It's never too early to start your application

Here's a tip to anyone considering applying to SAIS Bologna: the earlier you get started, the better.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting that readers in the northern hemisphere who might be taking a well-deserved holiday should immediately scramble off their beach towels to start a SAIS application.

But two aspects of an application can benefit from generous foresight: standardized tests and financial aid.

Let's start with financial aid.

It's best to wait and see if you are accepted to SAIS Bologna before exploring aid options, right?

Wrong.

Aid is terribly important to most of our applicants. Whether or not one can attend SAIS often turns on finances. So it can be crucial to get an early start.

SAIS Bologna has its own pool of aid. It is generous: more than half of non-U.S. students receive grants in their first year of study, with the average package worth more than 1/2 annual tuition.

But our supply of aid will never be enough to meet total demand. That is where other sources of aid come in.

Our website has an entire section devoted to financial aid. There is a list of potential alternative sources of aid outside SAIS's control. You'll recognize many of these sources as well-known international foundations; others are less well known.

The truth is that there is a plethora of sources of funds, some international, others regional, some national. Some are targeted at specific types of students. Many have very early deadlines for applications. In almost all cases, one can apply before actually being admitted to a program.

The earlier a candidate starts researching financing options, the better. Nothing disturbs us more than when an admitted student has to throw in the sponge because of a lack of financing. It can be particularly frustrating when we know that in some cases there are untapped pipelines of aid.

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR

Similarly, it is never too early to prepare for standardized tests.

Candidates who are not native English speakers -- the definition of native speaker can be read here -- will need to submit the results of an English competency test as part of their application. We accept the results of the TOEFL, IELTS and Cambridge exams.

Candidates are not required to take either the GRE or the GMAT. But we strongly recommend that applicants do so. While not perfect, these tests provide an indication to both the applicant and to SAIS of whether a candidate is ready to tackle the challenges of the SAIS curriculum, which requires a mastery of English reading, writing and speaking as well as strong quantitative skills.

Applicants who score relatively well on either the GRE or the GMAT do themselves a favor, although I must note that a candidacy rarely if ever turns on a single element in the dossier.

In the case of all standardized tests, then, it is best to get going plenty early. It takes time to familiarize yourself with the tests, which can be very foreign to many non-Americans. And you may want to take the tests twice instead of relying on one score.

With our new application deadline of January 7, it will be important to register early on to make sure the test results reach us on time and to leave yourself the possibility of taking the test twice.

Finally, it is much easier to put together an application over time than to try to cram it all into a few, short weeks. In addition to standardized test results and financial aid applications, there are many pieces to the puzzle: letters of recommendation, statement of purpose, analytical essay. You'll craft a much stronger dossier if you start early and think carefully about what you are doing.

Enough advice for today. Readers, now back to your beach towels!

Nelson Graves

A graduate's perspective on SAIS

John Ulrich attended SAIS Bologna in 2010-11 before moving to DC. He received his master's in May at SAIS DC. This fall he will be joining J.P. Morgan in London as a credit risk analyst.

John graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2007 with a BA in Politics-Philosophy. Before enrolling at SAIS, he worked as an analyst at BYN Mellon in Pittsburgh.

Some of our readers may recognize John, who appeared in this post in February 2011. He spoke to us after a speech at SAIS Bologna by Mario Draghi, who is currently the president of the European Central Bank.

We asked John to share his thoughts on his experiences as a SAIS student who studied first in Bologna and then in Washington.


The beauty of SAIS is that students can attend the world’s premier international relations graduate school in an international environment. It didn’t take me long to select SAIS over other graduate programs that I got into, and it took even less time for me to decide to do a year in Bologna before going to DC to finish my degree.

John Ulrich BC11/DC12

Regardless of other people’s preconceived notions about the pros and cons of studying IR in a sleepy little Italian town versus a major international city, for me the decision was simple. In my mind passing up the opportunity to live in Italy, the home of Western civilization, would have been stupid.

In hindsight I made the right decision.

Many prospective students fail to understand what Bologna has to offer when comparing it to DC. It’s not just about food and culture, although they do tend to spice up the experience. What stood out to me about Bologna were the academics.

Access to professors is a scarce and precious commodity in DC, but in Bologna I could share not one but two bottles of wine with my professors after class every week during the semester.

That’s access that you can’t put a price on.

The outlook for post-degree professional prospects also tends to be a hang-up for some students when they make the Bologna-versus-DC decision. I’m not going to sugarcoat the situation; it is harder to get an internship and make professional contacts in Bologna. Having said that, it’s far from impossible. Career services in Bologna works, and there is this thing called the Internet, which connected me in Bologna to my pre-DC internship in London.

RICH EXPERIENCE, UNIQUE PERSPECTIVES

Life is about transitions and how we handle them. The move from Bologna to DC can be a stressful one, but the administrations in both places work together to make it as smooth as possible.

DC presented a different set of challenges than Bologna. Classes are larger, students tend to be a little bit more competitive, life in general is more expensive, but the dichotomy between both locations makes for a rich experience.

John at dinner with SAIS friends

In Europe the sovereign debt crisis and Arab Spring unfolded on my doorstep; in DC the U.S. election with all its international implications and debates about global economic slowdown were my daily companions. Speakers in both locations reflected the topics at the top of the international agenda in their respective regions, coloring my graduate school experience with unique perspectives.

Looking back over the past two years, straddling the Atlantic in Bologna and DC worked for me. Not only would I recommend the combination, I tend to get envious of all the prospective students with whom I've spoken who have earned the opportunity to embark fresh on the journey that I just completed.

Good luck, and make the most of it.