pubpolgal

Thanks a lot! That's good to hear - and good point about the upsides to bigger classes and schools. With all of these schools I think students can make of the experience what they want out of it. SIPA will be amazing, good luck!

Hi, I’m still torn between the two programs (although potentially leaning towards Berkeley) and I’m interested in which way you’re leaning/ your decision factors? I attended the SIPA open house yesterday which made me more confused since the program does seem strong with impressive faculty (although larger than my liking, but that does come with increased resources and course opportunities). I’m wondering if there’s anything I’m missing that can help convince me either way. 

Your list screams Goldman tbh. Obviously money is a factor (especially with CoL being as high as it is in Berkeley), but Goldman would be the best fit by far.

Yes, definitely! I’m not able to attend GSPP for the admit day, but did have a chance to visit recently and speak to a few curruent students. The campus itself is really beautiful and I do get the feeling that there is a sense of community at GSPP, both among faculty and students. The students I spoke with seemed happy with the program overall, and I get the impression that most students work while attending (which can be a positive or a negative depending on priorities, but makes sense since research or teaching assistants are eligible for tuition reductions along with getting paid salaries). The students seem really busy, but make it work. I also like that there are three key opportunities for students to gain practice experience: through a team client-based course during first year, the summer internship, and through an individual client-consulting requirement during the second year. My concerns have more to do with the overall cost of living in the Bay Area. A good number of students live outside of Berkeley and have to commute to school (which sounds like it can be difficult if you plan on staying on campus until late at night without a car). 
I’m going to Columbia’s admit day on Tuesday and can report more then, but happy to answer any specific questions. 

I sense that Berkeley is a much better fit for your academic and career interests. If you're in social justice spaces, the Berkeley name is as good as an Ivy.

Have you visited either campus at all or taken into consideration what learning environment you work best in? 
Berkeley’s campus is beautiful and concentrated in its own area, vs Columbia being sprawled around the city of New York. While you may focus most of your studies within the policy building, layout and structure of the campus is something to consider should you want to explore other departments. Berkeley also has a thriving sports culture / school spirit relative to Columbia. Is that appealing to you? Is it important to you to be surrounded by open spaces and natural landscapes? Is cost of living important to you? (I’d argue Berkeley is higher cost of living than NYC given the growth in SF)
I would also say that if you’re goal is to end up returning further east then Berkeley may not be the best option. Not that you couldn’t return to the east coast but you may have to work a little harder. 
Lastly, based on your post above, it seems Columbia is much more appealing to you. If it’s the ranking of Berkeley that’s making you reconsider, I’d toss that aside. Both programs are so strong that their relative rankings (in my opinion) should not factor into your decision making. Additionally, as someone who attended a large state school for undergrad you can make your experience as worthwhile as the effort you put forth. I never felt shortchanged for opportunities, however, I always made it a point to remember why I was in school vs becoming distracted by the allures of college life. 

Can do!

People who have been to policy school will value Goldman over SIPA domestically.  People who don't know about policy will probably consider them all at a similar level, I imagine in the close order of Columbia-Georgetown-Berkeley.  If you want to work internationally it's SIPA with McCourt a close 2nd and Goldman a more distant third.  If you want to work on the West Coast it's Berkeley all the way with Columbia 2nd and McCourt 3rd.  If you want to work in NYC it's obviously Columbia. If you want to work in DC it's obviously McCourt.  Each school has a solid network so you have about the same chances of someone pulling strings for you to get a job.  Columbia is a bigger program so maybe more networking possibilities, but most of them go international making the net domestic effect about the same as the other programs.
So yeah basically it depends on where you want to be and what you want to do.  The reputational pecking order also doesn't matter as much as some people often convince themselves.  if you don't write a compelling cover letter and give a good interview your $120k Columbia degree won't get you anything over a solid candidate from a twenty-something-ranked school.  E.g. I'm about to graduate from Sanford and have a handful of job opportunities that are everything I could have wanted from any policy school.  At no point have I ever felt disadvantaged in comparison to folks from HKS or Columbia or Berkeley or McCourt, etc.

