monkeycat

Hey. I'm in a similar position in that i'm also deciding between the Nic school and FES. I'm interested in coastal management so i'd choose the water resources track and the environmental policy analysis track at FES and the CEM track at Duke. I've talked to numerous professors/alumni/students at both schools and I think i'm becoming more and more set on FES. Yale def has a freshwater focus but through my conversations, you can really do whatever you want at Yale as long as you know what you want to get out of a graduate program. Duke always seemed like the perfect fit program for me, but I've been really giving consideration into short-term vs long-term thinking. Short-term- Flexibility of FES course load, opportunities to learn from a more diverse cohort, take courses in the law school/management school, broaden my perspectives on environmental management issues on topics i'm not as familiar in (business/law/etc), able to take quant heavy courses at FES/through the greater yale network and the environmental policy analysis track (I think Duke has an edge on quant courses, though i'm not sure). Duke is undoubtedly better for hard sciences in coastal processes, but since I have an interdisciplinary background and am not looking to go into science-y research, Yale has enough courses where I could get a good foundation. Long-term- Leaning toward a phd and will def apply to Duke. 2 years is incredibly short and since i'd be splitting time between Durham and the marine lab, I don't think i'd have as much opportunities to take advantage of all the amazing resources at Duke/fully connect with my cohort (CEM track is pretty small, ~20/25 people I think?). Having access to the nic institute/duke's resources seems more fruitful over a 5 year span. TLDR; I'm leaning toward gaining a greater knowledge base as a management practitioner. Duke is perfect for specializing in what I've been currently doing but because management is so transdisciplinary, it might not be as wise to specialize in the same path I've been on--esp if I'm interested in bringing new perspectives on ways I can apply my existing skill set. The Nic school is HANDS DOWN amazing and this choice has been really tough (like tearing me apart tough, roaming around my apartment saying "I don't know, I don't know" tough). I'm still not 100% on my decision primarily because coastal research at Duke is just...better.. but it seems like the value of intangible opportunities and resources at FES and the greater Yale network (which is so hard to compare) might be the better move for a masters. (I also got more money to go to Duke so that's been hard to weigh too). Love any insights on my dilemma, this forum is a blessing. P.S. if anyone else is in a similar position (coastal peeps), feel free to reach out to me. I've talked to ALOT of people and can relay what I've learned about both programs!

Just got an email with funding info from Duke!

Could you please link it? Where did you find it, I just assumed they didn't have one!

I got 18k need based renewable my second year (36k total). I'm assuming that means I did not receive any merit based scholarships? Did anyone get merit scholarships or is Yale's financial aid only need based? Lower than what I expected given the cost of attendance is sooooo high.

Welp, I bought my ticket to Durham already. This sucks, I was really looking forward to it @kcovt I 100% feel more stressed. I applied to all my programs because I thought I would be a good fit. However, without visiting and meeting the rest of the cohort, I really don't know where I stand now.

Just got the email from Yale, admitted students weekend is cancelled ?

I know Cornell already has ?

Woo in at Yale (MEM), 4 for 5! Still haven't heard from Bren yet. Can't wait for funding to be announced so I can really start comparing options. I really hope Yale and Duke don't cancel their admitted students weekends. I'm banking on using those to help me pick between programs ?

I didn't get anything yet! fingers crossed it comes soon... congrats!!!!!!

3/3 so far...waiting for Bren and Yale. I hope we find out funding opportunities with the decision letters. From looking at forums/results on gradcafe from previous years, Bren results will probably come out mid March. Looks like the deadline to commit for most schools is around tax day, meaning admitted students weekends in March-early April and then a rapid turnaround for our decisions ahhh. I've been offered a tuition waiver + 25 k stipend for 11 months (and potential TA opportunities for the second year) at one school meaning I have a nearly fully funded opportunity. How are people balancing offers right now, all the what ifs are driving me crazy (what if I get into Yale with more funding than Duke, what if the gods smile down on me and give me Nic scholar, how do I justify potentially taking on 80k+ in debt). What's going on through your minds, i'd love to hear how you all are comparing schools since we're all applying to similar programs!

Do you think SEAS is taking so long because the application was free? I didn't apply but that's my first guess at why decisions are later this year??? ALSO DUKE!! AGHHH...I want to know!!! this is when decisions were sent out last year so i'm hoping for the best valentines ever from the Nicholas school

I'm an applicant for Fall 2020 (so i'm finding out where I got in now eek!!). Your grad school prospects are completely realistic IMO! I've been working for the past 4 1/2 years doing ecological economic consulting (mainly focused on terrestrial natural resource conservation and land management). I've always been interested in marine conservation, and having this time off school has helped me realize that I would like to apply the knowledge I've gained over the past few years to the marine conservation world. So although I studied environmental science/ public policy during my undergrad, I am also shifting focus in what I want to study. You have relevant experience in the field and the admissions committee will definitely note that. In the advice I've gotten from friends in other grad programs, highlighting your specific story is what will help you shine as well as having a clear purpose for why you want to go back to school. Bren is a professional school, so the purpose of the program is to give you practical skills that you can apply right after you graduate! There are pre-reqs for a lot of the MEM programs (I can't remember off the top of my head if Bren had them, but it should be on their website). I would say that may be your only hindrance, given your undergrad major. Reach out to current students and professors in the programs that interest you and ask for course lists to see if your research aligns with the program! I also applied for the MESM at Bren, the Coastal environmental management specialization at Duke, University of Washington's SMEA school, Hawaii's MEM program, and Yale's MEM. I considered applying to Scripps' one year MAS MBC (heard amazing things, admissions staff were sooo helpful, and so were the professors I spoke to!!) but because so much of my purpose for going back to grad school is getting more formal training in higher level econometrics/environmental modelling/learning more about marine conservation, I ultimately decided on a 2-year program with more flexibility in course loads. I also looked at Miami, some of the MPP and MPA schools, but I really like the interdisciplinary nature of the MEM programs (given the work I do cuts across so many sectors). I have opinions about traditional policy graduate programs but I won't go into them here lol. Last piece of advice I can think of is study for the GRE. I did well on my SAT's by just working through a book and thought I'd be fine doing that for the GRE too. Wish I gave myself more time to prepare (don't try to cram for the test in 1 1/2 weeks like me) because with 4 1/2 years out of school, I definitely was not able to cram/retain information in the same way!! If you're worried about your academic background, elevate other areas of your application. But also remember, it's 5 hours of your life and it's literally a test of riddles and math that you learned in high school... Yale didn't even consider GRE scores this year. We'll see if I get into Bren/Duke/Yale so for now, take my advice with a grain of salt hehe. Love that you want to do marine conservation!!!

That was my case for Hawaii (their registration date was end of Feb!!), which is why I was wondering if anyone else applied. I emailed the head of the graduate program and let her know that I wouldn't have heard back from a few of my schools/funding opportunities by that date and she said it was totally fine for me to extend the deadline!

Also... probably a long shot... but did anyone on here apply to Hawaii's MEM program?

I can't stop refreshing my email and this forum SOS