Guesswho

I was also at the Sanford open house so maybe I can chime in on a few points if you haven't decided. If you already have then I suppose this could be useful for future applicants that may come across this post in the future. I agree with that Fuji said about there being a very personal vibe at the open house. One of Sanford's unique points in comparison to its peers is the smaller class size, and its benefits really showed. I wasn't even going particularly out of my way to talk to other people and I still felt like I ended up chatting with at least a quarter of the people that were there. The smaller open house also allowed just about everyone to talk to the professors and admitted students that were there one on one if they wanted to do so. The career services panel that they closed with before the happy hour was one of their strongest selling points imo. I always found it strange in browsing through many old posts on the government affairs forum that Sanford students on this site almost always simply referred to Donna alone when talking about Sanford's career services. By comparison every other school's career services office is just referred to as School X's career services on here from what I can tell. The recurring theme that I saw about Donna on here from former Sanford students, and from the ones I met at the open house constantly reiterated the idea that she is a badass and I would verify those claims after seeing her in person. She was very honest in terms of what she and everyone else in the career services offices could and couldn't do to help students out and I really appreciated that considering how open houses are just constantly giving off a vibe similar to a salesman trying to constantly sell you their product. I also give her bonus points for taking lighthearted jabs at some of the other peer schools which was admittedly funny (don't get offended apparently she's good friends with people at other career service offices >.>). If you check your email and find the admitted students website link that you were given, they recorded some of the open house stuff including the career services panel so I would recommend checking that out when you have some free time.

Welp lets keep going with this exercise I suppose /: A 66% funding offer from SAIS is one that I would strongly consider as it is a very good middle ground between Notre Dame and Harvard. As far as WB hiring goes I (and many others) would argue that SAIS is an even stronger program to attend than HKS. In digging through many old SAIS threads on this site I've seen at least one person claim that SAIS (or at least JHU in general) has the most representation at the WB (although I couldn't find an exact stat to back this up). And they're fairly competitive when it comes to UN hiring as well. Overall if you look at all of their available employment reports you can see multiple WB/UN placements in just about every year. At 66% funding it's still obviously pricier than Keough but the debt would still be manageable regardless of how your WB/UN pursuit works out since SAIS is also strong in other sectors as well. I would definitely recommend bringing SAIS back into consideration at the very least. @TalkPoliticsToMe It appears that you've already made your decision but I just wanted to say that I largely agree with it. Full funding from UNC's MBA is a phenomenal outcome, but if you feel like an MBA isn't necessary for your career goals then it doesn't make since to pursue it in tandem with Duke at half tuition (about 48k if I recall correctly). Soooooo................ Enjoy Ford! @islandsmile18 Looks like you have several awesome options on the table. SAIS is an IR powerhouse so I would imagine that their reputation and alumni base abroad is fairly prevalent. I don't know much about Stanford's program but if it has more of an international bend like you claim then I'm sure if would get you back home as well (but personally I'd be a bit queasier about newer programs but the name is still incredibly strong). It's also true that WWS has more of a domestic bend, but it's been around for so long and commands so much respect that I would imagine that they have a healthy enough alumni base abroad. But I would nevertheless recommend seeing if their website has any breakdown on their international grads. If not I would recommend emailing or calling someone who works there for some data in that regard. At the bare minimum Princeton doesn't lack name brand recognition in Asia based off my my experience but then again the country I'm thinking of is probably different than yours. If you feel confident about Princeton's international presence after doing some more research, then I would suggest picking a program in terms of fit and where you think you would thrive the most since you have full funding from all 3 locations. @acerbicb You have two fantastic offers but it sounds like some outside factors are really hindering you. Honestly if you can defer and guarantee that those full offers will still be there a year from now then honestly I'd say go for it