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China Studies -- SAIS or SIPA?
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Date: April 14th, 2009 3:34 PM Author: provocative market Subject: China Studies -- SAIS or SIPA I'm interested in doing an MA in China studies. Would really like to stay in DC and go to SAIS, but I want to make sure this is the right fit. With its heavy econ focus, I feel like a lot of SAIS grads are looking to head to the private sector after earning their degree.
I'm more interested in policy or the academic aspects of china studies, and not so much interested in "doing business" or consulting work post graduation.
I feel like staying in DC would be a major leg up, but again, I also want to have a good fit for my interests...
Anyone got any insight into this? |
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Date: April 14th, 2009 4:41 PM Author: magenta zombie-like state goal in life I don't know much about SAIS, but SIPA doesn't have an MA in China Studies. You can do an MIA with an East Asia concentration there, OR you can get an MA in East Asian Languages and Cultures (EALAC--humanities focus) or Regional Studies: East Asia (MARSEA--social science focus) from Columbia's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The latter two require that you focus on a specific country and demonstrate at least a 3rd-year language proficiency (in your case, Chinese) to graduate. I'm a graduate of the MARSEA program. Lemme know if you have any questions.
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Date: October 8th, 2009 6:22 PM Author: razzmatazz red bbw Subject: MARSEA qn Hey shamWoW, does Columbia MARSEA offer any kind of departmental funding (like tuition remission, grad assistantship)? Running out of savings to burn... (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=975772&forum_id=3#12939555) |
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Date: October 9th, 2009 5:52 AM Author: magenta zombie-like state goal in life when i was in the program, they were trying to secure funding so that nobody had to pay for the program. that being said, the last i heard, there were only two or three scholarships that marsea students were eligible for (i applied for one of these scholarships and was offered a final round interview, but i was out of the country and couldn't get back in time to talk to faculty in person, so i didn't even get the chance to do the interview). i'd contact the program directly to see if anything's changed since then. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=975772&forum_id=3#12943989) |
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Date: October 10th, 2009 1:41 AM Author: razzmatazz red bbw I went through the department website to look at funding options, seems like most of them are for PHD students who would've been fully funded anyway. The ones for MARSEA look like they wouldn't cover tuition, except possibly FLAS. Did you apply for the scholarships before enrolling or while already in the program? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=975772&forum_id=3#12952227) |
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Date: October 10th, 2009 7:44 PM Author: magenta zombie-like state goal in life i applied before enrolling.
you're correct--the scholarships for MA students at columbia don't cover much. they're like $10k each. |
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Date: October 12th, 2009 10:27 PM Author: razzmatazz red bbw Thanks shamwow, but with that funding situation it looks like MARSEA isn't for me. Gotta get a job... You need anyone at your consulting firm? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=975772&forum_id=3#12974209) |
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Date: October 13th, 2009 10:09 AM Author: magenta zombie-like state goal in life ha--i hear ya. you can work while doing MARSEA and just draw the degree out over 4 or 5 semesters. in hindsight, that's what i should have done instead of ram through in a year like they recommended. it's cheaper to do it that way.
i actually work for an NGO--not for a firm--doing independent consulting. i was a project manager here for three years, so when i quit to focus on my dissertation, they kept me on to help them with odds and ends. looks like they may hire me back permanently, though, to manage another project group that's currently leaderless. we aren't hiring right now, but it's always worth keeping an eye out in the NGO/association world, and the key might be to look beyond NYC/DC to orgs that might not necessarily be the first to come to mind when thinking about policy work. |
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Date: October 14th, 2009 2:51 PM Author: razzmatazz red bbw Cheaper? Let's do the math!
