indecisivemf

Noted. I negotiated with Evans and they gave me a better deal since I wanted to be in Seattle than in San Deigo. At this point, I donot even see the point in negotiating with Harris so looks like my decision is made  
But thank you so much for everyone's support and thoughts! 
 

Do you know where you want to work?  Evans is a great school, and from what I hear near the quality of Harris.  But its network is obviously strongest on the West Coast.  Harris has more going on in the East Coast.   That said, I don't think you'd find it overly challenging to get a job on the East Coast coming from Evans, it would just be easier from Harris.  Are you able to go to the open houses?  I went to Harris's and almost immediately hated the vibe of the school.  Seemed very pretentious.  And the coffee was shitty.
Another consideration is that if you're planning on doing quant stuff at a think tank, almost all of the policy programs are going to provide the minimum of what you need to make that happen, and you'll be able to supplement whatever you need on top.  I'm at Sanford and you can do as much or as little quant as you want.  Also, for heavier quant stuff, employers are mostly looking for PhDs to handle it.  So you won't really be able to set yourself apart just by going to Harris.  If anything it's the network and name you'll be paying for, so you have to ask yourself how much that's worth to you.  Again, you will be able to get virtually anything with Evans that you get with Harris, it just may take a little more initiative.
Regret is a personal decision.  I know people who are so indecisive that they regret literally every decision they ever make, and every decision they DON'T make on top.  It's awful.  I remember how anxious I was about choosing schools, and how nervous I was when I first got to Sanford.  The spreadsheet and everything.  In hindsight of course it was needless.  Just remind yourself that with two such excellent choices you can't really go wrong.  Best of luck!

Hello Everyone, 
Accepted to: 
Harris (MPP) Scholarship 15k
Evans (MPA) some fellowship 
UCSD GPS was not considering it until it gave me full scholarship
Maxwell, Boston (MAEP), GW: no aid
Leaning towards: Harris. for its reputation, courses and faculty members. I  want to work in the quant side of policy analysis which Harris is known for. But I will have to take loan to afford it and it is a VERY expensive school 
Evans: I plan to concentrate on policy analysis for MPA so I can study courses I am interested in without breaking the bank 
I have never been to chicago and liked Seattle. Hoping to work for a think tank!  
What are your suggestions? As a first generation college student having to take all these decisions by myself is very overwhelming. I am always afraid that I will regret the decision of choosing one over the other. 
Thank you!