This thread is super helpful! 
Coming from: 2.5 years out of undergrad, working in both the nonprofit and local government sectors. I’m broadly interested in social policy and civic engagement. 
Deciding between: 
UC Berkeley Goldman  MPP: Offered full-tuition scholarship plus yearly stipend that would help offset some housing costs (although definitely not all of it) 
Columbia SIPA MPA: Offered 45k/year. This would leave me with about 30k to cover over two years 
UTAustin LBJ MPAff: Oferred full-tuition scholarship plus yearly stipend that would fully cover housing potentially
Duke Sanford MPP: Between the scholarship and graduate assistantship, I would pay about 10k over both years (not including housing)
How I’m Leaning: I’m leaning towards Columbia SIPA or UC Berkeley.
Based on a very basic search, it seems like Columbia offers a greater diversity of courses and I’m somewhat interested in their dual degree options (in which students could complete their second year in a different country and graduate with a second degree). Columbia also has great name recognition of course, although I’m not sure if more so than UC Berkeley?Finally, I’m from NYC and would live with my parents, which means I would avoid moving and housing expenses.
UC Berkeley seems like they have a tighter-knit community and a stronger emphasis on quantitative training (which I like). However, that comes along with less elective options. In grad school I’m hoping to take advantage of taking courses in other professional departments (including MBA programs), so electives are important to me. It has also always been the dream to move to the west coast for a bit, having lived on the east coast all my life. That said, I do plan (at least as of now) to return to NYC after graduation, and I know Goldman alumni mostly work in the Bay Area.
I also want to leave the door open to pursue consulting for social good work after graduation (like Bridgespan) and am not sure which school is better recognized in that regard. 
As for the other two options, I love how close-knit the Duke community seems, and how engaged the faculty seem with the students. It’s also a strong program in terms of their quantitative training. UT Austin is also doing some great work in the realm of social policy and Austin seems like a great place to live (and it’s hard to turn down a completely free ride to grad school). 
Any advice/insights would be greatly appreciated! 
@pubpolgal it seems like we’re debating between the same top two schools, so interested in knowing which way you end up leaning! Are you planning to visit either? 
 
 
 
 

I think Goldman is a slam dunk for what you want to do. Columbia's bread and butter is health or international affairs policy, whereas Berkeley's reputation is more along the lines of your background/future.
Like me you have comms experience, but you're not going to grad school to do journalism (otherwise you would be!), so don't get sucked in by the prospect of some journalism electives to teach you a subject you already know a bit about. 

Hi there! Congrats on your acceptances! While I can't help you with your career crisis, I can certainly empathize, as I was in your exact position 1.5 years out of college. It took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to do and it was very stressful at times. You are already on a great track, though (I worked in retail for 3 years out of college, so kudos to you!). I am also interested in the same policy areas as you :). 
Regarding Goldman vs SIPA, I can speak to the quality of life question as I went to college in NYC and currently live in the Bay Area. Insanely enough, living in Berkeley will be more expensive than NYC. However expensive you anticipate the Bay to be, it is even more expensive than that! Berkeley is very urban and quite challenging to navigate (no parking EVER). However, there is a ton of nature and even more nature about 2 hours away; it is an exceedingly beautiful surrounding area. The area of NYC that Columbia is in is actually pretty peaceful for Manhattan and has some quality housing options, while Berkeley is experiencing a housing crisis. I know people who attend who have two other people in their bedroom. Another good thing about the Columbia neighborhood is that everything you need is in walking distance, so you might not feel the hustle and bustle as much as you'd expect from NYC. Maybe most importantly, though, if you are interested in racial justice, Berkeley will be an exciting community for you: there is a lot of campus activism and myriad nonprofits in the East Bay focused on civil rights. 
Hope this helps!