MPPgal

Far west is nice but bad for having a social life I recommend the East side more, parking at UT is a mess and they have recently closed many parking spots due to construction so it is hard.

Current LBJ student here, not a rolling admissions process. Sadly LBJ admissions are loaded in the UT admissions website system which is the most confusing thing in the world. I had huge issues when I submitted mine because the system even rejected one of my essays due to having a hyphenated name. Do not worry it was all fine, if it says it was forwarded LBJ has it. Good luck to you all. LBJ is an amazing place and strangely very unbureaucratic even if the application system does not seem that way!

It depends on your work experience and grades, lower grades need higher GREs than that, but if you have higher than 3.7 you should be fine

You are for LSE all they care about is GPA. WWS is a bet, apply and who knows you might be lucky. Georgetown and Columbia would be better odds in the US. Also, for England with your GPA I think you can apply to Oxford for MPA. Do notice that the UK programs are a lot more academic and less practical.

You are fine but HKS and WWS is always a bet, my recommendation, especially if you want scholarships is to apply to a few extra ones, Georgetown, Korbell might be good matches.

165 math, 160 verbal and 4.5 writing.

An advice, DO AMAZING IN YOUR GREs, it is your way of showing that your weak academics were a thing of the past when you were an immature student but now you can study and study well. I had only a 3.4 but amazing GREs gave me a comparative advantage.

I would argue the opposite, as being here i actually can speak of classmates better than a self reporting on grad cafe, most out of staters who decided to attend got at least an in state tuition waver and many got some good money as well, aka enough to cover tuition. However most in state people did not, that is for sure, yet it is still one of the most affordable schools so for in staters they are getting an amazing education for 10k a year plus living expenses.

LBJ in public and offered the most funding of any school I applied to.

Have you consider the dual LBJ Energy and Earth resources program. I am currently a dual degree student, granted about 70% of those studying EER are interested in energy but there are plenty of professors focusing on water, renewables, forestry etc and seems perfect for someone with your background. Full disclosure, my main reason for chosing LBJ over SPEA was my second interest, Latin America which Ut just rules at, for pure environmental policy SPEA is the best school for sure. However you would need more of a science background to do the dual degree in environmental science but you can do the MPA and just take a lot of environmental courses. other good programs to look at are Yale and Duke's, but if you are a Texas resident LBJ is the best deal you will ever get. PM me if you want mor einfo on the dual EER program.

I am very happy with my decision, I managed to go to an amazing school for free, can do an internship in the US and have made great contacts plus my professors are really knowledgable about Lat Am. Take the money and go to GWU!

My advice: as risk and debt averse as I am the Harvard name is worth it, that does not apply to any other school other than WWS, get in debt it will pay for itself.

a lot of schools in the US that do give financial aid even have exchange programs with Herzeliya, I know LBJ for one does so you can even do both and not pay at all.

LSE is a great school, Science Po is as well but their program is very academic a close friend of mine dropped out as his public policy and economics masters resembled more the first year of an econ PhD than its American equivalent. Not sure what program you are looking into but France does have a different educational system, I did my term abroad there and although excelnt it is not for everyone (very large classes, very theoretically based, etc). I fyou are considering it talk to students there about it.

Agree, do not go into debt, I also recommend visiting both if you can, it really helps into making an informed decision.