stilesg57

"...less narrowly-focused than political science PhD. It's also characterized by the inclusion of managerial sciences into the mix." Words from the mouth of Indiana SPEA admissions staff last year. Sounds about right. I would bet the PhD in public policy is a lot like a PhD in Business Administration, but your "business" is politics and government.

Thanks so much for the info. I just called. No funds till after the 15th, and even then there's no guarantees. It sounds like I do have a good chance at some funding. But it is a gamble. GSIs sound fairly difficult to land. There were over 200 applications for 17 positions next semester. I'm really into the dual degree thing though, and that gives me a couple more opportunities to get a couple. They cover all your tuition and health care (~$17k) for quarter time (10-12 hrs a week) - more hrs means stipend money on top of the tuition waiver. I think I'm gonna roll the dice. The dual degree options are just so wonderful for someone like me who could go for: 1. an MA in PoliSci if I decide to go for a PhD right after graduating 2. an MA in Econ if I do well in the econ/quant classes the first year and want to go for a PhD or rock the private sector after graduating 3. an MS in Enviro because the opportunities are moving that direction and it might fascinate me. Duke is giving me some money but the amount is set in stone; it's not going up. If I get some funding and/or land a GSI for one semester out of the five I'm eligible to teach then Michigan has more options AND is cheaper than Duke. This has been a tough decision but I think I'm closing in...

Duke has a specific International Development degree through the Sanford Institute, and the Geneva Program is NGO heaven. I don't know much about ID though, that is just what I've heard in passing while researching the programs I've been admitted to.

I'm close. It's between Ford and Duke. I'm leaning Ford though. Last week I sent a letter begging for money (I got no funding originally) and if they give me something decent or at least show that they're willing to work with me and want me there I'll say yes. Even if they don't I still might, I'm busy thinking that scenario through right now. BTW, speaking of letters, I sent them that letter asking for money exactly a week ago. Thought I would've heard at least something back from them by now. On Thursday I sent a copy of the letter directly to Beth Soboleski. Still nothing. Does this imply they're essentially not interested in me?

Yikes. That career services situation as you describe it kinda scares me. I already went to an institution that provided me with a great education but nothing in the way of career services help and as a result I frankly haven't done that well in the job market. I'm going to grad school largely to guarantee me good a job - if a school's not going to seriously help me on that end, it's a huge mark against their program as far as I'm concerned. I don't need to go into serious debt just for another piece of paper or personal edification - I want a job. BTW, something that has me nervous about this as well: I emailed Maciek Kolodziejczak, Director of Student Services, twice last week with questions about jobs and PhD stuff. I have yet to hear back from him. Duke, by contrast, has always contacted me back the same day that I send an email, regardless of which staff member I write.

I took a combined micro and macro class in undergrad, but felt I needed more quant to get into some good programs and not have to take required courses before enrolling so I took three classes online at the community college near my parents' house (Denver CC) because it was a cheap way to get some quant-related As onto my transcript. I took micro, macro, and stats. The classes were ludicrously easy. I took one online test in Boise - four beers deep and working on number five - while at a house party with my old college bros and got a 97% on it. It was the only exam in any class that I didn't get 100% on. I don't think I really learned anything frankly, but it did give me credentials. Community college certainly isn't prestigious and probably won't even teach you very well, but judging on the fact that I got into every school I applied to and none of the schools I was accepted at required me to take any additional courses before enrolling, I do believe they help.

Did anyone go? I'm in Beijing and couldn't make it, but I wish I could have. Anything interesting to report? Anyone want to do a good writeup? UCLA is my best west coast option, which gives it some more weight in my decision because I really really really really want to live and work in the western half of the US. I get the feeling that Duke, Michigan, and Chicago are better options though (even if all three, especially Michigan and Chicago, are substantially more expensive). Anyone wanna counter that? Please?

Thanks for your thoughts. My interest is in domestic/homeland security so that was one of the reasons my advisor recommended that I apply. He had noted that it was definitely more of an "up and coming" program rather than one that's got a well established reputation so that's pretty much what I was expecting. Is Denver an urban city? If the school was well known for homeland security, would it give me a leg up in applying to federal government jobs within DHS or FEMA moreso than if I were to go to a program that doesn't have coursework focused in that? If I were to go, I'd plan to move back to my hometown (Seattle) after graduation and am curious of which is better - going to a school known for a specialty or going to a school in the area where you eventually want to work (My other option is Seattle University - it seemed that UW Evans didn't like the fact that I was more or less straight out of undergrad). Is Denver an urban city? Depends. I would say the part of the city that the CU Denver/Metro State/Denver Community College campus is located is urban, it's right at the edge of the downtown. The metro area as a whole, I would say no. Consider this: the metro area for Denver and Seattle have about the same population, but Seattle's downtown is about twice the size of Denver's. Seattle built up, Denver built out. Even though I grew up in Denver, I personally like Seattle more as a city. Would it give you a leg up in federal jobs? I just don't know. I do know that it would give you a leg up in state an local government jobs relating to security in Colorado and every state that touches it. CU Denver and Metro State are known for this program and I know a few people from home who have gotten public and private sector jobs dealing with security after graduating from these programs. If you plan on living in Seattle I would suggest going to a nationally known school or a locally known school in that locale. I know undergrad and grad are different, but I'll say this much: I HATE that nobody outside of Seattle and Portland have ever heard of the college I went to. Really hate it. And it's all because Whitman College, as good a school as it is, is still only a locally known school. In Seattle most employers go "Whitman? Wow, Whitman's a great school - congratulations and may we hire you?" Anywhere outside of Washington or Oregon most employers go "Whitman? So, is that a community college or something?" Very frustrating. People in Seattle will certainly know of Seattle U (a good friend of mine is going to law school there actually), so I would think that concentrating in your preferred area there would serve you better amongst employers in Seattle.

