erin85

Due to financial reasons (bigger scholarship) I changed the universities I was intending to enroll in about 3 months ago. I had already sent my deposit in at University A, but had a nice conversation with the program director and confirmed I no longer planned to enroll. This was done through phone and the official "I no longer plan to enroll" was sent though email. I even asked if I needed to contact anyone else, and was not told of anything. So now I have a nice tuition bill from the University, with financial aid/scholarships included. What do I do? Recommendations on who to contact? I left a message at the graduate student enrollment office... but any other thoughts? Thanks! -Erin

as long as school A never offered you money you are likely ok... Let them know ASAP once you decide for sure though.

For those of you familiar with DC housing: Is going to the DC area the week of July 20th (possibly extending the trip to the following week if needed), going to give me enough time to find housing that I can move into on or around August 15th? Or should I go earlier? Craigslist has a million "move in now" posts, so it seems it should, but I need some outside advice, I don't want to get stuck with either nothing, or something awful... FYI I plan to look in the ballston, rosslyn, alexandria areas, and likely a few more places...

Right now: scheduled my classes earlier today after a brief conversation with my adviser, and will hopefully fill out and submit my financial aid form by Wednesday. The program is covering my full tuition and room and board expenses my first year...but books, transportation and misc fees are all on me... So I'm likely going to take out a small amount in subsidized federal loans if I can, and at least apply for the unsubsidized ones in case I take summer courses. Upcoming: Will be in DC late next week and through the weekend. Going to look at areas where I'd like to live, although not specific apartments. Also will sit in a course at GWU, go on a tour, and meet with the program coordinator. Pretty much all the things I should have done had I gone to a visit day like a good prospective student. Mostly am curious if I can waive out of GWU's first stats/research methods course, as it looks to be almost all review from undergrad work I have done. Late july to early August I'll return to DC, with the mildly embarrassing company of my parents (first time moving out of state, so they want to make sure I get a "safe" apartment...), and find myself an apartment close to the metro. If I'm super lucky, I might even be able to finally get the kitty of my dreams from a local shelter, and life will be good... And then on my birthday in late august... I'll start orientation early in the AM at GW. Ohhh boy...

I honestly can't say anything about NYU's reputation, so no comment there... (I never applied so I thus learned very little about it). But I can say this: a 20k difference in debt is not a big issue in the long term if the reputations and programs really do vary. I initially choose Georgetown over UMaryland even with a 30-40k difference in debt. It's only when it reached the 70k difference in debt that I really thought hard about it. Sallie Mae has an interesting "repayment calculator", which lets you estimate what your repayment plans will be with various loan amounts. http://www.salliemae.com/after_graduati ... mating.htm check it out. See if that debt actually does make a big mark, or if it doesn't.

/weird/. I had the same issue with Georgetown, and University of Michigan, but GW was overall the /nicest/ I ever spoke to or emailed, throughout the application process.

Thanks everyone (including normajean, even though her reply was on a diff. board). I spoke to GW for a bit yesterday and today, and also a few people working in the non-profit sector. GW's program director and career services did a great job selling me on the program. Both schools boast similar salary and employment stats, so there is no glaring difference like there was between Gtown and UMaryland at least. The people I spoke to that work in the nonprofit field stressed the logical side of things... at least in D.C. their organizations don't see a difference between Gtown and GW... And with a lower debt load I am free to be much more selective about where I work, and the salary I am willing to take (e.g. less likelihood of having to turn down an amazing but lower paying opportunity, which in the non-profit sector is pretty common). Even the GPPI alum I spoke to said it is a "no brainer" that GW was the best option, especially as once I have a job or two on my resume the school name will lose most of its importance. *sigh* so yea, as long as the dean officially approves my scholarship, I'm off to GW... I'm going to try to travel there though within the next month to take in the physical side of the buildings and such, but my friends from around there had nothing but good things to say about it.

Will be there for my Master of Public Policy! Last minute funding offers rock

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P.S. not to point out a possibly sexist mess up on your part, but the dean is a SHE... interesting how it's immediately assumed it's a he. The he I referred to was the student speaker (one of the best I've ever seen I will say) but I'm pretty sure that was evident

nope... I went out with students from there that night, and its very much a real statistic (10 or so people, not one with a job offer). They all heard it too and all were commenting how they thought it should be more like 20%... And as I said, when combined with the student speakers speech... it was rough. I think since it was not a "public" speech it wasn't touting a statistic.

"We are proud that today 30% of our graduates have job offers" -Dean of Umich's Ford School, during the graduation ceremony "(I attended as a number of friends were graduating from there) About 50% of the student speakers speech dealt with the lack of job offers himself and most other students were receiving. Maybe I'm wrong, but I am almost 100% positive that almost all other schools have a 75% "employed upon graduation rate"...In fact the studnets I spoke to at Georgetown and Harris all had job offers... Might be a good warning for all future students considering the program.

ok, so dorky as it is, I'd recommend people with "ok I'm moving to Ann Arbor now what" questions post here: http://community.livejournal.com/umstudents/ Get a livejournal account, and check it out. It's very active, and as long as your post doesn't repeat something a moderator already placed under memories, you'll get some good answers usually. PLUS it's ALL UOFM STUDENTS! (undergrad and grad level). They even have memories about bad landlords/housing (http://community.livejournal.com/umstudents/73969.html)! Hope it's ok to post that, seriously though, its a HUGE help. That community answered a million and one of my questions about housing/landlords/courses/requirements over the past few years.

