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SAIS or SIS - No money either way. worth it???????
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Date: April 2nd, 2009 8:04 PM Author: bearded tripping box office I'm in a total quandry. I am now facing up to the reality of owing $80 - 100,000 in student loans if I choose either SIS or SAIS. From what I can tell, SIS is about $25,000 cheaper than SAIS, but still, it's INSANE!!
Can anyone comment about the possibility of getting scholarships second year at either school? Or tell me that it's possible to do this path and not have to sell my soul?
On the good days, I rationalize it by saying hey, I can just renegotiate my loan for 30 years and struggle for the first couple years until my salary breaks the 40k mark.
Other days, I think about what that debt plus interest will mean in terms of saving substantially less for my retirement. Or not having the option to take the more interesting, rewarding job because I have to consider my loans.
Goddamnit, I need reassurance!! |
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Date: April 2nd, 2009 9:30 PM Author: Scarlet talented business firm You are a major statistical anomaly if you got into SAIS and SIS did not offer you a substantial scholarship.
That said, faced with full price tuition for both I'd either get a job and work for a few years so I could qualify for funding the next time I applied or suck it up and pay full price to SAIS. I don't think I'd pay full price for SIS. |
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Date: April 3rd, 2009 4:35 PM Author: beady-eyed jade step-uncle's house incel get a job? in this economy? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=966559&forum_id=3#11325745) |
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Date: April 4th, 2009 10:10 AM Author: Scarlet talented business firm USAID is hiring like mad. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=966559&forum_id=3#11330454) |
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Date: April 6th, 2009 10:01 PM Author: beady-eyed jade step-uncle's house incel any way to get in other than usajobs? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=966559&forum_id=3#11352442) |
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Date: April 3rd, 2009 12:09 AM Author: Big Casino DO NOT GO TO SIS W/O SERIOUS MONEY!
SAIS ftw |
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Date: April 3rd, 2009 3:55 AM Author: bearded tripping box office Yep, no funding at either school.
I suppose the ultimately rational thing to do would be to defer going to grad school and reapply in a couple years. Having gone this far in the process, I think I'd feel like a total fuckup to do that, frankly.
Compared to all the other programs I applied to, SAIS is the best fit in terms of my area of focus. I've worked with SAIS grads, all of them in the nonprofit sector, who have said it was great, etc etc. I don't think any of them faced a debt load as high as this, though. It's just thinking of the 100k upfront that makes me feel ill. If anything, maybe it will be motivation to work like hell at grad school?
Anyone on here a recent SAIS or other grad who is just a couple years out? I want to hear how much you love/regret what they did. Also, is anyone else here thinking of taking on insane debt? |
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Date: April 4th, 2009 10:05 AM Author: Trip hot foreskin public bath Not getting funding at the IR programs in your first year is pretty common - I'm sorry to inform you guys. The good news is that if you can keep your GPA at ~3.5 or above you'll probably get money in your second year (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=966559&forum_id=3#11330446) |
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Date: April 6th, 2009 2:42 PM Author: odious legend stock car I'm just graduating from the SAIS MA, and I might do the PhD here (haven't decided yet). But I have to say that the possibility of getting funding in your second year if you didn't get it for the first is quite small. A 3.5 gpa will not do it, you will need about a 3.92 (i.e. 3 A's and 1 A-).
On the other hand, almost any job u get in the US or EU after SAIS, will mean a salary of at least 45k a year to start with, so its not that bad. I know plenty of people here who have taken loans of 100k. |
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Date: April 6th, 2009 6:28 PM Author: beady-eyed jade step-uncle's house incel 45k/year with 100k debt is pretty bad... :( that means five years of living like a pauper (20k/year) in order to pay back loans. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=966559&forum_id=3#11350445) |
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Date: April 27th, 2009 11:31 PM Author: Trip hot foreskin public bath My experience is quite different then yours. I think there are many people with lower gpas who get scholarship. It depends a lot on your department as well (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=966559&forum_id=3#11566133) |
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Date: April 6th, 2009 4:54 PM Author: well-lubricated concupiscible menage associate SAIS = program for beta males and women who have pipe dreams of fixing the world but couldn't hack the LSAT. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=966559&forum_id=3#11349831) |
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Date: April 6th, 2009 6:26 PM Author: beady-eyed jade step-uncle's house incel yeah, because lawyers are really fixing our world... (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=966559&forum_id=3#11350435) |
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Date: April 7th, 2009 9:38 PM Author: well-lubricated concupiscible menage associate Naw, lawyers are pathetic too, it's just that the LSAT weeds you all out. B-school is where the alpha's are. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=966559&forum_id=3#11362905) |
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Date: April 27th, 2009 11:33 PM Author: Trip hot foreskin public bath Beta males like Timothy Geithner, Wolf Blitzer, or the CEO of Ducati?
