MIA EARLY BIRD APPLICATIONS IHEID

[pubpol101]

On 12/2/2015, 7:13:11, taeyeon said:

Yeah, isn't December 16 last year's date? Though I'm really crossing my fingers for some sort of response before the mid-January deadline, cause how IHEID expects students to get an offer on/around January 15 and already pay a pre-registration fee of one grand by January 30th is beyond me...

@shirley_xie Hehe I'm actually not Korean, just a K-pop enthusiast. But good luck to yours too! And everyone else's as well 

I contacted IHEID and all early bird applicants will have through March to submit the pre-registration fee, even though their website indicates the January 30 pre-registration deadline. We'll be fine.

 

45 minutes ago, taeyeon said:

2 hours ago, Erminia_LL said:

Where did you read about this deadline for the pre-registration fee? On GISA website, they say this deadline is around mid-April. I mean, they mention that it refers to those who apply by mid-January (and yes, it refers to two years ago, too, but I am pretty sure these sort of things do not change over the years), yet it should still be valid for students applying by mid-November, as the scholarship notification is supposed to be delivered in March. How can you pay your pre-registration fee if you don't know whether you got the scholarship? Personally, I can't afford the living costs without it, and I am not ready at all to cough up CHF 1,000 without knowing my destiny. It would be kinda reckless, wouldn't it?

It's on the General Conditions as found on the Applications 2016-2017 page, aka that document we should've all read thoroughly before submitting our application  This was not the case last year for sure, because I downloaded the 2015-2016 during the summer and assumed it would mostly be the same. A few days before I submitted my app though, I found this year's version and noticed the requirement for pre-registration fees. And yes, I do agree it would be reckless... hopefully this won't be as strict a requirement for students who applied for a scholarship? Who knows.

And I'd like to know @El pichichi's sources too. I do feel both excited and anxious wondering what my decision could be, and honestly if it's a rejection I just want to get it over with already, haha! If not... well, that's a completely different story.

I'd like more information on @El pichichi 's sources as well, especially given how I contacted IHEID and they specifically said that notifications will be sent mid-January. And how exactly does he know that the disappearing list of submitted documents mean that a decision has already been reached?

Edited December 4, 2015 by AAAAAAAA

[El pichichi]

@taeyeon hopefully we will be able to meet in Geneva next September.

[El pichichi]

21 minutes ago, AAAAAAAA said:

I contacted IHEID and all early bird applicants will have through March to submit the pre-registration fee, even though their website indicates the January 30 pre-registration deadline. We'll be fine.

 

I'd like more information on @El pichichi 's sources as well, especially given how I contacted IHEID and they specifically said that notifications will be sent mid-January. And how exactly does he know that the disappearing list of submitted documents mean that a decision has already been reached?

@AAAAAAAA

Don't worry you will have your decision by then. I know someone there.

Edited December 4, 2015 by El pichichi

[pubpol101]

7 hours ago, El pichichi said:

@AAAAAAAA

Don't worry you will have your decision by then. I know someone there.

Ok I see. I guess I'll hope for the best! An admit letter, along with decisions from Columbia and Johns Hopkins, would be a great Christmas present.

[Erminia_LL]

Guys, I don't know any of you nor I am aware of your academic/professional backgrounds. But trust me, DON'T track down people attending IHEID on the internet, as I just did. It's pretty discouraging and it isn't worth it, especially during the waiting game. Most of the students I've ran into obtained BAs from great univs and did multiple prestigious internships before landing in Geneva. 

Just be positive. We did a great job with our applications, we did our best and WE ALL CAN MAKE IT! 

[haru_ko]

2 hours ago, Erminia_LL said:

Guys, I don't know any of you nor I am aware of your academic/professional backgrounds. But trust me, DON'T track down people attending IHEID on the internet, as I just did. It's pretty discouraging and it isn't worth it, especially during the waiting game. Most of the students I've ran into obtained BAs from great univs and did multiple prestigious internships before landing in Geneva. 

Just be positive. We did a great job with our applications, we did our best and WE ALL CAN MAKE IT! 

