<p>As someone who has been waitlisted for GW, the idea of deferring for a whole year or flat out declining makes me cringe. I would only do such a thing if I had some amazing full time relevant position already lined up. Do you have any such employment opportunities? You have to take into consideration the economic climate that we live in now. A few years ago it would be a given that a college grad with your stats could easily and quickly find a decent entry-level job, but now, don’t be so sure. The last thing you want to do is defer with the expectation that you will find a relevant job immediately. You don’t know how long that could take, there are too many applicants with stats just like yours applying for every job there is. My stats aren’t so different from yours and I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine for 2 years. I had no intention of going to grad school right away and toward the end of my service this was my thought process…“It will be no problem for me to find a job, I have a BA and Peace Corps service under my belt.” Well, 8 months of searching for a job put me through the ringer and I finally had to choose a different path to my dream of working in anything related to IR or development in DC. I chose to apply for grad school knowing full well that I’d be provided with academic structure and more opportunities than I could imagine from a top-notch institution such as GW or American…(I’m still hopeful for SIS). The reality of the situation is that as a grad student in DC at The Elliott School of International Affairs you would be there in the middle of it all, where you should be. You’ll get an internship, you’ll get a part-time job WHILE earning a Master’s degree. I don’t think that there’s really a better set up than that, financially, it might not be ideal, but deferring for a year might be a waste of time. You should also, to be honest, consider yourself fortunate that you’ve been accepted without work experience. I don’t know man, I’d take that acceptance letter and run all the way to DC with it…but that’s just my take on it…although if you do decline maybe that would open up a spot for me I guess on the other side of the coin though, if GW is not your dream school, like is for me, you might want to consider deferring and trying your luck for the others you mentioned…that’s definitely up to you to figure out. Good luck!</p>
<p>briik,
thank you so much. these two things are the most informative pieces of data i’ve seen since i started researching ir programs. it especially helps that i’m looking very strongly at gw, as well as american.</p>
<p>GW is offering me $20k ($15k merit fellowship, $5k need-based grant for the first year). I also just found out that I got into American, but they are not giving me any fellowship money because I overlooked the fact that they wanted OFFICIAL GRE scores, so technically my entire application was not in by the deadline for fellowship consideration. Major fail on my part. :(</p>
<p>bigcountry83, sorry to hear that you got waitlisted. The thing is that Fletcher is my dream school, so I was hoping that getting a couple years of work experience would get me in there, but I know the suburban location is a big drawback and you can’t beat the fact that GW is in the center of DC!</p>
<p>The links posted by BriikL1 were really helpful. Looks like aside from the MIPP for mid-careers professionals, my ITIP program has the highest starting salary and even the Elliott grads that had no work experience prior to getting their MA have found jobs and are making only $4k less than those who had 1-3 years of experience. So that’s a relief and it has me leaning toward just going straight to GW.</p>
<p>Anyone have any solid information on NYU’s program (the M.A. in International Relations through the GSAS) and placement afterward? I feel like this program is completely ignored and never discussed in detail…</p>
<p>That’s good that you’re making some headway on your decision. This whole thing is a little tougher than I imagined. I understand the dream school completely, it just depends on your perspective and what’s most important to you right now. For me it’s going to grad school somewhere this Fall. If I get into American I’ll be relieved, stoked, and just ready to go, but if late May comes around and I get an offer from GW I’m pretty sure I will do everything in my power to make it happen no matter how late in the game that might be. I’ve just always been hung up on the GW name and the idea of it, American didn’t make it’s way onto my radar screen until I started applying. But it is quite a school and program…of course. I’m sure you’ll be fine at GW.</p>
