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StarkResilient89

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Durham, NC
  • Application Season
    2015 Fall
  • Program
    MPP

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  1. Yeah, I ended up picking Duke even though CMU gave me more $ because the latter seemed too technocratic when it came to public policy analysis. Not saying that it's a bad thing, but I don't think I would've fit in as well there. Thanks for all your helpful advice. And here's something to help you relax and focus better for this stressful time. Not sure if you're into EDM music, but it sure helps in de-stressing.
  2. I'm pretty much in the same situation here. I literally ended up accepting Duke's offer 2 minutes before the 5 pm deadline today because of my doubts between Sanford vs. Heinz (CMU). Uncertainty is a real B*tch! This is either one of the best investments I've ever have or will make, or it'll be a catastrophic decision that'll put me in too much debt in the future. Either way, I'll try to make the most out of these next two years.
  3. After having extended conversations with my parents, they agreed to help cover the cost of living expenses (i.e. only rent). Combined with the financial aid I'm getting from my total debt situation now looks to be around $35k-50k (assume it to be on the lower end of the spectrum, since I plan on living very conservatively). Assuming that I get a Federal or State govt. job with a starting salary in the $50k-$60k range, would you say that this is a sensible investment/tradeoff? Sorry if I'm asking too many questions, and thanks again for feedback.
  4. That's definitely sound advice. That said, I'd be more than willing to go on the IBR and public service loan forgiveness programs you mentioned. I'm a former federal employee, so working in that type of environment would be the optimal outcome. Also, I'm willing to work in the private sector for consulting firms and whatnot, so I'm flexible in that regard. With CMU, it's $68,928; with Duke, it's $77,474. I guess I was being a bit broad when I mentioned $80,000 earlier. Still, it never hurts to bring up the worst case scenario as a precaution. In both of these cases, I'm perfectly willing live more frugally and spend as little on living expenses as possible (which is where most of the variable costs factor in). So optimistically, the figures I provided for loans could end up being even lower in the end. We'll see. The $80k figure was really a worst-case scenario, rough estimate that I came up with. That figure, as well as the revised ones provided above, was indeed based on the loans I'd owe after you factor in financial aid. Personally, I have around $22k in savings now, but since I'm planning to pay off my undergraduate loans before I start grad school, it's realistically going to be around $3k-4k. And after visiting Duke this past weekend, I pretty much agree with you re: living expenses in Durham; it does seem like the type of city where the cost of living isn't high at all. And re: Duke's career services and networking, I also can't disagree with your argument. I'm sure CMU's career network has a similar reputation. I guess what I'm ultimately trying to figure out is whether or not my going to either one of these schools would drastically (emphasis and bolding are mine) increase my chances of getting a decent-paying job after graduation than compared to going to SUNY Albany, since I know that they also place alumni in prestigious agencies/firms/non-profits (but probably to a lesser degree). Moreover, it probably does not have as strong a national/international reputation as the others, even though it's decently-ranked within USN & WR; it's most well-known within NY State. Again, I'm not trying to disparage any school here, but the deciding factor would have to be whether my chances of getting a decent-paying job to offset loans after graduation increase considerably by going to certain schools.
  5. I feel like virtually every poster in this thread has made salient points, but this still doesn't make my forthcoming decision any easier. In my situation, I've narrowed it down to three schools: SUNY Albany (MPA, no aid so far but it's the least expensive: $30k AT MOST for two years combined; realistically it's more like $26k) Carnegie Mellon (MSPPM, $32k between scholarshiop and work-study) Duke University (MPP, $25k; will see if I can barter for more funding) It's a hard decision and I feel like there's no easy answer. On the one hand, SUNY Albany is not only significantly cheaper than the other choices, but it also has a solid reputation in both New York state (where I'm from) and the U.S. News rankings. Given these facts, and based on conversations I've had with people in the NYC and NY state civil services, my chances of landing a decent-paying job after graduation are solid (well, at least jobs within my home state). On the other hand, with either Duke or Carnegie Mellon, you're talking about not only a (ostensibly) higher-level education, but more extensive career networking on a national level. Although there are certainly other factors that go into these calculations, it's not a stretch to say that finding a higher-paying job after graduation becomes a bit easier with that type of pedigree. Ultimately, I realize that people who go for these degrees definitely don't do so for the money, so it probably will take a long time indeed to pay off these debts. That explains the appeal of SUNY Albany; I don't want to spend decades paying off at least ~$80k in loans. That said, it may well be the case with the other two schools that their reputations and networks make it easier to find a higher-paying job that offsets the loans, but even then it's a risky gamble at best. What are your opinions on this? P.S. Re: my background, I'm interested in working on environmental policy issues, preferably performing policy analysis work for regulatory agencies like the EPA, Department of Energy, independent energy contractors, etc. P.S.S. Yes, I know this post was at least somewhat vague in the details, but this really reflects my current state at the moment on the issue. Which is why I'd really appreciate any and all feedback. Thanks!
  6. I'm on the fence right now between three schools: Duke ($25k aid in total) Carnegie Mellon (Roughly $30k in scholarship aid) SUNY Albany Rockefeller (may qualify for a $6k scholarship, but the fact that it's about $25k total for two years, including room and board, makes this quite the attractive offer). As it stands, it's really a choice between Carnegie Mellon and SUNY Albany. Your thoughts?
