International Affairs people.. HELP, please!

[Undecided001]

Hi everybody, first time posting even though I've been reading a lot of useful stuff around here

 

I got my SIPA acceptance last week, to which I applied hoping to get either a World Bank/IMF position or maybe consulting in the area of energy/environment (two different jobs, I know).

 

Since I received no funding, now I'm having trouble deciding if I should leave a well paying job (low 6 figures) in finance to pursue my masters, if I should reapply next year hoping to get some funding or just reject my acceptance. Anyone with experience in reapplying to IR schools because of funding? I'm just not sure I want to quit my job and pay $100k for a degree that might not lead to the same salary level..

 

A little more info: I'm Brazilian but need to stay in NYC (husband works here), and my current employer is facing problems that might or might not lead to merger and/or downsizing.. I don't like my job at all, and it would probably be really hard to find another in the same area and same pay (banks/funds are not really interested in latam at the moment).

 

Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated!

[ajcafe]

I have a friend who applied to IR schools (Fletcher, Syracuse, Princeton, Harvard etc.), got into a couple with some funding, but decided to take a job opportunity instead, then reapplied a year later, got into the same programs and received even more funding. Long story short, if you got in once, you should get in again if you continue to work/build experience. Whether or not you'll get more funding is no guarantee, but at the very least you can continue saving. It's entirely up to you and how much debt you're willing to take on/how long you're willing to wait before getting your degree. Everything is a gamble, so go with the decision you feel most comfortable with.