<p>Hello all. I’m new here. So I got my acceptance results and it turns out I was accepted into AU SIS and SAIS Hopkins Nanjing Center for the 1 year certificate program. I was hoping for some advice that will help me choose which program to attend. (rejected from SAIS, G’town SPS, GW Security Studies, SIPA MA)</p>
<p>Ultimate Goal: work for one of the 3 letter ABC security agencies or foreign service.</p>
<p>If money is no option, should I chose</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Hopkins Nanjing Center - Live and study at the Hopkins Nanjing Center in Nanjing, China for one year and earn a Graduate Certificate in Chinese Studies. I think it would be cool to live in Nanjing, especially since it’s a big city of 5 million people, the old capital of the Chinese Republic and numerous dynasties, and it’s an hour away from Shanghai. Furthermore, it is connected to SAIS, it is a top-notch institution for Chinese-American studies, I would have access to numerous Chinese internship opportunities, and I would learn Chinese. On the down side, it’s only a graduate certificate, internships would be away from DC, and most if not all classes would be conducted in Chinese. (My Chinese is acceptable for the Certificate program, but not the masters program) — I was thinking maybe study for the certificate for one year, get Chinese internship experience, and then re-apply to the likes of SAIS DC, SIPA, G’town for security studies. </p></li>
<li><p>AU SIS. This was my fall-back school and I don’t know too much about it. From what I just read on other posts, it seems SIS offers a very good program. It’s located in DC, although not too centralized, it is close to the 3 letter agencies as well as everything else IR-related, and it is in the US, so closer to family. Plus, I would earn a master’s degree and not just a graduate certificate. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>…then differ from AU for one year, go to Nanjing, and re-apply to the whole list of schools you’re looking at. While at Nanjing you’d have to get yourself some serious GPA or retake the GRE to show consistent growth all around. I did a similar thing last year (though not with an academic program) and got into GW… and hopefully Gtown too… after being rejected before.</p>
<p>Hey Tedstriker its a good idea but the name of HNC has gone down recently for a bizarre reason, nanjing is not a huge center for NGOs or IR stuff and because China is the hot place to be you’d be competing against others with the same if not better credentials. There was another person who had the same problem that I gave similar advice to. HSK 5 will not prepare you for real classwork environment in china nor will HSK 6 so the classes are very poorly balanced for foreigners coming in (some professors will teach at a normal pace as if the students are Chinese natives and kids feel completely lost except for that one kid who has been studying Chinese his entire life, or they slow it down so much that the kids find self studying is the best way). I would suggest going to AU and if you really are intent with going to SAIS or Georgetown, try finding an internship and re apply. I’ve heard up the grapevine SAIS isn’t pleased with HNC and are planning on revamping the entire curriculum and admissions standards. The goal is to make HNC into a SAIS Bologna in China so I’ve heard in the near future that the admissions is going to be asking for a HSK 8 old or HSK 6 new score in order for the students to at least be somewhat capable of work at a graduate level. The newly established China center in JHU is supposedly spearheading this initiative. This is all hearsay but the recent graduates from HNC that I’ve met in Beijing have not done AS well as in the past.</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback. I don’t know much about the Hopkins Nanjing Center, but just by reading the SAIS websites and going through the application process, I did get the feeling that it’s not on par with SAIS Bologna or SAIS DC. It doesn’t even have ‘SAIS’ in the official name–the Hopkins Nanjing Center. I am worried about my level of Chinese at the start, but I feel that taking classes in Chinese will highly motivate me to learn quickly, and I see this as an advantage over going to American University. I would be studying at an American-style university conducted in Chinese, living in China. But then again, the quality of academics could be compromised due to the inability of the students to fully understand.</p>
<p>Hmm… maybe in the end, I’m just blinded by the SAIS name and its connections. Just how connected is the HNC to the Washington SAIS campus and its alumni network? Are HNC students seen as inferior to those studying in DC? According to the wikipedia article about the HNC, it says it is well-known in the US, but relatively unheard of in China, due to its location in Nanjing, away from the politics in Beijing. Just how well-known is it in the US and in China?</p>
