Ari

http://www.gopublicservice.org/Degree.aspx When I read stuff like that, it is what makes me think MPA.

How do you know if it is the right option for you? Or, do you have any sites that explain just what an MPA entails, particularly compared to other related degrees? Out of the research I've done it seems like the best choice, but, as I said, I'm not 100%, but I'm very close to it.

My hesitancy comes from not being totally sure what an MPA entails or will set me up for a career as. I've researched it some, but, I don't feel like I 'know' it well enough. The "Settle on IR" comment has to do with the long and winding road that I went through in undergrad. I feel like if I could start over, I would be IR+PoliSci, and maybe be a prelaw or public admin minor. I know that administration is my love, I like administration much more than most people, and I realize that it's what I want to do with my life. It's what I spend all my time doing at school, in various levels, from small student groups to working with the administration as a whole. (And no, I don't want to work at a university as a coordinator there). Why I'm thinking MPA is because I'd like to do similar things, although somewhat more internationally. I'd like to work with nonprofits somewhat, though not necessarily "the UN". I'm very particular about leadership and administration, and I'm very concerned about such things in my life. I'd like to try to promote good leadership, decision making, and governance as much as possible, but I'm not sure just how to do that yet. Thus my hesitancy with MPA degree. I'd really like to talk to somebody who knows very well the different government/etc degrees, and who can explain what the difference between MPA and MPP, and even doctorate programs would be. But I do know that my life and personal focus is on leadership and governance, and particularly how those decisions affect people in a public setting. So, MPA seems to fit that sort of thing, but I'm not quite sure yet.

Hello. I'm totally new to this forum, and I looked around for a little bit to see what's going on, so, hopefully this is the right place for my post/s. (It would be good for the site to have some sort of "about this site" page to it, or a more visible one, as I couldn't find it) I'm currently an undergrad student just about to start senior year. My GPA is probably not so good, it's below a 3.5. But I have a number of involvements in and around campus, including student government, a project do do development work in Africa, a very strong leadership development program, and a civic engagement component to that program... so my adviser has said I'm ok in that regard. But I'm still worried about my GPA : / It has taken me a very long time to figure out what I wanted to do, but I eventually settled on an IR major with Business Studies and Asian Studies minors. And about the last month of my junior year, I realize that I'd like to go into something like an MPA program. My adviser said that I need to show a strong senior year to show that I really am interested in getting a masters. It has taken me 3 full years of undergrad to go through everything and realize what I want to do, but I am pretty sure that MPA is what I want to do, and that it will be the right degree for my career. I'm also slightly considering a MPA/JD, but, I'm not sure if I want to get into that yet, and I'm also cautious about my grades for such a thing. I'm figuring out a lot of things now in terms of how to go about applying to grad school, so, any advice would be appreciated. I still feel fairly new to understanding the whole process. I'm researching some grad schools right now, so I know that I'll be taking the GRE. And from what I've gathered from reading a few posts here, writing a strong "SOP" (statement of purpose?) is very, very important. Any tips on things to keep in mind for pursuing an MPA or grad school in general would be appreciated. I can write more if you'd like more information about things. Thanks, Ari