There's this new program at SAIS. SAIS is perhaps the most recognized graduate program in international relations in the world, along with Harvard. Its extremely competitive and many of the graduates go into various careers following their time there.
I'm pretty excited by this new program (pending approval still but I suspect that to be a formality). SAIS is well know for their Econ focus and with this addition of Finance to it, I thought it would appeal to a lot of you.
http://www.sais-jhu.edu/graduate-studies/admissions-and-aid/prepare
SAIS' acceptance rate is 30-40%, so it hardly qualifies as "extremely competitive." In terms of selectivity it's nowhere on par with harvard kennedy or princeton woodrow wilson.
They place well into public sector jobs, but if you're interested in finance I don't know why you would go there rather than an MBA program. And given that this program is new, it means that it doesn't have a track record or a reputation, which makes it quite risky.
SAIS offer a number of programs so I dont think that admissions figure accurately reflects the student body. Their I-DEV and Economics programs are among the best.
Princeton is more selective yes, but only because they offer fully funded programs.
SAIS places well into the private sector. I guess I posted to those who may be interested in jobs in macro research for example, as SAIS offers a great education and a solid network base minus the MBA cost.
Yes, I-DEV program is more selective, but that's still a minority of the overall SAIS cohort. The caliber of the student body just isn't that great.
So what if Princeton offers fully funded programs? It still doesn't take away from the fact that it only has a 12% acceptance rate. If anything, I would think the appeal of receiving full funding would result in a very strong applicant pool.
How do you know that SAIS places well into the private sector? A friend of mine was recently admitted to SAIS with a generous scholarship, and the admissions director told him that he should not come to SAIS for finance jobs because there's very little that the school can do for him. Ditto for strategy consulting.
I admit that SAIS does well with government agencies and federal reserve, but even there, a lot of these departments hire SAIS students on a one-year temp basis to try them out before hiring them full-time.
OP, if you're interested in finance, just go to the best b-school you can get into.
well, an ECON/Finance degree from SAIS but not from JHU Carey. That's just so conflicting...
with that said, JHU Economics isn't kidding, that curriculum is Economics and Math/Policy but nothing like a 1-year professional masters that b-schools typically offer. I hope this is not like a full-time version of that AAP program.
Specified that the program is new but SAIS itself has a terrific track record.
If you already have work experience, already have connections to help with jobs, and have the quant skills to compete with Econ PhD's then this program could work. Also, if you have a poor background so you couldn't get into a booth or a sloan it might work. If you're looking for this program to launch you into the field and set you up with a job you will probably be disappointed.
Vagabond85, I agree with your assessment. SAIS has a great academic curriculum, and you will definitely learn a lot, but there is virtually no on-campus recruiting for finance jobs. Aside from ratings agencies and some emerging market research at banks in hong kong/singapore, etc. (many of them got those jobs through family connections, NOT through SAIS), I haven't met SAIS alums in good finance gigs. I know several people who turned down SAIS with merit scholarships because it's a waste of money and time if you're aiming for a finance job.
OP, can you specify by SAIS having a "terrific track record." Any career placement info to corroborate that claim? The median salary for SAIS grads going into the PRIVATE sector is only like $65K/year.
Yeah whatever tool threw shit at me, you're an idiot. Just informing anyone who may be interested
I did not throw monkey shit at you. I appreciate the fact that you are letting people know about this program. I merely had to correct some of your unwarranted conclusions about SAIS.
Best of luck!
Hi, am a Chinese, and I am also admitted to the MIEF program provided by SAIS. What I concern is its locatoin. SAIS is located at the center of DC, which means it will provide more intern and job opportunity than many good B-school at rural area. Do you agree that location is the first priority for people who want pursue a good job in finance field?
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