<p>BlueJay , do you know if the the HNC students you met in Beijing had any regrets? Were they not as prepared or not as well-connected in Beijing as graduates from other programs?</p>
<p>Also, just how good is AU? I know it is sometimes in the top 10 IR schools in the US, but how does it really compare to GW? How does it compare to G’town and SAIS? Top 10 is good, but I always want to be better! Like I said, I want to eventually work for an intel agency or the foreign service. AU SIS doesn’t specifically have a concentration in security studies. Would having a degree in security studies from SAIS or G’town be that different from a degree in international politics from AU?</p>
<p>I guess another option could be to attend AU and just do the semester study abroad program that they offer in conjunction with the China Studies Institute in Beijing (CSI has affiliations with Peking University). But I still can’t get passed the SAIS name and it’s killing me!</p>
<p>The people I know who were successful in Beijing from HNC were basically all Chinese, the foreigners from HNC who are successful are from years back when it was the only foothold in China. But because China now is the it place to be HNC has really lost its sparkle, I’ve heard horror stories from my alum friends in Shanghai about people who got into the 2 year masters program not finding any jobs because HNC brand name is not there where its at anymore. I was actually originally going to apply for the one year certificate when I graduated from Hopkins but when I met with some of the alum the picture they gave me was really grim and I decided against it. Yes the academic rigor of SAIS is not in HNC. There are no world famous professors from China teaching you so its not like Wang Jisi is running the show over there. Its better to just go to AU, if you got into the SAIS 5 semester program with Nanjing I’d say go to that because you’d still be at SAIS for 3 semesters.</p>
<p>Daughter got in to SIPA and Fletcher. Now She’s confused. Which is best?? She’s been fed if she so much as breathes “Columbia” she’ll have a job. Open to all opinions. Thanks.</p>
<p>Does she have any idea what kind of funding or financial aid she will receive from either one? I tend to err on the side of “spend less” when it comes to IR programs. Looking at the pages for both programs, you’re looking at $67K/year for SIPA, and about the same for Fletcher. Not cheap!</p>
<p>Over the course of two years, that comes out to debt burden of over $130K, assuming no aid. Most people will receive aid of course, but I think that given the kinds of salaries someone with an MA in IR typically can expect (starting around $50K/year public sector, no matter whose name is on your resume, highly variable in private sector), it often makes a lot of sense to heavily factor in cost.</p>
<p>Cost being equal, I think SIPA is fun because it’s in NYC, but I’m not so sure that it’ll be an instant “get job” button at all.</p>
<p>HI, Fletcher is giving her $6000/year. Not much but something. She did undergrad at Tufts so knows Fletcher pretty well. Both school look so similar on paper. This is a tough decision. SIPA would be a Masters in International Policy.</p>
<p>i’ve been admitted to sais for the MA program. i have a few questions about it:</p>
<p>-i didn’t ask for aid thinking it’ll lower my chances of admission. can i now ask for aid?</p>
<p>-i’m from india and i’d like to return to india after finishing the program. any idea what kind of career options i’d have after my return? i’m not very keen on the indian foreign service.</p>
<p>-i did my undergrad (computer science) at johns hopkins and was offered a $70,000 job in the US. however, i declined it and returned to india. so if i were to look for a job in the private sector in the US again after sais, what field should i be aiming for? what kind of compensation should i expect? i’m looking to focus on south asian studies and either strategic studies or conflict management.</p>
<p>-considering all of the above, should i accept the sais offer? or should i work more and apply for an mba (i’m 22)? i’m more interested in international relations, but mba seems to be a more practical option.</p>
<p>ignobleyeti,
Judging by your turning down a $70k job directly out of undergrad, you arn’t worried about money. No? If you go to SAIS, there are a plethora of opportunities for you in the US. However, if you are focused on returning to India and not working for the Indian government, foreign service, or security apparatus, then you might try working your way into a large Indian MNC (Tata, or something like that) doing strategy/management. Also, you could consider working for a management consulting firm like Booze Allen. However, you will likely be making much less than US$70k if you pursue a consulting career. I say this knowing many people who work in consulting - it takes generally 5+ years to hit 80k, then another 5ish to hit 100k. If you are not concerned with money at the moment, then you should pursue the career that you want to have in the long-run, whatever that may be.</p>
