failure2connect

Hi everyone! I've enjoyed reading y'all's posts, and I wanted to see if anyone had thoughts on my situation. Coming from: Philadelphia most recently, Indianapolis before that. Originally from Texas Deciding between: MPA at American University - 16k/yr in tuition after aid MPA at Cornell - 8k/yr in tuition after aid MPP at Brandeis - 16k/yr in tuition after aid Factors: My background is in social policy - I've worked at a small non-profit focused on food security and in local gov on housing. I'm definitely not interested in working for smaller non-profits or for-profits; my experience with local government in a major city has been great, and I can see myself pursuing a career in big (progressive) cities like Boston, Philly, Chicago, even Baltimore. However, most positions open in these cities ask for 4-6 years of experience, and they either want more specific knowledge of administration or policy, depending on the position. The way I see these schools: AU would let me gain a lot of professional experience, which seems invaluable considering that experience is what I lack. DC has orgs like the National League of Cities (or federal gov, if I choose that option), and AU is strong in local government courses despite being in DC. Their student services and career services seem intense, and I like the various institutes they have (Women and Politics, for example). Drawback: their program is slimmer than others (39 credits vs 64 at Brandeis), so I kind of feel like I'm getting less bang for my buck Cornell is very interdisciplinary and I could really engage with other schools that work on poverty issues. I have a bit of a complex about going to a state school for undergrad (I know this is a stupid reason to consider), and I love the idea of the Cornell name. Their externship program is fine, and I could do a summer internship. Maybe most importantly, their merit aid offer is fantastic, and cost of living would be better in Ithaca. Drawback: freaking Ithaca. I'm from a small town and swore I would never go small again. Is it worth spending two years of my life so far away from professional opportunities? Brandeis is kind of middle ground between the other two. Huge focus on social policy, love the curriculum, Boston is a solid city to make connections/get professional exp in. However, I worry about the lack of name recognition outside the northeast and/or the school being viewed as "too liberal" by some employers. How I'm leaning: Admittedly I'm super indecisive. I'm leaning AU mostly because this is ultimately a professional program and DC would open a lot of doors for me. They value public service, and I think I could negotiate my aid offer up a little to make COA closer to Cornell's offer. However, it makes me a little sad to be giving up some of the academic opportunities that Cornell and Brandeis offer. As a side note, I'm also in at Ford but their aid offer sucked. I like their program and their outreach has been great, but that's a dealbreaker.

Yeah, I was able to attend Top Prospects weekend (although not the class visits on Thursday). I got the same impression culture-wise; folks seemed to like each other and the program, but everyone had a million things on their plate. TBH, that's pretty intimidating to me, but I just keep reminding myself that it's a choice and not an actual part of their program. I personally can't see myself working more than part-time while attending school full time. I can see why you're leaning towards Cornell - the international aspect and Ithaca itself seem to work for you. I tend more towards local policy - I would love to work for state/large city government (think Boston, Chicago, Philly, etc). American seems more established in regard to that kind of policy work, but I'm kind of bummed that the program is only 39 credits. I love learning and I feel like I get more bang for my buck from other schools. Self-quarantining has been rough on my decision process too. On one hand, I can attend more events now that they're all virtual. On the other hand, I keep circling back to other programs that I'd already mostly dismissed (Ford, Brandeis, GWU).

Hi ehallwyo, I'm currently making the same decision! I missed Cornell's spring open house (it was so frickin early compared to other schools), but my impression is that SPA is a very well funded program with a lot of history. They're going to be bigger cohort-wise and with class size but still a lot smaller than, say, Harris. I view Cornell's program as more of a boutique program, and I expect to have closer relationships with staff/faculty if I go there. I certainly don't think they lack funding - their scholarship was the biggest of all my offers, and their externship programs seem well funded. However, it seems like their boutique-y nature and reliance on other Cornell schools means less infrastructure for their MPP program.

Their website is pretty specific - "Supporting materials (transcripts, test scores, recommendations) can arrive after the deadline without negatively impacting your admission decision or scholarship review." The video interview is a supporting material. Basically, the review committee won't see your app until everything was submitted, but that won't affect your chances of admission. I submitted my application on Jan 10, but processing delays meant they didn't "receive" my transcript until Feb 12. I submitted the video interview Feb 14, and I got an admissions decision last week.

Y'all I just got accepted! My heart dropped when I got the email because I hadn't gotten a phone call, but I got in with 30k in aid.

I was contacted yesterday (2/26) with an aid offer. I also hadn't contacted them or accepted an admissions offer. I had submitted in late January - I wouldn't be surprised if it takes another week or two for you to receive an offer.

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MPP and MPA Schools Applied To: Chicago Harris, U Mich, Carnegie Heinz, Cornell, Brandeis, American (MPA), GWU (MPA) Schools Admitted To: Brandeis ($$), American ($$) Schools Rejected From: Still Waiting: everyone else Undergraduate Institution: Undergraduate GPA: 3.8 Undergraduate Major: International Studies GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores: 155/170/4.5 Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 2 Years of Work Experience: 2 Describe Relevant Work Experience: Two years of AmeriCorps with nonprofits and local gov Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): strong - reviewed by various peers, a prof, and a current student at Heinz Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): idk, I hope they're strong but didn't feel comfortable asking to see them Other: Spent a year in undergrad in a study abroad program in a "non-traditional" country

I'm currently in the Philly area (working, not at Fels), and there's still strong name recognition with Fels. My experience is that most people still respect the program, and they only have a surface awareness that it had some problems a year or two ago. I have seen some really strong student reactions against the program, but that's based on the same info you already have (1 yr vs 2, fewer opportunities to take electives). I think you can still do a dual degree with SP2 (School of Social Policy and Practice I think) - there program is great if you're into social policy.