Thursday, November 10, 2011

Online information session: Tuesday, November 22

It's recruiting season, and so over the past few weeks we've connected with prospective applicants, both near and afar. Nelson and I have traveled to a half dozen European cities to meet hundreds of potential candidates.

Still, as much as we like to travel, many applicants are outside of our physical reach.

Luckily, technology is a help. Some readers know that we had our first online information session in October. This month, we'll be holding a second such session. Please mark this date and time in your calendars if you are interested in learning more about SAIS Bologna:

November 22 at 7 p.m. Italy time (1800 GMT or 1 p.m. U.S. East Coast time).

If you'd like to attend, please send a message to admissions@jhubc.it and we will send you details on how to connect.

The session, expected to last about 45 minutes, is timed to accommodate applicants based in the Americas. The next session, which will be in December, will keep in mind those located in Asia.

At the start of the session we will introduce you to SAIS and the programs we offer. Alissa Tafti, a first-year student in Bologna, will be with us. Then participants will be able to ask questions, either via the audio connection or chat.

In October, we offered a separate audio connection that ran in parallel with the presentation platform. Participants told us that was awkward, and so this time we will use the audio application inside the web platform, called Adobe Connect. We'll be sure to send you clear instructions ahead of the information session.

We'll be looking for feedback after November's session, too, to help us hone our skills.

Other important dates to remember:

OPEN DAY on Friday, December 9. You can register online here
- Online information session, tentatively set for Tuesday, December 13 and aligned with Asian time zones.
- February 1, 2012: deadline for applications submitted through the Bologna Admissions Office (U.S. citizens and applicants interested in starting in Washington have a January 7, 2012 deadline) 

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

The CV: an antipasto, not the main dish

How ironic if a blog post on CVs were long and messy. So I'll keep this as tight as a good curriculum vitae.

Your goal is simple: to offer a snapshot of your experience. Like good writing, it is as hard if not harder to write tight than to write long. A CV is not a smörgåsbord or even a main dish. It is an hors d'oeuvre.

Do you know how much time someone generally takes to read the CV of a job or graduate school applicant? I won't dare quantify it. Suffice it to say that it's no longer than the time it takes a harried Italian commuter to down an espresso coffee on the way to work.

Like an antipasto, a CV is meant to whet the reader's appetite. You want to answer some basic questions so that the reader can situate you and, hopefully, be interested in learning more. What are those questions?

- Where have you studied, what did you study and when?
- What kind of work experiences have you had and where?
- Have you received any special awards or recognition?
- What languages do you speak?
- What else makes you truly unique?

The reader should have to take no more than 30 seconds to have a basic idea of your background. The emphasis is on "basic". You will have a chance to delve more deeply into your past and your future in your statement of aims and, if you are applying to SAIS Bologna, your interview. You want the reader to be interested in learning more about you, not to answer any and all questions on the CV.

A few pitfalls:

- If there is a gap of more than 6 months in your academic or professional experiences, you should explain that in your statement of purpose. Experienced readers of CVs spot such gaps immediately. Most everyone has such gaps; they just need to be explained.

- A CV that is too long is a turn-off. What is too long? How many angels can you fit on the head of a pin? I like one-page CVs, but others want more detail. Make the CV as long as it has to be to cover your experiences without inflating them. At some stages of an application or for certain positions, more detail is needed. In any case, make sure each word counts. If a word is not needed, cut it out.

- It can be useful at the top of a CV to summarize your background. But beware of overdoing it or of using wooden or hackneyed language.

- Does anyone nowadays not know basic computer applications like Word, Excel or Powerpoint? It's a given, so no need to mention them.

I know someone out there has this question: What is the difference between a CV and a resume? Some consider the resume to be a compact CV, which they feel should be at least 2 pages. That distinction may hold true for individuals with substantial professional experience. That is not the case with most of our applicants.

A good CV is crisp and clean, easy to read and a help to the reader who wants to know quickly what you've done without wasting time. Don't think you need to put everything except the kitchen sink in your CV. Consider it more the architect's sketch of the kitchen.

Nelson Graves

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Checklist

When you start your application to SAIS there are two things you need to have at hand: the application instructions and a checklist.

Most of the fields you'll complete in the online form are intuitive. However, we strongly recommend having instructions close by for reference. Please be sure to go over your application several times before you click on the "submit" button because you will not be able to make further changes once your application has been submitted.

How do you know which application instructions you should look at?

On our website, we devoted a page to instructions for each program. If you select the program you wish to apply for, the relevant instructions will appear. You'll also find instructions on the application form. The system will direct you to the right instructions as you select the program and the campus you'd like to start your SAIS studies at.

A checklist is a good way to make sure no items are missing from your application.

Below is one we made for you. Some of the items listed may not apply to you. For example, if you are in your final year of your undergraduate studies, you will not be required to send us a degree certificate. Likewise, if your native language is English you''ll need not submit TOEFL or similar scores. However, you'll need to prepare most of the documents in the list. Even if you feel you've got a memory like an elephant, please keep this checklist nearby.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. We are available on email (admissions@jhubc.it), Skype (jhubc.admissions) and telephone +39 051 29 17 811.



Amina Abdiuahab

Friday, November 4, 2011

Our latest poll

More and more of our readers are following this blog via email. It's a convenient way to stay in touch.

However, from time to time we run polls on the blog, and they can be seen only if you view the blog on a browser. When we polled followers earlier this year, asking what kind of surveys they would like to see, they cited polls on SAIS Bologna and also on current events.

