Hi everyone,

I'm currently facing a big decision regarding my Master's studies, and I could really use some advice from this community. Let me share a bit about where I'm at and what's on my mind:

I'm an International Relations student from Germany, with a strong interest in the European Union (EU), Russian and Eastern Europe. I could imagine to work at EU institutions in Brussels in the future, but I'm not very sure about this. I've been lucky enough to be accepted to the following degrees and received scholarships and financial aid that cover most of my expenses.

Here are the programs I'm considering:

1. Master of International Relations at Johns Hopkins University SAIS - I would spend a year at the SAIS Europe Campus in Bologna, Italy and another in Washington DC. This program offers a hands-on education, as the curriculum includes economics, research skills and data analysis. SAIS has great courses about Russia/Eastern Europe, but only a few about EU foreign policy, therefore I'm a bit concerned about the limited EU-focused courses.

2. Double Degree European Affairs at Sciences Po and LSE - This option sounds intriguing because it allows me to study in two different European cities. It seems like a great way to dive deep into EU-related studies while experiencing different academic environments of two renowned universities. The double degree program offers the opportunity to place a strong focus on the EU and its foreign and enlargement policy. I am currently very interested in this and if I am actually going to work in this area, this would undoubtedly be a good choice. However, I am worried that I will become too narrowly focused on a specific topic and limit my options as a result

3. Master of International Governance and Diplomacy at Sciences Po - This program offers a broader focus on diplomacy and policy analysis, with a regional emphasis on Europe. The advantage here is that I would have more practical courses. I also think it would be more relaxed to study in one place for two years and I could deepen my knowledge of French in Paris, which could be very important for my career.

To sum up, I'm torn between pursuing a very prestigious but more broad education in the US or focusing on European studies in Europe.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and insights on these programs, especially if you have any experience with them or expertise in International Relations and European Affairs, or experiences regarding career opportunities.

Thank you for your help!

hello! as the may 1 commitment deadline is approaching, i have found myself in need of consulting external opinions when choosing between these two schools! i have gone back and forth quite a bit, so i would greatly appreciate any advice 🫶🏻!

at george washington university, i would be majoring in international affairs at the elliott school, and focused likely on eventually pursuing a masters at schools such as georgetown, then entering the world of foreign service!

at syracuse, i would be dually enrolled in the maxwell school of citizenship & public affairs and the s.i. newhouse school of public communications as an international relations and magazine, news, and journalism major. my hope would still be to pursue graduate school, then possibly combine both disciplines of international affairs and journalism to have a career as an international correspondent and such.. or possibly still work in dc for the government, an ngo, or whatever is most compatible!

while i recognize the benefits of both schools, i am still quite torn.

i am a bit worried about the culture at syracuse, as i don’t find the most enjoyment in greek life and would love the opportunity to be somewhere a bit more walkable (city wise, with activities). and, i know its cliché, but i am from california and quite worried about how the weather will affect my productivity.. 😭! but, the professors, programs (especially newhouse), support system (advisors), courses, and opportunities seem absolutely incredible still!!

as for gwu, i have heard a few complaints about the administration and a bit of the bureaucracy that goes on, and i feel a little in the dark about what sort of support systems are offered (academically, advising, career support, help pursuing future education). but, i know the elliott school is absolutely incredible for international affairs, and i would love to be in dc. additionally, i am interested in their global bachelors program, which allows students to study abroad for 3 semesters in total (sophomore, junior, senior spring), which i feel would give me an unmatched global education!

thank you all for reading through this post up until this point :) i guess my final questions are:

for syracuse—is maxwell for undergraduate international relations valuable?! what are some of the opportunities available that seem unparalleled?! even though the school is isolated physically, are students still able to get involved in government sort of internships? are people in the ir field from syracuse? is syracuse respected by ir recruiters? is newhouse a big enough of a name weight to choose over gw?

for gwu—what are the professors, courses, academics like?! does the elliott name truly help get internships in dc?! what does the career support look like (applying to internships, jobs, grad school)?! how many people go on to graduate schools?!

i guess overall, i’m struggling to choose between syracuse and gwu because i feel syracuse fulfills my academic desires more, but gwu fulfills my overall life goals more, especially by allowing me to get directly into the field and travel, getting an education not as much in books and instead by the real world! (i do know that maxwell/newhouse has a semester program in dc though, so i would definitely do that when i go there.. so that opportunity still is there)

once again, i know both schools are great, so no bad energy! thanks!

If you will, provide me with answers that assume two different policy courses.

1. The US reduces expenditures with no specified plans to reallocate those funds.
2. The US reallocates those budget cuts towards foreign aid, of the economic and poverty reduction variety.

