Fletcher Admits - Fall 2015!

[Bombaygunner]

Fletcher's admissions folks have been the nicest ever. No question. Personalised, warm, informative and quick. 

[acm14]

I've been accepted to Fletcher with $50k over 2 years, and SAIS with $15 first year funding, which may/may not translate to $30k over 2 years. (I can't find anything in my paperwork that says it's renewable, but everyone on this forum has mentioned that SAIS funding is renewable for the second year....I've got to email for some clarification), and I'm having similar problems to everyone here, though I'm less worried about the prestige thing because my goal is to work in Washington (or internationally in a government post)

 

Just like chelaylay, I went to undergrad in DC and I thought the location was invaluable (gtown sfs undergrad...if it wouldn't be totally redundant for me, I would kill to go back there for MSFS. I can wax poetic about SFS all day). The internships and exposure 100% contributed to my network, industry knowledge, resume, and professional opportunities. So now, after I've decided I definitely want to work in public sector foreign / security policy, I feel like it would be irresponsible to turn SAIS/DC down. Because my goal is to work in security policy, and I worry that turning down SAIS and its Strategic Studies program for Tufts is a misstep. From everything I hear, the Strategic Studies program is incredibly strong, Eliot Cohen does an amazing job of securing resources for STRAT students, and STRAT does have a sense of community, even if SAIS doesn't. Plus, the department is overflowing with former practitioners, who I feel are generally more valuable than academics when it comes to leveraging professors in the job search.

 

Meanwhile, Fletcher seems like a fantastic education, but if we're being totally honest, their strength seems to be in humanitarian relief, human rights, and post-conflict development in developing countries (does someone want to argue with me here? I would love to hear another opinion on this  ) 

 

But.....like everyone on this threat, I have never met a Fletcher alum who hasn't gushed about his/her love of Fletcher and about how amazing the program is (for all the internationals on this thread-- that includes the Pakistani Fletcher grads I've met here in Lahore/Islamabad). Meanwhile, back in DC I met a ton of SAIS grads who were having difficulty finding jobs, and fewer who gushed about their love of SAIS. Most SAIS grads seemed to like their program and viewed it as a savvy career stepping stone, but their level of enthusiasm paled in comparison to Fletcher grads. Plus, $50k over two years from Fletcher....that's appealing! 

 

Anyhow. I know that this is a great choice to have, and that I can't really make a wrong choice here. But if there's anyone who's attending Fletcher or SAIS who also has a U.S. national security policy focus, or who has any advice / responses for me, I'd love to hear from you. 

Edited March 18, 2015 by acm14

[ir_gradstudent]

I've been accepted to Fletcher with $50k over 2 years, and SAIS with $15 first year funding, which may/may not translate to $30k over 2 years. (I can't find anything in my paperwork that says it's renewable, but everyone on this forum has mentioned that SAIS funding is renewable for the second year....I've got to email for some clarification), and I'm having similar problems to everyone here, though I'm less worried about the prestige thing because my goal is to work in Washington (or internationally in a government post)

 

Just like chelaylay, I went to undergrad in DC and I thought the location was invaluable (gtown sfs undergrad...if it wouldn't be totally redundant for me, I would kill to go back there for MSFS. I can wax poetic about SFS all day). The internships and exposure 100% contributed to my network, industry knowledge, resume, and professional opportunities. So now, after I've decided I definitely want to work in public sector foreign / security policy, I feel like it would be irresponsible to turn SAIS/DC down. Because my goal is to work in security policy, and I worry that turning down SAIS and its Strategic Studies program for Tufts is a misstep. From everything I hear, the Strategic Studies program is incredibly strong, Eliot Cohen does an amazing job of securing resources for STRAT students, and STRAT does have a sense of community, even if SAIS doesn't. Plus, the department is overflowing with former practitioners, who I feel are generally more valuable than academics when it comes to leveraging professors in the job search.

 

Meanwhile, Fletcher seems like a fantastic education, but if we're being totally honest, their strength seems to be in humanitarian relief, human rights, and post-conflict development in developing countries (does someone want to argue with me here? I would love to hear another opinion on this  ) 

 

But.....like everyone on this threat, I have never met a Fletcher alum who hasn't gushed about his/her love of Fletcher and about how amazing the program is (for all the internationals on this thread-- that includes the Pakistani Fletcher grads I've met here in Lahore/Islamabad). Meanwhile, back in DC I met a ton of SAIS grads who were having difficulty finding jobs, and fewer who gushed about their love of SAIS. Most SAIS grads seemed to like their program and viewed it as a savvy career stepping stone, but their level of enthusiasm paled in comparison to Fletcher grads. Plus, $50k over two years from Fletcher....that's appealing! 

 

Anyhow. I know that this is a great choice to have, and that I can't really make a wrong choice here. But if there's anyone who's attending Fletcher or SAIS who also has a U.S. national security policy focus, or who has any advice / responses for me, I'd love to hear from you. 

 

There were two SAIS emails for the fellowship. One was an award letter, and the other was the notice that told you how much you'd be getting. For the generic "SAIS Fellowship", the award letter said "Students awarded fellowship funds must maintain full-time status and a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.4.  Awards may be renewed for a second year if full-time status and a 3.4 cumulative GPA is maintained."

[treegirl109]

I opted to interview as part of my Fletcher application, and since then, I have had a great relationship with their admissions office. 

[Policykid]

Has anyone sought additional funding from Fletcher? 

[MalloryMac]

to track alumnis, I generally go on linked in and do a hit and trial search.. Im afraid I dont have a more scientific method yet. You could probably look for development professionals in SE Asia and trace their grad-school heritage..

 

 

LinkedIn has a way to view alumni from specific schools. Just go to https://www.linkedin.com/edu/alumni, click the "Change university" button at the top right, and then type in the name you want.

 

Unfortunately it doesn't always give you options for all the schools within a university (ie: Georgetown SFS, GWU Elliott), but you can type in Fletcher and view Fletcher alumni separate from Tufts as a whole.   

[Policykid]

this is quite helpful..thanks!!!

[MalloryMac]

Is anyone going to the admitted students day on April 6th?