Choosing between SAIS and SIPA

[QC0511]

I am curious about people's opinions on SAIS vs SIPA. I was admitted to the SAIS Bologna program and the SIPA MIA. These programs are my top two choices and I find it extremely difficult to make a decision between the two. The schools seem to share many of the same strengths and a focus on understanding economics, which is something that is quite important for me. The primary upsides that SAIS enjoy are a stronger alumni network and more responsive bureaucracy. Also, there is nothing like studying international relations in a truly international setting, even if it is Bologna. The primary weakness seems to be name recognition outside of the the policy world. SIPA seems to have a less cohesive alumni network and there are rumors about unresponsive bureaucracy and faculty at the school. On the other hand, everyone knows Columbia even though they don't necessarily know the program. The school also emphasizes internships during study, which can also be nice.

I do not necessarily see myself intent on a career only in the DC-centric policy world and therefore wonder if Columbia SIPA is the better choice due to broader name recognition. Perhaps I am thinking too much into this, both are great schools. Either way, I am curious about people's thoughts or experiences with the programs. Thanks for any input!

[zourah]

How have you not made a commitment yet?

I went to both visit days and was MUCH more impressed by SAIS's self-presentation: the use of the lunch break to put students into (relatively) small clusters with their co-concentrators and program directors allowed for useful Q&A time, the class I sat in on was a lively discussion, and I met many, many more students over the course of the day. SIPA didn't do anything absolutely wrong, but it felt much more impersonal.

[fall09]

I had a similar dilemma as you do choosing between SIPA and MSFS. In fact, when I was still in the application process, I considered SAIS. I know it is a great school and it gets a lot of good press. But the thing that turned me off SAIS, and this is an entirely personal impression, was that I only ever met SAIS students who went there straight out of grad school (they were all international students, perhaps its different with US students).

I also place great emphasis on quant. training and I think both schools are equally good for this. The difference being that at SAIS a lot of the core courses are quant. oriented while at SIPA you have more flexibility which also means you can take more quant. if you would like to.

In terms of geography I had the exact same dilemma as you. Granted, DC has great internship opportunities but I want to be in DC even if I don't see myself living in DC long-term? Given that Columbia is in NY I decided that it actually offers a better mix of private and public sector internship opportunities.

Finally, the SIPA rumors about bureaucracy. This was a HUGE concern to me when I decided between the two schools and I spoke to a number of people (staff, current students, alumni) about it. First, I totally admit that the admissions office has serious issues when it comes to forthcomingness and openness and they need to get their act together in this regard. But the faculty is not reflected by its admissions staff. I for instance bombarded my programme coordinator with questions and she was extremely helpful. An alumni friend of mine who now works for the World Bank told me the following. The MIA programme is a big programme so you won't get the personal attention you get in other programmes. Not all professors will know your name after two years. But all faculty members are really open, helpful and will make time for you, so it is a matter of you choosing which ones you want that know your name by the end of the programme aka you work closely with. As for "applying" to courses; yes there are some courses for which you have to write a line or two, explaining why you want to take that class. From the three alumni I spoke to about this, they all told me that they did not know anyone who didn't get into a course they really wanted to get into. Also, my programme coordinator told me she does not know of an econ. class that you have to apply for.

I personally chose SIPA because I felt that it gave me more flexibility in terms of course choices, as I want to do a lot of policy-related courses with an international angle and a solid quantitative foundation. Also, I am considering pursuing a PhD for which SIPA definitely is preferable over MSFS and perhaps SAIS?

[stilesg57]

I'm in Beijing right now working on a green tech consortium project sponsored by about 40 multinationals (businesses and consulting firms). I don't know much about Columbia SIPA grads, but I do know something about Johns Hopkins people.

I'm SHOCKED at the complete dominance SAIS grads have over here. SAIS grads OWN China when it comes to mid and upper level management at multinational firms - it's amazing. They make up about half the people I deal with. The rest are Harvard, Georgetown, a couple Berkeley MBAs and and some lesser known IR programs sprinkled randomly into the mix. But SAIS dominates. The last two weeks have made it clear to me: in Beijing, there's SAIS and then there's everybody else. It's that obvious.

Just something to think about if you want to work in China.