Etownenviro

I actually work the local government space and I can say city data programs are extremely interesting to them. There is a performance management and analysis push going on in local governments around the country where they want the quant stats and understanding to help back up their policy decisions. CUSP at NYU is actually in contact with people in the local government space and really pushing out their brand so I would think they have pretty decent employment for their grads.

I didn't apply to Bren and the SNRE students day isn't till next weekend but I was under the impression that they are basically equal. I think SNRE is older so it's possible that it is more well known but their programs both seem well regarded and they even have joint info sessions so I think either way your going to a top school! It looks like they have different strengths such as oceans and coastal for Bren and Great Lakes and environmental justice for SNRE. So if you can do the same thing at Bren as SNRE go there! You won't regret it once it's winter and it's 0 in A2 and 70s and sunny in Santa Barbra!

Hi MorlockHolmes, This might not be the most helpful answer because I'm not actually comparing Yale to Duke specifically but here goes.. We received similar funding packages from Duke Nicholas which would make the total be just over 70k(40k in tuition+38k in cost of living-6k assistantship) to attend if you consider that living near Duke is really cheap and you will be getting some of the money slowly over your time at Duke through the assistantship. So that is already a little better than your initial projection. Also at some schools it is possible to negotiate with the financial aid team so you could always try that if you have a better offer from somewhere else. Finally the estimated cost of living that schools give is just an estimate I managed to live decently for about 1/2-2/3 the cost my undergrad estimated one would need to live off campus. I believe that some summer internships that Duke advertises are paid(in the 5k ballpark) so you have the potential to earn some money over the summer to help pay for things. I doubt it is enough to make a huge dent but it could be something that helps out a little. It is a lot of debt and that is kind of freaking me out as well but I think there are ways to pull the number from crazy to slightly more manageable through being cheap, part time job potential, summer job etc... Additionally if you are interested in working for the government you might be able to use one of the loan repayment programs where your debt is forgiven after X amount of years doing public service. I don't know the details of the program so I'm hoping it is something these schools will go over during the different visit days but that is another option for managing your debt. Reading over this answer its not the most comforting or specific answer but I hope you find it a little helpful! I am also pretty concerned about debt so I'm REALLY hoping at the different admitted students days this is something they cover.

I grew up near there and it is a gorgeous area! It is mostly houses but the apartment buildings near there will be cheaper than the ones really close to campus and there is actually a pretty good bus system in Evanston so you will have no problem getting around without a car if you don't want to deal with on campus parking which can be a pain! Also Evanston's "downtown" area is split into a few different sections and near st. Francis there is main street which has some dining and cute stores also no Howard which is the boarder between Evanston and Chicago you will find that there are dining options and stores coming into the area. It is going through a revival but in the last 5-6 years it has become much nicer! May I ask why you are interested in this area as opposed to being closer to the lake? If you live on main street you will actually be able to catch NU's inter-campus shuttle and will be right next to both a metra and L line. I think that is a great spot for grad students who want to get a little farther away from campus but still want to be within walking/biking distance and have the good public transportation options. There are tons of apartments near there and if you have kids there are two different schools only a few blocks away, one is public and the other is private. I both grew up in Evanston and attended NU so if you have any questions feel free to reach out! I think it is a fantastic place to live and go to school!

I am!! I am also going to SPEA's day on April 4th so I can get the full comparison. I'm hoping that will make the choice more clear since right now I'm pretty torn. It's nice to know someone is grappling with the same decision!

rmarc- Thank you so much for your SPEA review! It is the last school I am visiting but you are making me even more excited about seeing the school and speaking with professors. I hope SPEA finds you some funding for you!

@MPAallday I would email or call them! They have been SUPER helpful and responsive so I'm sure if you haven't heard yet there is no harm in asking. I received my acceptance by mail so there might be a delay with that? @awex I am also hoping that admitted students day will give me some much needed clarity on this difficult decision! I wasn't expecting it to be so hard.

I got the offer by email but they have always been really helpful over email and the phone so if you haven't heard yet I would reach out to them to see what your funding status is!

It's great to hear about someone else considering spea! I was getting nervous (kind of) over the lack of spea discussion haha. I was given a %50 tuition waver and free health insurance plus a 7k a yeah assistantship making it super cheap since according to my friends who went to IU for undergrad living there is SUPER cheap. They have also been great about answering questions and I always felt like I could reach out to them. In addition they seem to have good employment stats even in DC. I'm going to admitted students weekend and am hoping to learn more about internships and employment prospects when I am there!

@met latte That is my program! @MPAallday thanks! That is what I was hoping. I am planning on visiting all the schools but I almost feel foolish not jumping at SPEA's offer since it would be extremely unlikely that either of my other schools would be willing to match it.

Hi! I was recently admitted with a significant amount of funding to SPEA for a dual MPA/MSES and am curious about the MPA side of the degree. It seems like SPEA doesn't get a lot of praise on this message board so I'm wondering about the quality of the school and what SPEAs main weaknesses are. I have also been admitted to two other programs but they are strictly environmental and although I think they are probably more prestigious(Duke and Michigan) they cost between 2-4 times as much as SPEA would for me. Any advice or information would be super useful! Thanks!

