UofIgirl2000

It is probably too late for Fall 2013 application season if you are applying, but if you are deciding between programs, then I would consider the top programs to be Cornell, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan State, Rutgers, Penn State, and South Carolina. If you look at HR case competitions and Labor Education extensions, then these are the schools that are invited and the have the most active outreach programs. You said you are not looking for an HR focused MBA program - if this means that you have ethical concerns about business education or are interested in social justice, then you probably do want some separation between the program and the B School. One question that I asked faculty while I was touring campuses was which Labor Relations classes had actually been taught over the past year. A lot of programs have some great classes on the books, but have not been able to get enough students interested in them to teach them. Pretty surprising to see that some top programs have not been able to get Labor Law classes taught, or sent students to the law school to take a simple employment law class. If these are not being taught, then the likelihood of some quality electives being available is going to be slim.

There's another option which I can't believe I haven't mentioned. I'm currently working on a certificate program through a state university's School of Social Work. My bursar bill for my current semester (last one before my MA program!) is $5: I work full-time for the school. Because Social Work is directly applicable to student life, you may want to see if you can find a job with a university, then go to school half-time. Most universities have tuition benefits for staff, which could be 50% tuition or 100% of the first 6 hours, or buy one class, get the second class for free (check their websites). Work full-time, earn a salary that will pay for living expenses, then only take out loans for the portion of the tuition that isn't covered. You will add time to getting your MSW, but you will be working in the field for 3-4 years instead of taking time out of your career, graduating with much less debt, with the possibility of none at all.

It is very common. However, the real truth is that PhD students get priority over masters students for funding, so there may be so few opportunities for masters students that they don't want to get your hopes up. So, get on the phone with the program, let them know that you have availability to be a GA or research assistant if there is a need on the first day of class, and then ask if there are any wider campus opportunities that would be available for you to apply for. The department may not have funding, but the Dean of Students may. Plus, if one of the doctoral students declines a work offer (maybe they take a semester off to research), you have already signaled your interest.

If you are a woman, you may want to contact the Forte Foundation and see what resources are available: http://www.fortefoundation.org/site/PageServer?pagename=abt_forte Professional masters programs are hard to get funding for - they assume you'll make a ton of money when you graduate, so you'll be able to pay off loans through increased earnings.

Thanks - Looks like I can browse listings. I had not been able to access the listserv, but if no one is using it, I won't worry. Nervously watching the mail like a hawk for that NetID...

Following up, it looks like 21 people received this grant: http://www.irex.org/resource/2011-2012-individual-advanced-research-opportunities-iaro-fellows Knowing one of them, acceptances were emailed in March. I know it doesn't help anyone from last year, but might if someone searches for this later.

My immediate supervisor wrote letters of recommendation for me, so let's just say she's known for a while. I let the office know once I was admitted that I would be leaving this summer, and we worked out the absolute last date that I can work here for them to replace me before the next school year, knowing that it may be sooner (I work in higher ed, so turnover is natural in the summers.) Because I'm in a senior position, most likely I will be replaced by an internal hire, so we've actually been discussing whether others in the organization will be good replacements. I've even identified a couple candidates. I can probably give them an official 2 weeks notice, but they've had unofficial notice for 2 months now. Frankly, I need to work out a plan with HR about taking my existing sick leave and vacation time, so the official date and actual dates are going to be different. I'm in the same boat as you, TropicalCharlie - trying to get all of my Fall scheduling in place so someone can get up to speed and enact the plan that I've already worked out.

I'm an Illinois alumna, and I would definitely NOT sign a lease in Campustown without seeing it first. The good news is that if you are willing to live a mile or more away from campus, there is plenty of housing (even in Urbana), and you should not be homeless for long. I knew people who still found cheap apartments after the school year had started that were not total dumps... but I also knew people who on move-in day were able to have the apartments for which they had signed leases declared uninhabitable by the City of Champaign.