@Erminia_LL I agree, but simply because I believe applicants who would research and be engaged in online discussions regarding their postgraduate studies are generally more motivated. (like us ) For whichever school, everyone I came across online has amazing profiles (both unis and internships). [well, they could be lying as well. Who knows?!] I didn't look into online profiles of students attending IHEID, as I already know a few of them in real life. And honestly, just from talking to them and getting to know their background, I don't find them to be particularly amazing people/ students. (just decent degree from decent university & good academic results) I guess it's also useful to bear in mind that some people are able to gain prestigious internship experiences due to luck, connections or simply their location (cities with tons of opportunities in the related field VS. cities without). So there's no point comparing yourself to other applicants...you may just have the charm that they want!

Edited December 7, 2015 by haru_ko

[unagi]

Hey guys!

I am in the process of submitting my IHEID application but on the References page, the "Save and Continue" button is missing. And my referees haven't received any emails from IHEID yet. Has anyone else faced this problem? I was going to just submit my application and maybe the email will be sent to the referees then..? Anyone? Please advise!! IHEID also takes forever to reply to inquiries....

[haru_ko]

3 hours ago, unagi said:

Hey guys!

I am in the process of submitting my IHEID application but on the References page, the "Save and Continue" button is missing. And my referees haven't received any emails from IHEID yet. Has anyone else faced this problem? I was going to just submit my application and maybe the email will be sent to the referees then..? Anyone? Please advise!! IHEID also takes forever to reply to inquiries....

@unagi e-mails should be sent to your listed referees once you have paid the application fees. 

[pubpol101]

Hey all, I found this interesting document from the Graduate Institute's Student Association. It broadly details the process associated with allocating scholarships on the basis of merit and indicators for need.

For the merit side, students are ranked by each department on the qualities of their applications. Need is based on "20-30 indicators", and students are divided into various categories: A+/A/A-, where it is impossible for students to attend without financial aid; B+/B/B-, where students could possibly attend but would have a difficult time without aid; C where they have the means to enroll and are thus ineligible for aid; and D where aid applications are incomplete/inaccurate and students are therefore ineligible for aid.

The document indicates that after C and D students are eliminated, priority is given to academic rankings (the whole application, not just GPA) to rank students for aid. Incoming students receive more funds than continuing students (they believe continuing students have a better chance at finding income), so this poses a risk and benefit for us: 1) this means that some of us receiving funds likely won't be receiving funds in our second year and 2) obviously, we're more likely to get funds. There are additional factors as well, since some funds are available to specific countries/programs/etc, as some funds are funded by various donors, as well as master's/PhD/departmental distributions. However, it seems like the more simple system of financial need and prioritized academic rankings will apply for the vast majority of us, especially for those of us outside of the EU, who won't be eligible for as many donor-funded scholarships.

http://mygisa.ch/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Scholarship-Allocation-Process-IHEID.pdf

So with this, it seems to be clear that need is like a mere checkbox for aid. After need is established, your merits as an applicant are the greatest determinant of the exact amount of aid you receive, though need can change some rankings if academic differences are small and need differences are large (like A+ vs. B- or maybe A vs. B).

It should be noted that continuing students are ranked by GPA, "professors' input", and letters of recommendation, with a minimum 4.75 GPA (not sure on scale?) for scholarship eligibility.

 

EDIT: I just found information on Switzerland's grading scales: http://www.studyineurope.eu/study-in-switzerland/grades

A = 6 (excellent) ; B = 5.5; C = 5.0; D = 4.5; E = 4 (minimum passing grade)

Edited December 8, 2015 by AAAAAAAA

[su_nayana]

1 hour ago, AAAAAAAA said:

Hey all, I found this interesting document from the Graduate Institute's Student Association. It broadly details the process associated with allocating scholarships on the basis of merit and indicators for need.

For the merit side, students are ranked by each department on the qualities of their applications. Need is based on "20-30 indicators", and students are divided into various categories: A+/A/A-, where it is impossible for students to attend without financial aid; B+/B/B-, where students could possibly attend but would have a difficult time without aid; C where they have the means to enroll and are thus ineligible for aid; and D where aid applications are incomplete/inaccurate and students are therefore ineligible for aid.

