SAIS Fall 2016

[ParisDreams]

3 minutes ago, manutdftw said:

Ok so I emailed SAIS asking them if there's any potential way I could be placed on a waitlist for funding and this is what they wrote. I'm out of of the running for SAIS but maybe it'll help current or future people who are considering SAIS. Good luck!

Congratulations on your admission to SAIS! 

Your application was quite competitive. However, funding limitations prevent us from providing fellowship awards to all of our admitted students. This year, we awarded approximately 30% of the incoming class with fellowship assistance. 

Although we would like to provide assistance to every admitted student, our funds are limited.  We use a multiplier to award aid expecting that some students will decline our offer of admission so we do not have a second round of first-year fellowship awards.  As a result, all fellowship decisions are final.

Students are eligible to apply for additional fellowships in their second year however.  The Financial Aid Committee looks at first year academic performance and aims to award 50-60% of second year students with fellowship assistance.

Should you have any questions about the financial aid process or if you would like to meet with a SAIS Financial Aid representative, please let us know. We would be more than happy to meet with you.

Thank you so much for contacting them! This makes my decision a lot easier

[bs1997]

Hi everyone! 

Are any of you guys from the Boston area? I would love to meet some other folks who are interested in the program and might be going!

[monocle]

I hope I don't get flagged for posting this three times for different groups... This was advice posted in the wrong forum about making the most of your time at SIPA, but I think it is probably useful for SAIS as well.
 

Hope it helps!

[happygomucky]

Has anyone applied for the MIPP?

I was expecting to hear my results today...instead I got an email inviting me to an admit day on Apr 6, but no formal acceptance or rejection. 

I even logged in to my application but it just says 'submitted'. And there's nothing in my junk folder....

Has anyone else had this experience? Have I been admitted? 

[abnd]

@happygomucky, just refreshed the application page again a few minutes ago and the decision link was (finally) available. 

[happygomucky]

4 hours ago, sp108 said:

Congrats

You were correct - final confirmation just arrived. I had already decided on WWS, but still good to know!

[monocle]

I think I've pretty much made up my mind on SAIS. I am going to wallow in that decision for a couple weeks before I make it final, but honestly I'm getting a little excited about it. I'm excited about the heavy econ lol.

Has anyone else decided they are going?

[coffeeandtravel]

12 minutes ago, monocle said:

I think I've pretty much made up my mind on SAIS. I am going to wallow in that decision for a couple weeks before I make it final, but honestly I'm getting a little excited about it. I'm excited about the heavy econ lol.

Has anyone else decided they are going?

If I were able to figure out the money part, I'd put my deposit down today! Still trying to figure that out, though

[ZebraFinch]

I'm really torn between SAIS and Georgetown. I'm mostly just terrified of the Econ requirements; I did Econ in my undergrad and while I did well, I didn't enjoy it.

[monocle]

I found this thread/stream of consciousness from a few users to be pretty helpful.. Since I'll be doing IDEV. I was kind of happy to see that Fukuyama still recommended SAIS over Stanford (though I'd be curious to know his answer now that he's been at Stanford for a while).

http://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/12195-best-program-for-intl-development-saismsfssipafletcher/

[jcass]

I can't decide if Bologna is worth it, compared to DC. Does anyone know anything about the strength of the Middle East Studies program in Bologna? And how hard is it to get an internship (in DC or international) if I spend the first year there?

[Pichichi]

@monocle, thanks for sharing that. @jcass, based off my personal research it shouldn't be too difficult to get something for the summer after Bologna.

For me it's probably going to come down to either GW or SAIS. Doesn't look like I'm getting funding and even though SAIS was my number one choice, it's very hard for me to think about the amount of loans I'd be taking out. 

[coffeeandtravel]

Just now, Pichichi said:

@monocle, thanks for sharing that. @jcass, based off my personal research it shouldn't be too difficult to get something for the summer after Bologna.

For me it's probably going to come down to either GW or SAIS. Doesn't look like I'm getting funding and even though SAIS was my number one choice, it's very hard for me to think about the amount of loans I'd be taking out. 