With that in mind, we've launched a poll that will run for a few more days:

Did Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou do the right thing in calling a referendum on the EU's latest financial aid package?

We encourage you to vote. It takes little more than a click of the mouse. The votes are anonymous, and it is interesting to hear people's views.

In the future, we'll be sure to announce our polls in separate posts to make sure all readers know about them.

Nelson Graves

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Meeting our faculty: Prof. Jones

Erik Jones is professor of European Studies at SAIS Bologna. He is also the director of the new Bologna Institute for Policy Research (BIPR).

One of the most viewed posts in this blog's 10 months of existence is a video chat with Prof. Jones in which he discussed the interviews that we conduct with all applicants. You might enjoy watching it.

While you're at it, check out Prof. Jones's work on the eurobond proposal.

Your degrees?
AB, Princeton
MA and PhD, SAIS


What courses are you teaching?
West European Political Economies, Central and East European Political Economies, Risk in the International Political Economy, European Research Seminar

Where have you taught?
Central European University, University of Nottingham, SAIS Bologna Center

How long have you been teaching at SAIS Bologna?
Since February 2001 – in residence since September 2002

A link to a recent publication/oped/academic work by you?
See http://www.jhubc.it/facultypages/ejones for publications

Anything special about SAIS Bologna?
The community atmosphere. I don’t know any place that has as tightly knit a group of students and scholars as we do.

Anything special about Bologna?
The combination of young and old. You have about 100,000 university students living and studying in a place that has a 900 year old university.

Your favorite book?
If you want fiction, then I read a lot of junky sci-fi (Robert Heinlein) and fantasy (Robert Jordan). My reading age varies between 13 and 16. I read the Game of Thrones books in about a month. I am now working on a series by David Weber. If you want non-fiction, then I would probably go with Richard Bookstaber’s Demon of Our Own Design or Robert Schiller and George Akerloff’s Animal Spirits. But I also enjoy books on US foreign policy and am working my way (slowly) through the various Republican candidates.

Hobby?
I like to swim, either long-course or open water. Sometimes I get afraid of what else might be in the open water – particularly when I cannot see the bottom.

A quote?
Churchill was pretty good with the one-liners. Take your pick.


Nelson Graves

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

One application -- two admissions offices

We now have a single, online application -- whether you want to start your SAIS studies in Bologna or Washington.

But the application requirements will vary according to two factors:

- Where you want to start your studies, and
- Whether you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, or not.

If you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, your application will be handled by the SAIS DC Admissions Office irrespective of where you want to start. The DC office also handles applications from non-U.S. citizens who want to start in Washington.

If your application is going to be handled by the SAIS DC Admissions Office, you can find the instructions here.

Alternatively, if you are a non-U.S. citizen and you want to start in Bologna, your application will be handled by the SAIS Bologna Admissions Office. In that case, you can find your application instructions here.

As you fill out the application, you will have a chance to provide both your nationality and your choice of campus. With that information, the system automatically directs the application to the appropriate office.

Confused? Here is a matrix that should make it simple:


I can hear your question now:

Do the application requirements differ whether you are applying through DC or Bologna?

The short answer is, "Yes."

The main differences relate to standardized tests, interviews and fees. Specifically:
  • Those applying through SAIS DC are required to take either the GRE or the GMAT. Those applying through SAIS Bologna are not. Note that we strongly recommend that all applicants take either the GRE or the GMAT. While the scores are only one element in a student's dossier, they can provide important information to both the applicant and the institution. High scores can potentially strengthen a candidate's application.
  • All candidates applying through Bologna will be interviewed as part of the review process. The SAIS DC Admissions Office does not require interviews.
  • Candidates applying through Washington pay an $85 application fee. Those applying through Bologna do not.
We realize that this is complicated. If you have questions, do not hesitate to contact us. Our email is admissions@jhubc.it. Our phone number is +39 051 29 17 811.

Likewise, if you are not sure where you would like to start your SAIS studies, why not contact us? We will try to help you weigh the pro's and con's. A chat on the phone might clear things up for you.

Bottom line: We understand if you are still feeling your way. Don't hesitate to drop us a line or call us, and we'll do what we can to help.

Nelson Graves

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

From BC to DC

What's it like to be a SAIS student who spends a year in Bologna and then moves to Washington, DC?

I took advantage of a brief stopover in the U.S. capital last month to speak to two students who recently settled in Washington after studying last year in Bologna. Who better to describe the experience that about one half of SAIS students share: a first year of study in Italy followed by a second and final year in DC?

Marcus Watson worked in London for three years as a corporate lawyer before starting SAIS in the autumn of 2010. His concentration is International Development -- little wonder given experiences he has gained working in Tanzania and Uganda.

Even before Shoko Sugai graduated from college in 2009, she had helped victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and of the 2006 Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Her concentration is Conflict Management.


View Larger Map

In the short film below shot on the SAIS DC campus, Marcus and Shoko discuss the challenges of moving from Bologna to Washington: difficulties finding housing and the "bidding system" to get into popular classes. Shoko says it's a "little bit chaotic" living for nine months in Italy and then picking up stakes for the U.S.

Any regrets?

"I really do believe that if you go to Bologna and then come to DC, you get the best of both worlds," Shoko said.

"I think the experiences definitely complement each other," Marcus said.



If you are reading this on email, you can view the video here.

Nelson Graves

StatCounter