CharKel27

Thanks for the help!

Hey all, While I took a stats course during my undegrad career, USC requires you to take a statistics course within 3 years of matriculation...and I'm an old bag at 28, thus I need to retake stats. I'd rather not do it through USC considering it'll be expensive, but I also have a very intense summer job that will not leave me much free time at all. Any recommendations for online courses / intensive courses / courses that won't burn a hole in my wallet? THANKS!

I spoke with a professor and two students about the NPO course offerings, and indeed there are courses that are 1) not listed but most likely will be offered (like fundraising) and 2) courses outside of Price that are applicable. Sooo....I JUST COMMITTED! USC here I come!

Ahhh this is so hard! I loved the campus, the admissions/career services/student affairs people were great, and I plan on being out west in the future...but I was just eyeing UPenn's curriculum vs. USC's and I prefer UPenn's nonprofit specialization by a mile. I emailed my potential advisor at USC asking a bit more about the curriculum and maybe she will sway me one way or the other, but I still feel stuck. USC's nonprofit specialization seems incredibly broad/unspecific, while UPenn offers courses in marketing, grant writing, fundraising, etc. which is more appealing to me. What to do, what to do?

Going to check out the school tomorrow then making my final decision between USC and UPenn...someone decide for me, please!

I called and they told me first round funding decisions were starting to go out last week. They also straight up told me on the phone that I wasn't getting any $$, so I say just give them a call but if you haven't heard now, you probably didn't get anything.

I was accepted via email with the line about aid being an ongoing process and I would receive an email if I was selected, but I heard from another accepted student that their original acceptance email included the $5,000/year award in it; so it seems to me if no aid offer was in your first email, you weren't selected for first round funding. I emailed asking if they were going to have a second round of funding but haven't heard back.

Thanks for the response, MPAStudent. 1) I am looking to specialize in nonprofit management. I like the sound of the electives in that concentration offered by Penn but I also get the feeling that the school is very gov't oriented. 2) I believe the UPenn name would really help any career...but I'm looking to work in the nonprofit sector. I would think it'd help? 3) I'm originally from CT but I currently live in UT and imagine myself out west. But to me, UPenn is nationally recognized, although I could be wrong... 4) I have a full ride from UConn but it isn't my fav program at all. I just can't decide how much $$/name should play into my decision. I also have a 1/2 scholarship from USC and I'm into the University of Washington, which may be better options considering they are ranked higher and out west? But then again everyone says the rankings don't mean much, and if I did decide to return east I'm not sure UW would mean anything to anyone. Someone decide for me! Kidding...but any advice is helpful, thanks!

So I haven't read anything on here about Fels lately, but I got in yesterday with $16,000 a year, which only puts a dent in a really expensive program. I know everyone says not to pay much attention to the rankings, but it can't be denied that Fels is super low; it also can't be denied that the UPenn name is clearly prestigious. So the question is: is it worth it?

I've had two schools today alert me that while I didn't receive funding during the first round, I am very competitive to receive funding IF there is a second round of merit aid. I feel like I'm just being kept on the hook but who knows... Anyone know about when schools typically do a second round of funding? I need to buckle down and pick a school, especially since one of my schools wants to know by April 1, and I'd like to know if I should count the schools out that gave me nothing during the first round or if I should keep them in the back of my mind just in case this elusive second round of funding actually goes down. Thanks for the help!

Yeah I hear that....oh well!

Skemp, did you get two separate emails from UW, one about admission and one regarding funding? My admission email mentions that financial awards are ongoing but I feel like I'm not going to get anything if you found out about funding in the same email or at least the same day as you were admitted. Thanks for the help!

Any other SPA MPA applicants hear about aid? I wish I could relax and stop checking my inbox every three seconds...

MPPgal, when did you hear from SPEA? I'm in but haven't heard anything about aid. Getting on this forum is great for info but also nearly gives me a heart attack every time considering there are a bunch of schools other people have heard from that I haven't (American, SPEA, UW, etc....)