I feel ya. But the lack of communication from GW is making those loans seem a bit less overwhelming. At least we know the number...radio silence from GW isn't helping at all.

[coffeeandtravel]

Does anyone know if they record the virtual info sessions for SAIS? I want to listen to the financial aid one tomorrow but will be at work

[Srbf]

@coffeeandtravel A student from the accepted students page emailed me the power points for all but the Bologna one. They said they didn't record them though so its only the slides but still somewhat helpful. 

Edited March 28, 2016 by Srbf

[laowhy]

hi all, current first year MA at Hopkins-Nanjing, if any of you are looking at the certificate or two-year program, feel free to ask me anything

[coffeeandtravel]

I would love to hear from people who were able to make it to the open house today! 

[mustangsally001]

10 hours ago, coffeeandtravel said:

I would love to hear from people who were able to make it to the open house today! 

It was pretty informative! I'll share my thoughts but anyone can feel free to chime in or agree/disagree if they had a different experience.

The biggest takeaway I got was the quite distinct educational philosophy towards a degree in IR that most of the professors seemed to share and advocate. They really emphasize an interdisciplinary approach where all knowledge is "one" - that the historical, political, and yes, economic contexts should all be studied and taken into account to best understand and tackle contemporary problems. In many ways, it is both practical and theoretical, and I got the sense that the professors are not only incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about their individual fields but also equipped to address current problems with a more interdisciplinary and historically informed framework in mind. Practically, you seem to have a lot more flexibility with changing your concentration (exempting IDEV and STRAT which you can switch out of but are difficult to switch into due to their sheer popularity) and you can take courses across all of the concentrations with your own interests and specific path in mind. Ultimately, many of the professors on the first panel agreed that you should concentrate in what you're interested and passionate in because in the end everyone has a degree at SAIS which speaks for itself.

I also got a bigger sense of the advantage of the SAIS network. There were so many anecdotes from students and professors alike about instances in which the alumni and student networks (perhaps not so jokingly known as the "SAIS mafia") were a huge advantage. Apparently several government departments are essentially "run" by SAISers on all levels given the sheer number of people that work there. There also seem to be agreements with companies, IOs, nonprofits and governmental orgs to have internships and job offers open only to SAIS students so there are ample opportunities to secure sought-after positions within institutions in DC and abroad if you go through SAIS. Honestly, the network and the sheer quality and impressiveness of professors and alumni seem to be a huge draw for SAIS.

Overall, the professors seemed really passionate, and since there's no undergraduate aspect of SAIS, they pour all of their energy into the graduate program which in itself seems advantageous, not only for the focus placed on grads but for the sense of community throughout the school (especially if you go to Bologna for the first year, where it seems you forge an incredibly tight-knit bond with your class). Personally, today made my decision much more difficult, but I have two more schools to look at this week before I have to decide.

I hope that helps in some way, even if it was just my perspective!

[coffeeandtravel]

@mustangsally001 Thanks for the insight--I really appreciate it! You're making my decision harder too, hahah

[alice1250]

I had similar impressions from the open house as mustangsally. The faculty and professors certainly emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of their curriculum because of the importance of contextual factors in international affairs. After checking out their course catalog, many classes in one concentration are cross-listed with other concentrations, and many students don't seem to finalize their concentration choice until they've taken a few courses. That really makes me wonder if the concentrations we choose matters a whole lot for our future employment. 

The "SAIS Mafia" is definitely a huge plus in my book. I was at the ERE lunch and one of the first-year student is literally taking the internship position this summer that a second-year student had last summer. Other students I talked to are all interviewing/deciding on the jobs/internships they will be taking, they definitely do not seem to lack employment opportunities and choices. 

I hope someone here can offer me some insight/advice: In the case that they do grant this to me, I was really hoping to defer attending SAIS for a year so I can gain more work experience (albeit not at all relevant to international affairs) since I graduated last May and had only been working for a few months. Do you guys think I will be at a disadvantage, compared to other students, if I enter SAIS this fall? 

Although the SAIS network is big, I'm afraid that I won't be able to fully utilize it without the prior experiences that many others already have. 

