texpat

hey! I applied to LBJ, SIPA, and NYU. If you go to the "wrapping it up" thread you can see my stats. good luck!

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): top 25 Liberal Arts Previous Degrees and GPAs: Double major in International Studies and History. 3.45 GPA GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 163, 159, 5.5 Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 2 years AmeriCorps VISTA, another year at a national nonprofit, some contract grant-writing (4 total) Math/Econ Background: summer stats class. While in college, I took Micro, Macro, and an Econ Development class. Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Proficient in Spanish Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Education policy Long Term Professional Goals: strategic planning/consulting/management in nonprofit sector, potential PhD Schools Applied to & Results: MPAff at Texas-LBJ (admitted - full scholarship), MPP at Duke-Sanford (admitted - $15k per year), MPA at NYU Wagner (some $, can't remember how much), MPA at Columbia - SIPA (admitted), MPP at UChicago - Harris (admitted), MPP at Michigan - Ford (wait listed). Ultimate Decision & Why: TEXAS. It's home, and the program is the best fit for me (I wrote a killer SOP spelling out why we're a match made in heaven, and luckily they thought so too!). Was a little tempted by Duke and Chicago, but geography won out, especially after deciding that these are very comparable programs when looking at average student age/experience and job prospects. SIPA tempted a little more, but I don't really want to be in NYC or spend 140k on something that I'm not sure is worth the ROI, although I sat in on a really nice class there and thought it was a great place. Advice for Future Applicants: This process went so much better than I thought it would. If you're a fit, inertia will move you toward the right program. Only advice is not to get burnt out on essays (this happened with Michigan and their Jan 15 deadline...).

Hey ADL, I am not familiar with Middle Eastern Studies programs, but I do know you can get a dual MA/MPAff in Middle Eastern Studies and Public Policy at UT (so with LBJ and the college of Arts & Sciences I think.) I don't know too much about how this exact dual degree works, but I considered a dual masters in public affairs and Latin American Studies for a while. I also know you can apply for a dual degree within your first year at LBJ. There's also the Harris School of Public Policy at Chicago, which is great too! Maybe you could also go for a dual degree there. If two degrees isn't for you, I'm sure you can cross register in whichever discipline you don't pick. Good luck!

JAubrey, we get it. You don't like the fly-over states. Meanwhile, I'm probably turning down SIPA for LBJ...

I can see how security studies might draw someone to the DC schools. But what about something like education policy.. anyone have insight on LBJ? I'm interested in studying it from domestic and international perspectives. I know the Ed school at UT is tip-top, and LLILAS is also great (I have a Latin America background), so maybe that's a good sign, but if anyone knows about LBJ students going into the education sector I'd love to hear details.

really, no one? i'm curious about this too.

I'm in a similar situation! My admissions process turned out FAR better than I expected. I've narrowed it down to the choice between SIPA (with no $) and a full ride to UT-LBJ. I also got into Chicago, Wagner, and Sanford but have pretty much nixed those. I am from Texas, so always envisioned myself moving to Austin (I'm on the East Coast now), but I did not expect to get into Columbia and now I am also thinking about that ivy-brand. I'm visiting a class at SIPA (and Wagner) next week, but am still leaning toward LBJ. Eeek, decisions!

Goodness gracious, I got into SIPA this morning! Totally floored, and now very, very confused. I was all set to accept a full tuition fellowship to LBJ. I am from Texas and everything told me I'd be a perfect fit for LBJ, but the resources/faculty/brand at Columbia is difficult to turn down! Am I crazy to pick Texas (full ride) over Columbia (no $) ? Would also be turning down Sanford and Harris... this is hard!!