The Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver

[Current Korbel Student]

I'm a first-year graduate student in International Security at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. The Josef Korbel School was ranked 12th in the world by Foreign Policy magazine this year and 10th in the United States.

I wanted to post here to answer any questions anyone may have about the school, our programs (in particular International Security) or anything else as everyone gets ready to send in their applications for the 2010-2011 academic year. Last year at this time I was in the same shoes as everyone here, readying my applications and getting ready for the GRE, which I took in November.

A little on my background. I graduated from a well-known private east coast school with a 3.6 in International Studies. I received a 610 on the quantitative portion of the GRE and a 630 on the verbal with a 6.0 on the writing. I applied to the Fletcher School at Tufts and to the Josef Korbel School. I chose those two after visiting a number of other schools, both in DC and on the West Coast. I was accepted at both schools and chose Korbel because I felt the Security program was the most intensive and focused. In addition Korbel has a guaranteed scholarship program which was very attractive to me considering the debt I took on for my undergraduate education.

I have to say my first term at the Korbel School so far has been great. I'm taking 15 credits - International Terrorism, US National Security Policy and Security and Defense Analysis Methods I. Each class is taught by an experienced professional including the current CIA officer-in-residence on campus, another who helped the German government setup GSG 9 - the anti-terrorist unit of the federal German state and a long-time professor at the Air Force Academy. In the two months I've been on campus I've met the Deputy Assistant Secretary General of NATO as well as representatives of CIA, FBI, NORAD, DIA, NSC and more. It's been an awesome two months.

So I'm here to answer honestly and forthrightly any questions any of you may have about our school, the applications process, Denver or anything else. Feel free to leave any questions here or send me a private message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

[cckrspnl56]

Oooh, good thread.

I am applying to Korbel, Tufts, Georgetown, and George Washington. Georgetown is my long-shot school, and if I get into that it is going to be very hard to justify not going there. I think my choices are going to come down to Tufts and Korbel, much like you.

Both of their programs are interesting to me. I particularly enjoy Korbel's emphasis on human rights. On the other hand, Tufts seems to fit me perfectly, and I haven't seen one thing that I haven't liked about their program, faculty, or students.

I don't have any particular questions at the moment but I'll be watching this thread.

[Current Korbel Student]

Oooh, good thread.

I am applying to Korbel, Tufts, Georgetown, and George Washington. Georgetown is my long-shot school, and if I get into that it is going to be very hard to justify not going there. I think my choices are going to come down to Tufts and Korbel, much like you.

Both of their programs are interesting to me. I particularly enjoy Korbel's emphasis on human rights. On the other hand, Tufts seems to fit me perfectly, and I haven't seen one thing that I haven't liked about their program, faculty, or students.

I don't have any particular questions at the moment but I'll be watching this thread.

Georgetown was originally my first choice but I didn't apply after visiting the program, which I really felt was designed more for mid-career professionals. Madeline Albright, who teaches at Georgetown and is a big supporter of the Korbel school (it's named after her father) told me at a fundraiser for Korbel this summer that she felt my observations were correct. Her quote was something like "those guys are all mid-career and really want to get in and get out with their MA." I also felt Georgetown's program was more political vs. allowing students to spent time on theory and substance. One of the great things about graduate school is the camaraderie amongst fellow graduate students, the chance to spend time discussing issues with people who care about them and are as passionate about them as you are. I didn't feel I'd get a chance to experience that at Georgetown. All of their classes are held at night because most students work during the day, usually for the government. It just seemed more like a professional, mid-career program to me.

Fletcher is a great program, no doubt about it. I really enjoyed my visit there and the application process. In the end though what it came down to for me was the security program and comparing Korbel and Fletcher's security programs - laying out first and second year class schedules for example - I just really liked Korbel's class list and the variety and scope of offerings we have. So far I've not been disappointed.

Whatever you decide I'm sure you'll make the right choice. Best of luck as the process gets underway!

[Publius]

Hey,

I am currently a senior majoring in International Studies and am going to take a year off and then apply for a Security Studies program and Korbel School was one of my top choices.

I just had a few questions:

1.)How is the area around the campus?

2.) Do you think being outside DC affects your internship opportunities? I know that internships are strongly encouraged but not required at Korbel, I was wondering how helpful the school is on securing an internship in DC?

3.) Not sure if you know, but how do you feel this program is compared with Syracuse's Maxwell School?

I think thats it so far. Thanks for this thread.

[Current Korbel Student]

Hey,

I am currently a senior majoring in International Studies and am going to take a year off and then apply for a Security Studies program and Korbel School was one of my top choices.

