What to do with four bare walls? The students will know.

Work in progress

In September, Nelson and I moved office. When we moved in, we had four bare walls. What to do? We called on our students, and they answered. We were flooded with suggestions.

Several recommended we put up a world map to allow students to mark where they were born and to underscore our international footprint. We bought the map -- with the southern hemisphere at the top. The map is now covered with flags showing where our students, who come from 39 different countries, were born.

Others suggested setting aside a section of wall where people could post pictures, postcards and other mementos. So we mounted a magnetic board that is gathering memorabilia and even has a chess problem set for the ambitious.

It was Kirsten Hansen and Paige Crosland who offered perhaps the most innovative suggestion: a mural.

Paint? Mural? What an unusual idea for an office. But we knew our students would come up with an appropriate proposal. The artists were inspired by a photograph that Kirsten took when she visited Bologna as a tourist three years ago. The picture depicted one of Bologna's most distinguishing features: its portici, or arches.

Paige and Kirsten started  the mural -- or better, fresco -- during the first semester.

Paige and Kirsten

We didn't know what to expect. But the end result far exceeds our expectations.

To express our appreciation, we held a brindisi (toast) in their honor last week. Classmates, faculty and staff gathered to congratulate the artists who have transformed our office and confirmed our conviction that SAIS Bologna students have many, many talents and a whole lot to offer the world.

Amina Abdiuahab

Poll: the results of our citizenship survey

Last month we held an online poll suggested by one of our readers, Diego Tiziani.

Diego was interested in other readers' views of citizenship, and more specifically what constitutes citizenship. He said his interest was whetted by his own experiences abroad and by debates in France and Italy over immigration.

Clearly immigration and its effects on politics, economics, societies and international relations are crucial to what is studied at SAIS. Human rights, conflict management, trade, economic policies, internal politics, even monetary policy -- all can be affected by immigration flows.

In a post on December 12, we asked readers this question: What should be required to obtain citizenship of a country?

Although it was not stipulated, readers seemed to understand that the question aimed to focus respondents on the minimum requirements for citizenship.

Here are the results of the survey:

Live a minimum time in the country, prove fluency in the language	30%
Have at least one parent with citizenship in the country	20%
Be born in the country	17%
Live for a minimum period in the country	16%
Be married to a citizen of the country for a minimum period	14%
None of the above	3%
	100%

The results are interesting. First, the largest number of respondents felt that it should not be necessary for a citizen to be born in the country or to have "blood ties" to the country. In fact, nearly half of the respondents felt that a crucial criterion to be a citizen should be to live in the country for a minimum period of time, with two thirds of those saying fluency in the country's main language is also necessary.

A third of the respondents felt that a citizen should be born in the country or have at least one parent with citizenship in the country.

Finally, 14% of the respondents said a person should be able to obtain citizenship by being married to a citizen of the country for a minimum period of time -- the way I acquired French citizenship, after nearly three decades of marriage to my wife, a French national.

I'm not surprised by the results of this poll. Many SAIS students expect to move around the world during their lives and to learn different languages. It would be natural for them to favor a relatively flexible standard for citizenship.

I'd like to thank Diego for suggesting this poll. (He has already received a SAIS Bologna tee shirt for his labors.) If anyone else has an idea for a poll, please send it along to admissions@jhubc.it.

Nelson Graves

FAQs: the weeks ahead for applicants to SAIS Bologna

February 1: Candidates who want to study at SAIS Bologna in the 2012-13 academic year and who do not have U.S. citizenship face that looming deadline to apply.

No wonder then that we are receiving many questions about our procedures and what happens after a dossier is submitted. To make things simple we've identified the most common questions, and we think all candidates will benefit from seeing our answers.

Before we dive into the FAQs, we'd like to remind you that on Monday, January 16 at noon Italian time (1100 GMT) we'll hold our final online information session before the application deadline. Please send us a note at admissions@jhubc.it if you'd like to participate in the session.