Thanks so much for the advice goodlife and Paradoxex22! I think I'm just gonna lay it out that they're my first choice but I have a FAFSA EFC of 1069 and without some guaranteed financial aid (or a guaranteed work-study position) I simply can't attend. I feel like I've got nothing to lose since Michigan is simply not an option for me money-wise right now. If they say no I'm almost certainly on my way to Duke. Paradox, I am in NO WAY denigrating Duke and Sanford. It looks like a hell of a program and you're not the only current student or alum saying so. I don't doubt the rigor, quantitative or otherwise of either school. Having to make a choice between Duke and another great school is one of those "problems" you want to have! But I do have some concerns with Duke that put Michigan in the top spot for me personally, and they appear to be backed up by your experiences. First, I really want a PhD at some point in the future. Maybe sooner, maybe later, I haven't decided when yet - but I do know I want one. Michigan is a little more academic focused while Duke is more professionally focused, so that leads me slightly towards Michigan. Also, while I realize that the breadth of class opportunities is probably equal between the two, Michigan has a much better dual degree program for someone like me who is looking for a Chinese Studies or Political Science MA to complement my MPP rather than the MBA, JD, or MEM, which are pretty much the only options offered by Duke. Second, Duke's location advantage isn't as important to me because I DON'T want to live and work in DC unless I absolutely HAVE to, and only then just to get my career going. I've lived and worked out there before and I hated it. I absolutely will not settle down there. I feel like Justice Souter I don't ever care to live east of Colorado again if I don't have to. There are some Duke alums in CA, but there are more Michigan connections out West. I realize UCLA may be the best bet for an alumni network in the western half of the country, but the cost of living is outrageous compared to Durham and Ann Arbor and I'm not completely sold on the quality of the program, nor do I care for the 500-student size - that's too big IMO. I like the size of Duke the best. I went to a small liberal arts school for undergrad and loved it, and Sanford seems a lot closer to that than Ford. But the downside is alumni network after you graduate. And Ann Arbor is a lot more like my beloved undergrad college town than Durham (I've been to both, though I wasn't looking at either school at the time). So that's my thought process. Please let me know if anybody sees anything glaringly wrong or omitted! Either one would be great, but I really want to make the best decision I can. I think I'll give Michigan a shot for funding and see what happens.

No idea, but I'm anxiously waiting on Pitt funding as well. It will have to be very substantial to put it in the running for me though. I'm interested in the Global Political Economy track.

SPEA was the last school to reject me when I applied to PhD programs last year. Just checked - the letter was dated April 17th. VERY late IMO. Don't know if they sent out their admit letters earlier or something. Good luck!

My aunt is an administrator there. I almost applied. Started an application and all. I grew up in the Denver suburbs and my parents still live there. Thought I might be able to swing residency (most likely not as I've paid rent, utilities, and taxes in CA for the past two years). I've spent time on the CU Denver campus - I actually took community college courses there in spring 2007 to help shore up my quant background before I moved to CA. I'm medium on it. Decently nice campus, not my fave part of the city. Doesn't give off an atmosphere of "cutting edge" or "higher learning." It's excellent for domestic/homeland security and criminology and well known throughout the Western US for that. Not what I'm interested in though. All in all I thought Pitt would most likely serve as a good last line of defense in case I didn't get into my safer schools like GWU, UCLA, and UCSD, so I skipped applying to CU Denver. If you want to do a JD dual degree that could be a GREAT deal though, since CU's law school in Boulder is EXCELLENT and easier to get into than it should, and the year in Denver would give you some good law firm networking opportunities.

That does help - thanks. Good advice. If money were no object, Michigan would probably be my first choice, Chicago my second, and Duke my third. As the money situation stands now (turns out after living and paying taxes for two years in CA I STILL most likely won't qualify for in-state tuition at UCLA - WTF?!) Duke is most likely where I'll go, unless Pitt does something crazy like offer a full ride (not betting on it). However, I feel like I've got nothing to lose begging Michigan and Chicago for some aid, so I think I'll try it. Worst case scenario is I piss them off too much to go there, which isn't a much different outcome than I'm headed to now since I can't afford to go anyway. Hmmm.....

Depends what your career goals are. If you want to go into non-profit work then a bunch of money at the UW Evans School is the best deal for you out of that group by far.

^^^Well, ditto. No money knocks out LBJ for me. Funny enough, after not getting into any schools last year I got in everywhere I applied this year.

Has anyone else not heard back from LBJ yet? I think I'm going to send them an email...

I'd like to be able to consider both, but as expensive as Michigan is for non-residents with no fellowship money, Duke is the only school of the two that I'm financially able to consider. If everything else were equal I'd lean Michigan for the larger alum network, the awesome dual degree options, and Ann Arbor. Duke still seems pretty awesome though, it's really down to Duke and UCLA for me.