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Intelligence Community (IC) Career Best Choice?


deopatriae

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Hello everyone!

After long hours of research on this forum to help answer some of the questions I've been having, I thought: why not just post my questions here directly?  So here goes my first post!

First, some context.  It is my goal to work in the IC (CIA, NSA, Homeland Security) in the DC area.  To accomplish this, my top three choices are Columbia's SIPA (International Security Policy), Princeton's WWS (MPA), and GWU Elliott (Security Policy Studies). 

I have 8 years of working experience, 6 of which have been abroad (including my current position) in two different countries.  I have been accepted early action into SIPA (Fall 2016) and am quite confident about Elliott.  WWS is a toss up. 

I am originally from New York, so NYC would be very close to my parents and home.  This is a plus for SIPA.  However, I am hesitant to commit to SIPA after reading multiple (and I mean more than one) reviews criticizing SIPA for a litany of reasons on this forum.  These include, but are not limited to:

  • Cost does not justify the rewards - whether this is in regards to employment opportunities following graduation or the lack of specialization in coursework someone like myself might seek
  • Class size is, generally speaking, larger than the other two schools mentioned
  • Stemming from this, lack of face time with professors
  • NYC can be a quite impersonal place to begin with - I know this firsthand
  • Employment opportunities in the IC coming out of SIPA are not as strong as WWS/Elliott.  This is what I am primarily concerned about.  NYC does not equal DC when it comes to the IC and so forth.

Now of course, the internet as an open source platform isn't always the most reliable.  I have tried to take the above expressed sentiments with a grain of salt.  You will rarely find, however, anyone with anything negative to say about WWS or Elliott.  On the contrary, I can list multiple students/alumni of Elliott who have wholeheartedly vouched for the institute's reputation and concern for students.  I find it somewhat alarming that a school with an Ivy league pedigree such as SIPA has such an unexpected amount of naysayers.  I surely can't be the only one who has noticed this on these forums.

I just thought I should elaborate on what prompted me to reconsider my choices as they pertain to pursuing a career in the IC.  Naturally, I thought SIPA would be a great fit for me as a New Yorker and someone who misses mom's cooking, but after further deliberation perhaps Elliott/WWS would be a better choice.  Anyway, here are my questions!

  1. Which of the above (Elliott, WWS, SIPA) would be the best for someone who is set on pursuing a career in the Intelligence Community?
  2. Why?  Is it thanks to the outstanding networking opportunities in the DC area for someone interested in the IC?  Is it the quality of instruction and education/curriculum structure at the institute itself?  Is it a particular focus that institute places on job placement and preparing students for "the real world"?
  3. (As it pertains to the schools not #2) Why not?

I tried to keep the questions as brief and to the point as possible.  If anyone feels the need to go into more detail with their answers, please do so!  Information helps all of us and that's why these forums exist friends. :-) Thank you so much in advance everyone!

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Guest SIPA_MPA18

Deopatriae,

I'm in a similar boat as you. I'm also looking into the IC (primarily DHS or FBI) after 8 years of active military service. I applied to SIPA Early Action (still waiting...when did you get your notification?), NYU Wagner and Duke Sanford. Though the benefits of studying in DC ala Elliott are quite obvious, I decided to stay away from DC because I don't want to live there long term and once you get sucked in, it's hard to get out, or at least that's what I've heard.

I can't explicitly answer your questions as I didn't check out WWS or Elliott, but hopefully I can provide a different perspective on your dilemma. 

1. Depending on a) your perspective of what information requirements feed into the larger intelligence/national security narrative and b)) your particular area of specialization wrt intelligence, look at each program individually and craft a unique curriculum that will give you a different "flavor" rather than seek out a cut-and-paste intelligence pipeline. The beauty of the IC is that there are many, many skills that are required to effectively synchronize information and intelligence and at any of those great schools, you can create your own experience and network to get in the door. After that, it's all about how you sell your own background and experiences.

In the Army, officers have a strict career path to follow and detouring from said path may result in counseling sessions from senior officers because they believe that doing so is not in your best interest. However, your interests and what they think is best for you don't always line up. I made the decision to break away and do things that were a little more intellectually stimulating versus stick to the pre-determined, doctrinally-dictated career path.

My point, sorry for the stream-of-consciousness (hour 17 of a 24-hour duty rotation), don't limit yourself to the traditional IC pipeline. There's a reason you're getting accepted into these great programs so don't be afraid to do something different.

2. As for SIPA (it's my first choice by the way), since that is our common denominator, I suggest you check out the Admitted Student Day videos on YouTube. The current student and alumni panels (and some of the specialization/concentration panels) can address some of the concerns you listed that you've read about on the forums. I had many of those same concerns and I feel much more comfortable about SIPA after watching those. A large program like SIPA may be more competitive in terms of getting closer to the professors, but it also offers more networking opportunities as well. If you are really dedicated to office hours and what not, then it shouldn't be difficult to approach the professors. Because we are adults admitted to a prestigious, professional graduate program, I assume they will treat us as such and the onus would be on us to seek out assistance if we need it. 