I will! The admitted students day isn't until the 28th so hopefully you don't need to decide before that. I actually almost went there for undergrad and I love the campus! It's gorgeous and looks like the idea college campus. They have great sports and everyone has a ton of Michigan pride. There are lots of great places to eat in Ann Arbor and plenty to do. I will post a program specific review of SNRE but it is a great place to go to school although nor-cal has better weather...

I received funding from SPEA in an email. They are giving my a percentage off every credit I take and then they are also providing an assistantship. I applied for an MPA/MSES so I don't know if the timeline is different but I got the email about a week ago. My guess would be since they are a public school they have less money to give out than a private university and may have to wait for some people to turn down their funding before offering it to other students. That is just a theory though, I'm by no means a financial aid expert.

Different schools seem to have different dress codes... Duke's said to wear something comfortable and SPEA's said business casual is appropriate and then SNRE didn't specify anything specific. I think business casual is probably always appropriate, like slacks and a top? I think if the school you are unsure about doesn't specify anything specific closer to the visit date you can always ask whoever is coordinating the visit since they probably get that question all the time. Hope that helps! and congrats on Yale!

thanks! I'm really excited but it is so expensive I'm not sure how I will afford it. I received some really generous offers from other top environmental schools and I am considering trying to negotiate if after the admitted students weekend I still think SNRE is my first choice.

rejected as expected as well. I really think they care about the work experience, which I didn't have since I just graduated in June, because literally the same minute I got the rejection I received additional funding from one school and my financial aid info for Indiana MPA/MSES which is a 16k fellowship and a 7k assistantship for both years, contingent on a low GPA requirement.

I just graduated in June so I'm not in their favored group either... I was assuming they would reject me a long time ago though instead of dragging it out like this. I'm still waiting too but congrats Kurenai325!!! that is so exciting!!

Thank you so much!! Its been really confusing getting these emails without the accompanying mail from different schools.

@Kurenai325 I also received a Academic Leadership Fellowship from Michigan but for the environmental informatics concentration. However, I didn't find out till a professor reached out and congratulated me since I don't have access to my mail right now(long story) so I was wondering if this fellowship is for both years and if there is a work requirement attached to it. I don't know how I am going to get anything done at work today....

I apparently got received an academic leadership fellowship from SNRE for $15k. Does anyone have any information about this fellowship? I don't have access to my mail right now and learned about it in an email from a professor personally congratulating me. I'm just curious if it comes with any strings and if renewed annually or is it a one time award? Thanks!!! Hope you have heard positively back from Michigan by now!

I went to Northwestern for undergrad and LOVED it! Tech(where you would most likely be working) is gorgeous and has a great environment. I don't know a lot about EE jobs but during college I worked for a few different tech companies so I don't think there is a huge lack of potential tech jobs or internship in Chicago. In addition there are even a few groups dedicated to connecting tech companies with the right work force that you could probably get in touch with. Maybe in California NU isn't well known but I currently live outside of Chicago and whenever I mention NU people are impressed. The only time I have ever had people not know Northwestern was when I visited Boston and people occasionally mixed up Northwestern and Northeastern, which is understandable. If name recognition is a concern I really couldn't imagine that being a problem with Northwestern although I am obviously a little biased.

I hope Friday is the day! I don't know how much longer I can wait since it's the last decision I'm waiting for.

I went to Northwestern for undergrad and LOVED it! It's right next to chicago so there is never any shortage of things to do, sports, broadway, concerts, cultural institutions like the art institute are amazing! Also evanston is pretty great and has many fun little places to eat, bars, and decent shopping and other activities so there really isn't a need to leave if your don't want to. If you are at the evanston campus and live in evanston the cost is living is pretty cheap. I paid 500 a mo one year for a 2bdr and 750 for a 4brd both in nice not super undergrad-y areas. If you opt to live in south evanston it can be even less. Yes there is a winter but it's honestly not terrible and everyone gets through it. Plus when it's nice it is gorgeous! The lakefill is beautiful and so is chicago in the fall,summer and spring. I honestly cannot recommend NU enough!

I second using the L since that is the main way to get around although uchi isn't directly serviced by the L. I would also check out other parts of Chicago if you have time like bucktown, Lincoln park, wrigglyville, etc.. They are on the other side of Chicago but my friends who went to Uchi said that is was nice to get out of the uchi bubble. There are so many universities troughout Chicago that there really is no shortage of cute/unique cafés and shops no matter what neighborhood you are in. Full disclosure I'm from right outside Chicago and went to U of Chicago's Chicago-land area academic rival so I'm a little biased to Chicago's north side.

I am also planning on going to duke, Michigan, and Yale (if I get accepted.....) open house days. For open houses are you planning on staying with students or are you planning to stay in a hotel? I also have been rereading forums so I'm glad to know I'm not alone! Haha especially the super long ones from a few years ago.