skemp

For me the decision was definitely primarily financial. However, that was only because I had cut down the list of schools based on other requirements. I'd have been happy at any of the places I was accepted to, so it really came down to money once accepted. The first cut for me was made by geography--I'm interested in urban policy and public transportation and land use in particular, so somewhere i wanted to live and that had these things going on was important to me. I then looked at schools that had faculty and classes that seemed to be doing research and teaching the things that interested me (many schools did not really seem to). As far as choosing other, newer schools, that's a tough choice. I suppose it depends what you want to do for one, but I genuinely feel that the alumni network and school connections are going to make a huge difference for many people, and newer schools haven't had the time to build those networks out yet. But graduating with tens of thousands more debt is something you obviously need to weigh against that consideration.

I'll be there, yeah. I'm checking out some stuff on the 27th as well. From the financial perspective, I'd say that there's always loans to cover the difference until you find a way to earn some money. That's basically what I'm counting on, although I'm already getting ready to start contacting faculty and the career services dept about finding a job in the area. Even if it doesn't pay very much, as long as it gives me some relevant experience I'll be happy. I always went in to this planning to take on some additional debt and wasn't at all confident in receiving funding, so the remainder that I'm left with is perfectly fine by me.

They didn't promise me anything, but they seemed confident that I would be able to get both covered. The general education of the MPA is more important to me overall, the MPL is just an excellent complement from my perspective and would be my second choice if I wasn't also interested in management and policy as well. If I can't get it covered I won't be investing the money--I'd rather spend that money on additional electives that specifically interest me if I were to pay for any credits beyond the first 40. I'm almost definitely not buying anything, but I've been entertaining the thought just because nothing has stood out for rentals. I saw some nice places for around $150k downtown, renovated and all that, I'm just concerned that the neighborhoods might be absolute trash and borderline dangerous. Not really the type of thing I'd want to commit to until I got better acquainted with the city.

Previous Schools: University of Washington Previous Degrees and GPAs: Biochemistry, 3.70 GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 168, 162, 4.0 Previous Work Experience: Supervisor at UPS and cable technician at Comcast before returning to school, 3 years in tuberculosis research after bachelor's degree Math/Econ Background: Through calculus 3, as well as 2 quarters of physical chemistry (calculus-based phys/chem basically), 300-level stats class, no econ but my blog illustrated a basic understanding of economics and finances I think Foreign Language Background: Nothing meaningful Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Master in Public Administration, focus on transportation, urban policy, and government program efficiency Long Term Professional Goals: Leadership position at local, regional, state, or federal transportation/land use organization or think tank--something like the Metro of various cities, Amtrak, various housing authorities, Brookings, etc. Schools Applied to & Results: Accepted to the three I applied to (GWU, UW, USC), ranging from zero funding to full tuition scholarship Ultimate Decision & Why: USC. It offered a full tuition scholarship which was reason enough, but this also opens up the possibility for a dual degree in Public Administration and Planning. The school's focus and the city's political environment seems best suited to my goals as well. Advice for Future Applicants: I was confident in my academic attributes, but I was coming from a completely different background career-wise, so I recommend that anyone in a similar situation do everything they can to demonstrate a sincere commitment to what they're pursuing. For me that took the form of volunteering for a progressive policy organization and keeping my own blog on the subjects I was interested in, but obviously this needs to be tailored to your own interests. The other big one would be to apply fairly broadly--I only applied to three schools and was lucky to find one that found me appealing enough to offer a full-tuition scholarship, but the others didn't offer much help financially and if things had gone just a little bit differently I might have ended up with no great financial aid offers. You never really know how admissions departments will see you or how you'll fit into their institution, so applying broadly can help to offset some of the random chance associated with applications. A few hundred extra dollars and a dozen more hours of time is worth it for the chance at saving literally tens of thousands of dollars.

I was accepted to the MPA program with $5k per year, but just decided on USC. Couldn't pass up the money, and I think it'll actually be a better fit for my professional interests. Good luck to everyone who's going to/staying in Seattle!

I just confirmed online that I'll be attending this Fall. I'm in the MPA program, but I got a full tuition scholarship so I'm also going to apply to the Urban Planning program because they will probably cover both if I get in. I live in Seattle and have never been to LA besides being through it, but I'm excited about the pace of redevelopment and transit expansion in LA, and just for a change of scenery. I really have no idea where I want to live yet, but I prefer to be within 20 minutes of my work/school, so maybe west toward Culver City. I've also been looking at actual homes for sale downtown--is that area totally a mess, or are there decent places to live within a few miles of USC? I've also got to figure out how I'm going to pay for living expenses, but with free tuition I'd be fine just taking out loans if I couldn't find any paid work. It's just not ideal.

Yes, it was in the same email. I think you're probably right, and if you do end up getting funding it seems likely that it'll be less than the already-meager $5k/year I was offered. But you never know!

Just got an acceptance from UW today, and they told me via email yesterday that they're doing decisions this week so anyone else waiting should expect to hear from them in the next few days if they haven't already. I only got offered $10k over 2 years so I'll almost definitely be attending USC (full tuition scholarship), just gotta look into the availability of tuition/stipend assistantships at UW before I commit.

I think you pretty much nailed it that it's largely dependent on how confident you are in your ability to get a stable, well-paying job or career once you're done with the program. That said, my impression of MPA/MPP programs is that they're fairly light on curriculum so you should be able to find time to earn some money so you're not completely dependent on loans (or can pay back what you don't need), either with a job inside your school or outside it. I really don't know that you'll get a very clear answer for this--if you're qualified enough to get into a program you should in theory be competent enough to get a job after you finish. It's just up to you to consider costs when choosing your school, and also employment/assistantship/fellowship opportunities while attending to minimize the amount of debt you take on during your education.

I don't personally put much stock in those rankings, and I doubt employers do either. I personally stayed away from newer programs because I'm completely switching my career focus, so the depth of alum and connections with the school was important to me. I was a little surprised by the ranking in US News as well, cause even though I don't know anything about the relative prestige of Public Policy/Admin schools, when I think "prestigious" USC is definitely not one of the first schools that come to mind. That said, it's got a great history, great location and faculty for what I'm interested in, and offered me free tuition so there's a very good chance that I'll be attending. I'd say it's more important what you make of your time in the program than its notoriety, so all things being equal I'd look very hard at how good a fit it seems to be for you. A good fit will probably lead to great opportunities, and the more you can learn and accomplish while you work on your degree the more successful you're likely to be after graduation.

Sounds like GWU really doesn't have much merit funding available, based on posts here (which is an admittedly small sample size). I'm sure they'll find plenty of highly qualified applicants without needing to pay for their tuition, but it can't bode well for them in the long term when roughly equivalent-quality schools (like USC in my case) are offering full or half tuition scholarships pretty liberally.

I'm excited for sure. If UW doesn't match it, yeah, USC is almost a sure thing. I think it might be a better fit for what I'm interested in too, my only concern right now is if I were to go to USC I'd have to find a way to make some money while in school. Since I majored in biochemistry and my experience is in scientific research it could be difficult to find something relevant to my interests (transportation/urban policy). I'm not complaining though--worst case scenario is I take out federal loans for living expenses. There are much worse problems to have.

If you actually got some of that funding, I'd say that's a fair bet.

They say early- to mid-March, so I'm expecting it to be this week, or next week at the latest.

Accepted to GWU without money, and USC with full tuition scholarship. Still waiting on UW.