Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Next online information session: July 31

We have scheduled an online information session for:

Tuesday, July 31 at 10 am Italy time (0800 GMT).

If you would like to participate in the session and have not yet told us so, please send an email to admissions@jhubc.it and we'll send you the log-in details.

During the session we'll briefly introduce SAIS Bologna and then take questions from participants, either over the phone or via chat.

To take part in the session, all you need is an Internet connection and a phone line or Skype connection to make a toll-free call.

We expect the session to last 45 minutes to one hour. Participants are free to exit the session whenever they like.

This is not the only way to learn about us. There is this Journal and our website. Here is our most recent catalog, which is being updated for 2012-13 but which will remain much the same. We can always be reached by email, via Skype (our handle is jhubc.admissions), by phone (+39 051 29 17 811) or in person.

We know that prospective candidates have a lot of questions as they consider their options and that the application process can be challenging. We also want to make sure we help candidates take the best decisions for themselves.

Nelson Graves




Thursday, July 19, 2012

Any interest in an online session?

Interested in learning more about SAIS Bologna? Have a few minutes of spare time?

We would like to know if there is an appetite for an online information session about SAIS Bologna in coming weeks.

We realize it's summer. People hopefully are enjoying down time away from computers. Graduate studies might be the furthest thing from your mind.

But if you are interested in an online session, please send us an email at admissions@jhubc.it. The session would last around 45 minutes, and participants would be free to cut away if and when they liked. All you would need is an Internet connection and a phone to make a toll-free call.

If a critical mass of people raise their hands, we'll arrange something. And of course we are always available for one-on-one chats on the phone (+39 051 29 17 811), via Skype (our handle is jhubc.admissions) or in person.

There will be plenty of opportunities to get to know more about SAIS Bologna once the holidays are over. Until then, if you're up for it, we'd be happy to arrange an online session.

Nelson Graves

Bologna: a slideshow

We offer this slideshow to give our followers a glimpse of SAIS Bologna's host city.

It is a city rich in history, culture and tradition. Since 1955, it has been home to SAIS students keen to expand their horizons. We are honored to have our roots here.

The music accompanying the slideshow was written by Francesco Guccini and is sung by Stefano Bittelli -- himself a bolognese.



If you are reading this via email, you can watch the slideshow here.

Nelson Graves

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

We hear you loud and clear: results of our survey

Cicadas are clicking, the halls of SAIS Bologna are empty of students, incoming scholars are taking a breath before coming here and prospective applicants are ... prospecting.

Time to take stock.

We've received your responses to our annual survey. There are some useful takeaways for us as we look to the next recruitment and admissions cycle.

BACKGROUND

We launched this Journal in December 2010. Our aim was to connect with prospective candidates so they could learn about SAIS Bologna while considering their options. We've tried to de-institutionalize our relationship with our readers, who start out as possible applicants and then often become candidates and in many cases end up as students.

Feedback and readership suggest it's been worth the effort.

Each of our 296 posts has generated an average of 344 page views. In the past month we passed the 100,000 page view mark. Our readership has grown -- natural as word gets around and new readers join the veterans.

About 30% of our readers are based in the United States. Seven of the top 10 countries ranked by readership are in Europe; South Korea is 8th and India 10th.
















Here are the three most viewed posts since we launched:

The Analytical Essay (Nov 16, 2011)
The Statement of Purpose (Oct 19, 2011)
Seeing How You Think (Feb 21, 2011)

If we needed proof that our readers are interested above all in learning about the nitty-gritty of the application process, we have it in those readership statistics.

The hearty appetite for information on admissions procedures is borne out in the ...

SURVEY

Respondents were asked to rank what they found most useful about the Journal. As in last year's survey, readers selected "information about admissions procedures".

Readers also want "an inside look at SAIS Bologna" and "views of Bologna and Italy". And they like to keep in touch with SAIS Bologna.

We try to meet this demand with a mixture of posts: entries on procedures; interviews with students, faculty and alumni; photographs and video; examples of student work and activities.

If we go off track, we trust our readers will set us straight with a comment at the end of a post or an email to admissions@jhubc.it.

We asked respondents how often they read the Journal. The answers were in line with those from last year: most check the Journal at least once a week; about 90% read it at least several times a month.

During the meat of the year we post three times a week -- which we think puts supply in line with demand. But if you think we post too much or not enough, feel free to tell us.

A couple of answers surprised us, perhaps because we were thinking the digital revolution has progressed farther than it has.

More than 9 of 10 readers still call up the Journal on their computer, with a small minority using mobile devices. And most use a browser bookmark or a search engine to find the posts, with only a minority subscribing to email or RSS alerts.

We may be outnumbered but would still urge regular readers to use the email alert system by submitting their email addresses via this function on the Journal's home page:


Finally, we are grateful to those who took the time to submit their thoughts on the Journal.

"I really like the personal style of the blog," wrote one respondent. "I really like to see that you put an effort into keeping everyone up to date," said another.

Hear, hear.

What could be improved?

1. "I think you could use a redesign," wrote one participant in the survey.

Are there any incoming students out there who would care to help us? We'd love to involve you.

2. We can improve navigation around the Journal and also make it easier to post comments and ask questions -- in other words, increase the interactivity. A very good point.

3. We should provide more information on what alumni are doing and about SAIS DC.

Here's a chance to make a plug for the blog managed by our counterparts in SAIS DC. It's called "Slice of SAIS" -- a much catchier name than ours!

Nelson Graves







Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Quiz!

