too bad, tho you won't benefit from the very active networking of US policy schools.

 

Even if LSE's networking isn't on par with US schools, I still think being debt-free and the opportunity to live and study in London would be great

 

As for employment data, here's the link from the LSE website: Link

 

It used to be divided by courses, but it's now aggregated and divided by departments only.

I remember that 90+% people from the Development Management program found paid employment or further academic opportunities upon graduation, and many of them with IOs.

The ID department in general has a very high rate of postgrad employment, compared to other LSE departments.

Here's the ID department's own take on their grads' employability: Link

 

As for the program being theoretical, that has been noted by many people I've talked to both on- and off-line, because the taught masters in the UK are not meant to be full professional degrees in the same way that degrees from IR policy schools are supposed to be (many of which only have terminal masters for IDEV). They're supposed to be the first postgrad degree on the path that leads to a PhD if you want to pursue that route. I suppose they can be thought of as a social science degree with a slight professional bent, b/c of LSE's reputation for being a policy powerhouse. 

Another thing is that the program is very short and writing the 10,000 word dissertation will take quite a bit of the entire length of the program. That may or may not be ideal for you. But at the same time, I think the Development Management program requires you to do a consultancy project with one of the organizations that the department matches you with, and you can also come out of the degree with a dissertation approved by your faculty supervisor and a consultancy project that was assessed by a third party. That'd be extremely useful, I would think. 

 

As for deferring, I personally wouldn't defer if I were to choose LSE, but that's b/c I have getting PhD in the future in mind. If you just wish to be employed and work your way up the ladder, then it's probably enough to just do either a masters at LSE or a masters at a US school, and maybe contemplate doing a PhD or an executive master that caters to professionals with lengthy exp, after you get couple years experience. Especially in this economic climate, it seems more prudent to just set your mind on one degree and seek employment and experience immediately (But since you already paid the deposit, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to defer if you don't have to pay any extra money and/or if there's no way to get your deposit back).   

 

Well this is the program I am going to attend and you summed it up perfectly! I couldn't have said it better myself!

 

Dear dpgu800,

 

Thank you very much for your reply. I have read every word of it and I appreciate your effort and time in providing your thoughts. 

 

I have informed LSE that I would like to accept the award and reinstate my offer. My U.S. program also approved my request of deferral. Everything went well except that I am still under the shock that I am going to spend a year in London! 

 

I am excited to know u r going to LSE. Urbanization and Development is a fantastic course! Though we will not be in the same dpt but I guess we might be able to take come classes tgt

 

FYI, where r u planning to live in London? Have you applied to any LSE residential hall? 

Ok now I am jealous that you are getting basically a full ride! Congratulations that is quite an achievement LSE is tight on the purse strings! I am still here trying to figure out how I'm going to make this happen and go to London in a few months... stress of admission season has been replaced by the stress of OMG how can I afford this! Glad we will be in the same program and to all future LSE Development Management students here is the student group on facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/599291873502624/

[dpgu800]

Dear dpgu800,

 

Thank you very much for your reply. I have read every word of it and I appreciate your effort and time in providing your thoughts. 

 

I have informed LSE that I would like to accept the award and reinstate my offer. My U.S. program also approved my request of deferral. Everything went well except that I am still under the shock that I am going to spend a year in London! 

 

I am excited to know u r going to LSE. Urbanization and Development is a fantastic course! Though we will not be in the same dpt but I guess we might be able to take come classes tgt

 

FYI, where r u planning to live in London? Have you applied to any LSE residential hall? 

 

I applied for Northumberland, Lillian Knowles, and Butlers' Wharf and I got assigned to a shared room in Northumberland!

 

If you haven't applied yet, I gathered some data and put it all in a word doc when I was deciding on housing. Take a look if you need some info for deciding which house to apply to.

 

 

And the U&D program is jointly offered by the ID dept and the Geography and Environment dept, so technically we're in the same dept, haha.

[Nady]

Ok All,

 

This is going back to basics I'm afraid, back to the original question. I have been admitted to both IHEID (MDEV) and LSE (Development Management) courses. I am at a loss as to what I should choose. My situation is complicated since I'm a mature student (late 20s) with relevant work experience already. LSE, from what I know, has bigger reputation globally, whilst Geneva seems to be limited to core European state (i'm from the UK so perhaps there is a bias there). Additionally, if it is just a tick box excerise (i.e. you need a masters for some of the UNDP, etc jobs) then LSE is only one year so won't take up too much time. Then again, Geneva has a host of benefits: the course content is wider, and manages to combine both theory and practice. It allows you to explore IR, politics, Economics, International Law, etc. It also has an array of workshops. You have the chance to learn French (which allows you to win bids beyond the anglofone world) and obviously, given it's proximity to IOs, there's a good chance to suplement studies with internships with various IOs. From what I gather, LSE's Development Management is quite narrow, focused primarily on things such as accounting and finance for development programmes, and lacks content for in the theoretical department. Currently I'm still not sure the path I want to go down, so I'd like to be exposed to the various dimensions of Development. In reality I will most likely opt for either private sector consultance work in private sector development or go down the IOs route. Nevertheless in the not so distant future I've still got ideas on Political Risk.

