tealeaf71

I guess it depends on how heavily you weight being debt-free. Typically I'd say follow the money, but personally, I think the financial difference between DU and GSPIA is not huge... so I would go with the best fit (and which school will give you the best opportunities post-grad). You're investing 2 years of your life in grad school, so pick a school you're really excited about. You have two great offers, so ultimately, I don't think you can really go wrong here. Another thought: since these schools are in quite different parts of the U.S., you might want to consider where you want to end up post-grad and then determine which school has the best connections or highest percentages of grads in that city/state.

What are you interested in studying? I don't know anything about Korbel, but from my understanding, GSPIA attracts a lot of students interested in security and intelligence studies and human rights. So their program is probably strongest in these areas. You can also take classes in other departments at Pitt and at CMU (only one per semester I think). I will note that Pittsburgh is not a very international city, so there may not be many opportunities to work with internationally -focused organizations outside of class, but I do think GSPIA offers a semester in D.C. if that interests you. And if you're leaning more towards research work, perhaps see if there are any professors doing work that interests you or research centers you'd want to join. Regarding job outcomes, GSPIA has a document with their career outcomes on their website so I suggest taking a look at that. One thing I noticed when I looked at it some time ago was that some people were working as interns after graduating ... but this might just a be a reflection of the fact that a good amount of students come straight from undergrad and don't have the work experience yet to attain higher positions. Good luck wherever you decide!

@MPPKollege Has some really great points, but I'll throw in my 2 cents too. If money is a concern for Heinz and is holding you back... don't hesitate to negotiate. I got my offer up from 80% to 90% tuition. There is a link in an email about financing your education where you can request a scholarship consideration (or email the director of admissions). They have you fill out a spreadsheet with your competing offers, and since you have a better offer, my guess is they will try to close the gap. Because I live in Pittsburgh, I know several people who are attending/have attended Heinz and they are all public sector focused. Sure, there are probably people interested in consulting, but from my visit in the fall and personal contacts, there are a lot of people who are public service oriented. And to add another data point, I'll probably choose Heinz, and my interests are international development and policy analysis so I'll probably find myself at an NGO or think tank after graduating. Have you visited both schools? I think it can be hard to get an idea of the culture without visiting and talking to a lot of students. If you can't visit a school, I would suggest trying to reach out to several students at each school (always talk to more than one!). As you said, Heinz is one of the top quant skills schools. And if you're interested in policy analysis, the RAND office is a couple of blocks away. I can't really comment on which school would be better for your PhD goals since I have no idea what PhD you're interested in, but if that is a serious consideration for you, I would suggest looking at the associated gradcafe forum to see what makes a strong applicant. You don't want to get to the end of your master's journey only to realize top Econ PhD programs won't give you a second look if you haven't completed linear algebra or multivariable calculus coursework. Ultimately, I'm an internet stranger and you know what's best for your career goals and finances. But, the main point I want to make is to seek out more info in these final two weeks! Talk to more students, to professors, to the career services office, the academic affairs office, etc. so you can feel more confident you're making the right choice for you.

Ah sorry, I assumed you'd be able to find your own summer internship. I'm not sure if you can intern after graduating, you might have to dig around on the WB website to see if they have enrollment requirements. Internships aren't the only pathway though, I joined a WB project because a professor I had worked for was collaborating on research there. Another thing you might want to look into is how strong Notre Dame's ties to D.C. are. Good D.C. connections will certainly be helpful if you're looking for a WB position after graduating.

Are you planning on staying in the U.S. after graduating? If you're planning on going back to your home country, then HKS will obviously have better name recognition but you'll have to take into consideration paying off your debt from there. If you're planning to stay in the U.S., then high debt + visa sponsorship (if you need it) will limit your options too. I don't know much about hiring at the UN, but having worked briefly for the World Bank (in Mexico but I believe hiring practices are similar in D.C.), and I think it's important that you know many young professionals working for the bank work as short term consultants (STCs). Because they are contractors, STCs don't get benefits and there is a bit of job insecurity because you won't know whether or when you'll join another project after the one you're working on concludes. Getting a permanent position at the WB is difficult (the young professionals program is the most obvious pathway though). If you want to work for the WB after graduating, it might be stressful to navigate this with a lot of debt. However, if you're not stressing about money, I think these positions can be really rewarding. Personally, I think you could get your foot in the door from Keough if you secure a summer internship at the WB and then leverage those connections to find a (likely STC) position after graduating. Often, these positions go unadvertised, so it's all about your connections (so network! regardless of which school you attend). It might be worthwhile to check with the career services at Keough to see if any students interned at the WB or UN over the summer. Additionally, you might want to investigate whether the faculty at Keough have connections to these organizations and whether they're invested in helping their students find jobs after graduating. If your heart is still set on HKS, remember that they have a loan repayment assistance program, so you might want to reach out to a financial aid advisor at HKS to see how much that can offset your debt based on your career goals. Good luck wherever you decide!

Agreed 100%. Unfortunately, I think a huge debt burden would close more doors for me than HKS would theoretically open.

I also just received my financial aid email and I was generously granted... loans! Welp, the dream was short-lived. I think HKS is off the table for me.

Just got the email to check my application status! Accepted! Hoping the financial aid email comes soon!

I also got a call today! In with 15K scholarship. Really happy but unless I can negotiate the scholarship higher I think it's wiser for me to go to one of the schools that have offered me more funding.

Admitted to the MIDP program yesterday with funding!

Just got in today with 80% tuition scholarship! So excited!