MagiciansAlliance

THIS IS WHERE I'M GOING TO ATTEND: Ford School, U Michigan (MPP) OTHER SCHOOLS I CONSIDERED: Harris U. Chicago, Georgetown WHY I CHOSE MY NEW SCHOOL: A combination of factors, including funding, dual-degree opportunities, reputation, welcoming community, gut, and I really liked Ann Arbor. I also really liked Chicago, and if it weren't for the funding disparity, this would have been a really difficult choice.

Came down to Chicago and Michigan for me. I'm choosing Michigan.

Thanks for the clarification, Steven33, and your insights about living in Chicago. I echo your comment that either choice would be a good one. I will also readily admit that preview weekends are always a bit of a crapshoot, and I'm sure that I came away heavily influenced by the opinions and general demeanor of a small sample size at each school.

App4MPP, I just got back from visiting Harris and Ford. I should start by saying that I was leaning towards Ford going into the weekend (due to a combination of a slight funding advantage at Ford, and my perceived idea that Ford is more established and has a better reputation). Because of this inclination, I sat in on classes at Chicago on Thursday and attended the admitted students sessions at Ford on Friday and Saturday--which probably means I gave Ford a closer examination. Chicago The University is beautiful (although the Harris building is new, and in my opinion, unattractive). That being said, Hyde Park is tiny and surrounded by slums. A student told me that most of the MPPs live on the North side and commute to campus (about 35-45 minutes each way). I sat in on a couple of classes and came away with a favorable impression--but I wasn't blown away. All of the students that I spoke to on campus were very nice, seemed intelligent, but weren't particularly outgoing. Throughout my trip, I felt as though I needed to act proactively in order to get what I wanted. It wasn't that anyone was unhappy to engage with me, but they also didn't seem interested in going out of their way to show me a good time. In regards to academics, U. Chicago is a great school and the Harris school is no different. I particularly like the trimester system, for all the reasons mentioned above. The large core class sizes is a bit of a turn-off, but not the end of the world. Electives and seminars are much smaller. Michigan Ann Arbor is definitely a college town. The first person I spoke to in Ann Arbor was a cab driver, and he immediately started trying to sell me on the school (his claim that there was an abundance of attractive women and a dearth of eligible males seemed dubious, but when he started talking about how safe the city was my ears perked up...as the previous day I found myself lost, for about 45 minutes in one of the slums that abuts the Chicago campus). In general, I found the Ford school and U. of M. to be a remarkably welcoming place. The Spring Preview event was extremely well organized. Students, alumni, and even faculty members seemed eager to speak with me (although not a random sample, I was still impressed). One alumni mentioned to me that he had picked Ford over Harris, in large part due to institutional support. He said when he visited Harris he spoke to a student who had failed Calculus twice, and was taking it for a third time. When he asked if the student had spoken to their adviser, the student mentioned that they don't have faculty advisers at Harris. Conclusion I came in with a bit of a bias towards Michigan, and it's possible I didn't give Chicago a fair chance. That being said, I really was impressed by the network and support at Ford and I'm pretty sure it's where I'm going to end up. The second day at Ford I spoke with another prospective student who was considering both schools. She said that she had attended Chicago's events on Friday, and found them a bit dour. At Michigan, by comparison, everyone seemed upbeat and engaged in the community (which was my impression as well). In all honesty, I think both schools have a lot of good attributes. I really wish, for example, that Ford was on the trimester system, or that Detroit offered the same career opportunities as Chicago). That being said, I think that I will end up at Ford for the following reasons: 1. A real sense of community and institutional backing 2. Fantastic dual degree opportunities 3. Living on/near campus vs commuting 4. A very engaged career services department (2 full time employees who's sole job is to help you find internships and jobs--current students and alumni raved about these two people)

Hi All, I just got back from Michigan's accepted students weekend and I was very impressed. Coming from a small liberal arts school, I was really surprised by the strong community at the Ford school and the U of M in general--I hadn't expected to find this at such a large institution. Every student, faculty, and staff member who I met at the Ford school was extremely warm and welcoming...and very happy to be at the Ford school. Regarding a previous comment, I was also really impressed by the career services department. The Ford school has two full time employees who's role is to support the students in obtaining jobs and internships. All of the students and alumni who I spoke with this weekend and who spoke during the panels were positively glowing about career services. Full disclosure: I didn't look at Duke and know very little about the program. For me, the choice came down to Chicago, Michigan, and Georgetown. At this point I'm pretty much sold on Michigan.

