pepper84

OvertheOcean, I hear you, re the economist protesting--and I'm not even an economist. On my end, it's the rationalist asking me why the hell I'm quitting a stable, able-to-pay-the-bills-paying job to go back to graduate school and incur loads and loads of debt. Wow, just writing that out gives me a cold chill up my spine. However, like you said, this is something I have been mulling over for a few years. You're four years out, you sound confident that you want this, you know exactly what you want to study. With the GREs out of the way (an expense, to be sure!), my advice would be that you have nothing to lose by applying, at the very least. Do some research, pick 2-5 schools that really focus on what you might like to do, and go for it. You never know--maybe after you go through the process, you won't want to do it. Maybe your dream school will offer you funding. Maybe you'll be so excited about getting in that you'll KNOW you want to do it. To me, the application fees seem like a small price to pay for being able to take that next step.

Where I'm going: HKS Other schools I considered: NYU, GSPP Why I'm going: It's a big gamble, but it felt right when I was there. The students were just so interesting, the faculty drool-worthy, the program in what I want to do, unmatched. By no means an easy decision due to the funding, but a risk I think is worth to take.

I live in DC so it made sense to go here in person, but I'm pretty sure the USDA (yup, US Dept. of Agriculture) grad school offers online courses as well. I took micro and macro here and felt like I learned something. http://www.grad.usda.gov/

Crunching the numbers, assuming 120k of debt, between the LRAP and the Federal Loan Forgiveness Program, this is still a ginormous risk. Harvard's LRAP only lasts for 5 years, a much shorter time than any standard loan repayment program, and only substantially helps you if you're making very, very little money. The more promising program, the FLFP---when I spoke to someone in DoE yesterday about this program--they said they wouldn't know any details about the program until 2017 when the first eligible person applies for forgiveness! So, for example, they haven't hammered out the details on whether if you lose your job for a month (very possible, given this economy and our very likely slow road back) in the 10-year period between graduation and 120 monthly payments, if that will disqualify you from the program (FLFP requires that you be a FT employee in the np/government/public sector). And, as someone astutely pointed out, all of this depends on whether Congress appropriates enough funds for the program your graduating year (and seriously, when do they do that?). Basically, the woman I spoke with advised me NOT to count on this program. I'm thinking more and more that the debt load here simply isn't worth it, especially in this economy. This makes me so incredibly sad/frustrated, because this had been absolutely where I wanted to go.

Sure! My thoughts are a little all over the place, still. My overall impression: I wish I had totally fallen in love w the school, as its by far my cheapest option at this point, but I still have some doubts. One of the biggest things that came up for me as a question was whether career services helps students at all--maybe this is the byproduct of being in NYC, which is clearly suffering high unemployment in almost every sector, but almost no student I spoke with there seemed to have a clear picture of where they might head in May, post-graduation. The onus is VERY much on you to find a job. That's fine---no one can make you hustle but you-- but resume reviewing and cover letter critique isn't the same as active connection building and job fairs, etc. After an uninspiring undergraduate career services office, I'm looking for a little more from a graduate school. Also, as has been said on this board, everyone is very NYC-focused. It didn't seem like a lot of people were going to look elsewhere, so I think a lot of the alumni were there, too. I think other East Coast cities might be doable, but if you're looking to live in the West Coast afterwards, it could be tougher. Also, the school has a LOT of students working full time and going to school part or full time. Depending on what you're looking for, that could be a pro or a con. The student body skews a little bit older/marriages/kids, which again, speaks to the full time work, part time school aspect, and again, can be a pro or a con. One thing I heard from a student (who was not affiliated with the admitted student day) was that the academic portion of the school was not as rigorous as she had hoped it might be (she was in the health policy field). That could also be a good or bad thing, depending on what you're looking for in a school. It's a lot more management/administration (it IS an MPA not MPP after all) than quant. Personally, I'm not all that psyched about quant classes, but I do think they're important skills to pick up. Urban planning students seemed to be thrilled, though, with their curriculum. On the plus side, the faculty seemed accessible, enlightened and...fun. The deans seemed to have taken the time to personally read each application and tried to welcome admitted students by name. Impressive---you got a sense of community there, for sure, which I didn't think was possible at a big school like NYU. The facilities are pretty amazing--it gives you a sense that they want to invest more and more in the Wagner name. There are lots of opportunities to work for the school for tuition remission--while the school itself is expensive, people didn't seem to have unmanageable debt. And not enough can be said about NYC. The city is amazing...and it's possible to make it affordable, if you're willing to live outside of Manhattan. All that being said, I'm more confused than ever. I'm really hoping that my one final admitted student day will help clarify things for me...but I'm finding that money implications are pressing on me almost more than anything at this point. Hope that's helpful.

therunaround-- I have to say, HKS has been far and away my top choice since before even applying. When I started formulating a better idea of "what I want to do with my life" I was actually shocked to learn that HKS has a research center devoted exactly to that. Also, I'm originally from Boston and the idea of being close to my family again is just...amazing. I admit I actually cried when I got the acceptance--yes, dramatic, but also, just a huge culmination of effort over the past 3 years ...I was just shocked. That being said, I'm still trying to justify the 120k price tag. I'm not sure it is justifiable-- though I really believe this institution will actually take two interests that seem disparate and meld them together in one cohesive career. I know I will never make a lot of money--and that's ok---but I also don't want debt to cast a larger-than-life shadow over all future decisions--buying a house, a car, pursuing a job, etc. For right now, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for April 3. And I've bought my flight for the April 10 event and am planning to sit down after I have a full picture of the financial implications involved in all the schools---and I will see if and how I can make HKS work.