Edit: let's assume the budget cuts are implemented gradually enough not to trigger a recession.

Doing my final year in IR Masters. The private job opportunities are low particularly the area I'm specifying: geopolitical risks. Not at all interested in doing PhD soon. But opportunities are available for me in terms of assisting project works for migration studies. I really want a job of decent payment; govt or MNCs. Also opportunities and packages would be high enough if I pursue a MBA after my masters.

I'm really stuck upon choosing the migration studies stuffs- if consistent and made good networks, there are chances of even getting into UN positions: but will take time very much. But choosing MBA after my masters, specializing something related with IR [supply chain, HR] could grant good chances.

i was given the following h/a during IR classes: Please find 1-2 pictures/memes/political cartoons. You will display them on the screen and give an interpretation from the point of view of constructivism. The structure of cartoon/picture is as follows: 1) what kind of picture, source, context, and how it influenced the perception of the public, interstate relations (Charlie Hebdo cartoons, for example) 2) your personal opinion, what idea is being illustrated here. i found a gif that i attached to the post and i want to ask all of you to help me find the right words to explain this pic!!! it doesn't have to be detailed yet comprehensive and not general, what is the underlying idea 🫶

So I am really interested in international relations/ affairs and want to major in it. The problem is that the college I’m going to attend, Fordham only has an international studies and the college I wanted to attend GWU would not give me any more aid and offers really great IR major. I think I’m going to do international political economy at Fordham because I feel like it’s going to give me more opportunities rather than just international studies. I want to go to grad school for sure but my question is will having an undergraduate major in a non IR degree affect my chances in getting a masters in IR?

Got accepted into the graduate program for International affairs at both schools. Having a hard time deciding which I should pick . Internship opportunities are something I’m looking for but having a hard time finding out internship opportunities for both.

TL;DR

I am a second-year MAIR student at SAIS who applied and enrolled with 3+ years of experience. SAIS has given me some great opportunities, and I've met some incredible people, but the MAIR program, in particular, does not serve the needs of older students. The current average age of the incoming class is 23, much younger than competitor programs (Georgetown, Fletcher, SIPA), and the SAIS experience is suffering as a result. 

My background and goals

I studied IR and econ as an undergrad, spent 1+ years living overseas through a fellowship program, and worked in the US in the private sector for a few years before enrolling at SAIS. I attended SAIS for a few reasons: I could continue working at my job (part-time), explore opportunities in the federal government, and take many econ and finance classes to explore opportunities in organizations like the Development Finance Corporation. I briefly entertained the idea of applying to MBA programs in my first semester at SAIS (moving to a joint-degree status) but decided against it as I didn't think business school would be worth the cost given my career goals.

Why did I apply to SAIS?

In addition to the goals outlined above, I applied to SAIS due to the rave reviews of specific alums I knew personally or professionally. In particular, these alumni noted a few key factors about SAIS:

• Great alumni.
• An intelligent student body with lots of prior experience.
• An active social scene with opportunities to make friends with other students.

I considered a few other MA programs (such as the JHU master's in applied economics, which is taught in DC) but ultimately decided that networking is one of the primary value drivers of a master's degree. I felt SAIS was the better option.

Thoughts on different attributes of SAIS relevant for prospective students

I've broken down my thoughts into more organized categories below. I initially considered using a pro/cons list, but my feelings about SAIS are more nuanced than just good and bad. I want to re-emphasize that my perspective comes from a student in their mid/late 20s, and my age colors my feelings. I also have had many friends attend other graduate programs, including law school, business school, and other MA programs, so my expectations are shaped by what they've conveyed to me. In no particular order, here are some takeaways.

Student Age: SAIS MAIR students are younger than I had hoped or expected. The SAIS MAIR website notes that the average age of the incoming class of 2023 was 23. Fletcher MALD lists an average age of 27; Georgetown MSFS is 26. I couldn't find a specific age for SIPA MIA, but their website states that most successful applicants have at least three years of work experience and that only 5 to 10 percent of accepted students are straight from undergrad. When I applied in 2020, the SAIS MAIR class profile listed an average incoming age of 25; in 2015, it was 26. I'm not sure why SAIS is trending younger, but it impacted my experience. I hoped to be surrounded by students with multiple years of work experience, which hasn't been the case. Professionally, many of my classmates are applying for entry-level roles, whereas I'm looking for associate-level roles. Academically, many students are still trying to figure out what interests them, whereas I have my academic goals locked down. On the social side, it is more difficult for someone 25+ to become good friends with a 22-year-old. There is less potential for overlapping interests and experiences. I'd advise older applicants to pay close attention to SAIS' younger average age in their grad school application and enrollment decisions.