if you think doing so will largely eliminate your debt and also help get your health back in order. While plenty of people do into grad school with a bit of debt on their back, severe health issues could completely derail your entire experience, so that is something you should definitely prioritize shaking off first and foremost before plunging into grad school. With all of that being said, regardless of whether your grad school experience begins this year or not, I would also agree that Heinz sounds like a slightly better choice, but mostly because of the driving thing. Ford also offers policy oriented classes around STATA (and at least one if not both of R and Python). They both have top of the line computer science programs, so I don't think Ford would necessarily be worse in that regard. I would also assume that Heinz is a pinch better at consulting placement because of location, but again I don't think Ford would put you at a disadvantage in that department either. For the sake of picking up statistical/programming software proficiency + consulting placement I truly think that the difference between the two schools is marginal. But if you don't drive then it is true that getting around Ann Arbor would be a bit of a hassle so all else being equal Heinz it is! Welp with that page 1 is done. Onto the start of page 2! I'll stop whenever I run out of juice (or whenever I get hungry) @ke7312 Honestly I couldn't tell you why Heinz unemployed % is so much higher it's peers when it's job placements by and large is mostly comparable to its competition. If you figure out why that's the case and that it wouldn't affect you, then I'd honestly say Heinz would be your best bet. Harris is almost certainly more quant heavy then Heinz, but you can design a fairly rigorous curriculum at Heinz as well through your electives, and the price point at which you would earn the Harris degree simply isn't worth it for most people. And if I recall correctly I do think that Heinz has a policy analysis concentration that may be up your alley. That being said, this is the first time I've seen or heard of anyone bringing up Heinz having a higher than average unemployment % so I'd recommend digging more into that (although you won't find the answer to that in older threads since I've seen no prior mention of it). @kraeblossom I believe I already gave a more extended response to your question in another post that you made, but in case you didn't see it, the TLDR is take the money at Michigan and run (you can fine my extended response under my profile or under your own if you go back to your initial post about the topic). @Thirteen I think this largely boils down to where you want to be. You obtained a great funding offer from Duke that makes it fairly affordable, but if you want to be in Cal then a full ride from UCSD is tough to turn down. I'm not entirely sure what sort of presence Duke has in Cal, but if you do some further research and conclude that they have a pulse there then it certainly becomes more feasible. But I would go with UCSC if Sanford lacks a proper Cal alumni base. Just because UCSD grads seem to be heading int the private sector doesn't mean that you would necessarily have trouble securing public sector employment (unless your're going for super prestigious employment). That being said you brought up being closer to D.C. when talking about Duke, so if you want to be in D.C. then 100% go to Sanford. Sooooo yeah I wouldn't overthink this and just pick based on where you want to be long term. @SketchesOfSpain Heinz actually has several years of employment data, and from what I can see it looks like they do a pretty good job of placing several + students into local PA/Pitt based government jobs every year. They do particularly well in their very own Allegheny county (or at least I think that is their county). Quite frankly I think all 3 schools would secure you employment in the local government sector just fine, so I think it should boil down to where you want to live + which school prepares you for the type of gov work you want to do. While attending school in one location doesn't restrict you to that area employment wise, you'll have a much easier time securing local gov employment in the area where you attend school. Ithica, Pitt, and Austin are 3 vastly different cities located in 3 very different states, so if one speaks to you far more than the other then I would simply head there. If you don't have a preference location wise then pick the one that you feel will give you the best skillset/training for the specific type of work your looking to do in the government. If you're looking at more administrative oriented work then I would assume assume an MPA is a bit better in that regard. If you're looking at more policy analysis/number crunching oriented work then I would guess that Heinz is a bit better in that regard. But these are just hunches in my end, and I would compare their courses to get a better sense at what each one would prepare you for. ANNNNNND the hunger is kicking in. I'll get back to this another time.