The document indicates that after C and D students are eliminated, priority is given to academic rankings (the whole application, not just GPA) to rank students for aid. Incoming students receive more funds than continuing students (they believe continuing students have a better chance at finding income), so this poses a risk and benefit for us: 1) this means that some of us receiving funds likely won't be receiving funds in our second year and 2) obviously, we're more likely to get funds. There are additional factors as well, since some funds are available to specific countries/programs/etc, as some funds are funded by various donors, as well as master's/PhD/departmental distributions. However, it seems like the more simple system of financial need and prioritized academic rankings will apply for the vast majority of us, especially for those of us outside of the EU, who won't be eligible for as many donor-funded scholarships.

http://mygisa.ch/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Scholarship-Allocation-Process-IHEID.pdf

So with this, it seems to be clear that need is like a mere checkbox for aid. After need is established, your merits as an applicant are the greatest determinant of the exact amount of aid you receive, though need can change some rankings if academic differences are small and need differences are large (like A+ vs. B- or maybe A vs. B).

It should be noted that continuing students are ranked by GPA, "professors' input", and letters of recommendation, with a minimum 4.75 GPA (not sure on scale?) for scholarship eligibility.

You seem really resourceful! Since I am from India this is sort of like good news for me as our currency converted is hardly anything in Geneva or Europe! Thanks for sharing!

[su_nayana]

On 12/4/2015, 6:49:39, taeyeon said:

It's on the General Conditions as found on the Applications 2016-2017 page, aka that document we should've all read thoroughly before submitting our application  This was not the case last year for sure, because I downloaded the 2015-2016 during the summer and assumed it would mostly be the same. A few days before I submitted my app though, I found this year's version and noticed the requirement for pre-registration fees. And yes, I do agree it would be reckless... hopefully this won't be as strict a requirement for students who applied for a scholarship? Who knows.

And I'd like to know @El pichichi's sources too. I do feel both excited and anxious wondering what my decision could be, and honestly if it's a rejection I just want to get it over with already, haha! If not... well, that's a completely different story.

My documents have disappeared however my recommendations are still there. I'm totally nervous now lol. Does that mean that they are processing my application last? As all of your reco's seem to have disappeared as well haha. I hope they tell us soon too! 

All the best guys! I really hope it's positive for all of us and we get in with scholarship.

Also, I think they will expect us to pay the 1000 anyway. That's what my friend who got in last year said! It is pretty reckless, I agree

[pubpol101]

7 minutes ago, su_nayana said:

My documents have disappeared however my recommendations are still there. I'm totally nervous now lol. Does that mean that they are processing my application last? As all of your reco's seem to have disappeared as well haha. I hope they tell us soon too! 

All the best guys! I really hope it's positive for all of us and we get in with scholarship.

Also, I think they will expect us to pay the 1000 anyway. That's what my friend who got in last year said! It is pretty reckless, I agree

My documents have disappeared as well. @El pichichi previously stated that this means a decision has already been made for you. I'm still not sure on his sources (he said that decisions will be available starting 12/16) but it's certain that your application is at least in the processing stages. If your app is "under consideration", you're fine at this stage.

El pichichi might be right though--if you look at the September (which is when '16-'17 apps first opened) archive on archive.org, the deadline for notifications was mid-December. See https://web.archive.org/web/20150910141329/http://graduateinstitute.ch/home/admissions/application.html . Why did they change it to mid January? Will they hold to the earlier deadline and not the later deadline? I don't know. However, it's clear that their original plan for this year was to send notifications mid December.

Regarding the 1000 CHF, even though the website states the Jan 30 commitment deadline, IHEID said in an email to me that all of us will have through March to finalize commitments. I'm not sure why they put the Jan 30 deadline there if I got the March/April deadline in writing from them.

Edited December 8, 2015 by AAAAAAAA

[taeyeon]

@su_nayana Did the documents only disappear now? Wow, that's both exciting and nerve-wracking! As it was for me back... whenever mine disappeared, though I've already gotten used to it by now.

Am I the only one who still checks the follow-up section everyday (several times)? I usually do that during what would be European office hours, but then I found myself doing that on the weekends and I was just like... woah, chill @ myself, haha!

@AAAAAAAA I'm glad you got the pre-registration fee confirmation in writing, makes me much calmer about things. Though about that web capture... I'm pretty sure they just hadn't updated last year's information? Maybe? Cause the PDF for general conditions is definitely the old one.

