pizzatime

Hello and congratulations on getting in! I was admitted to the Nicholas School last year. I decided to go to Tufts, but I would suggest appealing your aid letter. Search my old posts because I posted on this last year. It worked for me with Duke and they modestly increased my package, but I ultimately decided to go to Tufts.

Grades do matter. If you receive any type of merit financial aid you most likely have to keep a certain GPA. Also every program I applied to required grad students to maintain a ~3.0 GPA overall.

Honestly, If you have your act together enough to get into school and can't pass econ 101 you are going to have big problems in grad school, I'm sorry. To be kinder, the programs I was admitted to that required econ said it had to be completed before matriculation, or taken first semester for no credit, taking away from a class that you would actually want to take.

First, there is another thread on environmental policy that might help you out. Secondly this website might give you a broad idea of what to look for: http://www.enviroeducation.com/articles/best/ Third, personally I applied to some top env policy schools along with some "unranked" ones as well, because they specifically fit with my research interests. I would suggest that you look for programs that are a good fit with your interests, rather than their arbitrary ranking. For instance, I applied to the University of Rhode Island for their marine affairs program. Its not ranked anywhere, and URI is not a top university, but it would have been a good fit for me I had chosen to go there. You might look into the Bren School at UC Santa Barbara, they are quite strong in the combination of econ and environmental policy.

What about getting an internship or a relevant job this summer, or next fall? I held a 10 hour a week internship at my local Fish and Wildlife Service office during the semester. Yes an internship would help either semester because it's another thing you can point to for funding or wait list decisions. As for grades, grad school is a totally different game than undergrad admissions grades matter, even more for you. I think schools need your first semester grades if you are fresh out. The schools I was admitted to needed my final transcript if I had not graduated yet. Not to mention your grades are really important when it comes to funding. I successfully appealed my funding offer at one school by pointing out, among other things that I had excelled at a couple of grad level courses.

Good attitude, especially in this economy. Be sure to apply to at least one safety. I'm sure it can be done. I know all the programs I applied to said that "while there are a few of recent graduates admitted, most have 2-5 years experience" so that means they do take a few recent grads. Also since I'm guessing you are a college junior applying for fall 2010, this summer and the next 2 semesters gives you good opportunities to take advantage of internships to compensate for lack of professional experience.

THIS IS WHERE I'M GOING TO ATTEND: Tufts UEP (Urban & Environmental Policy) OTHER SCHOOLS I CONSIDERED: Duke Nicholas School, U Michigan School of Natural Resources, U Washington, U Rhode Island Marine Affairs WHY I CHOSE MY NEW SCHOOL: 1. Not interested in Fletcher because I'm not an IR person, I'm into domestic environmental policy. UEP coursework is exactly what I'm looking for, coursework will be exactly the same as Duke 2. It came down to Tufts or Duke but I want to work in New England so being around Boston is pretty important to me, as well as cost since I don't have illusions of raking in $200,000 anytime soon as some people do in these threads 3. Faculty in my interest areas, and opportunity to do interdisciplinary work in science and engineering (Tufts is big on that.) 4. They came through with really good funding and after I accepted I found out that they have a new loan repayment program that helps out alumni working in public service.

Regarding the Boston College area, see my post on the area a few pages back. I would be happy to answer any other questions.

I second FES's suggestion of looking into IU SPEA and Syracuse. SPEA has a huge faculty and looked like a good program. FES, if I might ask, why are you pursuing another master's?

I got into Michigan School of Natural Resources and Duke Nicholas School and didn't apply to the other schools on your list. Kind of kicking myself that I didn't apply to Yale but oh well. If you look at some of my previous posts you'll find that I have generally similar stats as you: GRE scores, 2 years work experience, relevant internships, etc. I applied to SNRE over Ford and Nicholas over Sanford because those programs were more science-based rather than policy based, just my personal preference. I don't think you will have trouble getting into the same schools I did, but remember that this is a anonymous internet website and I would think that GSPP, WWS, and HKS would be a bit more challenging to get into because those programs garner more interest from prospective students.

