<p>Isolationist - you can’t take more than 9 credits in your first semester at SIS, and I’ve never heard of a grad student taking 15 credits here - I’m not even sure if an adviser would allow this. Depending on your field, you may not be able to find even 9-12 credits’ worth of relevant field-specific coursework to complete over the summer. It is, however, possible to graduate in 3 semesters.</p>
<p>my field is u.s. foreign policy with the minor in middle east.</p>
<p>summers have alot of courses tho - there are a bunch of study abroads with 9, i could change minors for that, anyway i will have a good discussion with the adviser. i usually find there are way more short cuts than people think. there are a lot of summer courses offered at AU unlike other colleges…</p>
<p>question though, how many summer sessions are there at AU? I am planning on being there the whole summer, so if there are more than 2 summer sessions I would do it.</p>
<p>There are either 2 or 3 summer sessions, I’m not sure. The study abroads are for 6 credits over the summer, but that would last a month and a half, so you’d effectively be gone for most of the summer sessions anyway. The thing is, it seems like there are a lot of classes offered because there are skills institutes (workshops) and study abroad sessions, but in terms of actual classes there isn’t much to choose from. The Summer 09 schedule is up on the registrar’s website: [American</a> University - Schedule of Classes](<a href=“http://www.american.edu/american/registrar/schedule_proc.cfm?term=2009XN&subj=SIS&search=&mode=title&stat=ALL&hr=&mn=&m=AM&class=Search+Courses;]American”>http://www.american.edu/american/registrar/schedule_proc.cfm?term=2009XN&subj=SIS&search=&mode=title&stat=ALL&hr=&mn=&m=AM&class=Search+Courses;) 600+ are graduate classes. </p>
<p>Even if you did 9 credits over the summer, you still wouldn’t graduate over the summer because you could only take 9 credits this fall.</p>
<p>isolationist–What is the rush? Why do you want to finish in less time?</p>
<p>Anyone else apply to UCSD???</p>
<p>Stats -
3.2 UGPA in International Studies
GMAT - 660
2 years work experience at a Big accounting in International Trade</p>
<p>Got into UCSD but with no funding 
Didn’t apply anywhere else.</p>
<p>The reason I want to finish early is that I am planning to go to law school (and maybe a dual program w/ law school, not sure yet) right after. I am going to begin applying in July/August and I have already taken the LSAT and did ok (160). I really want to do this degree too.</p>
<p>If I end up going to law school at Catholic or American or something, then it won’t really be a problem because I could finish up that extra semester at the same time.</p>
<p>I am going to ask the adviser if they let me take some courses this summer, I don’t think they will, but usually what I have found is that if you push hard enough they let you take enough courses.</p>
<p>Anyways, as for GWU people, they sent out an email saying all the decisions will be in by Friday. I doubt I will get into GWU, but if I did it would be great. I just wish I knew about the Security Policy Studies concentration beforehand, I instead applied for Middle East politics…</p>
<p>The same thing with SIS.</p>
<p>Ethan, sorry. I misread your posting. All these acronyms, lol.</p>
<p>You strike me as a very strong SAIS candidate based on what you wrote about yourself. Many of the students I know entered the program with less than disirable undergad GPAs. Ultimately, I think they are just looking for students who demonstrate that “it factor” and who they beleive can succeed academically–even if it takes a liitle more work. I know in the International Development program, it is not rare for students to fail Micro and/or Macro the first time they take it. I think that’s because a lot of what that particular program is looking for in applicants is experience, not grades or prior academic achievement as much. Other programs that are perhaps “less sexy,” like policy for example, are looking at academics more maybe, and regional studies are looking more for students with a strong background or interest.</p>
<p>I applied to IDEV as my first choice with SAIS. I’m not holding my breath. I was going to apply to something that is uncapped and less popular as my first choice, but I was strongly encouraged NOT to do that by most people I know at SAIS. They’re right. At SIS I can do IDEV, no problem. Now I won’t be in the position of choosing between SAIS with a non-IDEV concentration and a spot in a good IDEV program elsewhere. I think that I would probably make the wrong choice if confronted with that decsion, lol.</p>
