Eclectic4

I am in the same boat. Attending SIPA this fall and taking out some serious loans. The MPA-DP program is a perfect fit for me, so I chose to take a risk monetarily instead of choosing a cheaper, less aligned option.

I'm heading to Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs for an Masters in Public Admin!

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): University of Arizona, Arizona State University Previous Degrees and GPAs: Bachelors in Psychology, 3.93 gpa; Masters in Secondary Science Education, 3.83 gpa GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): GRE, 1300; GMAT, 710 (better;) Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): Teaching middle and high school, 3 years. Two in Teach for America and one year in China with a non-profit. Psychology research, 2 years Operations and business, 3-4 years. Math/Econ Background: Undergrad (honors) and grad level stats. Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Spanish: 4 years of study + study abroad in Central America; Mandarin: 1 year of study with living one year in China Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Masters in Public Administration with focus on international development Long Term Professional Goals: International non-profit and goverment work with focus on sustainable development Schools Applied to & Results: Columbia SIPA (accepted, 0 $), UPenn Fels MPA (accepted, $$), Johns Hopkins Global MBA (accepted, $$$), UC Berkeley GSPP (accepted, 0 $), Stanford MBA (rejected), UC Berkeley MBA (still waiting), NYU MBA (rejected), University of Virginia MBA (waiting), Thunderbird School of Global Management MBA (accepted, $) Ultimate Decision & Why: Columbia SIPA. Even though I did not receive any scholarship my first year, the MPA-DP at Columbia is perfectly aligned with my interests. Many of the other MBA's or MPA's held a possibility of my entering my dream jobs and field, but they would have represented a circuitous route there. I decided to follow the heart, not fear. Advice for Future Applicants: Try your best to focus in on your long-term goals and what schools are aligned with that, as this will really help you focus your applications. Furthermore, do not sell yourself short and shoot high. I went to schools that are not tier one but worked really hard there, including doing research and honors programs. Finally, I went and did some public service for a while. I shot high and got accepted to some solid tier one programs.

Taking the plunge and attending SIPA's MPA-DP program this fall. I look forward to seeing everybody in the fall!

I have been accepted to several mpp/mpa programs. My feeling from my research and conversations is that the major differenece between an mpp/mpa and a ma in poli sci is that the mpp/mpas are professional degree and at least partially focused on applied skills, including such things as public finance or public management. The MA in my view would be not produce the employment options that the mpa/mpp would. However, if you are set on going into academics then maybe the ma is a better route.

I got off the waitlist at UC Berkeley on the 1st of May and they gave me until May 7th to decide!

Oh man! I just got off the waitlist to GSPP and am now admitted!! However, due to a desire to be near key family members on the East Coast, I will be attending either Columbia or UPenn.

Ah, well, I am a University of Arizona grad, and loved my time there. Both the school and town are great. I have had friends who were doing masters in optics at UoA, and they really liked it. Back then (5 years ago), I think it was #1 in the country. I'm not sure if it is anymore. Also, the cost of living is super cheap in Tucson.

Yes, the cost is a little bit less than SF. However, it is still an expensive place to live, as are all places in the Bay Area minus maybe a few areas of the south east bay. Even Oakland can be quite expensive (right next to Berk). My only point is that the rent and prices will be more than 80-90% of the country. As you said, $1,000 might get you a decent room or maybe even a decent studio. But, in other places $1,000 might get you your very own house or 2 bedroom apartment. Even though I am a Berkeley fan, if you are planning on working on the East Coast and you've been offered significant scholarship money, maybe Duke is a better choice. I am facing a similar problem though. I got into a top notch MPA program (Columbia SIPA) at one school with no $ and a good but not top 10 mpa (Upenn Fels) with a good scholarship and a cheaper place to live. A major consideration I have been needing to face is the fact that the average salary of policy or government/ngo jobs often are not something to brag about, at least starting. This makes funding offers all the more important. If I was applying to law school, I'd be less concerned.

UC Berkeley is hands down ranked a better school overall. Further, UC Berkeley is probably ranked the best public university in the U.S. Some publications rank it the best public school in the world. However, if you are set on getting a masters, then that is a different issue.

I will weigh in as a Teach for America 2008 corps member. Teach for America was an amazing experience and most people who do it and survive the two years grow exponentially. They give a lot of leadership and professional training (in fact, its required). However, what are your goals and interests? Are you devoted to education long-term? If so, an experience like TFA is indespensible. It is very difficult to really formulate quality education policies without having a good amount of grassroots experience. If you are not looking to work in education long-term, including policy work or some form of leadership, then I would probably go with Oxford or the legislative thing. That is my two cents. You are more than welcome to message me with any questions about TFA.

Thank you so much. I am currently down to the wire in deciding between an MPA at UPenn versus an MPA (in development) from Columbia. Do you know people working in D.C. coming from these schools or have any views on the two?