 

Reading over this thread it seems like I really am confused. However, I guess I'm leaning towards Geneva, however, my main concern is it's reputation, or lack of it....

[dpgu800]

Ok All,

 

This is going back to basics I'm afraid, back to the original question. I have been admitted to both IHEID (MDEV) and LSE (Development Management) courses. I am at a loss as to what I should choose. My situation is complicated since I'm a mature student (late 20s) with relevant work experience already. LSE, from what I know, has bigger reputation globally, whilst Geneva seems to be limited to core European state (i'm from the UK so perhaps there is a bias there). Additionally, if it is just a tick box excerise (i.e. you need a masters for some of the UNDP, etc jobs) then LSE is only one year so won't take up too much time. Then again, Geneva has a host of benefits: the course content is wider, and manages to combine both theory and practice. It allows you to explore IR, politics, Economics, International Law, etc. It also has an array of workshops. You have the chance to learn French (which allows you to win bids beyond the anglofone world) and obviously, given it's proximity to IOs, there's a good chance to suplement studies with internships with various IOs. From what I gather, LSE's Development Management is quite narrow, focused primarily on things such as accounting and finance for development programmes, and lacks content for in the theoretical department. Currently I'm still not sure the path I want to go down, so I'd like to be exposed to the various dimensions of Development. In reality I will most likely opt for either private sector consultance work in private sector development or go down the IOs route. Nevertheless in the not so distant future I've still got ideas on Political Risk.

 

Reading over this thread it seems like I really am confused. However, I guess I'm leaning towards Geneva, however, my main concern is it's reputation, or lack of it....

 

Since you already have couple years of relevant exp, I would think the "reputation" of the school need not be the biggest factor to consider.

 

While LSE's program is only one year long, and that may be beneficial to you, as the master would function as sort of a mid-career qualification.

If you end up working in the UK, a LSE qualification has obvious benefits of being instantly recognizable and having a wider alumni network than elsewhere perhaps. And as I said earlier, LSE alums have a healthy representation in IOs. 

 

And Development Management program has many optional units to choose from, and I would think it actually gives you more choices than other programs offered by the ID department. Also it shares many optional units with other ID programs, many of which seem not as "professional" and "practical" as those offered by a pure IR policy school.

 

 

But LSE would also be a more expensive option, even if you are classified as a home student.

IHEID on the other hand has extremely low fees, compared to its counterparts elsewhere and even in Geneva. 

You would have the opportunity to study without worrying about financial burden as much. 

 

Also, since there are countless number of IOs in Geneva, I would imagine building connections with ppl in those orgs can balance out the school's "lack of reputation" compared to other schools. I would personally argue that this advantages outweighs LSE's reputation, esp. since the advice I've been getting is that, for mid-career professionals, relevant exp and connections in the right place is more important than merely studying at a prestigious university.

 

In addition, IHEID does seem to be doing an exceptional job at blending theoretical thinking, practical skills training, and incorporating critical thinking and viewpoints outside of the mainstream (based on what I can tell from the faculty's work). It'd also be interesting to be getting more of a French/European perspective on development, and take a break from the dominant Anglo-American framework for a bit (and also learn French). A two-year program, while taking more of your time, may also be better for you if you wish to take a little break from work and pursue in-depth studies.

[CrappyCat]

Previous schools (name, type): University of Nottingham. Business degree.

Previous degrees and grades: Strong upper second, in dean's list. Also a book prize winner and was previously holding undergrad scholarships. Wrote a 20k word dissertation on labour migration and repercussions on development. Publications on the way.

 

International experience (countries, reason, duration): China, 3 years, as a kid.

 

Previous work experience (duration, type): UNDP as enumerator. Previously working for the govt (PM's agency on high skilled labor migration) but merely as an intern. Interned at an assortment of places as well (banks, event management companies, etc)

 

Math/econ background: Majored in Finance, so econometrics and statistics are part of the package.
 

Languages (how fluent?): 5, 3 of which I am fluent in.
 

Intended field of study in grad school: Development studies, related to labor migration

Long-term professional goals: PhD

Schools applied to & results (funding?): University of Oxford, MSc in Migration Studies (Oxford Department of International Development). 

Full scholarship (Departmental award)!
 

Ultimate decision & why: Oxford due to funding. Am hoping to progress to DPhil in International Development, with an emphasis on labor migration and policymaking.

 

Any advice for future applicants? Research experience matters more than your honors classification (or CGPA, for that matter).

Edited June 16, 2014 by CrappyCat