DeathBeforeDecaf

Thanks for all the great advice! There are good arguments for both schools, so I feel like I can't go wrong either way. I'll have to do some soul-searching and school visiting. Hopefully one of the schools will offer a surprising amount of money and make this decision easier. P.S. As of today, there's exactly one month left before April 15. :-[

It's oddly specific..... Ideally, I would like to brush up on my engineering (optional), get a PhD in Transportation Policy and Planning, and be involved in the creation/improvement of an affordable national railway. But, my plans could change if I got a similar job right after grad school. For now, I'm just focused on policymaking/analysis.

Hello everyone! I've been struggling, deciding between American MPP and UGA MPA. All things considered, it really comes down to location and cost. UGA will be much cheaper for me (in-state tuition). But, AU's location makes it more sensible for the MPP program. I already have 30K in debt from undergrad. So, this is a big trade-off! Is anyone having a similar dilemma?

Because AU is affiliated with the Methodist Church.... And Christianity is a religion, last time I checked....

I'm divided between two schools. One of them is American. I was wondering, is AU's religious affiliation a big part of campus life, or is it basically just nominal? I'm wondering if AU will be more conservative because of it. Opinions?

P.S. Does American's religious affiliation have a big impact on campus life? Or it is just nominal? Anyone have some insider info on this? Thanks!

Program Applied To MPA, MPP Schools Applied To: American, George Washington, UGA, and Northeastern Schools Admitted To: American Schools Waitlisted At: GWU Schools Rejected From: Still Waiting: UGA & Northeastern Undergraduate institution: Top 20 liberal arts school Undergraduate GPA: 3.14 Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 3.6 Undergraduate Major: Anthropology GRE Quantitative Score: 730 GRE Verbal Score: 680 GRE AW Score: 4.5 Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 1 Years of Work Experience: 1/2 Full-Time, 6 Part-Time Describe Relevant Work Experience: An internship with the park service, 2 part-time teaching jobs (which - fingers-crossed - will help me get an assistantship)

Anyone else hear back from American this week? Sound off!

Head start

I just finished all my apps. It took me a long, long time to realize that I wanted to do an MPP. If I'd decided months earlier, I would've taken more risks and applied to more elite schools. But then I remember that I have zero "real" work experience, and I feel better about my choices.

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worm hole

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MPA/MPP Schools Applied To: American, UGA, Northeastern, and GWU Undergraduate institution: Top 25 private college Undergraduate GPA: 3.14 Undergraduate Major: Anthropology GRE Quantitative Score: 730 GRE Verbal Score: 680 GRE AW Score: Unknown now (probably 5-ish) Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 1 Years of Work Experience: 1/2 - 1 Describe Relevant Work Experience: Internship with park service, fairly respectable work study positions, high school tutoring and a lot of retail. Currently, I'm a bookseller at B&N, and I tutor twice a week. It's been tough getting a paid internship while in college and getting a decent job after graduation. Probably put in over 100 job applications by now. Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Honestly, it took me awhile to realize what I wanted to pursue. Deciding on a Masters program would have undoubtedly been easier if I had had more relevant work experience. Thus, I'm trying to downplay my pessimism and lack of work experience. Focusing more on my 4 undergrad seminar projects related to policy, and the influence of my comrades in park service. In college, I co-ran a student group, and began a series of highly successful "Human Rights Coffee Houses" focusing on development and health issues. Primarily, each SOP is tailored to the schools their destined for, so there's a lot of diversity between them, since the four schools I want are a bit diverse in terms of program criteria/location. Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): I have two from profs and one from my current supervisor. All will be outstanding. Unfortunately, I was late to one prof's 9am classes more than once. I don't know if he noticed or if he will mention that.

Roger Dodger