I could use some advice. I recently was admitted into both George Mason University and The University of Maryland for their MPP Programs. I am an active duty Air Force officer who works in acquisitions and is stationed in the DC area. I only applied to these programs because they were the only programs I could start in the spring and I only have about 2.5 years left in the area before being transferred to another base. I wanted to go to Georgetown for their night program, but it's 3 years long and I wouldn't be able to start until the Fall. I graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a BS in History and a 3.03 GPA (not great, but I raised it from a 2.6 at the start of my junior year to over a 3.0). I took the GRE last minute with no studying and having been out of school for two years. I scored a 161 on the verbal, a 159 on the quantitative and a 5.5 on the analytical writing.
My question is, should I just go to GMU/Maryland or should I roll the dice and apply to Georgetown for the Fall and hope the Air Force will approve a request to extend my assignment for an additional year in order to finish my Masters. I do not know if I would really be competitive for admission to Georgetown with my GPA and GRE scores. Luckily, I had a lot of leadership experience at the Academy having served in high positions in the Cadet Wing while being an intercollegiate athlete, so I think that might help me out some. I also have work experience working in federal acquisitions. If I do decide to just start in the spring, how big of a difference is the quality between GMU and UMD? GMU offered me a partial scholarship for my first two semesters and that combined with tuition assistance from the Air Force would mean I'd only have to come out of pocket $700 both semesters. I also currently live a half mile away from GMU's School of Public Policy in Arlington and they offer all their classes in the late afternoon/evening which is good as I work full time. If Maryland is considered to be a much better program than George Mason, I would seriously consider attending there instead. I should also say that my long term goal after I finish my MPP is to get approval from the Air Force to go to law school and cross over as a JAG officer. However, this is a long shot which is why I am going for my Masters regardless.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
