Idev: PSIA-SIPA Dual degree vs IHEID

[roadfish]

I have just received all responses from my applications: admitted by Sciences-Po PSIA/Columbia SIPA dual degree in MIA and Geneva Graduate Institute IHEID's MDEV.

 

IHEID is the only one that has offered scholarship. It asked me to answer before April 15. So, I really have to decide asap.

 

I will list shortly what I have heard of those schools, their advantages and disadvantages.

 

IHEID.

• Two year in Geneva;
• Size: tiny school (less than 1000) and big program (100 for Mdev);
• Student profile: recently graduated young people;
• Networking: Internship at IOs, faculty and similar-background colleagues;
• Expense (fee+living): 0 due to the scholarship for the first year, and around $20.000 for the second year;
• Internship opportunity: plenty and easy;
• Advantages: 2 year of IO oriented study; location, location; guaranteed first year FREE;
• Disadvantages: not well-known, seems a little bit harder to get good job immediately; has not a functioning alumni network.

 

 

PSIA-SIPA.

• First year in Paris and second year in New York;
• Size: 15-20 persons program inserted into huge schools and huge communities (500 to 1000);
• Student profile: young people for the program, young people in Paris then mostly experienced policy-makers at SIPA;
• Networking: similar-background young people at the program and at PSIA//Experienced old people at SIPA;
• Expenses (fee+living): around $25.000 for the first year and $80.000 for the second;
• Internship opportunities: very competitive at NYC;
• Advantages: bilingual; location; big name; easy to get job; better than Sciences-Po PSIA's single degree;
• Disadvantages: networking may actually be limited within the program; affordable but hard-life; someone told me that dual degree is not as solid as a single degree; unknown market reception; SIPA is too big;

 

Previously I have ranked PSIA-SIPA>IHEID, but then IHEID's scholarship made it attractive, and rumors of dual degree being ineffective shook PSIA-SIPA's first place. I am unable to decide....

 

any help?

[k_angie]

Hey Roadfish!

I have been admitted to ScPo International Development degree as well as IHEID's Masters in Development Studies. I have chosen the former cuz I got the Eiffel Excellence Scholarship from the French govt. Idk if you can afford the dual degree but well if you can't then I would say you choose IHEID cuz it's amazing. The school, the faculty and it's quite known in the field of development and international affairs. So either way, whatever you choose won't be a problem.

I was denied scholarship from IHEID and I can't afford it without funding so that's my rationale behind choosing ScPo plus I love I love their curriculum. Yes letting go of Geneva in terms of internships is one thing but still I am pretty happy with my choice.

Also it also depends what do you want to do in future, if NGO's and IO's are your deal, just go pack your bags and leave for Geneva.

In any case good luck!

[roadfish]

Macchiato！

 

thank you for your response! I guess finally the economic factor will speak loud!

[k_angie]

My name's Angie. Macchiato is just the level I am on.

Anyway good luck. Hope IHEID turns out beyond awesome.