went_away

Go wherever's cheapest. Those are all good programs, but in my experience AU SIS is the most plugged in to international development circles. UMD would also be a good option and offers a lot of good skills-based courses that would serve you well.

Leave it on, especially for a grad school application in *public* affairs (smh). That's a significant marker in the U.S. and an elite distinguisher. You'll see candidates for Congress touting it years later. Would be ideal if you could also show a pattern of community service and leadership in the years since e.g. undergrad student body president or local volunteer.

It's up there with Princeton, certainly better than any of the programs you mentioned. As a side note - and speaking as someone who got the quintessential job nearly everybody wants out of these degrees - I would suggest you temper your expectations of what any graduate program of international affairs can do in terms of "launching" your career. None of them are all that useful and they are all way overpriced relative to career outcomes, perceived prestige, and expected earnings. Veteran's preference or a 2nd tier MBA will do far more for your career than any MA in international relations.

So many red flags in this post. Listen to the above poster, OP. Getting a policy degree would be a very bad decision for you at this point. Also, don't go unless it's free. So not worth it (and if you're not able to swing a full/near-full tuition offer, that's a sign you haven't done your homework or prepped enough to be successful coming out of the degree). Finally, a second-tier MBA will do far more for a trade-oriented career (or any other career really) than a first-tier IR degree (except *maybe* Princeton), so just go to NYU or Cornell if you're that desperate to leave your current job.

Thoughtful analysis, but none of what you wrote matters very much. This is an easy decision for Pitt. Have a great time in school, work the internship/Fellowship/PMF/ clearance route aggressively the entire 2 years, and take the best offer you can get upon graduation. (Sidenote - if you want to do USAID Foreign Service, strongly suggest you get 2+ years work abroad exeprience. Peace Corps is always good for that + noncompetitive hiring status they give is key for getting into the federal government)

Prestige, ranking, perceived intellectual caliber, differentiation coming from outside DC

Definitely Chicago, especially as you want to compete for a PMF, though you'll want plenty of backup options. My advice: apply again in a year or two - to the same schools - as well as a few others, including at least a couple public unis. Hopefully you'll have a better resume (+ some savings) and be able to leverage that into at least one full tuition offer.

Hmm, UCLA is offering you a full ride AND you want to focus on California policy? I don't see how this is even a question. Enjoy LA!

IMHO, you've made the right analysis - similar/same career outcomes, nowhere near worth the extra cost + living in DC is $$$.

You have no clue what you're talking about and I do not appreciate the personal attack.

IMHO, no other region can hold a candle to the quality, drive, and sheer resources of a U.S. professional graduate school. +other countries, including/especially Europe, don't have the tradition of letting people reinvent themselves like we do in the U.S. +trying to get a work permit or build a career in the EU is a fool's errand, IMHO.

Lol, no and it's not even close, purely because of money. In addition, UCSD can give you just as good of career options as Georgetown and if anything would be a competitive advantage for Asia and Pacific-focused jobs.

Sounds like SSP is the perfect fit for you, provided you don't have to pay for it. It is THE program for security studies (don't worry about the flagship issue). It won't solve a weak resume, but yours sounds pretty strong so you should have plenty of options, especially if you want to be a fed/FSO/DoD civilian (as you probably know you'll want to check out OSD Policy, DSCA, and any of the Service HQs, like SAF/IA, G3/5/7, NIPO).

I have a very different take from the above, but wish the poster all the best in their choice.

My 2 cents: don't go to any of them. Stay at your high-paid tech career, get involved with your community, do volunteer work, write for a blog or online magazine, go to conferences, learn the lay of the land. Then in a few more years, you might consider doing a part time or executive degree. Your prospects coming out of an expensive grad school may not be any better than working a couple more years and you'll have a lot less money. Or delay going by a couple years and get yourself better established beforehand to enhance your exit opps (employers will care most about your pre-grad school experience). If you absolutely must go, go wherever is cheapest, but don't go to a European school or plan to work in the EU.