I'm trying to figure out the time frame for my last day as well. I work in higher education, and I'm thinking about higher ed as a career path post-masters. In other words, this is a bridge that I do not want to burn. I don't need to be on campus until Aug 15. My lease expires on June 27. I'm thinking about getting a cheap sublet for 6 weeks, then moving, but part of me is anxious to start being a grad student already, despite the cost of COBRA for three months instead of one. Plus, if I quit now, it gives my office enough time to hire a replacement and train him/her before the start of the new school year. Kind of torn about what to do right now, and to make matters worse, the husband is leaving for a research project next month, so I'm handling the logistics of moving solo.

You may have a shot through networking. If you've worked closely with a professor, then ask for some office time and talk to him/her. It's one thing to get a cold application with a sub-par GPA and decent letters of recommendation. It's another thing for a program to receive a phone call from a colleague about you. If nothing else, your professor-mentor can help you identify programs that will fit your strengths and be more willing to consider you. (Application fees start to pile up if you are not targeted.)

The main problem with Bloomington (and most of Indiana) is that it is heavily car dependent. The only other way out of town is the airport shuttles that Bumblebee mentioned. Amtrak has service to Indianapolis once a day from Chicago, but it arrives downtown at midnight, after the shuttles to Bloomington have stopped for the night. Megabus has service from Union Station in Chicago to a parking lot on the east side of downtown, but no connecting service to transportation to Bloomington. When comparing the prices between flying to Chicago or flying to Indianapolis, keep in mind the extras: CTA from O'Hare or Midway to Union Station, cost of the bus to Indianapolis, then the cost of the cab ride from downtown Indy to the airport where you can catch the shuttle bus to Bloomington. Then, ask yourself if the extra time is worth it. You are looking at adding 6-7 hours to your journey this way, while a flight will add an hour of connecting time at the airport and 45 minutes of flight time.

I'm so glad to hear that I'm not the only one who was becoming paranoid about the lack of NetID. If someone has theirs, can they let me know if the Off Campus Housing office resources are useful? I'm trying to find a two bedroom apartment on a bus route... I'm relocating with furniture, a cat, and a Ukrainian scholar writing his dissertation, and I did not expect housing to be so expensive.

What you need to look for are programs that have Masters students teach or assist with undergraduate students. Private schools tend to have more money for scholarships than public, but public schools tend to have greater numbers of undergraduates in need of education. Your best bet is to look at a broad range of schools, and then narrow your selections based on the availability of funding. Come up with a list of schools, and then start writing to admissions for each about the possibility of assistantships and scholarships. You may want to make sure that your GMAT scores are well above the median scores published by each school... you will be more likely to be a top candidate at those schools and first in line for funding.

I was thinking the same thing. Actually, I was thinking that everyone in DC has a Masters in the field already and a JD on the side. Truthfully, my husband has a MA in International Affairs from a school in the Midwest, and still managed an internship at the UN, so don't think that you have to be in DC to break into the scene. I'd almost suggest a Big Ten school with a lot of Title VI money like Indiana or Minnesota, or Pac- # school like Washington. (List of National Resource Centers: http://www.nrcweb.org/) Cost will be lower going to a public school, and with large undergrad populations, there's a greater likelihood of assistantships. If someone is really interested in International Development, the best thing I can think of is to talk to someone at USAid and find out which programs they think highly of, which colleges they get their research from, and where their leadership went to school.

For some areas, you need a masters degree, and social work is one of those fields. While a MSW from a private school is nice, it's probably not necessary if you want to work in the field (better if you want to move into management, but I digress). You might want to consider a cheaper program from a state school, or a slightly less prestigious program where you would be a top-tier applicant and more likely to get funding. If you are truly passionate about social work, you'll still shine in the program, even if you have to leverage more resources in the program to receive the same education. Plus, having a more managable debt load upon graduation would allow you to pursue the work you want to do instead of pursuing the jobs that just pay the most money.