therunaround

Doesn't look good for snail mail today. I just got home and nothing and I live in DC...

I requested an increase from the MPP and received 2k more. It's always worth trying.

I couldn't agree more with you splic. I'm really choosing between gtown and duke as well (they both offered me reasonable financial aid awards) and I have been very impressed by the duke staff and equally unimpressed by the gtown people. i have spoken with a bunch of professors at GPPI and they have all been excellent people who speak highly of their students. I think the education at GPPI is great. don't be spiteful - think about which place offers a better education. that's what you're paying for, afterall!

Just got a response to my email. Here's the info that might be of interest to you all: Unfortunately, because our fellowship funds are limited, we are unable to offer you fellowship support at this time. Most years we do find that some additional funding becomes available as we move through the admissions process and, if this occurs, we will be in touch with you immediately. This makes Michigan about 5k more than Georgetown for me so screw it. No reason to leave DC.

Haven't heard anything yet. I emailed them this afternoon about it but haven't gotten a response to that either. I have a feeling that there will be some solid finanical support but nothing in the ballpark of full tuition - I think the recession has hit the university schools and their funding.

Are you talking about an MPA at the Elliott School? I'm not sure I understand because the GW MPP/MPA is one of the least expensive programs. It's over 10k cheaper than Georgetown, no?

Haha. I work in Dupont Circle and we get various entourages that travel up and down conn ave. i remember the first time i saw a large one (it was Cheney's going to the VP mansion) because it is quite an experience.

I'm taking off for 2 months and going on a cross-country camping trip, especially to national parks. Photography, travel, vacation, and cheap!

Make sure to only count stats for your specific graduate degree at each university. for example, GWU has a lot of PMFs but most come from Elliott

There are a couple reasons, some personal and some academic/professional why I think GPPI is my default. - I want to work on the Hill or for federal agencies, so the opportunity to intern during the year (which makes it easier to land a primo internship during the summer) is really appealing to me. I'm hoping to to intern at GAO, CBO, or OMB - I already live in DC and have a strong network of personal and professional contacts; seems to me that a school has to offer something special above DC schools to leave the heart of the action - While I recognize Ford's impressive quant and analytical core, I'm not sure that is what I want to get out of an MPP program. I studied econ in undergrad and expect to take a heavy quant. load with additional econ courses, but I consider that secondary to a foundation education in policy development and implementation. GPPI seems to me to be a better place to balance a practical education with quantitative skills. If you look at the bios for the professors, Michigan has some very impressive political science and econ PhD professors teaching MPP classes while GPPI relies more on practitioners and "economists" working for federal agencies. I thought about a Poli Sci or Econ PhD but chose the MPP route partially because I wasn't interested in becoming a professor or working in academia. Makes sense to me to go with the program that has professors who do what I want to do. - Duke, and Michigan to a lesser extent, are really appealing to me because of their environmental policy expertise. I am interested in focusing on env and nat resource policy. GPPI clearly does not have a history of env policy. All the people in DC that I've spoken to about this, however, have told me that potential DC employers are going to be more impressed by my knowledge and work experience than if my degree came from an env heavy institution. we are studying public policy, of course, not environmental studies. many potential employers in DC will not even know of duke's env expertise. - Couple positives for the others: Duke's admissions staff has been amazing. The program seems pleasantly sized to allow for a lot of close interaction with fellow classmates and professors. I think I would be very happy at Duke. GPPI's admission staff is terrible. They completely messed up every scholarship round, still haven't sent acceptance packets, and do not return emails or phone calls. While I can't comment on Ford's staff yet, I will say that I know half a dozen U Mich grad student who vouch for Ann Arbor's charm and pleasant lifestyle. - a final thought: It is simply an unbelievable time to live, work, and study in Washington. There is a sense of urgency and historical importance that has engulfed the city. It is amazing. While a little cliche ( a lot cliche), the whole world really is looking to America and to Washington DC in particular. This is where it happens. I love it. Every day I am reminded of why I want to study public policy. It will take some impressive fellowship funding from Michigan or Duke to make me leave DC, even for two years!

I'm dealing with exactly the same thing. Duke - 3/27 GW - 3/27 or 3/28 GPPI - 3/27 or 4/3 Ford - 4/3 - 4/4 I'm trying to choose either Duke or Michigan to visit because I think GPPI is my default right now. In other words, I'm waiting to see if something at Duke or Michigan makes me want to go there over GPPI.

wow

It is definitely hard to develop an opinion of USC from what I

In all earnest I ask that someone please tell me why SIPA is worth 60k a year of debt. Even with funding the 2nd year (not everyone gets some even in the second year), that seems like a massive liability and I'm not sure what makes SIPA worth it. Please enlighten me =)

GPA: 3.71 Q:730 V: 650 2 yrs work experience at The Brookings Institution Intern for Member of British Parliament

Shoot, I got rejected too. I wonder what type of applicant they are looking for... Not the end of the world but I hope it isn't a harbinger of rejections to come. Obviously, it's a blow to the self-esteem.

policy_applicant: wow, i'm sorry for assuming before that you'd get in. I'm a little shocked myself. You have a great line up and I really expected you to get in there. You do have excellent options so be happy about those. It's a fluke!

Indeed, but that's a decision for weeks to come (after HKS, WWS, etc.) so sit back, relax, and have a good weekend!

Oh c'mon policy_applicant, you're going to get in to GSPP. With your track record and GRE, you have nothing to worry about. You don't even need to open it, just be happy and have a good date!

I haven't heard about any other aid packages so I'd be interested to hear as well. I received a $6,000 fellowship + a $4,000 1 semester research assistantship + free health insurance (approx. $1,800 value). All told about $12k a year. They say that they are willing to negotiate if you want more aid. You have to tell them where you were accepted, what aid you received, and why you should get more from Duke. Pretty kind and well run admissions team over there, if you ask me.

I saw that someone (unclaimed?) got into SPPD with a full tuition fellowship. What are everyone's thoughts on the pros and cons?

SIPA is so expensive anyway! Their projected costs (no doubt because of the NYC location) are above 60,000 a year. Even with a fellowship, it's hard to imagine that being a reasonable debt load, right? I think that's why so many public affairs grads end up in private affairs - they don't realize how severe the debt will be until after they enroll.

Sure. You have to login to your applyyourself.com account using your PIN and password. On the homepage, below the list of required materials, "Decision Status: Available beginning 3/4/2009" can be found. I clicked the link below that and my letter popped up. They are JUST starting to send acceptances and actually included the date as you can see above, so i wouldn't worry. Also, there was no mention of batches of applications or anything. I'd say, have a look and if there's no "Decision Status" part then all you can assume is that they just haven't decided on your application yet.

It's real. I just checked my status online and was accepted with no funding support. I DID NOT receive an email tell me to check, so jusy log on and have a look.