New Building: In fall 2023, SAIS moved entirely from its old location in Dupont Circle to the new Bloomberg Center on Pennsylvania Avenue, right next to the US Capitol. I think the new building has pros and cons. It has harmed the feeling of a "SAIS community" -- the two buildings that made up the old campus were super old, but everyone in those buildings was affiliated with SAIS, and they had a certain charm. The new building hosts SAIS classes, JHU MBA classes, JHU fundraising events, and all sorts of other stuff. As a result, it doesn't feel like SAIS is a separate entity, and it is hard for clubs and student organizations to reserve space. However, I think the location of the new building is probably much more accessible by the metro, and the classrooms and event spaces are super cool.

Academics: Ultimately, SAIS is a terminal MA program. This means that SAIS should give you the knowledge, skills, and connections to get a cool job in the broader international relations arena. Many SAIS professors fail to consider this, meaning I've spent 2.5 hours a week for semesters just listening to a professor read off of a PowerPoint with no room for student interaction. SAIS requires all MAIR students to take "core" classes - I found some good and some bad. These core classes were usually pretty large (40+ students). Two core classes I took, Evolution of the International System and American Foreign Policy Since 1945, had a midterm and final essay as the primary grades. It was clear that the professors did not read any of our papers, and the feedback we got on our papers was usually a letter grade along with a sentence or two review from the TA. I found this to be the case across several SAIS classes - a professor would assign a research paper of 2,500 and 5,000 words only to provide little feedback. In hindsight, this was super lazy and frustrating. 

Practitioners have taught my favorite classes. Usually, these are working professionals with day jobs at places like DoD, the IMF, think tanks, or elsewhere. Most practitioner-taught courses I've enrolled in are geared toward job market preparation. These people know what it takes to land (and succeed in) an excellent job, whether in public, private, or multilateral organizations. 

Course load: The MAIR program's academic course load (four classes per semester, plus a language class if pursuing proficiency in a language) can sometimes be too much, especially for students with internships or part-time jobs. I understand that at Georgetown MSFS, the course load is reduced in year 2, which allows students more time to intern and network, which seems like a good approach to me.

Administration: The SAIS administration drags the program down. Tuition is for classes, classroom space, and the numerous other services a graduate school provides (career services, student events, etc.). I believe students do not get their money's worth in these aspects. Harvard Business School's tuition is $76k annually; SAIS' is $62k. SAIS students are not getting 82% (62k/76k) of the career support or networking opportunities that HBS students receive. Many younger students, who might be straight from undergrad, don't demand these services because they don't see their importance. This problem is exacerbated by the aloof nature of the SAIS higher-ups (particularly Dean Steinberg). I feel like a Dean should be actively engaging with students, trying to develop a cohesive organizational narrative, and working to get everyone on board. I don't see that happening at SAIS - students and student clubs lead most outreach efforts to alumni and employers but seem to run into an administration that isn't concerned with the student experience or outcomes. From what I can tell, the Dean hosts cool speakers a few times a semester but isn't digging into how to improve the SAIS experience for students. For example, SAIS' career services office has had a ton of turnover in the last few years, with a few long-time employees retiring. Currently, to my understanding, only 3 or 4 full-time career services employees for all of SAIS (not just MAIR -- everyone). Everyone in the career office does a great job, but there aren't enough people to serve the needs of the whole student body.

Cohorts/Student Unity: SAIS' campus unity is pretty disappointing compared to what I heard from many alumni. I think a lot of this comes down to the fact that there are six or seven different degree programs at SAIS, all taking the same classes. This means that it feels like a commuter school - most people come on campus just for classes and maybe are in one or two clubs, but there isn't a coordinated student body. The aloof nature of the administration exacerbates this issue, which, if anything, usually makes it harder for clubs or students to organize events (especially in the new building, where registering for space is a huge pain).

Alumni: One bright point has been the alumni. I've reached out to quite a few over LinkedIn, and almost always, people are happy to chat or even provide referrals. This is way better than my experience networking with people from my undergraduate institution.

Final thoughts: I would not recommend the SAIS MAIR program to anyone who is 25+. SAIS has some other degree options (MIPP, MIEF) that are only one year and have less annoying degree requirements, like core classes. I'd also recommend considering the opinions of more recent SAIS MAIR alumni - most people I've spoken to who graduated before, say, 2018, have rave reviews of SAIS. Still, I feel that many in more recent cohorts have more mixed feelings. I also want to note that this is just one student's experience - I've tried to be impartial. Still, others in my cohort probably feel happy with the education and expertise SAIS provided. Hopefully, this will be helpful to anyone thinking of pursuing graduate education in IR.

Hi! I’m an international student in my junior year in college. I know for a fact I want to go into international policy so I’m prepping my grad school list to strengthen my application.