I just had a few questions:

1.)How is the area around the campus?

2.) Do you think being outside DC affects your internship opportunities? I know that internships are strongly encouraged but not required at Korbel, I was wondering how helpful the school is on securing an internship in DC?

3.) Not sure if you know, but how do you feel this program is compared with Syracuse's Maxwell School?

I think thats it so far. Thanks for this thread.

Hi - thanks for the question.

The area around campus is good, residential with a number of businesses catering to students. It's a nice middle-to-upper class area with a mix of houses and apartment buildings.

I don't believe being outside DC impacts internship opportunities in any way. Because most everything relating to internships and jobs with the federal government is done online being close to the Department of State or CIA isn't going to help - it's not as if someone can drive up to Langley and ask for an internship which would then be given to them but not to the person who put off a random trip to CIA that day. Every major agency of the federal government as well as NORAD and NORTHCOM recruit at the Josef Korbel School, extensively. In addition our Career Services department runs trips to DC, NY and Boston where students can visit all the agencies and conduct interviews if they need to. Our students do internships with CIA, FBI, DOJ, State, DHS, NATO, NSA, DIA, DEA, NORAD and many NGOs and private companies. Because Korbel is so well known and respected the reputation really opens doors for us. Internships are required for some programs (like International Security) but not for others.

I'm not as familiar with the Maxwell school at Syracuse as I am with Fletcher because I applied to Fletcher. But we share a campus with Maxwell and Pitt in DC where our students can do the Fall semester. I know I've generally only heard positive things about Maxwell other than the weather in Syracuse being a bit harsh.

Let me know if you have any additional questions and in the meantime please join our Facebook fan page.

[BCerney]

Hey there,

I'm considering applying to the Korbel School's Masters International program in International Development, and I have two questions:

1) Besides the merit-based scholarships, what opportunities does Korbel offer students in terms of funding? How do most students at the school finance their stay?

2) Does the school commonly accept students who do not possess a background in International Studies?

Thanks for taking the time to answer questions.

- Brian

[Current Korbel Student]

Hey there,

I'm considering applying to the Korbel School's Masters International program in International Development, and I have two questions:

1) Besides the merit-based scholarships, what opportunities does Korbel offer students in terms of funding? How do most students at the school finance their stay?

2) Does the school commonly accept students who do not possess a background in International Studies?

Thanks for taking the time to answer questions.

- Brian

Hi Brian,

The MA in ID is a great program - I have friends doing their focus in that area and they love it.

Financial aid is dependent on a number of factors, the most important of which is need. Beyond the guaranteed scholarships there are numerous scholarships awarded by both DU and Korbel, some based on field of study and others on merit. Almost everyone at the school takes out loans, Stafford, PLUS and Perkins, to pay for school and in addition to scholarships people pay for school with work-study as well or they apply for research assistantships, which many professors use for their own work.

The school does accept people who do not have a background in international studies. I personally know people who came to the school without any background in IR at all. I know each department provides a summer reading list for students who don't have an IR background to help them prepare but even without that everyone seems to do fine. The most important quality the school looks for as far as admission is academic excellence and intellectual fortitude, which includes (among other things) a good GPA and GRE scores.

Let me know if you have any other questions and good luck in the process of applying. If you get a chance please become a fan of our Facebook fan page where you can keep track of everything happening with the school

Edited November 11, 2009 by Current Korbel Student

[Current Korbel Student]

Whatever anyone decides I wanted to take a minute and congratulate you all on the process you've undertaken and to tell you that the odds are highly in your favor that in the end - it will all work out. I know it doesn't seem like it now, when you're in the midst of writing SOPS and gathering recs and transcripts and then the hellish waiting for acceptance or rejections, but it will And you know what? It really is all worth it!

[intelwarrior]

I'm a first-year graduate student in International Security at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. The Josef Korbel School was ranked 12th in the world by Foreign Policy magazine this year and 10th in the United States.

I wanted to post here to answer any questions anyone may have about the school, our programs (in particular International Security) or anything else as everyone gets ready to send in their applications for the 2010-2011 academic year. Last year at this time I was in the same shoes as everyone here, readying my applications and getting ready for the GRE, which I took in November.

A little on my background. I graduated from a well-known private east coast school with a 3.6 in International Studies. I received a 610 on the quantitative portion of the GRE and a 630 on the verbal with a 6.0 on the writing. I applied to the Fletcher School at Tufts and to the Josef Korbel School. I chose those two after visiting a number of other schools, both in DC and on the West Coast. I was accepted at both schools and chose Korbel because I felt the Security program was the most intensive and focused. In addition Korbel has a guaranteed scholarship program which was very attractive to me considering the debt I took on for my undergraduate education.

