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foster3693

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Everything posted by foster3693

  1. Accepted on Friday with better financial aid than I expected! UW was the only school I wanted to go to so am quite pleased! I'll be at the Open House in April for sure.
  2. I definitely agree that name recognition would be helpful if I wanted to move out of state. I can't imagine living in either state (Washington or Illinois) forever, so it would be good to have some flexibility. But I wonder if gaining a few years of relevant work experience in each state would outweigh the case of name recognition? For instance, maybe there's a work experience equivalent to name recognition: MA from ISU + three years work experience = MPA from UW + 2 years of work experience ??
  3. Thanks for all your input. Really provided me with a lot to think about. garlica - Nice to meet another AmeriCorps member in the same boat! I find that AmeriCorps helps open quite a few doors for Grad school, but still doesn't set you up to afford the full tuition. I also have some undergrad loans left over (I graduated with 19 G in debt, but will only have 8 G left when I use my ed awards - not huge, but the interest rate is high) In regards to the difference between the two programs, I would say that I am more inclined towards the MPA because I can specialize (international development most likely), and also because I have a little more flexibility with the course selection than the MA at ISU. But as quite a few of you have mentioned, there is still some question about whether the choice will really have that long of an effect. lbjane - I won't hear back from UW for another month (mid-March), so I'm jumping the gun a bit when it comes to deciding which program would be best. I'm a little stressed about the entire issue and I thought if I got a few opinions from people in the same boat it would help me chill out a bit. Receiving financial aid from UW would definitely sway my decision but my stats are only a bit above average when compared to acceptance stats so I don't have too much confidence that I'll receive a lot (or any) aid. UW has a very good track record with setting up alumni at well known public organizations, but ISU alumni often get hired at the organization they intern for in their second year. I think both programs have their merits - I studied Poli Sci in undergrad so it would be nice to continue studying it in Grad school, but an MPA would be more targeted towards working for public organizations I think. Anyway, thanks for all the input and feel free to address some of the issues I've brought up in this post too.
  4. Information for such articles only includes salaries of individuals who possess a BA but no additional schooling. If you possess a Poli Sci BA, but then pursue an MPA, you would not be included. MPA's tend to be fairly profitable in the long run: http://education.yahoo.net/articles/why_go_to_grad_school.htm (check out #4)
  5. Hello everyone, I'm a frequent visitor of GradCafe and really appreciate all the insight provided by everyone in their various steps of grad school applications. I have a bit of a quandary regarding grad school for next Fall that I hope you can help me with. I have applied early decision for UW's MPA program and feel that I have a good chance of getting in. I've lived in Washington for the past year so would qualify for in-state tuition (about 20 G a year), but am finding the idea of taking out more loans for grad school quite daunting. I am currently serving a second term of AmeriCorps so my income doesn't allow me to save a lot. I have been on the AmeriCorps website a few times to check out schools that match the ed award. Most offer scholarships for alumni of around $1000 to $5000. Illinois State's Political Science Masters program, however, offers a tuition waiver for the entire program, a GA for the first year (monthly stipend of $900) and an 11 month internship the second year (monthly stipend of $1800). So if you were in my shoes and accepted to both programs, what would you prioritize - prestige or price? My concerns: That if I pick the cheaper option it will hurt me in the long run and limit my opportunities post-grad. (Ideally, I would like to work for international non-profits or for the state department). Thoughts?
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