nilesguo

Still waiting to hear back from Heinz and Columbia SIPA -ESP waitlisted me. However with how expensive Columbia is (72K+ for just tuition for 1 year), it's quickly dropping to the bottom of the stack. Got into Georgetown, UW Evans, and Michigan Ford. UW used to be my top choice due to that's currently where I'm working/living, and not having to move is a good draw. But UW is the only school that didn't give me funding, where as Georgetown and Michigan both gave me substantial fellowship money. Also the lack of opportunities internationally and DC wise for students from Evans is also a little alarming. However I might still go to Heinz if I get accepted to their Global track. Spending a year in Australia is a wonderful experience and I would not want to pass that up.

Has anyone received any news from Heinz who applied to the Global Track? I got an email on the 15th stating they are still reviewing my application. But the fact that so many students already got in makes me less hopeful. Is it because the Global track is later due to the Australia component?

Thank you for all the insight! This really helps a lot. I'm also currently deciding between McCourt and Ford (plus Evans for UW). One of the biggest concern I had was that as an international student, all US Govt jobs are not available to me. But you mentioned that 40% of students were international students, where did they find their internships? Through NGOs and other think tanks? Also, for whatever reason, Georgetown's ranking in MPP/MPA was not as high as some of the other schools like Evans and Ford. Do you know why that would be? Was that a concern when you made your decision? Or do you feel like that wasn't warranted? Thanks again!

I was wondering if anyone has any insights between the three offers I currently have between Evans School for UW, Ford School for UMich, and McCourt School for Georgetown. 1) UW: No funding, and the most expensive school out of the three. However, according the US News Grad school ranking for Public Affairs, Evans was ranked very high (6th best), especially in the field I want to study in (Environment Policy). It also has a Capstone project as part of the curriculum, which I value highly. Finally I have been working in the Seattle area for the last 3.5 years, so I have the familiarity with the area already. However, looking at the employment statistics, most of the graduates stay in the PNW after they graduate, with very few heading to DC. Anyone know why a program ranked so high has very few opportunities in DC? 2) Ford School: 20K funding, with 5K per semester. The employment statistics is a lot more balanced, with 1/3 heading to DC and has students working all over the country instead. However, the curriculum is focused purely on coursework, and there doesn't seem to be a Capstone project or research opportunities at all. 3) Georgetown: $25K per year funding for the first year, which can be renewed, which is the highest, though it is also still very expensive school. McCourt did not rank very high, which really surprised me, but with its DC location that is a huge draw. However I'm curious on why it's not ranked higher? Is it because the program is still very young? One consideration is that since I'm an international student, all US Govt jobs are out of question for me, but there are still a lot of NGO in the area. If anyone has any sort of insight, that would be awesome! Thank you all!