<p>TedStriker - I posted a long reply to the question of AU reputation/status on page 19, but I want to emphasize that it’s hard comparing schools if you’ve only attended one of them and only really have anecdotal evidence regarding the others. I don’t know anything about the Nanjing Center, but if your goal is a three-letter agency or the Foreign Service, it’s really best for you to be in DC as early as possible to start the process. The Foreign Service is a crapshoot (and it doesn’t matter where you went to school - I’ve seen GT grads fail and Podunk State grads succeed), but the three-letter agencies are totally feasible, and SIS has a strong track record of producing PMFs that go into these three-letter agencies. If you’re independently wealthy, the cost of this won’t matter, but keep in mind that, if the following applies to you, paying GT/SAIS loans off on a public service salary isn’t going to be too pleasant. </p>
<p>I did International Security as a concentration at SIS. I LOVED it. I had amazing professors, both classical academics and adjuncts with awesome “real world” jobs, and I got so much out of it because it was just so flexible. You want to do development in Africa and nuclear security? Go for it. Want to focus on North Korea and social media and terrorism? Totally possible. It’s very moldable to what you want to do, provided you read the (few) rules in advance and figure out a way to make it work for you. </p>
<p>That said, the most important thing to keep in mind, based on the anecdotal evidence I’ve collected, is that the networking opportunities you get from being in DC outweigh the #5/#8 game. Like I’ve said before in this and other threads on the topic, I work with SAIS and GT grads now, and there’s no difference between us. Studying abroad in grad school is great, but the one thing that’s been skewing employment statistics over the past few years especially is the desire some students harbor to stay in what is essentially a continuation of undergrad for as long as possible, studying abroad, taking years off, horsing around, etc… These are all fun, of course, but there’s an opportunity cost there, and the people who focused on that while in grad school, be it SAIS or Mason, miss out on DC internships that turn into DC jobs.</p>
<p>Crabbylady: I got accepted to Georgetown, SAIS ($25,000 scholarship) and Fletcher ($14,000 scholarship) and I’m deciding on Fletcher. There are lots of factors going into my decision, but the sense of community at Fletcher is a real deciding factor. The fact that most students live within walking distance of each other and there is a strong campus-community among the students there is really valuable to me, as opposed to people commuting to class from distances. Fletcher has had amazing outreach too - the director of admissions even found me while I was in Armenia and took me out to lunch. SAIS is giving me more money, but the cost of living is much higher in DC than in Medford/Somerville (estimated at $6000 by the schools websites), so the scholarship difference isn’t so great. From all my exploring, the site of the school matters less than what opportunities you take while you are there. I’d recommend Fletcher.</p>
<p>That report published by GW is wonderful in that it lays out some FACTS that are contrary to conventional wisdom.</p>
<p>As a few of us (a small minority on here) have argued, the ‘rank’ or ‘name’ of a school is overrated once you’re in the top cluster of schools anyway.</p>
<p>That <em>what</em> you study and what you’ve <em>done</em>, matters a lot more than where you did it and your GPA. The report supports that:</p>
<p>Full time work experience, and your major are seen as more important than your GPA or the reputation of your school. </p>
<p>The other interesting thing I saw there was how many don’t care about Statistical Knowledge. That surprised me, but it makes sense. We’re policy analysts, not policy wonks or economists. </p>
<p>I was also surprised cross-cultural communication scored that high as an important quality, as there is a general perception of cultural studies as being pointless and well “feminine”.</p>
I guess on the other side of the coin though, if GW is not your dream school, like is for me, you might want to consider deferring and trying your luck for the others you mentioned…that’s definitely up to you to figure out. Good luck!</p>