To follow up on what APP4MPP said, Minneapolis is a really nice place. I'm from california, but I did my undergrad at a liberal arts school nearby and I loved it. The weather didn't bother me as much as I thought it would, and Minnesota is far more cosmopolitan than the coasts would have you believe (at least so far as the big cities and college towns go...I've heard horror stories about the iron range). The quality of life in Minnesota really is excellent. If you're deciding whether or not to go to HHH, don't let preconceptions about the state of Minnesota negatively affect your decision.

Thanks xnormajeanx, you make a lot of really good points, especially regarding opportunities outside the classroom. That being said, I'm curious if it is common for faculty members to work with MPPs on research projects, or generally engage with students outside of the scope of normal classes. Is that something you've experienced or seen much of?

I'm deciding between these two programs as well, although I'm probably leaning towards Ford. This is partly because of funding, but not entirely. So far, I've found Ford to be more welcoming (I was contacted directly by a current MPP--when I asked why she chose Ford,she responded with a long, compelling email within the hour). I have a fairly strong quant background (econ undergrad major), so I suspect that I'll be able to take a number of electives at either program. Because of this,it's quite likely I'll pursue a dual-degree, which is more possible at Michigan. I've also heard really great things about the Michigan faculty and the availability of research positions at Ford. I'm going to visit both schools in a couple of weeks. I'll post my impressions of the two when I return.

Hey Goodlife, I'm leaning towards Michigan as well, but I haven't had a chance to visit Ann Arbor yet. It sounds like you're pretty set on Michigan, so I'm curious what you like about it and why you think it's the best fit for you? Thanks!

Hey Numbers, I'm in a pretty similar situation. I'm also interested in more domestic policy, and I think that there's a really good chance I'll pursue a Ph.D after I get my MPP. Because of this, I'm leaning towards Chicago and Michigan. I'll go visit those two schools and probably not visit Georgetown. There is a Georgetown accepted students event in my area (San Francisco), so I'll probably check that out.

Hey Stephen33, any chance I can get in on that PM as well? Thanks so much!

Thanks Cerise, that's quite helpful.

I also got the $17,500 at Michigan, but I've had a difficult time figuring out from their website what the yearly tuition is. Here is their website: http://www.umich.edu/~regoff/tuition/full.html Under Public Policy, it looks like it's $16K plus $5K candidacy. So, does this mean it's about $21K a term, or $42K a year? Can anyone confirm this? Thanks.

I also just received scholarship information from Michigan (about 2:15 Pacific Time).

dayafterxmas: I think your concern is unlikely. It seems like there are enough people on this board that somebody would have notified us. Hopefully...

According to someone on the results page, Harris won't be sending out emails until Monday (admittedly after their March 15 deadline).

GPA: 3.35 (Econ with an ascending trajectory) Top liberal arts school GRE: V 720, Q 770, 4.5 2.5 years in private sector working for an academic journal publishing company.

I'm not really sure if this helps clarify anything, but about a month ago GPPI emailed me to say that my application wasn't complete, and that they hadn't received my official transcript. I resent it immediately, and I just heard a couple of hours ago that I am accepted. The email also said that if selected for FA, I would receive FA info with my official letter, which I will receive in the next couple of weeks. So perhaps they are sending out all the official letters at once, after they have decided all of the admits? This could be when they announce financial aid. Just a thought as to why no one's heard yet.

Perfect, thanks so much.

Number35: where did you get the information about the individualized, dual MA with the econ department? That's appealing to me, but I can't find any discussion of the dual degree on the Michigan site.

Hi All, I applied to the Ford School for an MPP, based mostly upon U.Michigan's reputation/USNWR/website, and am really curious to hear what people with more experience think about the program. Ford's website claims that graduates are not at a disadvantage when it comes to getting jobs in Washington, can anyone support this anecdotally? What about general impressions of the students and/or faculty? Any additional information would be appreciated. Thanks!