Surfbordt

I agree with RCtheSS that a joint degree sounds like a good option for you. The moderators here get mad at me for some reason when I link to outside websites, but there's a U.S. News article about pursuing a JD and/or MPP based on your interests and I think it could be helpful. You mentioned being interested in human rights law as well as long-term earning potential concerns, which tells me you'd be a better fit for law school--as long as you can get a substantial scholarship. I also like the idea of you graduating debt-free from an MPP program, and working your way up the ranks of your desired field over the years. The main issue is whether or not you actually want to be a lawyer or work in a legal-adjacent field. You can't be a lawyer without an actual JD (in most states), but it isn't clear to me from your post that you want to be a lawyer. Best of luck in making your decision!

Excuse me, I had 10 days to decide before the final decision for both schools. That was a genuine mistake on which week I got the SIPA funding offer. But everything else is still correct, including the fact I'd like to give myself one full month to decide. I still think one month is a reasonable amount of time and I disagree with you on the magnitude of this decision.
 
Additionally, since I had already paid the deposit to Fletcher before the SIPA funding decision, I would have absolutely no choice but to pay two deposits should SIPA be my ultimate choice. That fact would remain even if I had commited to SIPA the day they gave me the funding offer.

Casually following this thread and thinking about how much debt I'll be in after I graduate from Fletcher (sighs).....

@3dender @ExponentialDecay @rising_star Thank you all! I have in fact decided to take the full ride.

So, originally, I hadn't received any funding from SIPA, whereas I did get $19K/year from Fletcher. However, quite unexpectedly, I received an email from the SIPA financial aid folks on Friday informing me I was the recipient of a first-year, $15K fellowship. I'm thrilled to receive such a generous fellowship from a school that generally isn't known for first-year funding, but now I'm torn between SIPA and Fletcher! (I realize this is the very definition of a first world problem.) I thought I had made up my mind, and I resigned myself to attending Fletcher in the fall (both mentally and fiscally, having already paid my non-refundable deposit), but now I'm considering SIPA again and have until May 1 to decide.
 
So, when I began this whole application process, SIPA was my top choice school, but that was largely before I did a lot of research. I think I was primarily attracted to the ivy league brand and the idea of living in NYC. But, throughout the process, I became gradually turned off by SIPA. I felt their communication was lacking and impersonal. I even got an email from them saying, "Dear (insert admitted student name here)," and, yes, that was after having ben admitted. On the other hand, Fletcher continued to impress me over the last few months. They preemptively reached out to me numerous times to update me on my application status, wrote me a personal email letting me know what a joy it was to read my application, sent me a hand-written note thanking me for applying, and offered me a travel grant to attend their open house. (quite the seducers.)
 
I attended the open house (and neglected to attend SIPA's. ugh), but the experience left me wanting. I was impressed by the academic and professional experiences of the students, and by the prestige of the faculty...I definitely think it'd be a stellar education, but I really wasn't feeling the Medford area, and I didn't seem to connect with many admits on a more personal/social level. I've kind of been dreading the idea of moving up to Medford and leaving my friends in DC to be cold and lonely (albeit sufficiently intellectually stimulated) in Medford. This is not the feeling I want before leaving for grad school.
 
So when I got that email from SIPA, I was instantly excited about the prospect of being in NYC. But even if I get the coveted second-year TA position, I will still have at least $20K more debt than I would have had at Fletcher. And I'm still nervous about how impersonal the school is. I heard the professors aren't that accessible (either more into their own research or have jobs in the city) and class sizes are large. OCS is awful, admissions and financial aid aren't much better, and you're largely on your own to figure out career opportunities. I haven't heard too much about the alumni network, or how willing alumni are to help hook you up with jobs and internships. And all of this negative stuff is completely antithetical to what I experienced at Fletcher. 
 
I will say, from perusing the course list, there were more courses at SIPA I was interested in. And I find the caliber of the faculty very impressive. Plus the cost of living in Harlem is somewhat comparable to Davis Square...
 
Anyway, I'm talking myself in circles. Does anyone have any insight? Particularly those who attended the open house and can address some of my above-noted concerns? 

@MD guy is mostly right. It's not impossible but it certainly isn't as easy to break into banking or consulting when you're several years out. Even with that said, if I reenter the "work for other people" world, I'm a better fit for a pre-IPO well-funded startup, a corporate marketing role, or human capital role. But you are right! I definitely have the "insurance" that comes with having a Harvard MBA. That's why I impress upon the policy-only candidates to minimize their student loan debt!

I'm right there with ya'll OneLove21 ad DCB. I'm GOING FOR IT. I'm straight from undergrad and my GRE scores could definitely improve, which probably explains why I didn't receive much funding but I don't care. This process was long and expensive, and cost around $1,000, not to mention the time I spent stressing out studying, and re-writing and emailing etc etc. and there's no possible way I am going through it again. I will take my no-funding at SAIS and try to obtain a paid internship/job and then be happy taking my loan forgiveness from the government. Not that I'm not being financially cautious, but jobs are scarce with JUST a Political Science degree. And I'm not going to get a job out of my field just for the sake of money, because that's not even going to help a future application. For some people money matters the most but for me that's not the case. I'm taking my loans and I will pay them off happily.