I have to say my first term at the Korbel School so far has been great. I'm taking 15 credits - International Terrorism, US National Security Policy and Security and Defense Analysis Methods I. Each class is taught by an experienced professional including the current CIA officer-in-residence on campus, another who helped the German government setup GSG 9 - the anti-terrorist unit of the federal German state and a long-time professor at the Air Force Academy. In the two months I've been on campus I've met the Deputy Assistant Secretary General of NATO as well as representatives of CIA, FBI, NORAD, DIA, NSC and more. It's been an awesome two months.

So I'm here to answer honestly and forthrightly any questions any of you may have about our school, the applications process, Denver or anything else. Feel free to leave any questions here or send me a private message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Thanks for initiating this discussion.

I've recently applied to the Korbel School, and I'm particularly interested in the financial aid options you've linked. Specifically, do you know of anyone that has received one of those three scholarships (Founder's, Dean's, or Faculty) despite having a verbal GRE score that fell slightly below the metric? Do they apply those standards strictly? Can a greater than recommended GPA compensate for a lower GRE score?

Thank you.

[Current Korbel Student]

Hey Everyone,

I wanted to thank you all for the many private messages you've sent and I hope I answered all of your questions.

I also wanted to let everyone know who is applying or has already submitted their applications to the Josef Korbel School of International Studies that applications are up considerably over last year. As such admission is increasingly competitive and we urge everyone to submit their applications as soon as possible.

Again - PM me if you have any questions. Have a wonderful holiday season!!

[carpecc]

Current Korbel Student,

I'm applying to Korbel and definitely have it pegged as one of my top choices. My intended concentration is International Development. Two questions

What's the profile of a typical Korbel Student based on your experience?

I get the impression that Korbel has a good balance of practical studies (project management, case studies etc) and theory and is not too focused on the academic and research end of things. Is this true?

[Current Korbel Student]

Current Korbel Student,

I'm applying to Korbel and definitely have it pegged as one of my top choices. My intended concentration is International Development. Two questions

What's the profile of a typical Korbel Student based on your experience?

I get the impression that Korbel has a good balance of practical studies (project management, case studies etc) and theory and is not too focused on the academic and research end of things. Is this true?

Hi,

Please excuse the tardiness of this reply. We were on break until the 4th and I've been occupied with the first week of school. If you still need an answer to your question please e-mail me directly and I promise I'll get back to you within 24 hours.

[Aunuwyn]

This entire thread is nothing but shameless promotion by the Korbel School. Anyone wants to know the true story behind this school feel free to PM me.

[Aunuwyn]

Update for Prospective Students

It has come to my attention that the Korbel school in their infinite wisdom accepted about 150 more students last quarter than they had capacity for. As such these first year students are not finding classes for them to enroll in in this in subsequent quarters. The advice given to them by administration is to find courses in other graduate colleges on campus like Law, Social Work, or Education.

This is something to closely consider if thinking about coming to DU or applying here.

[Current Korbel Student]

Update for Prospective Students

It has come to my attention that the Korbel school in their infinite wisdom accepted about 150 more students last quarter than they had capacity for. As such these first year students are not finding classes for them to enroll in in this in subsequent quarters. The advice given to them by administration is to find courses in other graduate colleges on campus like Law, Social Work, or Education.

This is something to closely consider if thinking about coming to DU or applying here.

It's unfortunate "Aunuwyn" has not had the great experience at Korbel that myself and other 1st year students have had.

I can say with authority, being a 1st year student in the most popular concentration at the Josef Korbel School, that I have never been given the advice to "find courses in other graduate colleges on campus." I also got all the courses I wanted and which were required by my concentration in both my 1st and 2nd terms.

Anyone with additional questions should feel free to ask the admissions office or any of the students at the Discover Korbel event in April about their experiences. It's important to note that the student panels at the Discover Korbel event will take place with only prospective students and current students present, no faculty or staff will be in the room during this time. The reason for this is to encourage total honesty and transparency and allow both prospectives and current students to have an open conversation. I urge everyone to take advantage of this event and also to PM me if you have any questions.

Thanks again for reading.

[Aunuwyn]

It's unfortunate "Aunuwyn" has not had the great experience at Korbel that myself and other 1st year students have had.

