xnormajeanx

From what I've seen on this board it looks like MPP/MPA students don't generally get much funding... It's very likely you'll have a pile of debt wherever you go...

What about taking on so much debt? (Extra year(s) school...) Good idea? Bad?

I've been on this site way, way, way too much.

I'm just worried it'll be a bit of a 'watered down' law school experience, because you won't be fully immersed in the law school -- and neither will you be fully immersed in the MPP program. thoughts on that?

My friends who go there/went there for undergrad all disliked Kingston and complained about it constantly. Apparently there is little to do there, and Kingston is a pure university town... no nightlife to escape to. Not sure how it is for grad students though!

Sigh. It's tough! My boyfriend is DEAD SET on going to Northwestern. There's a possibility I'll get accepted to UChicago... but who knows? And even if I do... I don't know if I want to give up a really good opportunity elsewhere. I wanted him to apply to Johns Hopkins (he's in biotech -- and I would like to be in DC) but we have yet to agree on anything

I'm curious to know what people think about this joint degree type. Will it get you a lot further than a straight MPP or JD? What can you do with this degree? If you do a joint degree and then want to go into law, will it be looked upon favorably or unfavorably (since it's fewer credits...)?

shouldn't you be concerned if you dont already know the answer?

crazylops: Congrats! I really wanted to apply to RAND but looking at all the student profiles I knew I wasn't qualified. Maybe in a few years.

linden: thanks! i didn't realize it was such a feat until i started trolling around discussion boards. now i'm more happy.

I haven't even visited all the schools I applied to -- but I'm sure a lot of you have. Let's pool our knowledge and share our thoughts! The one I've visited so far is UChicago. Overall, I was not too inspired. Everyone there seemed to be a white, Midwestern woman. I sat in a small stats-based class which was very interesting -- surprisingly, I completely understood what the professor was talking about -- but all the students seemed a bit bored or sleepy (I think the class was at 11 or noon?) and none of the students struck me as particularly impressive. Of course, it's probably difficult to show off genius in a stats class... but it seems that most UChicago classes are stats classes. While the undergraduate campus is beautiful, the Harris School is not. It looks a bit like an office. And it was very dark inside. All in all I felt a bit gloomy. The students I talked to were not overly enthusiastic. They didn't sell the school to me. One of them actually talked about his friends at Georgetown for quite a while. I was, however, impressed by the presentation by career services, the mentorship program and the hands-on opportunities that the students get. Which sort of boils down my impression of the Harris School -- extremely practical. And even though it sounds like I'm hating on the place, I still really want to go and hope I get in! I would visit again if I'm accepted though... Share your thoughts! Did you have a completely different impression? What's your take on other schools?

don't give up hope until you know for certain!

Accepted to Georgetown's MPP program with 20K funding + 4.5K assistantship. Wasn't that impressed until I started trolling around and realizing how difficult it is to get funding!

I don't know if this is a legit comparison, but if Georgetown liked me enough to offer me quite a bit of funding, do you think this is a good indication that I will have a shot at UChicago? (MPP) I have no work experience -- coming right from undergrad. Sigh.

I just heard from Georgetown and they offered me a 20K scholarship and 4.5K research assistantship for the first year (MPP program). I'm ECSTATIC!