PrattIAFF

The name of the school matters not if you're drowning in debt and stressed to the max... usually the fiscally responsible choice is also the best personal and professional choice... It's a lot easier to think about important decisions when you don't have to consider your ball and chain...

But what you have going for you is your undergrad institution... it always amazed me how people from D.C. schools get jobs straight out of undergrad,.... just hit the D.C. pavement and see what you come up with. I'd say you should hold fire on grad school, try to take advantage of your D.C. location, try very hard to get an internship with an organization/agency that does the kind of work you want to be doing, and reapply next year with a year more of experience. On the flip side, depending on what you want to do, you will likely be competing with people with higher qualifications even for internship positions... Tough spot, I know, but I was in a similar situation when I had to choose between a full ride at GWU or go to Georgetown MSFS for $30k... the margin wasn't as big as the one you're talking about, but it was enough to make me decide to save money at a great school rather than go into more debt at the #1 school...

Just declined my offer... hope a spot opens for some of you still waiting or waitlisted!

Plug in the numbers... look at the total amount paid over the life of the loan with $60k vs $120k in loans http://www.finaid.org/calculators/ibr.phtml

It actually is the case, and it's no more fair than someone less qualified getting the job you want because they know someone... but it is a reality that you are facing... And when I moved, I had a job lined up with a large restaurant chain that I worked for... I just transferred... I realize this isn't an option for most people, but I worked restaurant jobs throughout college and through to unpaid internships in D.C.... so I kind of had a fall-back "career."

Where are you located and where is your prospective graduate school located? This matters... For example, I studied abroad my senior year of college and then did an internship abroad... then I moved back to my hometown (small town in the South) and started applying for jobs and internships abroad and in D.C... for four months, no response... not one.. I finally decided I had to go to where the jobs are first... So I saved money, moved to D.C., and within a month I had three interviews and an offer... Location matters.

It would help to know where you're going to school, what you're planning to study, and what your long-term professional goals are... But as a general rule, experience is just as valuable as education - so you need both in order to really make your graduate degree count when you graduate. I would also say it depends on the reason for the gap in employment... I know this is usually a pretty personal issue, so I on't ask, but future employers will want to know whether or not they're willing to ask.

I know that when I was researching programs a year ago, threads like this were really useful so I thought we should do one for next year's aspiring MPA/MPP/ID grad students. You know the drill - Previous Schools Middle Tennessee State University, Motlow State Community Collegy Previous Degrees and GPAs: B.S. International Relations/B.A. Political Science (GPA - 3.7), A.S. Psychology (GPA - 3.4) GRE Scores: Verbal - 159, Quant - 148 (w/o calculator.... would be funny if it weren't horrifying), Analytical - 5.5 Previous Work Experience: 2.5 yrs/ Internships in Washington, D.C. and abroad + Independent research for months. Math/Econ Background: Intro to micro/macro (6 credits, A/A) Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Advanced Swahili, Elementary French Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International Affairs, Security Long Term Professional Goals: U.S. Foreign Service Schools Applied to & Results: Accepted to all: Syracuse Maxwell (MAIR), Tufts Fletcher (MALD + $22k/yr), Georgetown (M.A. Government), Georgetown (MSFS + $10k/yr), American SIS (MAIA-CRS), George Washington Elliott School (MAIR + $15k/yr) Also applied and was awarded the Rangel Fellowship ($20k/yr) Ultimate Decision & Why: GWU Elliott School MA International Affairs: Financial: Offered $15k/yr, which means a full ride with the Rangel Fellowship Location: Heart of D.C. Curriculum: Flexible MA, emphasis on professional skills, and courses are in evening allowing me to take advantage of all that D.C. has to offer during the day, more opportunities to network, and additional French language study. V.S. other schools: After all considerations of what I want out of a graduate program, it became a choice of going to GWU for free or going to Georgetown for a total of $30k... Even though Georgetown has the prestige of being #1, I decided that the benefit of going there would not be much greater than GWU since I am going directly into the Foreign Service. $30k saved is $30k earned. Also, after speaking with Georgetown students, it sounds like they're drowning in academics, and aren't as plugged into the DC. community as other students... If Georgetown were also a full ride, or if I had to pay $30k for GWU, it might be a different story. Advice for Future Applicants: My advice would depend on what the applicant wants to do academically and professionally, but I would say that you should seek out strong recommendations, don't ever think that you're too overqualified to apply for internship positions, know the ins-and outs of what each graduate program offers, speak with current and former students of the program (go through the admissions office to ask if they can put you in contact with any of them, seek and apply for allllll sources of additional funding you can muster... Feel free to contact me if you want some custom-made advice

Just wanted to throw out a hypothetical situation. What factors would you consider if you were offered a full ride at GWU Elliott School and also a significant reduction (66%) at Georgetown. Suppose also that you have a guaranteed job in your field (a federal agency, for example) when you graduate, regardless which school you attend. And let's just throw in the fact that you have, let's say, $40k in debt from undergrad.. Would it be justified to go to $30k more into debt to attend Georgetown when you have a full ride at GWU and a guaranteed job either way? Purely hypothetical.

Log in to your online application... scroll to the bottom of the page and there should be a link to your acceptance letter.

I'm also wondering... would it be in the acceptance letter or sent separately? Judging from previous GradCafe threads, MSFS financial awards were given in the acceptance letter.

In previous years admissions acceptances, rejections and waitlists were interspersed and announced over several days... no apparent formula. Good luck to those still waiting... just periodically check your online applications.

IN! CHECK YOUR ONLINE APPLICATION! My decision was waiting even though I didn't get an email...

I can speak to this somewhat... not from personal experience or anything. I personally know two people who went through the conflict resolution program at GU... and I've known several MSFS-ers as well... The Conflict Resolution Program (CR) is housed in Georgetown's school of government, while THe SFS is its own free-standing school... MSFS students can take courses from the school of Gov't, and vice-versa.... so if you're admitted to the CR program, you would technically be able to take MSFS courses...MSFS students have priority at SFS, so if a SFS class fills, you wouldn't be able to enroll. What sets the CR program apart is its flexibility.... about half of the courses are electives... so you can build an interdisciplinary program across multiple depts and within the dept of government... that's an attractive option. As far as ranking, I don't have a clue how CR programs are ranked. I do know that American and GMU are better-known CR programs.... But SAIS is a dual-concentration degree... half of the required courses are in economics.. So if you don't particularly want an economics focus, you would be better placed in a CR program like GU or an IR program with a CR concentration like many of the other schools (GW, Tufts, Columbia) offer. My two cents...

Congrats all around! Now fellowships should be announced in a few days.