This is for all our candidates

Today we have written to all candidates for the 2011-12 academic year. Some have been admitted, others not. A small number were offered spots on a wait list.

I'd like to thank all candidates, regardless of the Admissions Committee's decision, for your applications. Your interest proves that SAIS remains highly relevant, and your questions and prodding have kept us on our toes. As many of you know, I am very new to this job and have found the energy among candidates to be invigorating.

Let me use this space to answer some of the most common questions we've received since sending out those emails this morning.

If you have not been offered admission, we are willing to provide feedback on your application. I feel strongly that one can benefit from such feedback when one falls short. I would ask one thing, however: If you would like such feedback, please drop me an email after April 18 and we will try to set up a time to chat.

If you have been offered a spot on the wait list, please let us know by May 16 if you would like to remain on that list. We will know only after that date if any spots open up. There is no way of knowing now if there will be any openings as it will depend on the acceptance rate among those who were admitted. If there are openings, we will be in touch with those on the wait list as soon as possible after May 16.

If you were offered admission, congratulations. You will be receiving more material in the next few days. If you had requested financial aid, you will be hearing from us on that request. Some of you will receive guidance on Economics and the pre-term English course, and applicants to the International Development concentration will learn if they have been accepted.

Many of those who requested financial aid and are offered either none or less than what they had requested will ask: Is there a chance for more aid? At this point we have allocated all of the aid we can. There is a chance that some of it will be returned to us and that we could reallocate that. However, that possibility is not something to count on, and any further consideration would not occur until after the deadline for responding to our offer.

Admitted candidates: Please note that the deadline for acceptance is May 16, and you will nail down your place by paying a matriculation fee. Of course we would be grateful for early responses as that helps us get organized for the next year. It can also speed up our responses to those on the wait list.

I would ask that admitted candidates read the wealth of material that we will point them to before sending us any questions. As you know, we like to respond promptly to questions. I consider that an important part of our job, and we aim to serve and to set the right example. But many questions will be addressed by the material, and we'll be able to focus on the unique questions if those admitted take the time to read the information packet carefully.

Finally, there will be several events in coming weeks allowing admitted candidates to meet students, faculty, staff and alumni. More on that later.

Nelson Graves

Weekly quiz

Many of you have applied to SAIS Bologna for the year starting in October. Next week we'll be sending out emails announcing the decisions of the Admissions Committee, which met this week.

A few comments from someone who is new to the process.

I have been very impressed with the quality of the pool of applicants. It has confirmed my decision to return to education after years as a journalist. The range of interests, talents and experience of the applicants; their academic and professional accomplishments; their commitment to lead meaningful lives on the global stage: the combined potential of the candidates is enormous and reason to feel good about our future.

I've also been impressed that most of the candidates have grasped what makes the Bologna Center experience unique: that students are exposed to points of view here and then, in Washington during the second year, to different perspectives. That combination sets SAIS apart and gives our graduates a leg up.

Increased interest in SAIS Bologna this year has made our admissions process more selective. As I wrote yesterday, some candidates will receive rejection emails. As we note in the letters, that is not a reflection on the potential of those candidates. We are grateful for their interest and wish them the very best in their continued education and eventual careers. If the past is any guide, some will apply again after an interlude working or studying, and present even stronger candidacies. We welcome such commitment.

Those who are admitted can feel proud. But some then have difficult decisions to take. This graduate program or another? How to pay for it? Which program suits my career aims? What are my career aims?

Perhaps we can help answer some of those questions.

We've already had lots of queries from U.S. candidates who have already been admitted. Many focus on financial aid, others on internships and jobs in Bologna. These are issues we will try to tackle next week.

Now, this week's puzzle.

Who is the man in this picture and how long has he been associated with SAIS?

Send in your answers by commenting on this post below or via email.

Nelson Graves