I am on the waitlist at Berkeley. However, for other reasons even if I get in I need to choose one of the East Coast schools I got into (Columbia, Upenn, or JHU). Berkely though and the Bay Area def are very hard to beat, and this is coming from someone who has lived and traveled all over the world. Having said that, there is truth to the fact that Berkeley is an expensive city as it is within the cost realm of San Francisco (It's across a bridge and only 5 miles maybe). San Francisco is the 2nd most expensive area in the country after New York City. This has to be factored in to one's coa beyond the tuition.

Yes, San Diego is far nicer than LA. Minus a few select areas in the LA area, LA is simply not a nice city. This is coming from a life long Californian.

Well, I can only weigh in from my own research and proximity to Berkeley. Berkeley is quite simply an amazing school, including GSPP. Most people absolutely love being at UC Berkeley. The program is very high ranked (#1 for public policy in some publications). Berkeley itself has been an intellectual capital in the U.S., especially politically, for 50 years. Finally, a subjective view point. There are very few metropolitan centers in the United States that are as nice overall (weather, culture, art, tech, etc) as the SF Bay Area.

Well, I'm not sure that everybody is "pro-California" or really just assessing the current options listed. As far as public universities, it is hard to top the UC's, both reputation and academically wise. This is especially true for UCLA and UC Berkeley, perhaps followed by UCSD. Of course, UCSD might be better for IR. The only other public schools in their league are Michigan, UNC Chapel Hill, maybe University of Washington, etc. So, if one is contemplating an alternative to Columbia, then it only makes sense to choose a comparable school.

This is especially true for PHD's or any research degree. However, it is the opposite for general professional programs. For example, it is of the utmost importance to go to a well ranked school if one is looking at business, law, medicine, etc. This also has to do with the fact that these programs are general programs, and one is not necessarily doing specific research with specific professors, whereas with a phd one is.

Yeah, I agree with you re Fels. It is good for regionally and domestically focused people, especially local and state in the Northeastern U.S. I did apply to Berkeley but got waitlisted:(. It is like a 30 minute drive from my house and a lot of my friends go to the greater school, but not Goldman. It is strange because I absolutely love the town of Berkeley and school, both being extremely progressive, hip, and intellectual places. However, specifically with Goldman, I feel like they for some reason were extremely not responsive to me in any way, shape or form. No responses to practically anything, ranging from requests to visit, sit in on classes, or just general questions about applications, etc. It has turned me off a bit to Goldman, but not Berkeley. Yeah, L.A. does have some good spots, especially Santa Monica which is nice and on the beach. Also, Santa Barbara, a small Spanish city a little bit up the coast is really nice. I love London by the way.

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-public-affairs-schools/public-affairs-rankings. You've got some good rankings there for Price.

Yeah, I think you are right. What is the point of going to a school whose focus I'm not passionate about, just for a little extra scholarship money. It would be one thing if Penn's Fels also had an international focus, which would then cause me to pick it. Alas, it does not. What were your final thoughts on Fels, given you were looking at that too? And how did it compare to Price? It sounds like Price is a good program. I know it is well ranked as far as public affairs. You are lucky to be moving to Cali, although I must say L.A. is not the best place in Cali by any means (city wise and culture wise). I currently live around San Francisco and am sad I am leaving both the climate and the awesome progressive, laid back culture. However, going to the right school is more important:). To that end, given that I may not want to stay on the East Coast is another argument for Columbia, in that the well known SIPA might be more transferable to San Francisco or L.A. post-graduation than the more regional Fels.

Thanks! Yeah, I'm leaning that way but worried about the debt load at SIPA. I didn't receive any scholarship money. Second, the MPA-DP is a brand new program, albeit within the well established greater SIPA. You are heading towards Price right?

Forgive me for my original topic title: it should read "How practical is a MPA in Development Practice," haha.

Hi everyone, I am very close to taking on some serious debt in order to go to Columbia's SIPA, with a focus on international sustainable development. To be clear, this is definitely my dream career. I've gotten into an MPA at UPenn, which is much more domestic but arguably more practical and more guaranteed to lead to a decent job post-graduation. 1) Would you follow the dream at SIPA, having a higher likelyhood of being in the long-term career you want, but having to take on a ton of debt and not being guaranteed a good job? 2) Would you go to UPenn Fels, which is a solid, smaller, and more intimate program, taking on less debt due to a scholarship, but risking not reaching your long-term dream goals? Thoughts please? Help:)

Any other Columbia admits who are deciding to go for it and accept? If so, why? And, if you are not, what is your reasoning?

Hmm, I can agree with a common concern of students about how to finance their Columbia degree. This conversation I had with a lot of people. However, I would say that the rest of the day was great, and many of the professors, current students, and alumni were actually quite friendly and helpful.