30 pts = 10 courses ~ 2 RUs to graduate 1) 2 semesters, 1 RU / 5 courses per semester (15pts) = 2 x 18,392 = 36874 2) 4 semesters, .5 RU / 2-3 courses per semester (6-9pts) = 2 x 9,965 + 2 x 5,758 = 31446 3) 5 semesters, 2 per semester (6pts) = 5 x 5,758 = 28 790
Indeed! A savings of $8084. That's an upper bound because you would incur additional misc charges and fees due to the additional semesters taken.
Assuming that you're geographically bound to NYC and living expenses are a sunk cost, and you're working throughout so it doesn't mean you're delaying entering the job market, it *may* be a good idea to stretch it out to 2.5 yrs part-time. The drawback is the foregone earnings of some hypothetical higher-paying job that required an MA. |
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Date: October 14th, 2009 4:28 PM Author: magenta zombie-like state goal in life there you have it--$8,000+ savings, give or take. not too bad, but as you mentioned, opportunity cost also comes into play. NYC cost of living is quite prohibitive for students, and the MARSEA workload would make full-time employment a challenge (though you would only be taking 2-3 classes at a time, instead of 4-5 and a thesis). my second semester in MARSEA was a nightmare: 4 graduate courses (including advanced Chinese, which is required for the degree) PLUS a thesis. hell on earth.
i did the program straight out of undergrad, and i did it in two semesters. IMHO, the people who took three semesters or two years got more out of the program, as those of us on the one-year track were always just scrambling and struggling to finish all of our work, not terribly concerned with its quality.
anyway, MARSEA is a nice idea and a decent program for those seeking comprehensive training in chinese, japanese, korean, or southeast asian studies (you have to pick one and concentrate), but the jury is out, even for me, on how useful it is as a credential. i have no regrets having done it--it served a very specific purpose for me--but it isn't like a SAIS or SIPA program in that it doesn't funnel you directly into IR jobs. you can go to the recruitment fairs and whatnot, but your resume gets lumped with everyone in SIPA's numerous programs, so it's difficult to stand out.
if you can develop a strong relationship with your thesis advisor and other faculty, then MARSEA is great for people going the PhD route. otherwise, you may want to try for SIPA instead, if only because you'd have more funding opportunities and a more marketable degree. |
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Date: April 14th, 2009 5:43 PM Author: chrome french chef philosopher-king i wouldnt turn down SAIS if you get in and really want China studies. the program is top notch.
if you really want to get into policy/academic studies, a phd from either school would serve you well |
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Date: April 17th, 2009 12:20 AM Author: internet-worthy chapel codepig You can debate the merits of SIPA v. SAIS generally (although you'd probably be wasting your time), but SAIS China Studies seems superior to SIPA's East Asia concentration. SAIS gives you more focus with a dedicated program to the country, rather than the region, and is led by David Lampton, a very active and caring (according to current students) director and well-respected China scholar.
As far as SAIS grads going into the private sector due to the econ focus, while some students def go private, I think this is exaggerated. The largest private sector area seems to be consulting, but most of it seems to be govt consulting companies like Booz rather than management consulting like McKinsey. Some folks try for finance, but with little success unless they have prior experience. But the majority of SAIS grads are in the public or NGO/non-profit sector. Actually, I think the numbers suggest that SIPA sends more of its students to the private sector, but I'm totally sure about that.
I'd urge you to get in touch with Lampton and/or current SAIS China studies students to see if the program fits your interests.
Edit: GRE math def counts more than GRE verbal. If everything else is in your app's good, 700 would prob give you a good shot. Shoot for around 740 to be safe.