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Date: April 6th, 2009 5:45 PM Author: Learning Disabled Space Why would you put yourself in that financial position? Have you considered how much money 80-100K is when you factor in the interest on a 30 year repayment plan? I found trying to live on 40K without debt to be difficult in DC and very unpleasant in NYC. For your sake, please consider how much this really will cost you. IR grad school is simply not worth it if you have to go into that sort of debt. You would probably be better served by working and going to grad school part time in the evening if you can't find funding. I think some people have gone to the Elliot School at GW and done this. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=966559&forum_id=3#11350183) |
Date: April 4th, 2009 12:06 AM Author: Cerebral Police Squad I went to AU for undergrad and graduated about 70k in debt. I just got into Fletcher and plan on going there which is going to cost probably another 70k. So I will graduate with an MA owing about 140k. But I'm rationalizing it by looking at the other options: Move back to the U.S. (I've been teaching in Japan for 2+ years) and get a job in this climate; or go get an MA where when I graduate I can hopefully make near 50k despite the staggering debt. Your loans can be consolidated and renegotiated to extend the repayment period and there are loan forgiveness programs as well. SAIS was my first choice and I would have jumped at the chance to go there even without money. Just bite the bullet, retirement is a long ways off. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=966559&forum_id=3#11329272) |
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Date: April 4th, 2009 12:16 AM Author: beady-eyed jade step-uncle's house incel would you have gone to au again? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=966559&forum_id=3#11329363) |
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Date: April 4th, 2009 3:00 AM Author: Big Casino i went to AU with the same debt, and if i could spend less and still get to the same grad school, i would do it (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=966559&forum_id=3#11330138) |
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Date: April 7th, 2009 7:11 PM Author: white corner "retirement is a long ways off."
discounted present value... |
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Date: April 27th, 2009 11:37 PM Author: Trip hot foreskin public bath I definitely think there is a "debt threshold" for schools. For programs like SAIS and Fletcher it's probably ~$60K, for Law School maybe more like ~$150K (though that may go down with the rate firms are shedding lawyers). At $140K you are way above that. I don't want to sound mean, or interfering with your dreams, but that's just my assessment, based on earnings potential and debt service payments. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=966559&forum_id=3#11566213) |
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Date: April 28th, 2009 9:03 PM Author: Flesh dashing black woman station The rule of thumb is don't take on more debt than you'll make in your first year of employment.
So taking on 100K for any IR program is rather insane. |
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Date: April 7th, 2009 8:48 AM Author: Cerebral Police Squad I would only go to AU again if they paid almost my entire tuition. That's because I've gotten into Fletcher which seems to be a notch above SIS. SIS is great for Int'l Development but for most of the other stuff it's definitely not worth the cost if they don't give you any money (since you got into SAIS) (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=966559&forum_id=3#11356125) |
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Date: April 7th, 2009 6:33 PM Author: Big Casino tcr (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=966559&forum_id=3#11360798) |
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Date: April 27th, 2009 12:26 PM Author: Stirring generalized bond Subject: loans I am in the same boat and it makes me ill to think about 100k for a MA degree. SAIS financial Aid doesn't seem to offer as much information about the second year fellowships and it doesn't seem as fair as Columbia with GPA. At SAIS it depends on what concentration you are in, etc. I am curious what you decided. I am still considering waiting a year... (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=966559&forum_id=3#11559476) |
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Date: April 28th, 2009 1:38 AM Author: Vibrant Toilet Seat Coldplay Fan Just don't do it. 100K in debt, plus interest, is going to cripple you for a long time. No, it won't be five years before you can pay off the debt (people who claim that are silly. Real life is very expensive, especially when you are only making 45, 50, 55K a year).
Look at it this way: 100K plus interest is a substantial change for a house. Retirement funds. Savings accounts. Travel.
Just say, I'm sorry, this isn't going to work out, and move on to something else. |
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Date: April 28th, 2009 1:49 AM Author: walnut property I concur. 50 K after taxes in DC is pittance. Presuming the OP is like 25 or something, they will be living in shit housing until they are well into their 30's. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=966559&forum_id=3#11568069) |
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Date: June 4th, 2009 4:53 PM Author: Hilarious parlour hairy legs I agree with everything I'm hearing on this thread. I chose UCSD based on the aforementioned logic. I'm going to go into 30-40K in debt and plan to make around 50K when I come out. An MBA would have paid much better for me, but this is closer to what I want to do. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=966559&forum_id=3#11901750) |