stigMPA

I refer to the GW (Trachtenberg) MPA/MPP, but I'm not talking about the absolute cost of attendance. To wit my advisor's comments had to do with the cost relative to the quality of the program. In other words, GW might be "10k cheaper" than Georgetown, but the reputation relative to Georgetown's is more than 10k worse, too. In his estimation the education was a poor value for the money.

His comments were specifically about the MPA program. I don't want to mischaracterize what he said - the emphasis was more on "value" rather than the quality of the program. Put another way he told me it's not a bad program, but it's not great and for the price one could attend any MPA program in the country. Keep in mind, though, that I was a fairly strong applicant and have since been admitted to some great schools, so I suppose there might be some danger of taking advice meant for one context and applying it elsewhere. If I remember this conversation correctly (and that's a big "if" - it was one of many and months ago) he expressed concern about some administrative and personnel instabilities, as well as the quant. units. I probably didn't pry too deeply into this because it was clear he was advising me to look elsewhere.

As I understand it, April 15th is the date - with or without funding.

NYC is a four hour drive from Syracuse, but in reality the program is too short and intensive for that to matter. Maxwell MPA students usually complete their degree in an academic year and the summer before and after, so there isn't really time for an internship during the course of study - even locally. Don't get me wrong - there are myriad opportunities for Maxwell MPA grads afterward - you'll see that Maxwell MPAs are consistently placed in top organizations. It's difficult to talk about the "marketability" of any MPA degree without knowing exactly what you intend to do with it, but if there is such a thing Maxwell has it in spades. The alumni network is extensive and influential and the degree can get your foot in the door at some big places. As people on this forum have said, rankings aren't everything but it's not by accident that the Maxwell School and Maxwell MPA are both ranked #1. Consider your time in Syracuse as a chance to learn and prepare yourself. There really isn't anything Maxwell MPA does badly, and hopefully at the end of your studies you'll be ready to tear into whatever kind of work you have in mind. --- If you don't mind me asking, what are your other options? It sounds like you're agonizing over this. Full disclosure: Barring an unforeseen funding bonanza from my close #2 I expect to enroll at Maxwell. I'm pretty excited about the place and sometimes have trouble understanding that others may not be.

Paradoxically, it might be quite a competitive advantage to know Cantonese rather than Mandarin (obv. preferably both). Think of it like this: learning Spanish as a second language is a low-value skill for most Americans, since millions of bilingual US citizens (Puerto Ricans, recent immigrants from Latin America etc.) already speak it at the native levels. The demand for new ones - especially at learner's level - is very low. Likewise, there is and will continue to be a glut of Mandarin speakers in the US and English speakers in China. Cantonese? Not so much. Remember, too, that Hong Kong's influence and wealth is disproportionate to its size.

I understand your anxieties about APSIA membership. All of my advisors have stressed the importance accreditation and membership in organizations like APSIA - and with good reason. However, in this case I would talk to them and determine if they are building the program or if it is stagnating. I wouldn't be shocked if Chicago were working on becoming a full APSIA member. If they are building to that status in the next few years you could enroll with confidence (assuming you like the place in all other regards). Chicago is a top quality school and a brand name. Even without APSIA membership that fact alone will get a look at many non-academic positions after graduation. Like anything it's contingent on your priorities.

I can confirm your experience. I've met two Wagner faculty members recently and was hugely impressed with both of them. NYU is a powerhouse that attracts some great talent in urban management, etc. With Wagner the first and last question you need to ask yourself is "Do I want to work in NYC?" If you accept, the answer should be an unequivocal "yes".

It's easy to get dejected but I'd like to know who told you that U. Chicago isn't a "top school". It's a fantastic institution that I'm sure most on this forum would be proud to have on their CV. If you really have your heart set elsewhere, just reapply with a stronger package next year or when the economy gets better. This was a notoriously competitive year for graduate school admissions. That said, thirteen applications sounds as though you might be casting too large a net. It's fine to have backups, but I don't see much point in spending the time and money applying to programs that you can't imagine attending.

Syracuse is the snowiest city (pop 100,000+) in America. (source: http://www.123syracuse.com/snowycities.html) It's a one-year masters, though, so total snowfall should compare favorably to two-year programs in the north.