3. Like you mentioned, the internet isn't always reliable and the type of people who actually post on forums have legitimate gripes but they are also the minority. There are far more lurkers/readers than there are posters so there is a chance they are the "vocal minority." 

I hope my rambling commentary at least provided a different perspective for you to consider. Best of luck with your decision!

Edited by SIPA_MPA18
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16 hours ago, mpp2016 said:

Deopatriae,

I'm in a similar boat as you. I'm also looking into the IC (primarily DHS or FBI) after 8 years of active military service. I applied to SIPA Early Action (still waiting...when did you get your notification?), NYU Wagner and Duke Sanford. Though the benefits of studying in DC ala Elliott are quite obvious, I decided to stay away from DC because I don't want to live there long term and once you get sucked in, it's hard to get out, or at least that's what I've heard.

I can't explicitly answer your questions as I didn't check out WWS or Elliott, but hopefully I can provide a different perspective on your dilemma. 

1. Depending on a) your perspective of what information requirements feed into the larger intelligence/national security narrative and b)) your particular area of specialization wrt intelligence, look at each program individually and craft a unique curriculum that will give you a different "flavor" rather than seek out a cut-and-paste intelligence pipeline. The beauty of the IC is that there are many, many skills that are required to effectively synchronize information and intelligence and at any of those great schools, you can create your own experience and network to get in the door. After that, it's all about how you sell your own background and experiences.

In the Army, officers have a strict career path to follow and detouring from said path may result in counseling sessions from senior officers because they believe that doing so is not in your best interest. However, your interests and what they think is best for you don't always line up. I made the decision to break away and do things that were a little more intellectually stimulating versus stick to the pre-determined, doctrinally-dictated career path.

My point, sorry for the stream-of-consciousness (hour 17 of a 24-hour duty rotation), don't limit yourself to the traditional IC pipeline. There's a reason you're getting accepted into these great programs so don't be afraid to do something different.

2. As for SIPA (it's my first choice by the way), since that is our common denominator, I suggest you check out the Admitted Student Day videos on YouTube. The current student and alumni panels (and some of the specialization/concentration panels) can address some of the concerns you listed that you've read about on the forums. I had many of those same concerns and I feel much more comfortable about SIPA after watching those. A large program like SIPA may be more competitive in terms of getting closer to the professors, but it also offers more networking opportunities as well. If you are really dedicated to office hours and what not, then it shouldn't be difficult to approach the professors. Because we are adults admitted to a prestigious, professional graduate program, I assume they will treat us as such and the onus would be on us to seek out assistance if we need it. 

3. Like you mentioned, the internet isn't always reliable and the type of people who actually post on forums have legitimate gripes but they are also the minority. There are far more lurkers/readers than there are posters so there is a chance they are the "vocal minority." 

I hope my rambling commentary at least provided a different perspective for you to consider. Best of luck with your decision!

MPP,

I received my admissions letter about one week ago from SIPA.  As for fearing getting sucked into DC, for someone aiming to go into the IC isn't that what will happen anyway?  I mean, it may not necessarily be a negative thing settling down in the DC area if that's where my ultimate career goals are.  I've also heard some great things about DC as a city (I personally am not a fan of NYC as a New Yorker).

What also draws me to Elliott is that my particular area of specialization is Counterterrorism (CT).  Elliott offers a minimal quantitative core (which honestly I am not entirely concerned about as much as getting on the job training and real world experience) while also offering two (2) specialty options.  It is my goal to specialize in Homeland Security and Intelligence under the Security Policy Studies (SPS) MA program.  Moreover, all classes are at night IOT provide students the time and opportunity to work during the day.  I think this is key.  I had the distinct impression that something like CT studies and such work opportunities were not particularly common or available at SIPA and WWS.  (Although, to be fair, WWS mandates a summer internship between

Actually, I am also leaving active duty (Army) next August before I go to school.  So I understand your sentiments in the rigidity of the Army Officer career path (outside of a few exceptions like Broadening Opportunities) and how stifling it can be.  There is the Army way and then there is your REFRAD packet.  I chose the latter.

I am definitely for doing something different - which is a big reason I am leaving the RA - but I also believe that every separating SM should have a distinct, thorough, and thought out plan before separation.  For me, this was distinctly going into CT in the IC.  It is what I believe I am called to do, am qualified for, and what I believe distinguishes GWU from SIPA/WWS for me.  I admit that GWU is not the "Ivy leagues" but at this stage of the game (working professionals getting their MAs) and to our prospective employers (Federal gov't/IC) is that even important?  I have heard that it is not.

I will definitely check out the video you recommended.  I wholeheartedly agree that at this stage of the game if you are not a self-starter who takes charge of his/her destiny, then you do not deserve to be at the institution.  And good point about the "vocal minority."  I feel like that applies to every internet forum as well.

I do hope that others familiar with the IC hiring/recruiting process, Washington DC in general, and aspiring to work in the IC like myself chime in on this discussion!

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