Nationality: Mexican/Spanish (dual-citizen)

Major: dual-major in Political Science and International Studies with a specialization in Global Security; Public Policy certificate (essentially a minor)

GRE optional for now

Public Policy requires a separate application to my university’s school of Public Affairs. I don’t know how selective the program is, but I was accepted. Might also double-major in International Studies or Information Science since I already have overlapping credits.

Undergrad college: University of Wisconsin–Madison

I don’t know if ranking or academic reputation matters, but the school is top 17 in Political Science and top 25 among Public Policy Schools in the U.S. It’s also 35th in U.S. News and top 12 among public universities.

Current GPA: 3.911/4.0

Relevant Academic Experience:

Taking both ECON 101 and 102, which are recommended by most programs.

Native Spanish speaker, fluent in English, can speak Dutch and French (Dutch courses in my transcript as well).

Study abroad exchange program at the University of Amsterdam.

Membership in the PI chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, the only recognized political science honor society in the country.

AI Governance Fellowship

Relevant Research experience:

Currently working as a Research Assistant supporting a research project investigating participation in the Mexican federal conservation and sustainable agriculture program “Sembrando Vida.” Transcribe and code interview data to identify trends in support for pro-environmental behavior. I still currently work here. The lab is a part of the department of Psychology.

Before that, I also assisted a doctoral research candidate as an RA in the project “Why Do Soldiers Get Off the Streets” in which I aided in the construction of databases, researched the impact of civil society organizations (or lack thereof) in the demilitarization of public security in Brazil, Mexico, and other Latin American countries; and completed various short-term tasks based on how the dissertation research evolved. This was done during my time in the Department of Political Science.

I was also an reporter for my university’s newspaper, with some articles to my name. Not sure if I should add it though.

Professional experience:

Likely won’t apply with full time professional experience.

I’ve recently started an internship at a DC-based Political Advocacy non-profit Organization that lobbies for debt relief in developing countries.

Looking for more internships.

Relevant leadership/volunteering experience:

I’m currently the lead for the Immigrant/Indigenous/Refugee Rights Policy Team at my university’s Amnesty International branch. As part of my duties, I engage in activism work through the organization. Organize events designated at bringing awareness to various causes, urge lawmakers to act in support of pro-inmigrant/indigenous/refugee policies and legislation, and promote fundraisers.

I’m also starting to volunteer at the Community Immigration Law Center, where I assist immigrants at filling forms in Spanish.

Relevant awards:

Norden Scholars Award (for participating in my school’s Nordic language house); Dean’s List; Study Abroad Scholars Award (academic merit scholarship for participation in the study abroad program); Thomas W. Parker Scholarship (academic merit scholarship in the Social Sciences).

Possible of letters recommendation:

• Professor of Psychology at my university, for working in his lab.

• Amsterdam professors due to high grades (guaranteed letters of recommendation for courses with a grade higher than 75/100).

Still working on getting another faculty member on board. Maybe someone from an internship.

Intended schools:

• JHU SAIS (top choice)
• Georgetown Walsh (top choice)
• Columbia SIPA (top choice)
• Tufts Fletcher
• Harvard Kennedy
• UPenn Fels
• Stanford Ford Dorsey
• UVA Batten
• UW–Madison La Follette
• Oxford
• Cambridge
• London School of Economics
• University of Amsterdam
• Leiden University

I still got a year and a half more of college to go, so I’m wondering if my chances are realistic and what else I could be doing to strengthen my competitive profile.

Hello everyone!

I'm currently an undergraduate student in a field not strictly related to international relations, but I'm planning to pursue a master's degree in IR after graduating. I attended an introductory course to the discipline and read some papers, so I cannot really say I'm familiar with the practical aspects of conducting research in the field. Anyway, I need to submit a research proposal as part of the graduate school's application process, but truth is I'm badly stuck with preparing it. I've become interested in international development cooperation and been trying to narrow down my focus to craft appropriate reseach questions, but to be honest I'm not confident about any of the ones I've come up with. Does any of you have any piece of advice on what aspects of development cooperation could be the most interesting to investigate? Is it even appropriate to define this as a subfield of IR?

Please if you have any advice don't ignore this post!

Hello everyone, I have to write a research proposal for a doctoral degree but in 5 years of university no one taught us how to write it. Do you have some idea on what can I resaerch on the topic of the territorial disputes of Japan?

Hi everyone,

I was recently admitted to Georgetown’s MSFS and I’m planning to pursue a concentration in Global Business, Finance and Society. I’m interested in learning how I can leverage my MSFS to work in private-sector finance. Any advice or tips would be dearly appreciated?