I think for the sake of non-profit work you won't be at a major disadvantage in a smaller community like Ann Arbor. I would think that both Harris and Ford are great options for one seeking work int he non-profit sector, so I would recommend going with the one that is cheaper is one program is substantially cheaper than the other. If the costs are similar then I would say it's a matter of what you think is more important. If you think being in a bigger city is imperative to the work that you want to do then go with Harris. If you think having better connections to your professors via smaller class sizes is more important then go with Ford. That being said if you want to keep the door open for a potential Phd then I suppose having a better shot at substantial research opportunities at Ford would be a nice fallback in case you decide to pursue a Phd before working. This isn't to say that you couldn't pursue research at Harris, but as you were implying in your post, I would also agree that getting access to professors and by extension research would be easier at Michigan. So the TLDR would be to pick the program that is substantially cheaper, but if they're similar in cost then nitpick over what you value more between easier access to professors in research vs being in a large city. I would recommend emailing/calling Ford and asking them if they could get you in touch with alumni that are in the non-profit sector. That way you can see whether or not they had any significant trouble securing work in that sector and how difficult (or not) it is to secure that kind of work out of Ann Arbor, although my guess is that it would be perfectly doable.

Well my Micro class got cancelled today so in my boredom (I mean sincere altruism) I'll go through and try and add my two cents where I feel I can. As a disclaimer much like most of you in here I am also someone who will be beginning their program in the fall of 2019 so I'm not claiming to be an expert or anything. Depending on how long this gets I may have to break this up into two separate posts but we'll see. @bac I think deferring for a year sounds like the right call for you in this case. A pregnancy is a huge uncertainty hanging over a families head and so trying to move with that hanging over you sounds like a major hassle, especially given how it seems pretty tough to put one of UT or USC over the other atm. I would definitely agree that raising a family sounds more preferable in a city/state with a lower COL like Austin/Texas, but I think another advantage of deferring is that you'll have a much better sense of where it would be better to raise your family long term after having your child. Plus another year of savings doesn't hurt either. I would sure hope that schools would allow for deferrals for a spouse's pregnancy so I hope that whole process works out for you. @sdb12014 From everything that I've read/heard about, it seems like federal gov work in a place like D.C. is achievable through just about any D.C. based school due to the lcation which allows you to do heavy networking + multiple internships in addition to the robust alumni networks in the area. With that being said, based off of your current offers SAIS is both most well known D.C. program you've been accepted to and the only one that has offered you funding thus far. So as of now I'd go with SAIS unless American comes through with even better funding since fed gov is also doable from there as well. And if American doesn't initially offer you funding that is comparable to SAIS then use the SAIS offer to try and negotiate with them. Even if you get off the MSFS waitlist I still wouldn't advise it unless you received funding on top of it. But even if nothing changes between now and the day of your deposit, a somewhat funded SAIS degree is a phenomenal outcome for someone wanting to do federal government work in D.C. @MPA/MPP Applicant Heinz and Sanford are both great funded offers to have if you want the option to be in D.C. as well since they both have pretty solid alumni networks in that area. Sanford routinely places half or close to half of its grads in D.C. if I'm remembering the numbers correctly while the % is around 25 at Heinz. But Heinz has a larger class size and a more recently created D.C. track so the disparity in alumni presence isn't probably as big as the percentages make it seem. If you're fine with D.C. as an option then Heinz is a completely justifiable choice given the funding. That being said if your heart is truly set on the Bay Area then I think Price makes way too much sense for you given that their funding offer is the same as Heinz + their tuition being lower which helps offset the higher COL. @somewhatslightlydazed Quite frankly your options are so good across the board that it's making it really hard to pick just one lol. In that sense there's technically not an incorrect choice in there either. If SAIS comes back to you with full funding you could certainly justify that pick but otherwise I would pick one of HKS or WWS depending on which one you think is a better choice for your future goals. WWS is less than 3 and a half hours away from DC so I would imagine that they have a solid enough presence in D.C. which might alleviate your concerns a bit. I couldn't find any exact geographical breakdowns online but if you emailed someone from WWS I'm sure they could tell you what % of their grads end up in D.C. Any number above 20-25% would give me confidence in having a healthy alumni network to tap into in the D.C. area. Also although this is just a hunch on my end, I feel as though it would be easier to get to D.C. from WWS than it would be to get to NY from SAIS although both routes are certainly more than possible. Based off of the HKS employment reports for 2016 and 2017 it looks like they also have a very strong alumni group in D.C. as well which is to be expected given their class size and history. So while it would certainly be easier to secure certain connections in D.C. thorough SAIS, ultimately I think WWS and HKS will get you to D.C. all the same. If you have no preference for one over the other then I would advise picking based on whether you prefer the location of one over the other or to simply take WWS fort he larger stipend. But no matter what you end up picking just know that there isn't a bad choice to make. Congrats on all of the amazing offers. @HoboPresident LBJ does have a D.C. track so I do think that it wouldn't be too difficult securing D.C. based employment from there. The brand name argument is a bit tough to dissect however because while there may be some fields or specific programs that penalize you for having two state schools on your resume, I want to say that most wouldn't care. I think for most Phd programs (even top ones) your grades, gre scores, research experience, essays, and overall fit matter much more then the name of the school. And if you want to do your Phd in a field similar to the one you're pursuing now, then I think most of the top programs would recognize that LBJ is a strong program. That being said if you want D.C., a brand name, and a somewhat affordable cost then Cornell might end up being your best compromise. Its base tuition is much lower than many other top programs, and with additional funding it could end up being very affordable for you. They also have a surprisingly strong base in D.C. based off of their employment reports, and you can do a one semester externship in D.C. as well if you want to have several months to network there. I don't know enough about Tufts and its D.C. connections, but I feel like unless its base tuition was fairly low to begin with then it will still be fairly expensive even with 25% funding. @Spurs Keough is still a fairly new program so I really don't know if it has the connections necessary to break into the World Bank or the UN. Harvard could definitely get you to these places, but paying off that debt even on the salaries that those two organizations provide would be quite depressing. Are there any other schools you applied to that can act as a sort of middle ground? If for example you applied to and received funding from SAIS or SIPA then I think either option would be a good middle ground. If you applied to SAIS or SIPA but just didn't receive funding, I would try negotiating with the Keough offer even if it is a bit of a long shot. If there are non WB/UN related jobs that you would also be satisfied with then I would take Keough over HKS but I can definitely understand why it would be hard to turn HKS down. Welp I'm halfway through page one so I'll probably stop here and pick up the rest of it a bit later. Yikes this took longer than I expected but it was still fun comparing and contrasting how everyone evaluates their decisions.

