Open Day: Getting to know SAIS Europe up close and personal

SAIS Europe will open its doors to prospective students on December 6. 

Our annual Open Day is tailored for those who want to learn more about academics at SAIS, career services, student life and finances.

Why should prospective applicants come to Bologna to attend the event? And what can they learn that they may not from afar?

Q&A with the Student Government Association
at last year's Open Day

Alumnus Byron Sacharidis (BC11/DC12) previously described Open Day as a chance to “see SAIS for yourself”. It’s an opportunity to ask questions on anything relating to SAIS: from the details on courses and teaching to why Bologna was made home to SAIS Europe in 1955.

"Open Day helped me understand that the curriculum at SAIS was in line with what I wanted from a graduate program," said Elisa Malerbi, a current student from Italy.

Anna-Maria Achammer of Austria said: "Open Day allowed me to learn things about SAIS I would not have learned reading through the catalog, especially what it means to be part of the SAIS community.”

Careers are crucial: If you’re looking into a professional graduate school like SAIS, it is because you’re thinking about your future career prospects.

Meera Shankar, director of the Career Services office, said that at Open Day she will “provide an overview of what managing one’s professional development means in practice and an introduction to how students can think about applying the academic program at SAIS in a professional setting.”

Graduate school is an investment of time and money. Bart Drakulich, director of Administration and Finance, helps students understand how to make ends meet and how to make SAIS affordable.

“Students will gain a greater understanding of both the economics of an elite U.S. graduate experience as well as the opportunities available to help fund a degree at SAIS," Drakulich said.

"I try to be open and frank about the resources required to make SAIS attendance possible, but often I am surprised at how little potential applicants know about the financing instruments at their disposal. SAIS is an experience accessible to many, especially if they are smart, determined and a little enterprising,” he said.

If you’re interested in attending the Open Day, you can register here.

If you so desire, we’ll do our best to find you accommodation with a current student so you can both gain insight into the SAIS experience and save money. If you'd like to be hosted by a current student, please send an email to admissions@jhubc.it.

If you cannot make it to Open Day, know that there will be other opportunities to learn more about SAIS. We have an open-door policy, and you're welcome to come visit us.

Each month before the January 7, 2014 deadline for applications we’ll be holding online information sessions. The next one is scheduled for September 26 at 10 am Italian time (0800 GMT). Click here for a calendar of the sessions.

If you would like to participate in any of the sessions, please send an email to admissions@jhubc.it indicating which sessions interest you.

Speaking of deadlines: the online application is now open. For instructions and access to the application, click here.

In coming weeks Nelson and I will be travelling to different parts of Europe. We'll post a full schedule soon. In the meantime, we're always available to speak with interested students. You can reach us via email, Skype (jhubc.admissions) or telephone (+39 051 29 17 811).

Amina Abdiuahab

Student life: Footprints around the world

Before summer slips away in the northern hemisphere, let's consider what last year's SAIS Europe students have been up to since their end-of-year ceremony in May.

From the rugged Outback in Australia to a deep gorge in Nepal, from a lush jungle in Costa Rica to the clipped grounds outside Buckingham Palace, SAIS Europe students left footprints around the world.

Some were working internships, others simply traveling before tackling a second year at SAIS or starting a career. Linking the diverse experiences is the students' shared desire to discover new corners of the world as global citizens.



Thanks to Holly Naylor (BC13/DC14) for the video.

If you are reading this via email, you can see the video here.

Nelson Graves

Applying to SAIS: A virtually paperless trail

Applicants to SAIS can submit almost all of their materials through our online application software.

(Just a few years ago I might have written "virtually" all of their materials, but the digital revolution requires a different adverb.)

The software, which will go online later this month, does away with almost all of the paper and postage that for decades characterized applications to college and graduate school. The application will be available here.

One type of document needs eventually to be sent in hard copy -- the undergraduate transcript. Everything else can be submitted electronically.

Here is what the applicant can submit with the online software:

• the "application", which provides basic information on the candidate: name, address, date of birth, undergraduate institution, academic background
• CV
• statement of purpose
• analytical essay

Referees can upload their letters of reference directly to the candidate's online application. If they prefer, they can mail a hard copy of the recommendation to the SAIS DC Admissions Office, where it will be uploaded into our system.

Candidates taking standardized tests such as the TOEFL or the GRE should provide SAIS's code when registering for the exams. The test organizers will then send your results directly to SAIS.

The online platform allows candidates to start an application, save it and come back later to continue work. When everything is in order, one can press the submit button. (The deadline for applications is January 7, 2014. There is no particular advantage in submitting your application early, although it is best not to wait until the last minute in case technical gremlins are on the prowl.)

If you are considering applying for 2014-15, there is plenty of work that can be done outside of the platform starting right now:

• freshen up your CV;
• schedule standardized tests and start preparing for them;
• line up the referees who will write your letters of recommendation and brief them on why you are considering SAIS and graduate school;
• start planning your statement of purpose and analytical essay.

