kmelman

Hey skipxtracer-- I'm curious to hear if you've made your decision. I made mine today. MDP Emory, here I come! I'm also very nervous about the price tag. I've talked to a few people who are in the field of international development and everyone seems to say that connections, experience, and hard skills (e.g., a specific research method, computer program, etc) are priceless (not sure about priceless, but you get the point). With regard to connections, I'm not referring to the surface level connections you make at some networking event. I'm talking about the connections that come from someone who is deeply invested in your success. Seems like the MDP people at Emory walk-the-walk when it comes to preparing students and connecting them with people who make decisions about hiring...i.e., paying back loans! At least that's what I'm telling myself...I really hope I'm right. Have you had any 'revelations' about all of this grad school stuff?!

bgreenster- I had to make a decision today and I went with Emory...and I've been freaking out all day! (Yeah, I don't really like committing to any one thing...especially such an expensive thing). I know I picked the best program for me, but I'm still REALLY nervous about the whole Atlanta thing. And debt. I am beyond thrilled I decided to check out this forum tonight. Your reassuring words about Atlanta are music to my ears...and I might actually be able to sleep tonight. Tons of people have been telling me not to worry, and blah blah blah, but none of them have lived in Georgia and none of them are going to grad school. I'm glad to hear it's not impossible to find a handful of Austinesque people in Atlanta. And, naturally, I'll be staying as far away as possible from the rich suburban areas. So maybe that even ups (is that even a word?! I need to go back to school desperately...) my odds of meeting some chill folks. It's interesting you say you don't feel comfortable in northern cities. I can't say I feel uncomfortable, but something keeps me on edge and generally bothered. I can't quite put my finger on it. I just really prefer being in a place where people are genuinely friendly. (I've also found this type of friendliness in the midwest. I would've looked at schools in that part of the country if it wasn't so cold. I already did cold for 5 years in Vermont). I mean, there are many things that drive me crazy about the south, especially the many backwards politicians and laws (or lack thereof). I guess there's good and bad wherever you go. I am actually quite relieved to hear you don't think Emory's all that prestigious. I've never had an interest in prestige when it comes to school. I grew up with too many people who obsess about that nonsense. I try my best to avoid people who are into that stuff...and it's definitely easy to do that in Austin. Basically, I went into this looking for an awesome program...and one of the most unique programs happened to be at Emory. I still feel like NOLA is more 'me,' but the whole point of grad school is school, right?! It'd be different if I was moving for a job or something. My decision came down to this: great city/good program vs unknown (that is, to me) city/amazing program. I chose the program over the city, even though Emory's a few thousand dollars more than Tulane. I'm also disappointed about the first Berkeley's MDP cohort not starting until fall 2012. Missed it by one year! Frustrating. I've heard Athens is a neat place, and that it's similar to Austin. I hope to visit frequently! I have a few questions about Georgia and Atlanta as well. If you have the time, it'd be great to get your input! Is it possible to private message? I'm assuming if I type my email address it won't show up when I post. You can tell I'm not super forum-savvy...

I hear ya. Private school tuition is insanity. It really is! At this point, I'm just trying to pick the school that'll help me find paid AND fulfilling employment after I graduate. All of the programs I'm interested in require a summer practicum abroad, which means I won't be able to earn money working at, for example, a restaurant in the U.S. The two summer practicums are included in Emory's total cost (about 61k). That includes airfare, housing, etc. All I'd need to do is find a subletter for my TBD housing. The Tulane program doesn't seem to include the (one) practicum in its costs. I'm sure, however, they'd try to help me get at least part of it funded by the school (still, that's no guarantee). I know for a fact that some of the current MDP students at Emory work on and off campus during the regular academic year, so that helps. And I bet Tulane students do as well (though, I don't know for sure). One thing that worries me about Emory/Atlanta is snobbiness that may come along with attending a 'prestigious' school. I'm pretty down to earth and I absolutely hate pressure-cooker, mightier-than-though environments. I grew up in DC so I'm quite convinced I know what I'm talking about. I was pleasantly surprised with the warmth of those associated with the Emory MDP program. I realize it can't as laid back as Austin (where I currently reside), but I'd imagine it can't be as bad as DC, right?! There must be a couple of hundred progressive, quirky, open-minded, grassroots-type people in Atlanta, right?! Hmmm, I guess I'm getting off topic...

I don't know if y'all realize it or not (I sure didn't!), but the 61k per year price tag for Emory's MDP program includes 12 MONTHS OF EXPENSES. I went back and looked at other programs I got into, and realized that they post estimated expenses for 9 MONTHS. If you're like me, I totally overlooked this detail and just thought Emory was reallly expensive. Well, it IS expensive, but not quite as expensive as I thought. For example, I thought Tulane (a school I'm seriously considering) was a lot less expensive. This morning I looked at estimated yearly costs and just as I suspected, it's only for the academic (i.e., 9 months) year. The $53,000 listed on the Tulane website is only for 9 MONTHS. So 12 MONTHS would be about $57,000, if not more. This is only about 4k less than Emory, so the decision becomes less about price (because BOTH are super expensive) and more about the program and how far that money will take you. Though 61k is a hard pill to swallow, I appreciate Emory's transparency. No surprises, you know what I mean?!