Just got the email saying they can't offer me any merit aid. Looks like they are off the list...too bad! Good luck to everyone else!

That's what I thought too until I hit "display images below", then it shows the acceptance part of the email.

I applied to American SPA around November 7th and got my decision on December 21st; not sure that'll help you at all since I obviously applied early but just FYI!

Got into NYU as well!

Did everyone get that Wagner email? I'm probably reading WAY too far into this, but the last line about "we hope you will join the Wagner community" made me hope it only went out to accepted students? Wishful thinking probably...

Thanks to this forum, I was able to log on to the camel link a week or two back but still hadn't received my packet. Then I logged on again when I started getting impatient and realized they had my address in Ukraine from when I was in the Peace Corps, so I called and changed that. Two days ago I received the packet with Dean's Merit Scholarship for 1/2 tuition. Woohoo! Good luck everyone!

I'd also be down to switch if you want another opinion, I would definitely love someone who is applying to MPA/MPP programs to check mine out!

I'm in a similarish boat. (159Q, 165V, 5.0AW with a 5.5AW from five years ago) First off 159 quant isn't lower than average. To put it into perspective, it's WWS's average quant score. My practice tests were all in the 164 range and thus I'm pretty annoyed that there were questions/material on the GRE I hadn't seen in the many practice tests I took (rant), but in reality 159 is still a decent score that is above average at almost all the schools I am looking at. The feeling I have gotten is that quant is the most important score out of the three given how quant heavy MPP/MPAs can be. However a high verbal/AW score of course will not hurt at all. But I am no expert so...yeah.

Schools Applying To: MPA at UPenn, USC, U of Washington, Indiana U, MIIS, NYU, American, safeties Undergraduate institution: Washington and Lee University 2007 Undergraduate GPA: 3.45 (general and major) Undergraduate Majors: Sociology/Anthropology and History Study Abroad: none but traveled and volunteered extensively following college GRE Quantitative Score: 159 (750, 77%) GRE Verbal Score: 165 (690, 95%) GRE AW Score: not sure yet, but a little less than 5 years ago I scored a 5.5 Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 5 Years of Relevant Work Experience: 2 + lots of volunteering/travelling Describe Relevant Work Experience: Currently finishing up my Peace Corps service in Ukraine, volunteer experience in Greece and Ecuador Languages: Ukrainian (proficient), Spanish (proficient) Quant: Calc, Stat, no econ Strength of SOP: Focusing on animal welfare, which I've worked on in Ukraine and my other volunteer experiences abroad and in the states Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): All should be decent - one from a professor, one from my Peace Corps manager, and one from my volunteer coordinator in Greece Other: I am really hoping to not only get into these schools but also get funding as I'm a poor returning PCV! Thanks for the help!

Thanks for the help. Too bad you can't choose individual sections! I guess if I completely bomb the test in August then I'll run to the nearest computer and attempt to send my old scores in just for kicks, hah. I'm retaking the test based on an adviser telling me that schools will frown on old scores, the fact that the scores will expire before some applications are even accepted, and another PC friend saying she thinks she received funding offers mostly based on her high GRE scores. And coming out of Peace Corps, the highest paying position in the world, I definitely need some help in the dolla dolla billz department. Wish me luck!

I took the GRE five years ago and well enough (720Q/570V/5.5AW), but I want to retake it to have newer, hopefully better scores to open up doors to more funding. I'm currently in the Peace Corps in Ukraine and I'll be taking it here this summer. Is there any way that I could take the test (it's the computer test), see the score, and if it is lower then my old score go quickly send in my old score reports to schools before my new scores are processed? I'm just worried that my five years out of school brain will fail me. If this is just a dream I am creating in my head, I saw recently that someone posted that starting this summer you can choose to only have your highest scores sent. Is there truth to that? Thanks for the help!