Your GREs and GPA don't look bad at all. From everyone I've talked to the SOP and recommendations matter as much as test scores and GPA, so make sure your recommenders are really willing and have the capacity to write a good letter. On the SOP, I think its function is to help you create a fit between yourself and a prospective school. Also do you have any work experience in the real world or through internships? A lot of programs find that to be very valuable. I don't know anything about your interests, but were the schools you applied to really a good fit with your interests and background, or did you apply based on their US News ranking and location? (sorry to be blunt) Finally, applying to grad school isn't a fly by night process and it takes awhile to get your act together with necessary prerequisites, recommendations, SOP; and I can't tell one way or the other if you threw your app together or have been planning it for awhile. Also, your ug school doesn't really matter. I went to a good, not great state school and got into 3 of the 5 top programs in my field with stats similar to yours. Good luck!

I was going to do macro online through the University of Massachusetts, they have a pretty extensive offering of courses and the fee didn't seem outrageous. Disclaimer: I'm from Massachusetts so obviously I'm comfortable with the school. If you are not, you might try your local state university, they are generally cheaper than private schools. I know that UMass online doesn't have a residency advantage, so the cost was the same for in state and out of state.

As far as I know cost of attendence is the whole package, including rent, books, transportation, etc; therefore you should be able to borrow grad PLUS loans covering that whole amount.

Well in that case a rescinded offer would make the decision making process easier.

I posted in the Duke MPP forum on this subject. They gave me a modest increase. Like I said before, the worst they can say is no.

I went to undergrad at UMass so feel free to throw any questions off of me, I loved the area and considered going back for grad school. The previous poster is mostly correct with their description of the Pioneer Valley although for what its worth, UMass is part of the 5 college consortium. Those opportunities are generally taken advantage of at the undergrad level but Smith and Amherst Colleges have pretty amazing art collections that include works by Monet and Picasso (and those are free to attend). A surprising number of top musical acts come through to the Mullins Center at UMass and at the various theaters in Northampton. My favorite was seeing Kanye West before he got big at the Mt. Holyoke College Ballroom. You really don't have to worry about traffic on football Saturdays because UMass is 1-AA The PVTA bus is excellent and free for UMass students. I stopped driving to campus senior year because I got around just fine on the bus. Its efficient around Amherst and the other colleges and goes by the shopping areas and the Northampton very frequently. There is an Amtrak station in town as well as bus service to Boston and NYC, in addition to airport shuttles to the Bradley Airport in Hartford which is no more than one hour away. I found the area to be absolutely beautiful. I miss the local food scene since the next town Hadley has some of the best agricultural soil on earth (as a couple profs used to say.) Super produce during the summer at actual farm stands and right now is maple syrup season! Oh yeah, the foliage is incredible. Skiing is one hour away in Vermont. Yes its cold, but I always felt that Amherst got less snow than Boston because it doesn't really get coastal storms.

The Green Line is universally known as the slowest of the MBTA lines.

I'd suggest checking out cyburbia.org/forums. Very active community on the subject of planning education.

I'll go to bat for Brighton Center/Oak Square, but I lived on the B line last year close to Cleveland Circle and its certainly not saturated by undergrads or bedbugs. A lot of landlords won't rent to undergrads so if you are into that you can ask a realtor straight up. If you have the opportunity to spend a couple days checking things out make appointments with at least 3-4 realtors because some only show dumps or have one or two and its fine to tell them that you don't want a dump. Don't be discouraged if 1-2br apartments don't really show up for a few months even to June because tenants won't have to give notice until around then. What you want if you are going to BC: 1. Coolidge Corner Beacon St. Brookline to Cleveland Circle on the C line- about a 10 minute walk to BC campus around the Chestnut Hill Reservior which is great for jogging. Coolidge Corner to Cleveland Circle is pricier because Beacon St. is beautiful, there is a supermarket right there. Mostly Brownstone apartments. 2. On the B line on Commonwealth "Comm" Ave. is definitely cheaper than the C line by a couple hundred dollars, I think because the C line is a little faster into Boston, generally 3-5 floor apartment buildings. 3. Brighton Center/Oak Square is a little cheaper and I've actually fallen in love with it. Bus service to downtown and a 10-15 minute walk to BC. It has a nice little collection of restaurants, delis, and markets that the B line lacks. $1600 should get you a place for no problem in all the areas, but you would get more bang for your buck as you go down the list. All are considered quite safe.

