Dreams

Things to think about: 1. Which of the three schools has the program, classes, and professors that best matches your interests? 2. Will you be happier in a particular location? 3. Have you checked to see where the alumni at the three schools are working now? Which school has the most alumni working in your future field?

Bitten by the poll bug I see! I chose other. My experience is in various non profit things.

Excellent poll. I cast my vote for Domestic and International Education, health, and Social

You can handle 31 days. Remember when it was 90 days? Time seems to be flying

Clearly indeed 1. See the Quote button in the upper right hand corner of the message? Click that and you are game. 2. This is done from the Control Panel Near the top of the screen. Click that, then goto profile and select signature. Create your siggy and you are all set!

Sounds just like the argument I made in a recent health policy paper that I wrote

Keep in mind that we on this site are just a small sample of the entire pool of applicants applying to graduate school. Not everyone may know about this site; and not everyone may choose to post the decisions they received from their respective schools. Just have a little patience, it's still early

Congrats! That's fantastic. Let's keep our fingers crossed for the funding package. Though I would think you would get something given how early they chose to notify you.

Yep and they all appear to be positive so far. Any of the regs here among the lucky ones?

I still have yet to find a fellowship as generous as JKC. I applied before, but was not successful. I love the new rule change that allows applicants to pursue a degree at ANY university.

No problem. Let me know if you have any other questions and good luck

Baltimore is a great place to live. Plenty to do without the hassle of expensive housing arrangements (unless you choose to live in JHU housing which is expensive). I will touch on a few of your points. There are a ton of restaurants and bars here. From Federal Hill to Mount Vernon to Downtown you name it. There are even plenty of neighborhood bars and grub spots. If you are considering living in Mount Vernon, then you are already aware that lots of other gays live there too along with in Charles Village (above North Avenue). So you will really be in the middle of it all. Mount Vernon is a very pricey area though. There are places in other parts of the city that are just as nice without the expense. If you will have a car, this will not be a problem. However, public transportation is not bad and living either on a Metro line stop, a Light Rail stop, or even on the JHU intercampus shuttle stop is not a bad idea.

I will be cooking my own food, which doesn't fall into any of these categories

I can understand where this might cause confusion. The EFC is not necessarily the amount you will be asked to contribute towards your education. it is the result of some complex formula that is used to predict and rank students for aid. You can have an EFC of 34 and be asked to contribute 10K, and you can have an EFC of 20K and be awarded a full fellowship. If you also notice, many schools in the financial section of the application will ask for your estimated earnings in the year you are planning to enroll. This way they can gauge how much of these earnings could potentially go towards your education. I would not worry about contacting them about your change of job situation. Afterall you would be leaving your job anyway to attend school, and they know what you would make in the the few months this year would not significantly cover your schooling.

A few years for me as well. It was a welcome recharger.

I say take Social Work without a doubt!

Mmmmm. Got any recipes involving eggplant, tuna/salmon, and or curry? Just typing that made my stomach grumble from hunger

The answer to that ultimately lies with what you foresee yourself wanting to do in the future. Do not let name of the degree determine your choice. You need to take a look at the curriculum of each school to see which best fits your needs. You may find programs that have both degrees, and the content of each will be virtually similar. The MPA would generally be geared to producing managers while the MPP was originally suited for producing analysts. Again, however, those lines have become blurred. NASPAA has a good glib on the differences between the two degrees.

I don't give up until I go home and find an empty mailbox! :twisted:

I fill my time at work to keep from coming on here. I goto classes, teach classes, and meet students. In my down I lurk here.

Six schools already! If only some of us could be so lucky!

Don't be so neurotic This is not uncommon that the admissions letter and the funding letter would come under separate cover. Give it a few weeks or so to wait for the letter from your department.

I looked at the types of jobs grads of the programs I am interested in got. I also talked to alum and professors about opportunities. The results of those conversations factored heavily into the schools I ultimately chose to apply to.

Heh, how about that! Prize goes to whoever can figure it out!