Is a school like Sciences Po worth the debt?

[gaia12]

Hey everyone,

Hoping you can help me come closer to a decision.I applied to three programs this year for International Development. Sciences Po, University of Ottawa (SIDGS), and Carleton University (NPSIA). I was recently accepted to Sciences Po, and won't hear from the Canadian schools until March or so.

Sciences Po's total tuition will cost about $43,000 (if the Canadian dollar doesn't fall any further), and there is a good chance that I will not receive any funding. 

In comparison, the degrees in Canada will likely end up being free with some additional funding. Again, I won't know exactly until March, but I am expecting about $15,000 in funding from the University of Ottawa on top of free tuition for example.

I'm having an extremely difficult time making the decision between taking on a significant amount of debt (tuition + living) to go to Sciences Po rather than a far cheaper Canadian program. The university of Ottawa and Carleton both have great programs to my knowledge, and either would set me up for a decent career in Canada.

That said, I'm curious as to whether any/all of you feel that the benefits gained (professional and otherwise) from attending Sciences Po will outweigh any financial burden. That is, I will have access to far better jobs, higher salaries, a potential career in Europe, etc.

Further, I'm curious if anyone here has some first hand experience (or info from friends) about typical internship placements and employment after completing the MID at Sciences Po. Does anyone know what I can expect in a salary after graduation? 

Should I compromise for a cheaper program that will provide quality education but is admittedly less internationally recognized or prestigious, or should I take on a substantial amount of debt that will eventually be overshadowed by a significantly higher salary and opportunities to work at the top of my field.

Would really appreciate your input. In particular, anyone that is committing to go to SAIS, SIPA, etc. without funding. How can we (as future development practitioners) ever expect to pay off that kind of debt? Would we be better of self financing a 5 year internship in the field? 

 

Thanks all.

Edited January 9, 2016 by gaia12

[Stéphane]

3 hours ago, gaia12 said:

Would really appreciate your input. In particular, anyone that is committing to go to SAIS, SIPA, etc. without funding. How can we (as future development practitioners) ever expect to pay off that kind of debt? Would we be better of self financing a 5 year internship in the field? 

 

Hi! 

So I'm not studying at Sciences Po my but I live in Paris and I have many friends there (in Journalism, History, Geography and Political Studies that is, so my input might not be as valuable as you'd hope). All I know is that the 'Sciences Po' isn't everything : for example the journalism department is not really recognised by employers, contrary to much cheaper and more selective programmes. There's also a rather shared belief around here that it's easier for international students to get in because Sciences Po sees them as cash machines. However, I heard the same thing about the University of Edinburgh and it doesn't mean that it's true or that international students don't get extremely valuable degrees there. 

Anywho, what I'm saying is that you should look into the specific programme you're after carefully, in terms of reputation, sure, but also in terms of content. Also, since money is an important factor, don't forget that Paris is quite expensive. What makes it cheaper than, say, London for students is usually low tuition fees, which clearly is not the case for your specific programme. 

I'm sorry that's everything I can tell you, I hope it helps a little.