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animadelmondo

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  • Location
    DC
  • Application Season
    2018 Fall
  • Program
    Yale F&ES, Duke NSOE, Columbia SIPA

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  1. @snowbound Undergrad is in environmental and anthropological studies. Recent work experience has been focused on energy (I hope to work on sustainability issues), but it's been pretty good for giving me professional skills and making me more confident......So I'm also facing the question of finding an entry-level job in the field I'm interested and working towards a part-time masters degree through Johns Hopkins... They could have a similar outcome at the end of the day, so it's a tough choice. I think part of not feeling like I "fit" had to do with learning about a concentration that I'm realizing might not be for me. So I've been reading up on a concentration that seems to fit better. I think I also felt a bit old, seeing as I have 5 years of work experience, and most people seemed to have 2-3. We'll see how I feel at Yale. I've always been under the impression that it has more of the global/international perspective, which is a pretty big draw for me. I think I can build that into my experience at Duke, but it might be a bit more challenging. Hard to say for sure at this point - so we'll see if this perception changes after I visit.
  2. Help! The decision is right around the corner, and I need to start mentally preparing for this (huge) life change/decision. For anyone who has considered, attended, or decided - where do I pursue my MEM, Duke or Yale? I visited Duke, and I could tell it was a great program. The administration is clearly willing to help students out financially, supportive with research and work opportunities, and they consistently tout their alumni network as one of the best. Many people seem to say Duke really emphasizes building concrete technical skills, and that it might be easier to find a job upon graduation. HOWEVER, I don't know if I felt like I "fit". Maybe because I'm an introvert and prospective student weekends are always overwhelming. Also, I love cities and Durham felt quite small when I visited its campus*. On the other side: Yale has always been my dream school. I love the idea of how much flexibility they offer, and in some ways, their classes sound more exciting to me (I'm a sucker for more qualitative, theoretical classes). I've heard some criticism that Yale F&ES students might not as well prepared, but from my conversations, Yale has many client-based projects that students can work on. I know they are introducing required professional skill workshops this year, and it seems like I could select classes that are more focused on skill-building. Yale has been the goal for a few years, but Duke also offered me a bit more money (and my impression is that cost of living would be less). How much weight do I give to anticipated loan debt? Do I choose the school based on what "feels right", or one that has a better reputation in terms of professional skills? *Caveat - I will be visiting Yale in a few days, so maybe this clarify my thoughts.
  3. @aspiring_env This is a really interesting and helpful analysis! I have only visited Duke so far, and will be seeing Yale this week. I was definitely surprised and impressed with Duke's efforts during the admitted students weekend, like you said, NSOE definitely seems to be pulling out all the stops when it comes to spending on their students. *But* Yale has always been a bit of my dream school, so I'm having a very tough time trying to determine what school I will choose, and we obviously don't have a lot of time to decide. Can you explain more about the at FES free-wheeling approach you mentioned, in terms of Yale's attempts at developing concrete skills? I've been heading quite a bit about the "modules" they've been requiring in their curriculum - did you find this still to be less concrete than Duke's program? When you say students felt more driven at Duke, can you give additional thoughts or examples? Was is more of an entrepreneurial/business-minded spirit, or rather that students actually seemed to work/study harder? Do you think Duke and Yale's network might also differ depending on what industry you hope to enter? Ex: I do think I may want some training on international perspectives, and I have an interest in resource management (particularly pertaining to sustainable agriculture and forest resources). Might Duke still be the "smarter" choice? Since you've been living in New Haven, and now are looking to live in Durham, what are your thoughts on how your living style might change? I'm someone who loves living in a city, and I'm a bit nervous about how very small Durham felt to me (though I do think it's a cute and fun place). Would love to hear more of your thoughts! Feel free also to message me directly.
  4. @hotmack - I think it depends on what are your personal preferences (area of study, location, campus feel, etc) and what the price difference will be for you. And @ everyone here - I have a similar dilemma/question to the others in this thread. I'm deciding between Duke NSOE, Yale F&ES, and Columbia's SIPA MPA (NOT the ESP, but just their regular MPA in Energy and Environment). I have only visited Duke's admitted students weekend, so I know it's hard to make any real determinations yet. Duke certainly seems to be pouring in tons of resources into their efforts towards environmental solutions. That's a huge selling point, but I don't know if I felt like I saw myself there. Yale has always kinda been the dream school. I haven't been able to fully pinpoint why, but their coursework and research has always really spoken to me. Perhaps because they seem to have more when it comes to international opportunities, sustainable agriculture, and studies on tropical resources? Even if Yale seems to speak to me more (again, I haven't gone to their open house yet, so maybe I won't love it), but I don't want to miss out on Duke's resources, especially if they are at the cutting edge in so many ways. And I'm not sure where I'm at on Columbia - that depends on if I decide to fit more in the "international development" sphere... Is anyone else facing this? From your experiences/conversations, does Yale or Duke rank higher as environmental programs? Is there a significant difference? Does one seem more ambitious than the other - and is this true of all environmental issues, or just certain topics?
  5. Hi all, Congrats on all those accepted into the Yale and Duke Enviro (and all other) programs!! And very best of luck to everyone starting classes soon. This might be a bit intrusive in the thread - but I'm very interested in pursuing my masters in environmental sciences, and Yale/Duke are pretty much my dream schools. I'm considering a couple others (ex: U Chicago, Berkeley, Johns Hopkins) as well, and I'm struggling with the "do I retake my GRE?" question, how will my resume compare to others, etc, etc. Of course you can never really know how the admissions office will weigh things, but if anyone here is willing to share their admissions experience with me (scores, tips, etc), I would greatly appreciate it!
  6. Hi sdeaune, First time poster - and I actually have the same question as you do. I'm interested in the top schools in the Environmental Sciences field, and I'm not sure whether to retake the GRE or not. My V and Q scores are a touch below yours, which makes me think that if you're thinking about it, then maybe I should retake them I would feel more confident if I had the scores that you did, so maybe you're ok! I can't say for certain, since I'm interested in a different field than you are. Maybe that helps....
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