Each of these tasks will take thought and time. There is no need to wait for the application to come on line later this month to get started.

Remember that in coming months we will be holding online information sessions, with each one focusing on a different element of the application. For a schedule and list of topics, click here.

Do you have questions? Don't hesitate to contact us via email (admissions@jhubc.it), Skype (jhubc.admissions) or the phone (+39 051 29 17 811).

Nelson Graves

Academics: The importance of economics

One of SAIS's distinguishing features is the integration of economics into its curriculum. From its inception, SAIS has held that policymakers and leaders need a solid background in economics to understand global policy challenges. Below Prof. Michael Plummer explains why economics is important for SAIS students -- and graduates.

Q: Why has economics been an integral part of the SAIS curriculum from the start?
Plummer: A strong background in economics is essential to understanding key aspects of international relations and globalization, as well as grasping the many challenging policy issues of the 21st century, from regulation of financial markets to global warming.

Q: What kind of economics do SAIS students take?
Plummer: Students are required to demonstrate proficiency in microeconomics, macroeconomics, international trade theory and international monetary theory, either by taking the associated course at SAIS or, if students have already taken these courses as undergraduates, by passing a waiver exam. While students have to take at least four economics courses at SAIS,  most choose to take more, given the importance of the subject and the rich variety of courses. Not to mention, of course, the quality of the professors!

Prof. Michael Plummer

Q: How much economics do applicants need to have? Incoming students?
Plummer: Prospective students must pass university-level principles of microeconomics and macroeconomics courses with a B- or better before they can start their course work at SAIS. A candidate who has not yet passed one or both of these can apply to SAIS and can be accepted, although the candidate needs to pass introductory micro and introductory macro with a B- or better before starting SAIS. We offer an online course in the summer for those admitted candidates who need to take micro or macro, or both, before starting SAIS.

Q: We understand that economics at SAIS is “relevant” to the non-economics course work. Can you give an example?
Plummer: Nowadays, most policy issues have economic and non-economy dimensions to them, which suggests the need for interdisciplinary studies, a key strength of SAIS. For example, the current negotiations for a region-wide trade agreement between the United States and 11 partners in the Asia-Pacific is clearly an economics topic, but it has extremely important implications for diplomatic relations in the region, defense strategies, international law and even the study of health policy, labor and the environment.

Q: Do you have to be very strong at mathematics to take economics at SAIS? What if you’re not good at quantitative courses? What would you recommend?
Plummer: Of course it helps to be strong in mathematics for the study of economics, but while economics courses at SAIS do employ some differential calculus, it is mostly algebra-intensive. For students who feel a bit weaker in math -- or rusty, if they haven’t used that side of their brain for a while -- we have pre-calculus and calculus reviews on-line for students, and additional math resources are provided to students during “pre-term”.

Q: What kinds of careers require an understanding of the kind of economics that is taught at SAIS?
Plummer: The study of economics at SAIS develops tools that students can use in just about any job they end up at, be it economics- or non-economics-focused. I frequently have former students who have been out in the workforce for a while tell me how important the economics they learned at SAIS was. Even -- perhaps especially! -- those who were challenged at first by the formal analysis used in our basic economics courses.

Photo Gallery: And the winners are ...

We have the winners.

Last month we ran a gallery of photographs by students enrolled at SAIS Europe this year.

We asked a jury of faculty, staff and SAIS Europe graduates to vote for their favorite pictures. Two of the 26 photographs were front-runners.

First prize goes to Jagabanta Ningthoujam for a photograph he took while on an expedition to the Garhwal Himalayas this past June.

"It was a 25-day expedition to a peak called Mount Trisul, which is 7,128 meters high," Jagabanta said. "This picture is of an unknown peak, probably around 6,000 meters high. I took it from our intermediate camp (Camp 2), which was at a height of around 5,000 meters."

Jagabanta used a Canon 5D Mark III for the photograph.

"It is a long exposure shot during night time using the moonlight to light the mountain up. In terms of difficulty, the whole expedition was a grueling lesson in mountaineering, but the photograph itself was alright. It was very cold, though!"

Second prize goes to Kristen Andree for a photograph taken on the island of Maui while on a family vacation in Hawaii this past July.

"We were staying in Waliea and were out to dinner at the restaurant Humuhumunukunukuapuaa that was floating on a man-made lagoon," Kristen said. "The sun was setting over the water and on the beach. This statue of a Hawaiian man fishing was perfectly silhouetted in the lighting, and I snapped the shot."

Kristen took the photo with a Sony Alpha 550 camera, 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens, ISO 400, f/25, and 1/200 shutter speed.

