As someone who grew up in the DC area and attended undergrad at UMD and now in the midst of applying to MPP programs myself, I can say I agree that Georgetown is by far and by the ideal place name-wise to get a MPP, but it comes with a heavy price tag. That said, GW is definitely well respected in the DC area as well, so if you plan to stay in DC it's definitely a good option, though people across the country are less likely to be impressed if you move out of the area. UMD is another good option (particularly if you're in-state); it's not right in the city but it's on the metro line and has a shuttle straight to campus. I was able to intern full time on the Hill and still take classes during my undergrad. As a head's up though to anyone planning to work full-time and complete their degree at night, UMD does not have any form of a night program, many of their "evening" classes start at 4:15, which crossed them off my list. I have experience both on the Hill and in the private sector and what I take away from my bosses is that where you got your MPP doesn't matter all that much if you plan to go into the private industry or bureaucratic type agencies as much as it does on the Hill/higher up levels of the exec branch. Georgetown is all about the name aka connections, so if you have your heart set on climbing major political ranks, Georgetown is definitely an elite club you want to be in. Other than that, forking out the extra 20k to go there instead of GW or 45k over UMD or Mason in-state may not be worth it. Georgetown also has sort of an elite cigar club type reputation for a reason, they're the best and they know it (and act like it). Some people are really turned off by it, others not so much, it's a personal preference. GW definitely works hard to give off a more student-centered and approachable vibe. I've also heard from people who have already gone through GW and Georgetown MPP's that Georgetown leans much more heavily on statistics, economics and quantitative reasoning where as GW tends to be a little more focused on reading and analytic reasoning. Something else to keep in mind, from what I heard GW is AWFUL with funding, a friend of mine went to an ivy for undergrad got a full ride to American, a half ride to Georgetown and NOTHING from GW. Also just fyi, UMD, Georgetown GW, American and a bunch of other DC schools have an agreement where they let you take classes at other schools, which allows a little more flexibility. Ultimately I settled on Georgetown, I think the extra money up front will be worth it in the end as I want to end up on the Hill and I think it will give me a leg up. Good luck everyone!