I asked the Nicolas School for more money. Someone posted in the bank section of grad cafe about begging for money and I went off their idea. I basically said I'm interested in the program and its strengths bla, bla, bla; then I mentioned my particular strengths that would benefit the program; and finally I mentioned how I have competing offers that are tough to turn down but if Duke can come close to matching them, I would be in. I structured it like a job cover letter because I figure that I am effectively applying for a job. I didn't think it was awkward, worst case scenario they just say no and I am back to where I started.

I'm facing the debt with the outlook of an entrepreneur starting a business. The capital cost of my education is high (even with half scholarship) but I feel that the risk of wallowing in debt for the near future is offset by the possibility of being successful in a field that I am interested in, and can't find a job without a master's degree. I mean it might not work out and I'll be f-ed for a long time but I'm willing to find out. To anyone reading this for next year, I would strongly suggest applying to a financial safety, whether thats a state school or a program that is a less prestigious. I did that and its nice that I have the option even though I'm not going there since I got some funding at another school. If nothing else, you can try to leverage their cheaper tuition rate against the program you really want to attend. Also, the NYT recently had a good article about the future of humanities, which provides some more food for thought.

You will have a tough time finding a $1000 apartment on Beacon Hill, but if you do kudos to you its a great location, the most desireable in Boston. I have lived in Boston for 2 years and I've found that Craigs List ads don't provide the most accurate desciption of an actual apartment. You might use your MIT resources for a list of suggested realtors, apartments, etc. If you are willing to live with a roomate, then you could definitely find a place for less than $2000 total anywhere in the city including Beacon Hill or Beacon St.

Living around BU depends on your budget. To my knowledge there isn't a whole lot right next to the campus, most people live in surrounding neighborhoods. On the high end is the adjacent Back Bay which is Boston's most exclusive(and most expensive) neighborhood, probably north of $1300 for a 1br, and parking is really, really difficult. I think the most popular places for BU grad students to live are Brookline, Allston, and Brighton. All are serviced by branches of the light rail and generally reliable MBTA green line of the "T." Brookline is slightly more expensive than Allston or Brighton, and all are great for 20 somethings with numerous squares, bars, restaurants, etc. For reference, I've lived in Brighton for 2 years with a roomate and my rent expenses come out to about $700 a month. BU is about a 15 minute T ride away for me, which would be nice if I went there. In general parking in Boston sucks. I have a car but I only drive it on the weekend and to the supermarket. I certainly don't need it, but its old and paid off. I take the T to work as do most people who work in the city. Street parking is bad because some streets require a resident sticker, while others don't. Its really hit or miss. To get a resident sticker you would have to transfer your registration to Boston, but the sticker is free. I do know Brookline does not allow overnight parking on the street so if you were there you would have to rent a spot for ~$150 a month. You can park on the Street overnight in Boston. If I were you and had to have my car, I would try to rent a spot, because it will save you a lot of headaches, especially since you will be new to the vagaries of Boston parking.

Does anyone have a sense of the current job market in the area? (I realize that it sucks most places right now.) I was admitted at Duke and my gf would be looking for elementary teaching jobs, and her securing a job is obviously a huge part of our decisison. thanks!

I've been lurking but thought I'd jump in on this one. I have been working for 2 years on Wall Street, and luckily I'm still employed. Working for a few years in business was part of my "master plan" to get private sector experience before grad school, and see if if a MBA might be more useful for what I want to do (environmental policy.) Turns out that an MPP fits me much better.