Oh well, I feel like we're playing detective enough as it is. When I saw so many new replies suddenly I wondered if someone already got notified or something  And I remember that merit vs. need document too! I remember thinking I'd probably fit way up there on need-basis cause let's just say for someone from my country, the GDP per capita is like half of IHEID's tuition fees.

@unagi I hope the reference letter things work out! You could always make an international call to inquire if you think waiting for an e-mail response would be too slow.

Speaking of which, I don't suppose anywhere here has reached out to any professors or department members... I've always had people give me conflicting advice on that. It can either serve you very well, or make you seem like a complete nuisance/kiss-up. Wondering now if I should've contacted someone beforehand, but ah well. Attending one live-chat session and getting some answers was good enough for me  

[unagi]

@haru_ko and @taeyeon Thanks for your advice! I might just call today.

[su_nayana]

@taeyeon I do that too. I am pretty sure I could recite the sections of the form by heart at this point. Looks like we will be waiting for another month. I don't know if my nerves can take this much longer!  

[su_nayana]

@taeyeon I didn't contact any of the professors for the same reason. I felt it would make me seem like a suck up. I would've loved to have attended the live chat session though, was unable to as I was stuck in a no internet zone at that point. What did you discuss? Was there anything particularly pertinent that came up that we may be interested in?

 

Edited December 9, 2015 by su_nayana
Wanted to add stuff

[su_nayana]

@AAAAAAAA Also... the GPA scale is out of six!

[pubpol101]

Just now, su_nayana said:

@AAAAAAAA Also... the GPA scale is out of six!

Yeah I just found that out on some website!
However, we still won't exactly know what that means until I get there. Between A, B, C, D, and E, we'll need a C/D average to be eligible for scholarships, but I don't have any information on the grade inflation/deflation at IHEID, or whether their "C" means the same thing as a "C" in the US.

[su_nayana]

1 minute ago, AAAAAAAA said:

Yeah I just found that out on some website!
However, we still won't exactly know what that means until I get there. Between A, B, C, D, and E, we'll need a C/D average to be eligible for scholarships, but I don't have any information on the grade inflation/deflation at IHEID, or whether their "C" means the same thing as a "C" in the US.

I'm confused lol. My institute followed a 4 point GPA system so I don't know how they calculate either. I guess we'll cross that bridge if and when we get to it.

[taeyeon]

@su_nayana It was mostly people taking turns asking questions of personal interest, or asking recommendations for things like MIA vs. MIRPS. I just remember hearing reassuring answers about the likelihood of getting a scholarship.

As for the 6.0 grade scale... I guess we'll know when we get there! I remember the French grading system was a pain. You had to get 10/20 to pass, but barely scraping by with 11 in some classes was already considered good, and getting something like 17/20 meant you were a certified genius. The only way you could get a full 20 was if all your homework, assignments, and exams were composed of multiple-choice questions... and even then they'll round down to 19.5 because "nothing is ever perfect"  So if there's a similar concept behind it, I wouldn't be surprised if a C-average was considered decent.

Edited December 9, 2015 by taeyeon

[Erminia_LL]

3 hours ago, su_nayana said:

@taeyeon I didn't contact any of the professors for the same reason. I felt it would make me seem like a suck up. I would've loved to have attended the live chat session though, was unable to as I was stuck in a no internet zone at that point. What did you discuss? Was there anything particularly pertinent that came up that we may be interested in?

 

You can actually still get access to the live chat session of Oct. 26 by clicking to this link. As you can see, nothing excessively eye-opening has been revealed, but still it's worth reading through the Q&A I guess. Hope it helps!  

[su_nayana]

1 hour ago, Erminia_LL said:

You can actually still get access to the live chat session of Oct. 26 by clicking to this link. As you can see, nothing excessively eye-opening has been revealed, but still it's worth reading through the Q&A I guess. Hope it helps!  

Hey!! Thanks so much!

[pubpol101]

3 hours ago, Erminia_LL said:

You can actually still get access to the live chat session of Oct. 26 by clicking to this link. As you can see, nothing excessively eye-opening has been revealed, but still it's worth reading through the Q&A I guess. Hope it helps!  

 

1 hour ago, su_nayana said:

Hey!! Thanks so much!