Q: I have gathered my application documents. Where should I send them?
A: If you are a non-U.S. citizen and you wish to spend your first year at SAIS Bologna, please send any hard copy material to:

Johns Hopkins SAIS Bologna Center 
via Belmeloro, 11
40126 Bologna
Italy 

U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have chosen BO/DC (U.S. citizen or permanent resident) as their campus choice should mail hard copy materials to the SAIS DC Admissions Office.

Q: I mailed my materials to the SAIS Bologna Admissions Office. When will you acknowledge receipt of my documents? 
A: We are starting to review the application packages. It's difficult for us to email each one of you to confirm your documents have arrived. You'll hear from us if parts of your application are missing.

Q: Am I required to convert my overall undergraduate grade into a GPA?
A: No. You are not expected to provide us with a grade point average of your undergraduate degree if you studied in a country that does not use GPAs. But we do ask that you provide a guide to your university's grading system. Sometimes such a guide is on the back of your transcript. If it is not, you can click on this link to select the country where you studied and a guide to your country's grading system.

Q: The grading system for the country I studied in isn't available on the website you have provided. 
A: In this case, please ask the Registrar's Office of your university to give a guide to their grading system.

Q: I feel the grading scale provided on the website is somewhat incorrect.
A: If you feel your grades aren't being translated properly, please ask your university's Registrar's Office to provide a more comprehensive guide.

Q: Could you give some tips on the statement of purpose?
A: Sure. Please take a look at this post we published some weeks ago. You'll find tips from current students on how they wrote their statement of aims.

Q: Could you give some tips on the analytical essay. 
A: No problem -- here's another post. You'll find some words of advice from a student and the essay she submitted in the past.

Q: Can I go over the word limit in the statement of aims or the analytical essay?
A: Part of the challenge is to convey your thoughts and views while adhering to the word limit. It's best that you stick to the 600-word guideline. If you exceed the limit, cut the essay back.

Q: Should I choose a concentration now? What happens if I change my mind? 
A: In the application form we ask you to indicate a concentration that you'd be interested in pursuing. We also ask you to indicate your second choice. These are not binding. You'll have a chance to change your mind and switch to a different concentration once you get here.

The only concentration that is capped is International Development (IDEV), and it has a separate selection process. Preference is given to students who come from developing countries or have lived or worked in a developing country.

If you are interested in IDEV, you should indicate it as your first concentration choice. It tends to be very popular, and students who indicate it as a second choice are generally not considered for it.

Q: When will I be interviewed?
A: Interviews will be held in February and March. We will announce dates and locations shortly after the deadline.

Q: How will I be interviewed?  
A: You'll be able to interview in person, on the phone or via Skype. There's no advantage or disadvantage in the format.

Q: How is the interview conducted?
A: Last year we published a post in which we asked Prof. Erik Jones to tell us what an applicant should expect of an interview. You can watch the video here.

Q: What happens after the interview?
A: Your dossier will be evaluted by the Admissions Committee. The Committee's decisions, including financial aid packages, will be communicated to candidates in early April.

If you feel there's something we left out, please post a comment or send us an email at admissions@jhubc.it. We'll be happy to address your questions.

Amina Abdiuahab

Next SAIS Bologna online information session: January 16

You're putting the finishing touches on your application for SAIS Bologna. Or you're scouting around for possible graduate programs.

Whatever your situation, you probably want to learn more about the Bologna Center and you have some questions. That is why we hold regular online information sessions.

What happens to my application after it is submitted? How is it reviewed -- and who does it? When will the interviews be held and just what happens during them?

If you are just getting acquainted with SAIS Bologna, you might have a question about the curriculum, career options or about the city of Bologna.

The next information session -- and our last before the February 1 deadline for applications from non-U.S. citizens -- will be held on Monday, January 16 at noon Italy time (1100 GMT).

If you are interested in participating, please send an email to admissions@jhubc.it. We will then send you the log-in details.

To participate, all you need is an Internet connection and a telephone. The Internet connection gives you access to a platform we use to show video, documents, chat and poll participants. The telephone provides a low-cost audio connection (we provide a list of toll-free numbers).