While I know no one knows yet about funding, hopefully we can have a discussion and perhaps some questions raised/answered about HKS and the value (or none) of taking on such a huge amount of debt. This topic has been discussed in smatters elsewhere, but I thought it might be good to cull the information in one place. According to the HKS website, one can assume taking on around 120K total in debt over two years to finance living and education: http://www.hks.harvard.edu/degrees/sfs/ ... n/domestic. That is an INSANE amount of money for a public service degree. However, of course, its selling points have been fleshed out here quite a bit--incredible network, outstanding reputation, quant focus, research centers catering to a variety of interests, well-known and plugged-in faculty, etc. Additionally, there are some resources to help students pay back loans after graduation, particularly if you make 60k or below in the public sector and the current dean has made a commitment to reducing debt-load a priority (although who knows what the situation will be given current economic realities and the relatively small HKS endowment). Is there anyone out there who absolutely knows they will be attending, no matter what the financial decision is on April 3, who would be willing to discuss why? Anyone who absolutely will not attend if they do not receive funding? Any current/former HKS students willing to discuss how they made an HKS education financially feasible? Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

I didn't apply to GPPI, but from what I've seen with Wagner, it does tend to be much more city-government and nonprofit oriented, so that could be a plus or a minus depending on your career goals. From what I've heard from GPPI grads, Georgetown is making a concerted effort to become quant-heavy--I'm sure this is something they've undertaken to become more competitive. They seem to have a very active alumni community (I wen there for undergrad and somehow am constantly getting GPPI notices). Obviously, both locations have much to speak for them. Overall, I think NYU will be more expensive--again, this will depend per person/funding etc. and where you live in NYC. DC is just less expensive, overall. I've heard wonderful things about the NYU faculty, and they seem to be very active in the DC community (or at least in my nonprofit world community).

Is anyone going to the March 30 reception for admitted students in DC?

I can't access it either. Super, super frustrating.

Where would one want to live if attending UC Berkeley that's relatively cheap? Does anyone know if they try to help set up roommate connections or how does all of that work? Thanks!

I couldn't sleep last night. I am a nut. And if they don't notify today, I can only imagine how nuttier I am going to get!

My dad went there for undergrad and my SO's family lives there. Princeton is actually adorable---cute little coffee shops/stores, awesome pizza (Conte's!) and weather that's not as harsh as New England but still 4 seasons. In my opinion, you'd pretty much need a car to live somewhere affordable (the housing around Princeton is very expensive--although I guess with full funding that matters to a smaller degree). If you're a city person, however, I think Princeton might be slightly sleepy for you. Also, it has a very...almost ritzy feel, due to the undergrad population. However, it's two years, and an open door to almost anything you'd want. Plus, you can relatively easily get to Philly/DC, although again, I'd say you'd need a car.

The big reject.

Has anybody visited or had serious contact with the school? I'd love to hear people's thoughts--they've offered a generous amount of money, but at least in my current policy world, no one has heard of the school. I wonder if that would be a big detriment.

gpa 3.9, 680 v, 720 q, 6 aw 3 yrs we, including time on Hill and at nonprofit

I don't really know what that means (I'm in your boat--D). From what I've gathered, Harvard in particular receives a lot more applications from people who've worked the blue side of the aisle, which makes Rs stand out.

I think you'll be fine, actually. Harvard is actively recruiting Republicans--in fact, in one admissions information session, one of the current students joked that he felt like it was the first time something like affirmative action worked for him. It was a joke, of course, but something to think about. So on top of your financial industry/regulator experience/government experience, that WH line on your resume is going to look great.

And to continue with that, these programs seem to be notifying later this year than last. Seems only logical to push back the April 15 date, then, too...

I only learned about this program after speaking with an admissions officer at a grad school fair. Looking into it further, it seems really interesting and very multi-disciplinary, with a good focus on actually running governmentprograms/nonprofits and lots of opportunities to cross-register with other parts of the school. However, other than its own advertising/website, I haven't hear much about this program (specifically, the MGA track). Does anyone out there have more information on how good this program is/what job propects are/geographic ability of graduates to move around/funding/admissions/etc.? Obviously, UPenn has an oustanding "brand," so to speak, but Fels seems to fly below the radar. Any thoughts?

Younglions, where are you finding this information on Peterson's? Do you have to be a registered user? Do you have any info on NYU or Berkeley?

Does anyone have any information on how Fletcher does in regards to domestic policy issues? Obviously, it's an internationally-focused school, but I thought it would also focus on domestic work as, realistically, I think it would be hard for a school to place/market all of its graduates in international jobs. I applied there as my interests are mixed: have mostly domestic work on my resume (although grew up internationally). Also, for those of you who already know whether you've been accepted, did you find out via email or throught the Tufts link they sent out? Thanks!

As someone who lives in DC and works on K St (albeit at a nonprofit) I would respectfully disagree with the assessment that GW's policy program is generally regarded as stronger than Georgetown's---that has definitely not been my impression. Then again, DC is very much about WHO you know and not necessarily WHAT you know...so in the end, go to the program that 1. offers you more money, 2. fits your schedule better (both programs, and American's, offer lots of night classes and good opportunities to intern downtown) and 3. appeals to you more in terms of student breakdown/class offerings/etc.

too many, i think... :wink: in all seriousness, hks does a very good job at not letting applicants know how many apply, what their admissions rates are, what admitted students' gpa/gre scores are, etc. i'd be curious to know any of this information, as well!

wow, me too. Thanks to whoever caught this. when I called, I just asked whether this was a system-wide problem and they responded that they're looking into it and not sure what caused it. in any case, if you applied there, you might want to check your application again...