"is 50K still too much debt, particularly for an international student who may work outside the US?" Totally matters the salary you expect to make post-graduation. I plan to make around $50,000/yr, and work for the federal govt (good loan repayment programs), so I'm not crying about a $90,000 debt post GPPI. But if your field only pays 30-40,000/yr, you might need to really evaluate things closely... Remember, this is an investment, not an immediate gratification degree. That name will be on your resume/cv forever, so make it count! -Erin

my friend is doing this, he is using his federal money to pay off private student loans from a previous graduate degree He is receiving at the moment I believe primarily tuition remission right now (as he works as a GSI), so not sure if that makes a difference.

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thanks everyone, I called both university parts I needed (grad school for scholarship issue, department for deposit issue) and both said it was no problem at all as long as it was there by the end of the week

If my "accept an offer of financial aid and admission" arrives on Wednesday or Thursday instead of this Tuesday... is that a huge deal? If it is, I need to overnight a package tomorrow. If it is ok, I can rest assured that the US Post office says it will be there Wednesday if sent regular mail... -Erin

Call Georgetown. Although you might have no options and likely have to go to Chicago, it's worth a shot to at least talk. My good friend missed 2 weeks from the start of the semester at the Ford School, and they ok'd it. I'm not sure if thats normal, but in the end it's worth it to ask, explain your issue, and see what they have to say. Sometimes places are willing to work with you.

So here is my take on Chicago: The visit day was VERY long, 8am-9pm if you stayed for the whole dinner and reception. Maggie DiCarlo (director of admissions)was quite entertaining , a real character with lots of energy, and a fun host. I really thought she ran things very well, and if you spoke to her one on one she gave some good insight. She's also a student in the program (part time) so she knows it better than many directors I've seen. They stressed the quantitative focus of the program heavily all day, it almost all presentations/panels. But all of the students and staff say it is "do-able" if you prep for math before you arrive. The program also stresses a more intellectual and academic focus (v.s. practical and skills based). The professors are research-based professors, who write and do professor-type things. This means less "Real world experience" and more theory from their and the students take on the matter. This is unlike a school like Georgetown for example that has many of its electives taught by policy-professionals that actually do work in the field, not just researching and teaching. This can be good or bad, mattering your take on the matter. I found the faculty overall boring, and not clear with their answers when students asked questions. Also none showed up to the reception which put me off a little. When compared to other schools their career services is virtually identical, their strength being what appears to be more on-campus recruiting than other programs. The other students at admitted students day were quite similar to what I saw at Georgetown: most had prior work experience, most came from very well known universities. All seemed professional, and like-able. Most also had no idea where they actually would be going for grad school. There were some that were positive about chicago, but I met ALOT of Georgetown/Chicago undecided (and I was def. not the only one leaning towards GT), some were considering the Ford School, some Berkley, others Duke or GWU. So a good mix, and everyone had their thoughts on the pro's and con's of each program. The building was dark, but not too dreary I felt. It had security which concerned me at first, but it was due to the IT department being upstairs (and not the overall safety of the neighborhood). It was open 24/7 though which is a good thing for those with bad computers. Classrooms were nice, not old or outdated by any means. The "swag-bag" at the end was really nice too. They gave everyone a cool khaki messenger bag that could fit a laptop (although you'd need a padded case), or alot of textbooks mattering your needs, a "tool kit" (screwdriver set), baseball cap and popcorn. The bag really was pretty awesome, and I will use it alot. The Saturday city of Chicago tour was also neat. Overall I was impressed, they provided some good info, and have a great program... But my previous message still holds

:laughs: Chicago did the same thing to me! I really liked it there. I will be honest, I cant tell until tomorrow when the final call is made, but I think I am going to GT. They are strong quant focused, and I think some of the things harris offers I can take at other classes through that Washington consortium (eg further into program evaluation). GT requires an extra stats and finance course, which to me will likely be more valuable than an extra econ course at the Harris school. I just spoke to a 2nd year student on the phone who reassured me they are strongly quant focused, and one of the most in D.C...Plus people this year were already hired at offices and places I wanted to work (along with a faculty member or two currently there if not heading the organization up). Ugh, these decisions suck!

I've been working very hard to find a paid internship in D.C. Problem is I'm a "been out of undergrad for 4 months already, not yet a grad student" person, and alot don't like that. But hey, I've got some good interviews coming up, so something is working well! -Erin

I'd recommend living closer to campus as the ann arbor busses can be unreliable. I did the buses one year during undergrad and was late to about 2/3rds of my classes, even when I took the earlier bus. In snow storms or rain storms they sometimes forget to arrive... The north to central campus ones are not bad, so for the couple dealing with that--north campus is quiet and sometimes cheaper, but away from the restaurants/fun stuff (and no busses on weekends), so thats a good option, but many north-campus goes live on central and use the UMICH busses as they are usually alright. Most grad students I know live right by central campus too, its not that bad if you find the right neighborhood. Mine is a 5 minute walk to campus, and is quiet as a mouse (the neighborhood behind the union/LS&A building if you look at a map). I have friends that live a little north of the rackham building (once again on a map its roughly ann st. and thayer I think?) and its also silent. Just live somewhere where you cant hear the frats/sororities. I'll be honest, I'm VERY happy to be leaving ann arbor, but to me the city is boring, a touch crazy (and I'm a liberal too...), and well... did I mention after a few years it's boring?