StephanieJ

I just graduated from a smaller state school. My future plans include the Fulbright and admission into SPEA at Indiana University-Bloomington, the 2nd best public affairs program. I'd say that my letters of recommendations, internships, and intensive research background got me into grad school more than where I went. Undergrad is much less important than grad school...

Agree with the break suggestions. The whole thing wiped my brain out...

I got my placement like two weeks after I was notified. About half the other ETAs got their notifications with mine and two or three are still waiting. Our letters went out March 30th.

I think all the regions/countries have to go through final budget approval. It might just be taking Africa longer.

I read somewhere that all notifications were by email starting this year. And everyone who's been notified thus far has followed that trend.

If there's only a "slight edge" with the rankings...I wouldn't worry about it too much. In the high rankings, a lot of times it's more nuanced than anything. If you think you have a better chance at getting a TA/RA position at Michigan, I'd follow the money. In the end, both schools are going to give you really great degrees. Also, look at the cost of living in both areas. Atlanta is a bigger city, so it might be more expensive than Ann Arbor. Also, I know from experience that you can live in Ypsilanti which is a 10-20 minute drive to U of M for significantly less money.

Just to add a little to all the great advice people have given you. Connections are important, but you said Syracuse is a great program-that means there will be connections there. You might just have to work a little bit harder to make the connections, but it won't matter if you do a good job

I wouldn't pick a grad school for the party atmosphere. I'd pick Michigan, but then again I'm from the midwest and the Ford School was my #1 choice for an MPP. Unfortunately, I wasn't accepted there. Michigan is a great state and Ann Arbor is a pretty fun town for its size. I spent a summer there during undergrad and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I got into UChicago and IU with a 3.84. My GRE quant was 57%, my verbal 90%. I'm going into public policy, so it might be different. Admissions told me they were looking for "well-rounded" candidates.

Ann Arbor really isn't that cold (comparatively speaking...I live about 3 hours north of it.) Not sure which one is better in your field, but I imagine U of M's name recognition is higher in general. It is a VERY good school for graduate programs as the alumni base is very large and well-connected. If you have questions about living in Ann Arbor or what it's like feel free to message me. I lived there for a summer and have always lived in Michigan.

I agree with above...your best bet is probably a dual degree. I'm going for and MPA (similar to public policy) and MA in Russian and Eastern European studies at Indiana University.

I know Poland has heard cause I was awarded an ETA there

Just wondering...what's the name of this year-long fellowship? I'm heading to Poland on an Fulbright ETA, but I'm always looking for additional ways in the future to increase my fluency in Polish.

I visited SPEA also...I'm deferring admission for a year, but it's a fantastic program. From my understanding, the MPA and MSES programs are well-respected. I think that the programs are fairly equally recognized as good programs (with the exception of Duke...I know nothing about them). I prefer SPEA over Umich because the program is incredibly flexible for a graduate program and they seem to be really focused on making sure everyone has an individualized education that best suits their needs.

Blech. They kept telling me I had to drink the piwo z sokiem because that's what girls drink. I thought it was disgusting...