  7. For some of the MPA/MPP programs, one of the optional application requirements is the submission of a video essay/skit/presentation, something along the lines of "inform the admissions committee who you are and what you are looking to achieve during your graduate study...what you do or say is up to you as long as you provide the information requested." I know that this prompt may seem pretty straightforward, and it's probably stupid of me to even ask, but does anyone have any advice or experiences with this type of thing, especially re: style, content, etc.? Since we've only got under a minute or so, I'd like to not screw anything up. Thanks! Examples: Duke: http://sanford.duke.edu/admissions/master-public-policy/how-apply Carnegie Mellon: http://www.heinz.cmu.edu/admissions/application-process/video-essay/index.aspx
  8. I know that I've asked this question in one form or another in this forum, so I'll try to make this my last query regarding this topic: As it stands, I've got macroecon and statistics courses down on accredited transcripts. I'm planning on taking microecon this spring online via a city university of ny (CUNY) or community college program to fill up that last gap (I already took microecon via coursera earlier this year, but I was told that some schools wouldn't accept that credit). Having said all that, is there a way to indicate on my applications that my microecon class will be finished in due time, well before I actually start on the MPA degree (fall 2015)? I realize that I should've acted sooner and taken it this fall along with statistics, but this is probably the only option I have left at this point. As the saying goes, it's best to leave no stone unturned. Thanks. P.S. Sorry if this is redundant; it's just that I need feedback ASAP.
  9. I know that I've asked this question in one form or another in this forum, so I'll try to make this my last query regarding this topic: As it stands, I've got macroecon and statistics courses down on accredited transcripts. I'm planning on taking microecon this spring online via a city university of ny (CUNY) or community college program to fill up that last gap (I already took microecon via coursera earlier this year, but I was told that some schools wouldn't accept that credit). Having said all that, is there a way to indicate on my applications that my microecon class will be finished in due time, well before I actually start on the MPA degree (fall 2015)? I realize that I should've acted sooner and taken it this fall along with statistics, but this is probably the only option I have left at this point. As the saying goes, it's best to leave no stone unturned. Thanks.
  10. Hi Everyone, At the moment, I've started on the first draft of my SOP, but I haven't gotten too far yet with it (~40% done) because a) I'm unsure about the proper format of such essays (it's been 4 years since I graduated college); I'm even less sure about how to frame my thoughts and tell a convincing story That said, does anyone know where I can find good samples of great SOPs online? I've been looking almost everywhere, but I haven't had much luck yet. Or even better, would anyone be willing to look over my draft and critique it when it's done? I'll gladly do the same for your SOPs, however much I can. To give you the obligatory background info in short form: - I graduated from a top 30 US university in 2011 with a B.A. in History and minor in International Studies, 3.31 GPA - ~4 years of paralegal work experience, including a significant amount of environmental litigation at a private law firm - Aiming to go for an MPA in environmental policy (Heinz, Maxwell, Harris, SUNY Albany, Cornell CIPA, NYU Wagner, UMaryland, maybe Duke) - GRE scores: (V: 163, M: 160, AW: 5.5) - Took macroecon in college (B-), just finished statistics now (pretty sure I'll get at least an A), and hoping to take microecon sometime in the spring, if not before fall 2015 when I aim to enroll This is easily the worst case of writer's block I've had in years, so any helpful feedback would be appreciated. Cheers, and good luck!
  11. Thanks for the feedback so far, folks (chocolatecheesecake & Gov2School, for at least the second time no less). Even though we've established that coursera is somewhat iffy in terms of schools recognizing credits, does anyone know if straighterline is generally more acceptable in that regard? The reason why I'm somewhat skeptical about the nyc community college/cuny system for credits is that there's this huge, huge bureacracy that I simply don't have the time to deal with (in light of my current job), and not to mention that it's pretty much past the deadline to apply for 99% of these schools at this point. Or more simply, they don't have the courses (statistics and possibly microecon) in an online format.
  12. I'm applying for the Fall 2015 class (MPA), but at the moment I don't have microeconomics or statistics under my belt yet. Technically, I already do have microecon covered via coursera, but I was previously told that it wouldn't count even if I got the certificate for paid courses. That said, are there any online institutions that offer credited courses in these topics AND transcripts? I live in NYC, for the record, but it's super hard from what I can tell now to register for online courses at the CUNY system. I'm even open to doing courses via University of Phoenix, but something tells me most schools wouldn't accept that either. Any thoughts? Thanks!
  13. Except for the military experience and language skills, your stats and overall situation are strikingly similar to mine. From what I've heard previously and have heard from my message thread with others above (#s 468-472), you seem to be in pretty good shape in terms of numbers and such. Also, from looking at Georgetown SSP's admitted students' statistics, you're either at or above the median for GPA and GREs. Your LORs and SOP look pretty neat too. The one caveat you mentioned (re: online econ classes, again the same type of situation as mine) has a bit of a catch (see the above posts): from what others have just told me, the institution that you're taking the classes with generally needs to provide transcripts for the classes to count. In my case, I took microecon via coursera, and they only grant verified certificates of achievements as opposed to transcripts. While I'm also looking to take statistics via online classes that grant transcripts, I'm going to try to hedge my bets and use both the coursera certificate and hopefully upcoming transcript to bolster my application; at this point I feel like it's too late to turn back in that regard due to time and $ constraints. Hope this helps!
  14. Thanks to the two of you for your advice. I'll guess have to overcome the awkwardness situation when contacting professors for recommendations sooner or later. But to be clear re: the coursera microeconomics class, it's not just a run-of-the-mill online class; they provided a verified certificate of achievement that links back to my online identity and all-but-serves as proof that it's a legitimate economics course. It was even provided and graded by an established professor at UC Irvine and has his signature on the certificate to boot. Not that I'm trying to discount/gainsay your insights, but is this still insufficient? I'd dread at the thought of doing Microeconomics over again when I put so much effort into it in just this class trying to pass with highest honors.
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