With several notable exceptions (The New School, George Mason economics, etc.) I wouldn't worry too much about ideological rigidity. In all but the smallest programs you will probably find a few kindred spirits. Also, (as stated above) most accredited MPA/MPP programs display a surprising amount of consensus around best practices. If this is a major concern, I would advise that you do extensive Google Scholar searches on the faculty you would most likely be working with. Move on if their work doesn't pass your personal smell test.

I think it's all a matter of perspective. Is your dream to work at [insert major NGO or three-letter federal agency here] or do you want to just make a difference in the public/nonprofit sphere? One path hardly precludes the other, but a diploma from a top 5 program will make realizing the first dream easier. For those hell-bent on this path, the debt is an investment in their dream job. And that's fine. But if the second path sounds more like it there is no need for you to drown in debt to attend an elite program. You won't have a hard time finding accredited MPA/MPA programs that will do a bang-up job preparing you.

Pros: *Location, location, location *Diverse mix of mid-career professionals and straight-from-undergrads. Cons: *Ripoff tuition for the education received (one of my closest advisors said GW was an "awful value for the money") *Exorbitant cost of living --- Basically, ask yourself if GW would have made your shortlist if it weren't in DC. If you have something specific in mind in the District and/or funding - go for it. Otherwise, consider yourself warned.

To me, this would boil down to where you want to wind up working. USC is a very solid program but I've heard that more than a few graduates of theirs struggle to find the kind of work they want on the east coast where there isn't much of an alumni network. If you want to work on the west coast this is fine - maybe even preferable to Syracuse. However, if you want to work on the east coast a Syracuse degree would be much more helpful. EDIT: Oh and yes, the rumors are true. The university hill neighborhood of Syracuse is very affordable.

Congrats! My paperwork came in the mail a few days ago. I can't tell you what funding will be like this year due to the economic crisis - even for a private University like Syracuse. I guess you'll just have to wait. If you attend, your diploma will have a great reputation behind it - not to mention the resources that come with an extensive and influential network of alumni in all the east coast "power cities" - Boston, NYC, DC, etc. It's common for Maxwell MPA graduates to take positions at top institutions like those you mentioned. In fact, several actively recruit on campus. That's the advantage of a reputation like the Maxwell School's (and the MPA program specifically). You don't get that at many places.

Unless it's an elite J School, I would strongly advise that you dabble in some freelance journalism work before taking the leap. You can pick up most of the basics on the job and you'll learn if the profession is right for you or not. The field is enormously unstable now and always hyper-competitive. Then, even if you still want to go ahead with a graduate journalism degree your admissions packet will look much better. Have you considered a degree in another field? Presumably you can already write well; you'd serve yourself well to have something to write about. Expertise in a particular area is the kind of thing that can set you apart from the multitudes graduating with journalism degrees every year.

Even for quantitative people (heck, especially for quantitative people) mandatory calculus is a total waste of time. Other than that, though, I hear good things. GMU is a program on the way up.

NYU has been described to me as a feeder for New York city government and Georgetown attracts too many part-timers working in DC to fit in with the others you listed. Chicago is quantitatively rigorous, but doesn't have the best name recognition on the coasts. Likewise, USC is great if you want to work on the west coast, but I've heard that their networking connections elsewhere are limited relative to the others you listed. I would recommend against Utah unless you intend to work in Utah or have a very specific plan of study in mind. A degree from Utah just won't carry the same weight as the other schools you applied to. It would seem that Syracuse, Princeton and Harvard would suit you best. They all have strong alumni networks and consistently place graduates at top jobs in the field. Whatever that means for you - be it academic track or professional - you would do yourself a favor by choosing one of those three if you're lucky enough to have that option. As close as they are, I'd say that each of the three fits one of your concerns best: Princeton probably has the best pure Econ focus of the three, Harvard the best name among those in the developmental community, and Syracuse the best alumni network (the "Maxwell Mafia"). In truth, though, you couldn't go wrong with any of the three as they are all world-class programs. Assuming that you had the chops to be accepted to these programs you could probably thrive anywhere. I'd be more specific with my advice, but "economics" and "development" are far too broad. I would recommend that you focus less on the school and instead on a faculty member or two that you would like to work with. Best of luck.

I had my interview there back in mid-February. I thought it went very well, but since then no word. The wait wasn't getting to me until I started hearing back from other programs. Now it's unbearable.