The Hopkins-Nanjing Center's across the street? I think it's in Nanjing. |
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Date: April 17th, 2009 9:51 AM Author: honey-headed sanctuary partner what about a field like "political risk management" ? any necessary pre-ma background for that? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=975772&forum_id=3#11455742) |
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Date: April 17th, 2009 12:23 PM Author: Orange rambunctious theater dont be an annoying striver (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=975772&forum_id=3#11456921) |
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Date: October 13th, 2009 10:12 AM Author: magenta zombie-like state goal in life the DC office is across the street. i met with the director there a few times. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=975772&forum_id=3#12976618) |
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Date: October 12th, 2009 7:05 PM Author: pink public bath macaca IR? LOL (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=975772&forum_id=3#12972474) |
Date: April 15th, 2009 4:20 PM Author: provocative market thanks for the heads up, shamwow.
leaning towards sais for a few reasons. i dont have much beyond a basic econ background, so i think i have a lot to gain from the econ-heavy sais curriculum.
i think i have a pretty decent shot at getting in BUT i'm a little anxious about my math gre. have not taken the test yet.
any insight into how the sais adcom would weight the gre math score? |
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Date: April 15th, 2009 4:25 PM Author: magenta zombie-like state goal in life Again, i'm not the guy to ask about sais, but i think you'd be making the right decision by choosing it over an area studies MA program. EALAC and MARSEA are great for people who want an intensive, country-specific humanities or social science degree with language training, but they are more for people looking to continue in academia or go into non-quant IR-related fields in their country of interest. you can take econ at SIPA, even if you're in one of the aforementioned programs, but from what i've heard, sais is the best in the business at providing robust econ training to prospective IR professionals.
plus, the hopkins-nanjing center (which is literally across the street from SAIS) is one of the finest China resource centers in the country. |
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Date: April 16th, 2009 9:10 AM Author: lake wonderful generalized bond On SIPA's website it says it has a new curriculum starting fall 2009, where, you have to have a primary functional concentration too in addition to some other new quantitative requirements. That's something to take into account.
If I were you I'd go online to SAIS and SIPA/CU website, where you can look at all their course postings and professors for the semester. I don't know anything about the specific resources, someone else posted about the hopkins-nanjing center, so I'd dig into that a bit. Since Columbia has the MA in East Asian studies or whatever, I imagine the arts and sciences schools has a bunch of other classes/$/resources too.
the possibility of interning at SAIS in a policy/think tank place is > SIPA...and considering the arcane hiring practices of the federal government, that's a bonus. Although, two years in New York seems like a pretty great eye opening possibility, especially if you plan on spending your career in DC.
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Date: April 18th, 2009 5:15 PM Author: Concupiscible regret school what a toxic hellhole (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=975772&forum_id=3#11467931) |
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Date: April 18th, 2009 6:10 PM Author: magenta zombie-like state goal in life what? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=975772&forum_id=3#11468439) |
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Date: April 21st, 2009 11:07 PM Author: Shivering Church Building go to sais (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=975772&forum_id=3#11502811) |
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Date: October 9th, 2009 5:55 AM Author: magenta zombie-like state goal in life maybe true, but fuck you nonetheless. let the OP decide for himself. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=975772&forum_id=3#12943998) |
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Date: October 9th, 2009 8:51 PM Author: Shivering Church Building you are quite scary...not a compliment btw (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=975772&forum_id=3#12949951) |
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Date: October 9th, 2009 10:15 PM Author: magenta zombie-like state goal in life you take message board fuck yous too seriously (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=975772&forum_id=3#12950587) |
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Date: October 12th, 2009 3:59 AM Author: Shivering Church Building i like your brusque style. but i am old school. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=975772&forum_id=3#12968562) |
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Date: October 12th, 2009 2:54 PM Author: magenta zombie-like state goal in life i've been spending too much time over on the law board. i've become desensitized. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=975772&forum_id=3#12970192) |
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Date: October 10th, 2009 2:30 AM Author: mahogany soul-stirring location old irish cottage SAIS. no question (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=975772&forum_id=3#12952424) |
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Date: October 12th, 2009 7:38 PM Author: pink public bath macaca IR? LOL, thanks for pursuing a life of never really contributing anything to society. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=975772&forum_id=3#12972759) |
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Date: October 13th, 2009 1:28 AM Author: mahogany soul-stirring location old irish cottage take this post over to the law board (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=975772&forum_id=3#12975516) |