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THIS IS WHERE I'M GOING TO ATTEND: University of Michigan Ford School OTHER SCHOOLS I CONSIDERED: University of Texas-Austin LBJ School WHY I CHOSE MY NEW SCHOOL: 1) I'm married. Things like quality of life and stretch of the dollar are important factors on where we thought we could make it. Love the bay area (Berkeley), but housing prices are enormous. DC is great for a career, but again, a newly employed GS-12 with student loans will be scraping by for a while. Ann Arbor can keep us comfortable while at the same time allowing us to own a home. We love the southwest, especially Austin, but we're willing to give MI a shot. 2) Bottom line: money, money, money. UMich offered me $25k per year. UT zero. UT was where I wanted to go--bummer. I'm out of state either way, too. HOWEVER, 3) I was really impressed with the Ford school's admissions process. By the second week of March I had the acceptance, fellowship offer, and financial aid package. They kept in touch with their students often. This communication included things about the school, town, and curriculum. It was welcoming, but more importantly I felt as if I was already in the loop. As soon as I was admitted a current student had contacted me. It wasn't until the first week of April that a student from the LBJ school had called me. While I was not able to attend the spring preview, the panels were recorded and published on the website for people to listen to. A+ effort there. 4) I really like their focus on quantitative analysis. This is a semi-professional degree, and I want some solid skills coming out of it. 5) Not being interested in working in DC the next 5-10 years means location does not play as big a factor for me. Also, I will more than likely seek out an international internship which makes location even less of a factor. 6) Options for pursuing other academics in departments that are highly regarded. Also, graduate students can take undergraduate language courses for free.

Gotta give it to the people at UT--they're fast in responding to inquiries. ... I found out that the LBJ school couldn't give up any more money, but apparently they did take another look at my file. So, I wouldn't count on getting anymore than what they've initially offered. That's good information about the other funding opportunities. Though a funding waitlist is definitely a good question. I mean, by UT's own account, 80 to 100 of the 200-250 people they accept do not end up attending. Surely that's gotta free up some funds!

Congrats to everyone that got money or just plain got in! Has anyone had any success in negotiating funding from LBJ? I got my acceptance with ZERO money, but Michigan has offered me $25k each year for two years. The massive money difference seems like a no-brainer, but the LBJ school was my first choice as my wife and I love Austin. Thanks!