I can say with authority, being a 1st year student in the most popular concentration at the Josef Korbel School, that I have never been given the advice to "find courses in other graduate colleges on campus." I also got all the courses I wanted and which were required by my concentration in both my 1st and 2nd terms.

Anyone with additional questions should feel free to ask the admissions office or any of the students at the Discover Korbel event in April about their experiences. It's important to note that the student panels at the Discover Korbel event will take place with only prospective students and current students present, no faculty or staff will be in the room during this time. The reason for this is to encourage total honesty and transparency and allow both prospectives and current students to have an open conversation. I urge everyone to take advantage of this event and also to PM me if you have any questions.

Thanks again for reading.

Oh shove it. You are not any more authoritative than me. I am a second year security student here, and have been here much longer than you. Therefore I have a better perspective for the program, and I share my thoughts freely with others, both positive and negative. This is better than painting a rosy picture that exists only in fiction.

[KorbelStudent]

Oh shove it. You are not any more authoritative than me. I am a second year security student here, and have been here much longer than you. Therefore I have a better perspective for the program, and I share my thoughts freely with others, both positive and negative. This is better than painting a rosy picture that exists only in fiction.

Aunuwyn has a good point. I am also a second year security student at the Korbel school. Some students were told that they had to seek courses outside the Korbel school due to a lack of space. While Current Korbel Student may have recieved all the classes he wanted, not everyone does. I myself could not take all the classes I wanted in my first quarter, and there were far fewer students last year. I wasn't asked to take classes in a different program, but the problem is still the same: the Korbel school has a serious problem with getting its students into Korbel classes. Part of the problem is the Korbel policy of admitting large amounts of students and limiting class sizes to a max of 20 students. An additional example: last Spring quarter the school "overcompensated" by creating more classes than they needed. The school then decided to drop every class that was less than half full, even if it was only by one student. I had THREE graduate level classes cancelled on me. Given the enormous amount of money I pay to attend the Korbel school (and the increasing debt), I should be able to take the classes that I want. Some teachers understand the problem and will overload their classes or oversee an independent study. But not all professors feel that way.

Speaking as a student, the Korbel school is a good school. I enjoy my classes and I believe I am getting a good education. But lets be realistic: it is not all smiles and sunshine.

[flyers29]

Aunuwyn has a good point. I am also a second year security student at the Korbel school. Some students were told that they had to seek courses outside the Korbel school due to a lack of space. While Current Korbel Student may have recieved all the classes he wanted, not everyone does. I myself could not take all the classes I wanted in my first quarter, and there were far fewer students last year. I wasn't asked to take classes in a different program, but the problem is still the same: the Korbel school has a serious problem with getting its students into Korbel classes. Part of the problem is the Korbel policy of admitting large amounts of students and limiting class sizes to a max of 20 students. An additional example: last Spring quarter the school "overcompensated" by creating more classes than they needed. The school then decided to drop every class that was less than half full, even if it was only by one student. I had THREE graduate level classes cancelled on me. Given the enormous amount of money I pay to attend the Korbel school (and the increasing debt), I should be able to take the classes that I want. Some teachers understand the problem and will overload their classes or oversee an independent study. But not all professors feel that way.

Speaking as a student, the Korbel school is a good school. I enjoy my classes and I believe I am getting a good education. But lets be realistic: it is not all smiles and sunshine.

Exactly.

[Current Korbel Student]

It's important that I acknowledge the concerns of students who don't receive their 1st choice classes - this does happen and to the school's credit the incoming class, of which I am a part, was specifically warned about this at the Discover Korbel event in April 2009 as well as during orientation in September 2009. Personally I have known both law and graduate students not at Korbel who were forced to enter lotteries in order to be able to chose classes - and sometimes didn't get the ones they wanted for over a year. So I didn't regard this as that unusual. However I understand for some this is a major issue and I wanted to describe some of the steps Korbel is taking to alleviate the situation - some are long-term and some a short-term.

One of the things that sets Korbel apart is the personal attention paid to individual students. Having attended a large east coast school with 29,000 students I can tell you it makes a difference to be able to walk into the office of the Director of Student Services and ask for your registration time to be changed so you would have a better chance of registering early - because last time you were on the bottom of the list - and she says yes. Or to receive personal help from staff in working through waitlists - I've seen these things happen.

And it's also important to note the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes in adding additional classes - this takes an enormous amount of coordination. Professors must be located who are top-tier in their subject with along record of accomplishments and publications - this can't be done on a dime. Classes are rarely canceled except for extenuating circumstances and the past two terms we had a professor out who was extremely ill, so filling that spot wasn't easy.