Nelson Graves

Academics: Languages as a key to a global mindset

All SAIS students develop proficiency in at least one foreign language, choosing from among the 17 offered by the program. Like economics, languages have been part of SAIS's curriculum from the start. Below, Sara Gelmetti, director of SAIS Europe's language program, discusses the importance of languages at SAIS.

Q: Why are languages important at SAIS?
Gelmetti: Languages are an integral part of SAIS's curriculum. Top-notch preparation for a career in international relations requires the use of at least one foreign language for professional purposes. Mastering a foreign language implies learning about and adjusting to a new culture, which in turn fosters the development of a global mindset.

Q: What languages are taught?
Gelmetti: At SAIS Europe we offer beginner through advanced level courses in Arabic, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. English is offered at the very advanced levels only, for those students who wish or need to perfect their academic language skills.

Q: How are they taught? And how do SAIS's language courses differ from such courses outside of SAIS?

Sara Gelmetti

Gelmetti: Learning languages at SAIS is a unique experience. Our courses not only fulfill the foreign language graduation requirement but also meet students’ professional needs. Our goal is to prepare students to be linguistically and professionally functional in their careers.

Our courses merge language skills with SAIS’s interdisciplinary curriculum through the integration of academic content from the non-language courses. A wide range of up-to-date materials on economics, energy, international relations, history and politics ensure that students develop the vocabulary they will find essential in their future careers. Students engage in debates, presentations and simulations in the target language.

Our language faculty is comprised of experienced and highly-trained professionals. We offer small classes (no more than 10 students per class) to make sure each student receives individualized attention.

Q: What help/guidance do students receive in choosing a language?
Gelmetti: All language faculty members are available for advising during the two weeks before the Fall semester registration deadline. Since SAIS regional concentrations require specific languages to meet their graduation requirements, students should read their program requirements and consult with their academic advisors.

Q: Which languages are the most challenging?
Gelmetti: It varies from individual to individual and depends largely on one's language background. At SAIS Europe we offer additional class time for languages like Arabic and Russian, which confront students with writing systems that are likely to be new to them and vocabulary that might be substantially different from that of their native language.

Q: How much language study do students need before applying?
Gelmetti: None! Aside from the English requirement for non-native English speakers, students can start a second language from scratch, at the very beginner level, and still reach the minimum proficiency level in four consecutive semesters of language instruction. Thus we urge students with no previous knowledge of a particular language to enroll in the “novice” level courses from their very first semester.

For students with a particularly strong language background, we are glad to guide them along an accelerated path and help them master yet another language.

(For more information on the language program, click here.)

Summer school in the Balkans: "Expertise kept pouring in"

Below incoming SAIS Europe student Jasmina Hodzic from Bosnia & Herzegovina writes about a summer program she participated in along with Prof. Justin Frosini and Sylvia Staneva, who attended SAIS Europe last year and is at SAIS DC this year.

I was so eager to start my SAIS experience that in the spring before the start of the school year I decided to apply for a summer school organized by the Center for Constitutional Studies and Democratic Development (CCSDD).

The CCSDD is a think tank jointly founded by SAIS Europe and the University of Bologna's law school. It conducts research and training in comparative constitutional law with particular focus on countries in democratic transition.

The Center embodies SAIS Europe's close ties to the University of Bologna and its host city, its commitment to policy research and the opportunities SAIS offers its students to broaden their horizons outside of the classroom.

I received good news a couple weeks after submitting my application when the CCSDD, in a note almost as enthusiastic as my motivation letter, admitted me to their week-long conference on the constitutional implications of European Union expansion in countries of East and Southeast Europe.

On July 14 I found myself in Igalo, a beautiful Montenegrin town in the picturesque bay of Boka Kotorska, squeezed between a tall, rocky mountain and the Adriatic Sea.

I was one of 25 participants in the conference from all over Europe – and I don’t mean only the EU. There were students and scholars of constitutional law and political science from all over the former Yugoslavia, Eastern Europe and the Caucasus.

Together we engaged in a week of intense discussion about democratic transitions in the context of EU enlargement and the effect such tumultuous changes have had on the legal setup of the countries in question.

Jasmina Hodzic, Prof. Frosini and Syliva Staneva (SAIS Europe 2012-13)

Examples abounded in the very neighborhood: from Croatia which just recently joined the EU, to other countries of former Yugoslavia who are yet to get there, to participants' countries from outside the region.

Expertise kept pouring in.

Such a diversity of ideas and experiences made this a very impressive and unique exchange.

Perhaps most impressive were the organizers, professors from the CCSDD and the University of Belgrade. We joined them in their celebration of the 10th anniversary of the summer school, co-directed by Prof. Frosini, CCSDD director and adjunct professor at SAIS, and Prof. Stevan Lilić of the University of Belgrade.

The combination of high spirits, warm July weather and small town Montenegro gave this academic conference a friendly and familiar feel. It is in such a mood that my time at SAIS has begun.

Jasmina Hodzic (SAIS Europe 2013-14)