Decision time!
While the term “March Madness” has a strong college basketball connotation (at least for Americans), in the Admissions world the madness of March corresponds to the release of admissions decisions, which will be forthcoming in the next few days. It’s a twofold big deal; both the culmination of months of painstaking work by our team and the start of a new phase of research and decision-making by our applicants as their grad school options come into focus. We feel a great sense of gratitude to all of our applicants for the time and effort you’ve expended to complete and submit your applications. It’s a privilege to get to know all of you through your applications, and we’re grateful for the work you put into them.
Most applicants will receive pretty straightforward decision information. Congratulations to those of you about to be admitted, and our sincere regrets for the disappointing news for those who are denied. The latter group should note that Fletcher welcomes both reapplications and requests for feedback, and remember that both our current student and alumni populations have many members whose first application wasn’t successful. We truly hope we’ll see another application from you in the future!
Some candidates will receive a more nuanced decision. A conditional admission might offer a space in the class contingent upon additional preparation, likely around English-language comprehension. Some applicants to the 18-month Master of Global Affairs (MGA) degree might receive an offer of admission to the two-year MALD instead, a potential surprise. Substantial full-time work experience and a very strong professional focus are virtual requirements for the MGA, and some otherwise-strong candidates who don’t meet that threshold will be offered a spot in the MALD class.
Other applicants will receive an offer of a spot on the Waitlist. Given that the applicant pool every year includes more well-qualified candidates than available spots in the class, there are always accomplished applicants to whom we’re nonetheless unable to offer admission. If you’re offered a spot on the Waitlist, you’ll need to accept or decline that offer. Soon after our April 20 response deadline for admitted candidates, we’ll assess how many (if any) spaces remain the class, and make offers of admission to the strongest remaining Waitlisted candidates until the class is full. By definition, accepting a spot on the Waitlist means putting up with a period of uncertainty, and it’s up to each candidate to decide how they’d like to proceed. It’s an admittedly uncertain and possibly frustrating position to be in, I know. For what it’s worth, I can tell you that we tend to admit at least a handful of Waitlisted candidates in most years.
One way or another, we’re looking forward to continuing to be in touch. Thanks again, applicants, and best of luck to all of you!