The school is a great school, it didn't receive a top-10 ranking because it wasn't. But nothing is perfect and the concerns expressed here have been passed to the administration who are taking note of what the students said so hopefully the problems described will be of far less concern to the class entering in Fall 2010 than they were to some this year.

[skypny]

How does previous foreign language experience factor into acceptance in the the Korbel International Security Program? I've become very interested in the program, but unfortunately do not have a strong background with a foreign language. Fletcher, SAIS and other INTL Relations programs all stress previous experience as a strong requirement, is it the same at Korbel?

[flyers29]

How does previous foreign language experience factor into acceptance in the the Korbel International Security Program? I've become very interested in the program, but unfortunately do not have a strong background with a foreign language. Fletcher, SAIS and other INTL Relations programs all stress previous experience as a strong requirement, is it the same at Korbel?

I wouldn't say it's that stringent. However, you do have to pass a language exam that will make you come to hate DU's language department if you're taking it in Arabic or an Asian language.

Edited January 27, 2010 by flyers29

[Current Korbel Student]

How does previous foreign language experience factor into acceptance in the the Korbel International Security Program? I've become very interested in the program, but unfortunately do not have a strong background with a foreign language. Fletcher, SAIS and other INTL Relations programs all stress previous experience as a strong requirement, is it the same at Korbel?

Foreign language experience is required for most Korbel MA programs - except the Homeland Security degree. Students aren't required to have a language upon admission but they are required to either pass a language test which shows mastery of at least two years of college level instruction, or to achieve intermediate level through an immersion program like the one offered at Middlebury. If a student majored in an undergraduate language program their language requirement is already filled using that information.

So long answer short - a foreign language isn't required for admission (however it's strongly suggested you have one before starting) but it is required for graduation.

[Aunuwyn]

Your formulaic answers are clearly reflective of someone whom works for the school and is trying to present a candy glazed picture. Please just direct questions to your work phone or the schools website, and cease your dissemination of propaganda here. This is a place to get true information from the program and not candied responses.

[Current Korbel Student]

Your formulaic answers are clearly reflective of someone whom works for the school and is trying to present a candy glazed picture. Please just direct questions to your work phone or the schools website, and cease your dissemination of propaganda here. This is a place to get true information from the program and not candied responses.

Hi "Aunuwyn,"

As I've stated before I'm a full-time student at Korbel. I believe all my answers to this point have been ethical and honest in an attempt to provide a student's perspective on the school and the admissions process.

It's unfortunate that you consider answering a poster's questions on Korbel's language requirements for graduation as presenting "a candy glazed picture." I'm not sure if you're aware of this but most ASPIA schools have a language requirement. Georgetown does not - but otherwise most other schools do, some require it before graduation while others, as in the case of Korbel, require it before a degree is rewarded.

Again, I urge all admitted students to attend the Discover Korbel event in April where you'll be given a chance to speak with students whose names to which you'll be privy, face-to-face, without staff or administration present. Feel free to ask any of the questions "Aunuwyn" has posed here - the students on the panel, which may include myself, are given complete freedom to answer all questions as honestly and clearly as possible.

Thanks again everyone. If you have any further questions please feel free to post or PM me.

[Leica]

Again, I urge all admitted students to attend the Discover Korbel event in April where you'll be given a chance to speak with students whose names to which you'll be privy, face-to-face, without staff or administration present. Feel free to ask any of the questions "Aunuwyn" has posed here - the students on the panel, which may include myself, are given complete freedom to answer all questions as honestly and clearly as possible.

As a student who's participated in similar panels, albeit not at Korbel, I'd like to mention that 1) the students who attend these things are a self-selecting bunch; most of those who haven't enjoyed their experience at School X on the whole are less likely to want to spend hours talking to prospective students in the middle of feverish final-writing; 2) especially in face-to-face encounters, few are willing to voice actual criticism of any aspect of the program because they think, whether rightly or wrongly, that it makes them look bad, that it makes it seem as though they messed up by choosing the school that wasn't best suited for them, or that they should've gotten more out of the experience/for the price. I'm genuinely enjoying my program (again, not at Korbel), I really like my classes, my professors have generally been great, but it never occurred to me to volunteer criticism leveled at my program by my peers, or a vivid description of Process X I found difficult to deal with, or whatever at these events. I was mostly all sunshine and rainbows even without administrators present, though this was generally because I really did like my program. My friends who weren't as thrilled with theirs didn't attend these events, which is why it's useful to get a variety of viewpoints from "anonymous" people online.

Edited January 28, 2010 by Leica