sjw528

Apologies for my late response--thanks mellowyellow03 for answering about admitted students day. Readyornot, there's also info in the folder regarding 2012-2013 courses in your area of concentration that you may find interesting if UMD is a top contender. Here's hoping for news this week! I take it there's still no word on the Robertson fellowship? Or should I assume that because there was no fin aid information in my admit stuff that I'm out of the running for the fellowship?

Just heard back via snail mail--I'm in! But no financial support the decision letter came in a red UMD folder with details about their admitted students day.

@Crippling Anxiety (and anyone else who's curious): 1) The full-time MPA class is pretty small. They emphasize this 30-35 person cohort model so that full-time students take core courses with their cohort and get to know them well as they do group work in various classes. I also got the impression that this small number of full-time Fels students gets to be very close with faculty (group breakfast or dinner gatherings with faculty members is a common occurence). Of course, that means the admissions decisions are much mroe selective! 2)This is a really good question that no one in my visiting group raised, but I get the impression there are few full scholarships given. Current students I spoke with discussed other means to financing their education, like graduate research assistant opportunities. You can even get free housing if you are an advisor in one of the college houses (this is like an undergrad RA with less responsibility). I think Fels gives partial fellowships or scholarships to a greater percentage of the incoming student body, but very few full scholarships. 3) Not sure about the answer to this one. 4) In general, I came away impressed. Most of the programs I applied to were MPP, so I was interested in Fels' appraoch to the MPA curriculum. As many MPA applicants already know I'm sure, that curriculum takes more of a focus on management and leadership than policy analysis. The Director of Grad Programs at Fels spoke about the core courses really focusing on practical application of each of the skills taught in core courses (stats and econ, management, public finance, and politics). I'm also a dual-degree applicant (in Fels and the School of Social Policy and Practice), so it was nice for me to get a sense of how dual degree students adjust and manage the courseload to maximize their Fels experience. Depending on your area of interest, you can take elective courses at many of Penn's graduate schools. There are also lots of opportunities to get firsthand experience in Philadelphia local and regional policy, which is great (like Fels' research and consulting positions). Penn has the benefits of a centralized campus but is also located in a busy and thriving section of West Philly, which is a plus too. Fels is not my top choice (I'm from Philadelphia and work there now), but I came away feeling confident in the skills and experience I would develop and acquire in the program if I'm admitted and decide to matriculate. I hope this is helpful!

Long-time lurker here, so I'm happy to actually be able to answer this question (I visited Fels last weekend). They're expecting to send admissions decisions around March 15th. Hope this helps ease some of the anxiety I'm sure we're all feeling!