It's a bit tougher to answer this question definitively without knowing what your career goals are, but I feel as though Michigan can get you to most places that Harvard can. Unless there's something that only HKS can do for you that Ford can't then I see no reason to turn down guaranteed full funding from Ford. The only other circumstances that would make me potentially consider waiting a year is if you had a well paying job currently that would let you save substantially for HKS + Ford letting you defer for a year in case HKS doesn't come through with any sort of decent funding. But barring these specific circumstances I would 100% recommend taking the money at Ford and running. It's a phenomenal program in its own right located in a great community that will also ensure that you aren't drowning in debt when it's all said and done. Prestige is a very tough thing to quantify as its value varies from one individual to the next, but the weight off of one's shoulders that comes from being debt free is priceless for just about anybody.

Accidentally posted this in the 2018 thread since that was the most recent one that was active for some reason but it looks like decisions are out for the regular round. In but with no mention of funding. Didn’t get my initial concentration pick either but was allowed to go with anything else. I’m glad they didn’t place their open house on April 5th like almost every other program but April 10th is a fairly awkward day to have it as well for most people Good luck to everyone else

In at SAIS but no mention of funding. Not sure if that comes in later or if this means no funding but either way I’m still probably heading to Sanford barring some miraculous amount of funding so good luck to everyone else.

This gif is also quite fitting given the news that broke today about Aunt Becky paying a ton of money to get her kids into USC But also Michigan plz announce your results I have a Micro exam tomorrow and I can't bring myself to study for it with my constant email refreshing.

Thank you so much. I knew I remembered seeing that bit about scholarships being renewable somewhere on their site but I couldn't remember where and thought I was starting to lose my sanity. And thank you for the information about the open house dates as well. Considering that the first one is just a few weeks away I'm surprised that they didn't mention it in the letter but it's a small gripe. Also it sucks that GU and GW are having their dinners on the same night although I only applied to GU. I'm hoping one school makes the decision much easier for you in the coming weeks so that it's easier for you to commit to one dinner over the other.

In with 15000 for the first year. Is the scholarship renewable for the second year or is it safe to assume that this isn't the case since they only listed funding for fall 2019 and spring 2020 in my case. Also does anyone know what date their open house is if it hasn't happened already. I'm really hoping it isn't the first weekend of April which almost every program seems to place their open houses on to torture us all.

Much like you I was super pumped about getting funding from Sanford yesterday and like you I am also sweating bullets about not getting a call from Harris today >.< When I got my apps wrapped up I felt like Harris was my best bet given that they seem to be more lenient towards those with little to no work experience but now that I have the offer from Duke I don't really care that much if I get dinged everywhere else. But Harris has seen their class size go up quite a bit in recent years so I'd also like to think that they simply couldn't get calls out to each and every accepted student today. So I wouldn't lose all hope yet.

@usernamesmakemeanxious Based off of this page https://sanford.duke.edu/admissions/master-public-policy/cost-attendance it appeared to be about 94,000 last year. So I'm assuming it'll go up to somewhere around 95-96k for next year.

In my excitement it appears that I misread the funding amount at 16k total when it was 16k per year which brings me up to 40k with the TA/Research gig. Best reading comprehension gaff I've had in my life. I suppose I'll be seeing some of you at the open house in April.

Just heard back from Duke. I'm in with 16,000 + a TA Spot that I believe would be worth 8,000 over two years but I need to double check that. This is the first school I heard back from so I"m super thrilled! Good luck to everyone else!

The answer of whether or not a score is too low seems to depend on the background of the applicant. I think the consensus is that scores matter more when an applicant has little to no work experience and less so when they have at least a few years under their belt. If you're coming straight out of undergrad then I do think those scores may hold you back, but if you've been working then you still have a shot. Although in both scenarios lower gre scores can hurt one's chances at decent funding so that's something else worth considering. If you're coming straight out of undergrad then I think retaking it or working for a few years would be wise.