knut6133

Hey y'all, thanks for starting the thread Karam, and for everyone's insights thus far! I'm hoping to get a little help w/ my dilemma as well... Coming from: Pacific Northwest, seven years removed from undergrad, looking to transition from programmatic non-profit work to research/advocacy think tank work. Deciding between: MPP, Duke Sanford - 60% tuition MPP, Michigan Ford - 25% tuition (awaiting possible scholarship reconsideration) MSPPM DC Track, Carnegie Mellon Heinz - 85% tuition Other factors: CMU would boil down to essentially cost of living after applying two AmeriCorps awards, and the second year DC fellowship is almost universally paid (averaging $20k), so I'd be able to graduate w/ next-to/minimal debt. But, as time has passed, I've grown more cautious about the program - the general cohort seems to be collectively younger + more directly out of undergrad (I'm looking for a diverse cohort, w/ a variety of brought work experience), there seems to be limited flexibility to take qualitative courses within my field (social policy), the brand equity isn't nearly as hefty as the other two, + the emphasis on data analytics rigor is appealing but it seems to only be advantageous if one wanted to veer more towards being a data scientist. The difference in quant skills from CMU to the other two (both quite good) is not quite necessary for what I would like to do, + CMU seems to be mostly beneficial as a pipeline into consulting work, which is not my current desire in the slightest. I love both of the programs at Duke + Michigan - both provide substantiative generalist coursework in social policy, have professors I'd love to work w/, strong quant, skew towards an older + more experienced cohort, + provide the applied/practical policy work experience alongside coursework that I'm looking for after having worked for a while now. Purely speaking, Michigan would be my easy choice, if finances weren't key... the professors are top-notch + have impressed me the most, there are multiple research centers I would be ecstatic to work w/, their grad career services seems the most exceptional of the three, it would be most ideal for personal reasons, has the strongest alumni network + prestige, and would allow me to work most aptly on my focus area (poverty alleviation + housing/homelessness) via close opportunities in Detroit. Internship + other opportunities would be less ideal in Durham, and may require uprooting for a bit which isn't ideal financially. Also, I have general concerns about going from Portland to Durham (seems to be trending towards a possible portland of the south trajectory, not necessarily in a good way, I'm largely tired of living in such a city). That being said, accessibility to the research triangle is very appealing + being able to take coursework in Raleigh/Chapel Hill presents an exciting potential opportunity. So, that being said - there is currently a large gap in funding between the two (and those two to CMU), and I'm awaiting renegotiation responses. The main issue is that Michigan said that they will not be able to notify students until AFTER the 4/15 deadline as to whether their funding will be increased, but in those cases the most frequent instance is increasing by 25% tuition. So, funding could potentially be 50% at Michigan, but that is a big ? up until after an acceptance decision has to be made. Also, on the funding note - Michigan seems to be the best of the three at presenting increased $$$ once you have started through GSIs, RAships, + other opportunities; so the $$$ question seems to be more fluid there. I guess all this to say - I'm struggling to decide between minimal cost at a school I'm not passionate about, middle $$ at a program I like, + a more confusing possible cost at a program I love. So, any advice re: duke vs. michigan, and if I'd be stupid to pass up graduating nearly debt-free at CMU vs. taking on debt for a policy masters at one of these schools. Any help is super appreciated!

Hey y'all, I'm thinking that it may be helpful to pool some folx thoughts re: the current Duke admitted students virtual events happening today + tomorrow. It'd be worthwhile for those who participated to pass along any helpful tidbits or new perspectives they learned from the events. I only did the social policy + student life hours today, + they were helpful in a lot of respects. Some quick takeaways - - The social policy professor representation (Mac McCorkle, Deondra Rose, + Nick Carnes) seemed engaging + approachable, albeit in a setting conducive to such things. They all seemed enthusiastic about Sanford's prestige/aptitude as a policy program, and in sharing/working alongside students re: their research interests. - Specifically for folx interested in social policy - they really emphasized the broad nature of the social policy concentration (including the inclusion of a large ed policy curriculum, instead of divvying into sub-concentrations), and stressed that the broadness is intentional + viewed as a strength of the program. They advocated for students to take a wider swath of coursework, and not necessarily to make their studies narrow, because of the inherent intermingling of social issues. At large, there seems to be a philosophical approach of intersectionality in studies (at least within social policy). - It seems to be relatively easy to take courses across disciplines, + at other schools within the research triangle. They also made a good point to consider/look into Raleigh + Chapel Hill when examining quality of life + livability, especially because of their relatively easy accessibility, depending on means of transportation (and it does seem there is a $1 bus from Durham to Chapel Hill at least for students). - Nick Carnes made an argument for Sanford (obviously taken w/ a grain of salt!) as the best purely MPP program that included the general lack of a PhD program (3-4 students a year). It was stressed that this strengthened the policy program within the MPP, allotted more resources to these students, streamlined for focus to the MPP program, seemed to make professors slightly more accessible, etc (this largely in relation to HKS/WWS within the context of the chat). Also, given the smaller cohort sizes, in comparison to a larger field of professors, they said professor access isn't usually an issue. I hope everyone is staying well + safe, + enjoying the virtual events of this week!

I reached out to admissions to request additional funding (it seems in past years they've increased offers by $5,000ish/yr pending the presence of alternative offers), and they directed me to the following link to formally make a request - https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bJTBGubKBH4IKCV For all those mulling between Duke + others!

Just got an email w/ a video from the Dean saying I'm in!! No details on funding, seems there will be an official email/letter sent out later today. As a note - the email was in my Promotions folder.

I got this same email as well. It looks like they've been consistent w/ the release of results over the years - the last three years they have been released Mon/Tue the first week of March. So, probably would expect them on the 2nd or 3rd, especially since they'll be heading into spring recess on 3/6.