[Pichichi]

I'm going to piggyback onto what mustangsally said as well.. Granted I haven't visited other schools yet, I found the whole day to be very impressive. From the courses and current students to the career services and the networking potential of a SAIS degree the whole package seemed fantastic. 

I came away with a different impression than alice1250 in regards to the network. I think the benefit of going to SAIS, rather than X, Y, or Z is that you do have this massive and incredible network and can use it to your advantage. Even if you're not getting job offers from the network you're getting connections, informational interviews, recommendations, and advice. You have career services at your disposal "forever" after graduating as well. I also thought it was interesting how recent alumni will come back to SAIS to talk about their jobs, give advice, and look for employees.

Like the ERE students, the IDEV students talked about their practicum in which they work with clients, which is a big plus in terms of experience and possible job opportunities down the road. The career trips to multiple employers, even though I assume the majority are informational, open more networking opportunities as well.

I also agree on the concentration lacking importance. This probably doesn't ring true in every scenario, but in the end you have a SAIS degree and that's what employers will see. 

@alice1250 I did talk with a girl who deferred for a year got more work experience and was starting this fall. Talked to someone else who was planning on turning it down and applying next year in hopes of more funding. However, like I mentioned above, I don't think you'll be facing that great of a disadvantage. Just my impression though.

@coffeeandtravel It's definitely made my decision harder, but hopefully visiting GW's campus tomorrow will help make it easier.

[a.khalid]

Hi all,

I was hoping to learn from all of your collective insight. I am (luckily) faced with making a decision amongst a few top schools, the gist of which is as follows:

Harvard MPP - no funding - will cost $75k/year (incl living)

Tufts MALD - 32k annual waiver - will cost 30k/year (incl living)

Carnegie Mellon MSPPM - 29k annual waiver - will cost 28k/year (incl living)

Duke MPP - 10k annual waiver - will cost 49k/year (incl living) - i am yet to hear from them regarding a revised funding offer

SAIS MA (IDEV) - 30k annual waiver - will cost 33k/ year (incl living)

I would be utterly grateful if you could please:

 

1. tell me which one out of my offers you guys would advise me to go to, keeping in mind the prestige of the school and job prospects. 

 

2. tell me if you feel whether my chances of employment and earnings for entry level jobs in multilateral development organizations or research institutes would be significantly higher if I were to graduate from Harvard. Essentially, would this income differential justify the additional initial investment for Harvard (assuming i can foot the entire bill for HKS)?

 

3. Is SAIS the top school in the DC area? How does the MPP offered by the McCourt School at Georgetown compare this program with the MA program offered by SAIS, in terms of placements of graduates, quantitative rigor of coursework and research opportunities available to students.

 

[monocle]

@a.khalid congrats on your acceptances!

1. It might depend more on your goals.. The differences between these programs other than location seems highly nuanced... I wouldnt worry about prestoge, but I assume you're feeling anxious about turning down Harvard? Theyre all prestigious enough, and you can still tell people you got into Harvard.

Harvard's private sector median salary is markedly higher than the others' however, they dont separate dual degree candidates with their law school and business school, (and maybe med school) which might inflate their private sector salary stats a bit. The other sectors have about the same salary, so no theres probably no guarantee you would have a significantly higher earning potential from Harvard MPP at a multilateral or research institution.

SAIS and Georgetown are top dogs in DC,  but I get the impression that the School of Foreign Service is much more "famous" than McCourt MPP. Ive even heard some who think GTown is better than SAIS because of its smaller class size and higher selectivity. But personally, I didnt even apply because I liked SAIS more and was confident about my chances. But seriously no one is going to hold it against you for choosing any of the fantastic programs in DC over any other, so again I wouldn't focus on the reputation further than "is this school serious about their students"

[Pichichi]

Stumbled upon this and thought you lot might find it interesting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCvPct6g_Xk

 

[Knivez]

Hello everyone! I am interested in applying to the MA program of Global Security Studies at Johns Hopkins University. I was wondering if anyone on this forum could please give me any advice or look at my stuff to see if I actually have a chance of getting accepted?

 

I appreciate your help. Thank you.

Edited June 7, 2016 by Knivez