We look forward to the session and to trying to answer any and all of your questions.

Nelson Graves

SAIS: a graduate program with a global perspective

Rankings of academic institutions are almost always controversial. How can one measure the quality of teaching or learning with any degree of certainty? How do you set standards that work across the board? How can you ensure a diverse and comprehensive set of judges?

Still, individuals who are considering applying to graduate schools want benchmarks by which to compare programs. The most thoughtful candidates understand that rankings are by definition imperfect tools -- but tools nonetheless.

The U.S. magazine Foreign Policy periodically issues rankings of graduate programs in international relations. It is one of the most widely regarded benchmarks. It has its critics and yet draws attention every time it publishes rankings.

In its January/February issue, Foreign Policy ranks SAIS as the number two master's program in international relations in the world. You can read the results here.

Some of the comments that readers posted to the web version of the article focused on the fact that U.S. institutions dominated these rankings. Not a surprise given that the classifications were the work of faculty at U.S. universities.

We at SAIS are sensitive to these considerations. If SAIS has campuses on three continents -- in North America, Europe and Asia -- it is because it has long recognized that students want to be exposed to different ways of thinking in different parts of the world.


View SAIS locations in a larger map

This is one reason why we consider the SAIS experience so special. Students who spend their first year at SAIS Bologna and their second at SAIS DC reap the benefits of studying on two continents. As our director, Kenneth Keller, puts it, they participate in a debate displaced in time: students confront contrasting viewpoints as they tackle issues on either side of the Atlantic during their two years of study.

So in a way, SAIS should not be considered a purely U.S. institution in these rankings. It would be more accurate to say it is international -- in geography, outlook and philosophy.

Nelson Graves

Photo gallery: the charms of SAIS Bologna's surroundings

One of the joys of attending SAIS Bologna is the chance to explore this medieval city, Italy, Europe and beyond. The surroundings, whether natural or man-made, are steeped in history and a marvel to behold.

Below we post a selection of photographs by this year's students, who like their predecessors are taking advantage of their year to discover the region's charms and to build friendships.

by Jace Han

by Gregory Hadjian

by Jace Han

by Alexis Wright Piet

by Alexis Wright Piet

by Gregory Hadjian

by Jace Han

by Gregory Hadjian

by Gregory Hadjian

by Briana Thompson

Deadlines, our next information session and social media

First things first in our inaugural post of 2012: Happy New Year to our readers around the world.

We hope that most of you will continue to follow this journal and send us comments and suggestions -- or even contributions -- as the year unfolds. We are in our second year of this journal, but we are all ears when it comes to tips and recommendations. I was a journalist for nearly three decades: my skin is pretty thick.

DEADLINES

Many of our readers are U.S. citizens who want to start their SAIS studies in Bologna. They are in the final throes of applying as their deadline is January 7.

Non-U.S. citizens who want to start in Bologna face a February 1 deadline. We devoted a post to some of the finer points of our somewhat arcane process last month.

U.S. citizens who have dual nationality have the choice of having their applications handled by SAIS Bologna or SAIS DC. If you are in this situation and you have questions, you can fire them off to admissions@jhubc.it.

INFORMATION SESSION

Our next information session, and the last one before the February 1 deadline for applications, is set for Monday, January 16 at noon Italy time (1100 GMT). We expect it will last about 45 minutes.

These sessions give applicants and prospective candidates a chance to learn more about SAIS Bologna and ask questions. We expect many candidates will have finished their applications by then or be in the final stages of doing so. Still, you might have questions about what happens after February 1: the interview, the admissions process and timeline, financial aid.

If you are interested in participating in this session, please send an email to admissions@jhubc.it, and we will send you the details for logging in.

KEEPING UP WITH US

Many of you are followers of our journal or receive it by email. Last month we started using Twitter, where you can find us @SAISBolognaBlog. We push out links to our posts on Twitter. And of course we are on Facebook at Johns Hopkins SAIS Admissions.

Nelson Graves