What Students Say
Likes
- My program is ranked among the top 50 in America which makes it very prestigious and is held in high regard in the world of policy-making.
- We have some of the best faculty at our institution who are esteemed and widely respected in academic circles.
- Our placements are impressive with many students working at the White House and World Bank.
Dislikes
- It is hard to adjust to the American accent the teachers speak in and sometimes difficult to understand what they are saying.
- There are strict academic and research expectations that are hard to meet as Indian education does not prepare you very well for it.
- You are expected to work along with graduate school which makes life extremely hectic.
Course Curriculum
10
- The course curriculum is moderately difficult. It is a mix of theory and practical work.
- The positive aspect is the practical curriculum, where we can work on policy-related matters with organisations. This is organised by the university. A negative is that research paper writing can be arduous as it is highly academic and we need to do rigorous research for the same.
Admission Experience
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I applied to 5 colleges; I was accepted in 3 and rejected in 2
- Carnegie Mellon University, Admitted
- King's College London: Admitted
- American University-Admitted
- Oxford University-Rejected
- Brown University-Rejected
- I believe that I received a rejection from the two colleges, as they are very competitive and difficult to get admission into. Furthermore, I applied closer to the admission deadline, which may have impacted the decision as most seats would have gotten full.
- I chose this college as it was ranked very highly, gave me a good scholarship and I had the opportunity to work in Washington, DC which is the hub of policymaking.
- I had to take the IELTS test and get a minimum of a 7-band score. Additionally, I had to write a statement of purpose and answer a question provided as a prompt.
- The student needed to show well-standing academic achievement and leadership experience and score at least a 7-band IELTS score.
- The overall admission was simple but the site would glitch sometimes, which was irritating.
I applied to the 2023 fall intake. The scholarship, location in Washington, DC, and prestige of the program made me apply. - I started working on writing my statement of purpose for the application in the third week of February 2023. However, I had already procured LORs from my professors in the 1st week of February 2023 and gave the IELTS exam in December 2022.
- I applied in the last week of February, two days before the deadline. I was accepted into the program after five days of applying.
Class Schedule
10
- We have three classes a week of 2.5 hours each. They last from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM.
- There are 25 students in each class.
- There are about 5 Indian students enrolled in the whole course.
Faculty
10
- One professor is teaching 25 students usually. This means that they give individual attention and even arrange for office hours outside of class to address any queries.
- The teachers mainly use lectures and PowerPoint points to explain the core curriculum. We further have guest lectures. The course content talks about the practical application of concepts, which is very useful at work.
- The faculty helps in finding part-time jobs as graduates and teaching assistants for them.
- I admired my faculty, Dr. Scott Freeman, the most, as he was from Harvard and gave exceptional insights, and his assignments were designed like real-life job tasks.
Campus Life
10
- My college is a city college and only has one Campus in Northwest Washington DC in an area called Tenleytown.
- There is a 4-floor large library, gym, swimming pool health center, academic coaching center, and sports facilities such as two stadiums.
- The main campus festival is during the first week of orientation, wherein we have a week-long celebration. The popular events also include games, especially basketball. Famous clubs include the graduate journal of different schools and the school paper called The Eagle.
- We have sports like swimming, baseball, basketball, wrestling and weightlifting that students take part in. There is also track and athletics. Cultural events are centred around orientation and festivals like Thanksgiving, Christmas etc. These include special meals organised on campus. We have a student government that organizes most of them.
Part Time Jobs
- About 50-100 students are able to procure these positions.
- The average pay is 18 USD per hour for these positions.
- The other positions are tutors, graduate ambassadors, baristas at on-campus coffee shops, fitness instructors, and university office receptionists. The average wage is again 18 USD/hour.
- 20 hours per week is the maximum one can work on campus.
- These jobs are highly competitive and not easy to get.
- The average salary is 18 USD per hour. These jobs are highly competitive and not easy to get. The students need to apply online for these jobs on the university portal. They need to submit a CV and cover letter. Then, if they are selected, there is an interview, and after that, they are onboarded. For some jobs, like tutors and receptionists, there is also a training period, which is followed by the actual starting of the job.
Placement
8
- About 85% of graduating students secure jobs after completion of the course.
- The average salary is 70,000 USD per annum.
- They find jobs through networking events on campus, internships and online job portals.
- My batchmates felt that networking and internships were the best way of finding a job. Sometimes batchmates help each other out. The companies include the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Environmental Protection Agency, FBI, US Foreign Services, US Department of Agriculture etc.
Accommodation
Off Campus
10
- I live off campus and found my apartment through apartments.com
- The monthly rent is 1865 USD, which includes furniture, a gym in the building, a convenience store, a laundry room, and community recreation and work areas.
- I found it challenging to find a place close to my university. As it was popular and in demand by many students, it took some time to find it.
- I would recommend students start looking at least two months in advance so that they have ample time to find the right place for themselves.
- My accommodation is a ten-minute walk from campus. Most of the Indian students stay in my neighbourhood.
Exams
- IELTS is only required. There are no other exams that were asked for.
- One Statement of Purpose, Two letters of recommendation, a CV and a copy of the IELTS test result were required. Additionally, a scanned copy of the passport was also required if you were an international student.
- An interview was not a requirement for this particular University.
Fees
- The semester-wise tuition is 10,000 USD which has to be paid every semester. There are four semesters so the total tuition is 40,000 USD. Mainly the tuition is 7,000 USD for each semester 2,000 USD is the health insurance and the rest of the costs include using campus services like the gym and library.
- As a graduate student, we are supposed to live off-campus and find our own accommodation the average rent in DC is 2,000 USD per month. Living costs per month is approximately 1,000 USD.
Scholarship
- I received a scholarship, which is merit-based financial aid. Additionally, I received two grants from the university. The eligibility for the merit aid was exceptional academic and leadership achievements. For the grants, I had to write academic essays.
- I received 28,000 USD for the merit aid. One grant I received was worth 650 USD, while the other was worth 2000 USD.
- My batchmates also received scholarships that are merit-based financial aid. I received the highest; the other amount offered was 14,000 USD for the entire programme. Approximately one-fourth of students in the whole program receive these types of financial aid based on merit.
