erichi

OMG ! That sounds just like stuff i used to have to listen to in Mali !!!!! hahahaha

I also jus got a funding email - 75% off tuition !!! damn and i thought GSPP was going to be the easy choice !

just a quick addition to patapata's point: i have had some fairly unique experiences with foreign service people as well. I lived in a west african country for three years, spending about a year as a contractor for usaid (i was independent and had my own living situation). my experience was that the vast majority of the FO's were either super-cool, generous, amazing people or very catty, whiny and self-absorbed. I didn't experience much in between. I made some very very good friends who ended up being excellent resources (both professional and academic) for me, and some really petty people who seemed to thrive on doing nothing but making my existence difficult as i attempted to perform my work obligations in the hyper-bureautic work environment. i also can reaffirm pata's point about the bubble in which the vast majority of these officers live. they have their own communities/neighborhoods which make it extremely difficult to experience much of the local culture in the exotic places they live. Also, the work schedule (atleast for the country i was in) was intense ! My good friend working there regularly put in 10-12 hour days of office work -- which i think underscores the fact that, with many of these org's, it's pure office work just in a different setting....I saw enough to realize that there is no way in hell i could ever do that !!!

And, an employer who picks a candidate for a job solely based on some arbitary feature like where one was lucky enough to be accepted for grad school is someone that I wouldnt want to work for !

Wow congrats on HKS...i'm sure that's a trip !!! yea that was my first choice but in some it simplifies life a bit to not have a big (and costly) decision like that right in front of you that you know you would regret forever if you didn't take !!! Yea, I'm from Cali so i've talked to quite a few friends who went there and the general consensus seems to be what i described. In terms of ranking, maybe it is not helpful to think in terms of a single "objective" ranking system for these schools. Reality is more complicated; it depends on numerous other variables and none of them are as important as the variables you bring to table. I think the bottom line is that you can make it work at any of these fine schools, if you want to. I appreciate your perspective, thanks !!!!

So, a little dilemma here. What is everyone's wisdom regarding the choice between GSPP (MPP) and Columbia (MPA) ? At first the choice seemed easy: Berkeley, but now i'm starting to wonder..... I had originally applied to Columbia even though I wasn't too interested in the program. I'm interested in focusing on energy policy and Berkeley seems a much better option. It's well-known, the program is smaller, more intimate and the vibe between the students and the professor is more informal, which I in particular appreciate. Not to mention that I'm a CA resident and the price tag is probably about 1/5 that of Columbia. Plus, in my individual case, living rent-free with family and getting a graduate student instructor position could make this even a better deal. Also, they are doing some really cutting edge research in renewable energy and there are tons of programs and resourcees available. Having said that, I have a professor (and recommender) from NYC who makes a good case for Columbia. I think it's kinda got a bad rap here at the grad cafe but at the same time, it is THE SCHOOL in NY. And there are probably 100x the possibilites for work and internships in NY than the SF Bay Area. I've heard that the classes are larger and the professors are busy, but that they make time for students that work hard and are serious. It would be more expensive, but it seems like the payoff might be greater as well. I went to an information session last summer for SIPA and the freakin' job placement rating for SIPA grads is like 92% !!!!! Also, many have made the point to me that some experience on the east coast (as I have spent most of my stateside time in CA) could open up alot of doors for me in terms of networks, connections, and work experience. To say nothing of the infamous NYC music scene ! Issues: In terms of "pecking order" is there a general consensus that that SIPA outranks GSPP? Anybody know how successful GSPP is at placing their students in jobs ? (I tried to get this info from the career office but they haven't responded back with a concrete number yet) What does everything think here ?