rjblake34

Got into both schools I applied for MPA (interested in policy analysis). I did pro-con list with a weighted point system and they basically scored identically. University of Washington is a top 5 school, offers a high quality education, and it's in my home state. However, it's relatively expensive (even in-state). I also didn't get the fellowship funding offered to the top 30% of candidates, so I'm worried I wouldn't be in the top 30% of students considered for internships/assistantships University of Colorado is more like a top 25 school and offers a high quality education, though without the level of prestige of UW. I was accepted into their accelerated cohort, so I could be a full time student and finish in 1 year for an affordable $26K (rather than like $60K over two years for UW). I also feel like I would be more competitive there for internships/assistantships. Overall Colorado feels like the better fit both in cost and experience, but UW offers the shinier name on a resume. I'd appreciate some input from anyone with experience at either program, or the general spirit of my dilemma.