The last quiz we held was a great success. Many of our readers knew that La Befana brings sweets to children on January 6, the day before our new deadline for application.


Here's another quiz:


What is the name of the SAIS alumnus/a who recently came second in a run for national presidential elections? And where is he/she from?


The first person to answer correctly gets a SAIS Bologna tee shirt.

You can answer with a comment on this post or with an email to admissions@jhubc.it - be sure to tell us who you are so that we can follow up with you.

Enjoy!


Amina Abdiuahab


Thursday, July 5, 2012

New application deadline: get started

SAIS Bologna's new application deadline is January 7, 2013. It may appear to be a long way away. In some respects it is. Winter seems a lifetime away now that it's full summer. However, in "application terms" the time between now and the deadline is not as extended as you might think.

While the application process is fairly straightforward, it could take you some time to gather all the required documents together.

Before you start your application be sure you understand our program. There are several ways in which you can get information. There is our website, this journal and of course Nelson and me in the Admissions Office. You can reach us by email, Skype (jhubc.admissions), on the more traditional telephone +39 051 29 17 811 (ask to speak to Admissions) and at number 11 of Via Belmeloro.

In the fall we'll hold a few recruiting events. We'll be at the APSIA fairs, we'll hold information sessions, online and in person, and there will be an Open Day in early December. More activities are in the works --we'll tell you more later in the summer.

How can you get started with your application? 

If you're a non-native English speaker (click here for the definition), you can start by looking into TOEFL, IELTS and the Cambridge Proficiency in English scores. These tests are not difficult for those whose English language skills are strong. Nonetheless, they require some preparation. Knowing how these tests are structured will help you get a good score.

Whether or not English is your mother-tongue, we recommend you look into standardized tests, such as the GRE and the GMAT. They're not a requirement for application, but a good score can help your candidacy.

Start thinking about your statement of purpose and analytical essay. Jot down some ideas. Your reasons for applying and your topic of interest may change in the meantime, but this is a useful exercise because you start thinking about why SAIS is right for you and you are right for SAIS. Click here to view past posts on the statement of purpose and here for the analytical essay.

As you discover why you want to come to SAIS, be sure to keep your referees in the loop. If you tell them why you're applying, it will be easier for them to write a letter supporting you. Here is an expert's view on letters of reference.

Last but by no means least, start looking at how your finances might work out. You know you can apply for financial help from SAIS Bologna. However, you should look into alternative sources to be sure you'll have sufficient funds to attend our program. Some institutions that provide funding have early deadlines. Keep on top of the game to seize every opportunity available.

Have any questions? You know where to find us.


Amina Abdiuahab




Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Now I have the tools to find the answers

Today we turn the podium over the Edna Kallon. Edna, from Sierra Leone, was at SAIS Bologna in 2010-11 and graduated in Washington last May. Prior to starting her SAIS experience she worked for three years in a best-practices research firm in the United States, at Save the Children Sweden-Denmark in Bangladesh and at the United Nations for Iraq. 

We asked Edna to tell us about her SAIS experience, the challenges and what’s waiting for her now that she’s completed her degree. 

I vividly remember arriving at the door of SAIS Bologna two years ago.

Edna at Commencement in Bologna
My decision to go back to school was a result of sitting in several meetings thinking to myself: “I need to get further education because I don’t understand what’s being talked about, the terms being used and some things definitely do not sound right or applicable when looking at a country like Iraq!”

It was a moment of sobering self-awareness; the moment when I realized I was not as knowledgeable as I thought I was. To be honest, in the meetings with all those people, I felt “dumb.” Luckily for me, I strongly believe in change and that I can learn and apply my way to a needed change.

When I started at SAIS I was challenged to my core academically and psychologically. I had to get the hang of how the concept of supply and demand can be applied to almost anything. In addition, I was trying to get comfortable with economists’ tendency of simplifying everything.

My academic background is psychology and art history and my job with the UN was more practical than conceptual. Hence, I accepted and was very comfortable with complexity.

At SAIS, I learned to take a complex issue, simplify it to its bare bones and then start adding in the complexity again. It’s quite a fascinating way of understanding why things work the way they do and the various factors that come into play. I call the two years at SAIS “understanding systems”, be it political, economics, business or social. I really liked the “no-nonsense” teachers taught me.

My micro and macro-economics teacher, prof. Akin, told me one day that if I need to sit in the library for hours reviewing a concept until I got it right, to do so. My development cooperation teacher, prof. Hartmann, looked me right in the eyes and told me that I was having some trouble with some economic concepts after reading a paper I wrote for the class. My war and conflict resolution in Africa teacher, prof. Kühne, following a bad presentation, warned the class that the following presentations had to be significantly better.

I single out these three teachers because they believed and told me that learning is a personal experience that I had to embrace with full commitment, that good constructive criticism is necessary to improve and that presentations have to be worth the time of people listening to them. These are lessons I carry with me in a lot that I will be doing in life.

I entered into SAIS starting with Bologna and came out with what I wanted and a whole lot more. That state of wanting to know did not disappear but now I have the tools to find the answers.

I realized that I love to know whether what people and organizations are saying and doing are relevant or make sense.

With this realization in mind, I started working with the Independent Evaluation Group of the World Bank Group following graduation.

SAIS did not change me but made me more convinced and aware of my desire to know whether what's being said and done matter and makes sense. I strive to be really good at what I do and hold organizations accountable: SAIS has definitely contributed!

Edna


Amina Abdiuahab

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