<p>-bryan</p>
<p>isolationist- Thank you for answering my question about the hurry to finish. I have a family member at SIS and told her about your post. She said it’s highly unlikely that they will let you do that and even more unlikely that the classes you want/need would be offered in a way that allowed it. She would like to take a class this summer but there is nothing offered that she needs. She also noted that a big part of the educational process involves internships and that takes time as well. They cannot be counted for class credit until your second semester.</p>
<p>If you could do the MA/JD program at American you could work on both at once but I’m sure you know your chances at the law school are not great. Her suggestion is build in another year to finish the MA before you plan to start the JD.</p>
<p>damn. didn’t get in to GWU. they just posted their results. damn the GRE!!!</p>
<p>REJECTED from GWU…</p>
<p>yet accepted to UMichigan and Uchicago (with half tuition scholarship)…thought it was odd because GWU was my safety school…weird year we’re having, eh?</p>
<p>still waiting on 4 more unis…probably going to UChicago though :-)</p>
<p>I’m in at GW - very excited!</p>
<p>rejected at GW. <em>sigh</em></p>
<p>Just found out today about GWU. Got accepted!</p>
<p>On another note, has anybody gotten their decisions from Georgetown or Johns Hopkins yet? Georgetown was kind of a reach for me (I was a B+ average Film/English major in college with no econ experience since high school AP Micro), so I’m not expecting much, although I pretty ready to hear the decision!</p>
<p>Where do you go on the GWU website to check your status: acceptance/rejection?</p>
<p>you sign in…then scroll down and it says something like a ‘decision is available’…then you click on it. </p>
<p>apparently…they don’t even look at your app if you didn’t complete the econ prereqs…oops…lol…i’m guess that’s why i was rejected</p>
<p>Darkstorm, I haven’t heard back from Georgetown yet, but did get an acceptance e-mail from SAIS about 6 hours ago. They’re sending funding info in the mail.</p>
<p>Anybody have any insights about when Georgetown will get back to us?</p>
<p>Actually it seems Georgetown began mailing notifications yesterday. Hopefully they also e-mail, since I’m in China…</p>
<p>Yeah, GWU is being completely stupid. I don’t have a decision since it says my application is incomplete, even though I have records of sending my transcripts to their exact address three times, and they have sent me an email myself saying they lost my transcripts and it was their fault and I re-sent them to them both by email (what they requested, because it was their fault) and by actual mail (what I did to be nice).</p>
<p>So I don’t know about these people. I don’t even really care now. I will just wait for Georgetown because I think there might be some hope.</p>
<p>Aubstopper…not to make you feel bad, but I didn’t have the full economics prereqs, and I got in. Someone else, a GW prof in another department, similarly told me that they would simply throw out my app because of my analytical writing scores. I guess they just liked me enough to make an exception (I have extensive travel experience, including North Korea.)</p>
<p>I’m also getting frustrated by Georgetown, in particular, because they’re my first choice. UCSD (probably my second choice) wants me to make up my mind by April 15, and if Georgetown is going to mail out my decisions on April 1, that makes things kind of tight. Especially since there may be a mixup among my stateside permanent addresses (I’m in China, I guess in the same situation as The Fronde.) I think Georgetown has overall been the most distant, and least personal, admissions department I’ve had to deal with.</p>
<p>By the way, I don’t mean to sound big-headed at all. My extensive travel experience is practically the only thing on my resume, so I’m not sure if Georgetown is even a possibility. I’m quite happy about getting into USCD-IRPS.</p>
<p>orange dave, I’m sorry you’ve felt that Georgetown MSFS was being distant with you. I’m not involved in the admissions process at all but if you have any questions, please feel free to message me. I’ve heard conflicting things about decisions already being mailed out, but just be patient.</p>