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Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Small liberal arts college in Virginia, top tier Previous Degrees and GPA's: BA - Journalism and Mass Communications, 3.23 GPA GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 580(v) 670(q) 4.5(aw) Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 3 yrs work experience, 2 working in communications/marketing for small nonprofit Math/Econ Background: Some Calculus and Econ in college, about 4-6 courses total. Foreign Language Background: Spanish 1 yr college Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Nonprofit management, social policy Long Term Professional Goals: Nonprofit in field of poverty alleviation or some health-related field, or NGO Schools Applied to & Results: Accepted - Brown (MPP), American (MPA), New School/Milano (Urban Policy Analysis and Management), NYU/Wagner (MPA - PNP), Texas/LBJ (MPAff), CMU/Heinz (MSPPM) Ultimate Decision & Why: CMU/Heinz - It came down to Heinz or NYU and ultimately I decided that I liked the smaller size of Heinz and the heavy emphasis on skills/quant. There aren't quite as many classes geared specifically towards nonprofit management, but I think the skills and tools CMU will provide me with make it easy to move into whatever field I desire. Heinz also provided me with more money than NYU and cost of living is significantly lower in Pittsburgh. I feel like I will have an opportunity to really stand out in the smaller classes and have closer relationships with my professors at Heinz than I would have had I gone to a larger school. Any advice to Future Applicants? Definitely don't discount any school, or choose a favorite for that matter, before you visit and really talk to students and professors. I was positive that I would be attending LBJ because I loved Austin and just had a great feeling. When I went to visit, I was very underwhelmed by the program and was definitely thrown for a loop in terms of making my decision. On the other hand, I wasn't particularly drawn to Heinz before I visited, but I ended up being really impressed by the students and the opportunities there, and I think I will receive a really top notch education there.

(Cross posting this from Govt Affairs -- didnt get any response over there) I've narrowed down my choices to Heinz - MSPPM or Wagner - MPA/Public and Nonprofit Management. I have a wide range of interests and I'm really not sure what I want to do ultimately, but I'm interested generally in nonrprofit management and a wide range of social policy. The feeling I got at NYU was that everyone had a "change the world" sense of purpose, but that it was much less quant-heavy. I think I need the quant stuff to make me stand out from other potential job applicants, etc, but my worry about Heinz is that it might be too general as people have a wider range of interests. Help me decide! Heinz Pros: smaller, cheaper (living and tuition), more MBA-like courses/focus, very quant/skill focused, MS degree vs. MPA, lots of opportunities for private, public, or nonprofit jobs and internships (LOTS of consulting opportunities) Cons: Not as great a location as NYC, less social policy and nonprofit specific courses. Wagner Pros: NYC -- lots of opportunities for internships/work experience right in the city, lots of nonprofit and social policy-specific courses Cons: Expensive, less-quant/skill focused, very big (less interaction with profs and classmates)

I've narrowed down my choices to Heinz - MSPPM or Wagner - MPA/Public and Nonprofit Management. I have a wide range of interests and I'm really not sure what I want to do ultimately, but I'm interested generally in nonrprofit management and a wide range of social policy. The feeling I got at NYU was that everyone had a "change the world" sense of purpose, but that it was much less quant-heavy. I think I need the quant stuff to make me stand out from other potential job applicants, etc, but my worry about Heinz is that it might be too general as people have a wider range of interests. Help me decide! Heinz Pros: smaller, cheaper (living and tuition), more MBA-like courses/focus, very quant/skill focused, MS degree vs. MPA, lots of opportunities for private, public, or nonprofit jobs and internships (LOTS of consulting opportunities) Cons: Not as great a location as NYC, less social policy and nonprofit specific courses. Wagner Pros: NYC -- lots of opportunities for internships/work experience right in the city, lots of nonprofit and social policy-specific courses Cons: Expensive, less-quant/skill focused, very big (less interaction with profs and classmates)

Help me pick....my interests are social policy and/or nonprofit management.

not according to the professor I spoke with...he specifically said you could apply during your first year at LBJ, and in fact, thats how most of them get in.

I emailed a professor at LBJ and he said most of the students in the dual MBA/MPAff get in by applying to the business school during their first year at LBJ. I didn't get in as a dual degree applicant, so if I go to LBJ, I will definitely be applying during my first year.

does this seem really inexpensive? or am i just naive about this...CMU/Heinz is 19,000 a semester, so even with my 8,000 a semester scholarship, LBJ is still cheaper. I was thinking I couldnt pass up such great funding, but it basically just evens the playing field...

I want to make sure i'm reading the LBJ website correctly...out of state tuition is about $9500 per semester???

thanks for the info...I was going to contact someone at Tepper to clarify. In my admissions letter, they indicated that I should NOT email individual admissions officers, only the waitlist general email. Do you think I should just send an email saying I have been admitted to heinz?? thanks!

no funding for me

I received mine earlier today as well. Has anyone located a list of recent LBJ grad employers? I found the graphs that divide careers up based on public/nonprofit/private and location but not the names of actual companies, organizations or government agencies.

thanks so much for taking the time to answer all our questions mppgal55, I know i really appreciate it. going off what you said about PhDs and "academics" at Heinz, do you think there is a good balance between ppl focused specially on policy and research vs. administration and management? what about grads going into public vs. nonprofit vs. private positions post-grad?

haha yes you did, thanks so much! i never expected to get into all these programs, especially Heinz, so I'm at a loss. I think right now I'm leaning more towards Heinz or LBJ...it will be interesting to compare them after I visit each of them. How do you like pittsburgh? When I visited for my Tepper interview, I was pleasantly surprised. One last question (I promise ), how involved/helpful you feel the university is in finding an internship and jobs? Is it pretty self-directed for are you finding help along the way as you need it?

Thanks so much for your input...I think you are right that I need to keep in mind location post-grad and most importantly, fit. I will definitely be attending the Accepted Students weekend at Heinz and I look forwarded to learning more. I am on the wait list at Tepper, so if I were to get in I would absolutely choose CMU. Do you know whether or not its possible to apply to the dual degree during your first year at Heinz if I don't get off the wait list this year??

thanks...and congrats to you too! i also didn't expect to have this many choices and thus am left totally confused. I am definitely planning on attending accepted students days at all three schools, and I've reached out to the admissions departments to see if they can put me in touch with alums.