Hi everyone! I'm a French student, currently doing an exchange program at NYU, as part of the first year of my MA in Political Science at Panthéon-Sorbonne University. While being there, I seized the opportunity to apply to NYU Wagner's MPA in Public & Non-profit Management & Policy, and got in.
I now have to choose between finishing my MA in Political Science (and choosing the Public Affairs - Territorial Public Action specialization), or accepting NYU's offer.
I applied to NYU because of my strong interest in urban, environmental, racial, and socio-economic inequality policies, and wish to work for the City of New York on the short-term: those three components being rarely combined in French Masters. I also chose to apply to NYU because my current French MA is really focused on theoretical administrative work, and doesn't provide tools for policy analysis, or in-depth minority/environmental/urban policy work. Therefore, though my short-term goal would be to work for the next 2/5 years for NYC, my long-term goal is to come back to Paris and put those theoretical insights and skills to its benefit. However, though I come from a working-class family, I didn't receive any scholarship for NYU's MPA.
NYU Wagner argues that most of its graduates end up having an annual salary of $74,400. In France, the average annual salary of people graduating from Panthéon-Sorbonne is $20,100. As you all surely know, it's not that French people are extremely poor, but rather that, the French State being a wellfare state (contrary to the US), it is actually absorbing several living-costs (Healthcare, education etc.). Now, the main issue is that I have no idea of what is considered a "good" salary in the US, nor do I know what the usual costs one should expect to pay while living in NYC.
Therefore, considering the high probability of me taking a $60,000 loan to pay for NYU, would you say that a $74,400 annual salary would enable me to pay off my debt in 5 years (with a rhythm of 800$/month), while living "comfortably" in NYC? What are the other costs a foreigner should expect while living in the US (housing, commute, and food aside)? I honestly don't want to spend the next decade feeling anxious about paying off a degree which may not even allow me to be "well" paid.
Thanks for your help everyone!! I have to give a final answer to NYU by May 15th, and am incredibly anxious about this!