Here's some information that you guys might find interesting from the chat.

50% of students receive financial aid (full/partial tuition, along with those receiving tuition waivers and cost of living scholarships), and half of those students (25% of those) receive additional cost of living scholarships (full/partial). Whenever they say "scholarships" on their website (25%) they're talking about the cost-of-living scholarships. Also, contrary to their website, they said that a full third of the student body receive the cost of living scholarships, not just 25%.

They said that they also look for minimum of a 4.75 GPA for admitted students. This indicates that that's roughly mid B, just below a B+.  http://www.foreigncredits.com/Resources/Grade-Conversion/ . That GPA seems quite low when converted to the US scale (minimum 3.2 GPA?), especially with their 30% acceptance rate, so there are likely other factors like grade deflation over there that may cause them to have higher standards for international students/US. However, this is probably the only available minimum quantitative indicator of what grades we need to get in, and if we take it as a minimum, it may actually be accurate--setting the minimum bar at a 3.2 GPA, where 3.2s will need extraordinary extracurriculars to be admitted, might set the actual average GPA anywhere from 3.4 to 3.7.

Edited December 9, 2015 by AAAAAAAA

[haru_ko]

1 hour ago, AAAAAAAA said:

 

Here's some information that you guys might find interesting from the chat.

50% of students receive financial aid (full/partial tuition, along with those receiving tuition waivers and cost of living scholarships), and half of those students (25% of those) receive additional cost of living scholarships (full/partial). Whenever they say "scholarships" on their website (25%) they're talking about the cost-of-living scholarships. Also, contrary to their website, they said that a full third of the student body receive the cost of living scholarships, not just 25%.

They said that they also look for minimum of a 4.75 GPA for admitted students. This indicates that that's roughly mid B, just below a B+.  http://www.foreigncredits.com/Resources/Grade-Conversion/ . That GPA seems quite low when converted to the US scale (minimum 3.2 GPA?), especially with their 30% acceptance rate, so there are likely other factors like grade deflation over there that may cause them to have higher standards for international students/US. However, this is probably the only available minimum quantitative indicator of what grades we need to get in, and if we take it as a minimum, it may actually be accurate--setting the minimum bar at a 3.2 GPA, where 3.2s will need extraordinary extracurriculars to be admitted, might set the actual average GPA anywhere from 3.4 to 3.7.

3.2 GPA in the US scale is really low...I'm quite sure that they take into account the standards of marking in different countries. When I attended their on-site campus visit, they did say that when accessing international students, they do take into account what different grades (or GPA) mean in different countries. Just like all other universities, they said that their admission team is very informed about different educational systems, and hence, is also very experienced in accessing students from different systems  (which I sometimes really doubt). 

[Erminia_LL]

 

2 hours ago, AAAAAAAA said:

They said that they also look for minimum of a 4.75 GPA for admitted students. This indicates that that's roughly mid B, just below a B+.  http://www.foreigncredits.com/Resources/Grade-Conversion/ . That GPA seems quite low when converted to the US scale (minimum 3.2 GPA?), especially with their 30% acceptance rate, so there are likely other factors like grade deflation over there that may cause them to have higher standards for international students/US. However, this is probably the only available minimum quantitative indicator of what grades we need to get in, and if we take it as a minimum, it may actually be accurate--setting the minimum bar at a 3.2 GPA, where 3.2s will need extraordinary extracurriculars to be admitted, might set the actual average GPA anywhere from 3.4 to 3.7.

29 minutes ago, haru_ko said:

3.2 GPA in the US scale is really low...I'm quite sure that they take into account the standards of marking in different countries. When I attended their on-site campus visit, they did say that when accessing international students, they do take into account what different grades (or GPA) mean in different countries. Just like all other universities, they said that their admission team is very informed about different educational systems, and hence, is also very experienced in accessing students from different systems  (which I sometimes really doubt). 

This is precisely why I uploaded the Diploma Supplement my home university provided me with. It is a document conceived within the European Union and aimed at facilitating the recognition of university diplomas at an international level. It does include transcript of records as well as a thorough description of the nature and level of the studies completed. I thought it was the best way to compare my grades to the Swiss ones and give a comprehensive picture of my undergrad career.