jcm2120

hey, you guys! looking to study urban and regional sustainable development with a focus on environmental policy/management and i'll probably end up getting a dual degree in urban planning if the school offers it. my job search (even though that's 2, 3, or 4 yrs off) will probably be geared towards environmental mgmt/policy analyst in private sector/ngo on sustainable urban/regional devleopment/projects--perahps in middle- to low-income countries Schools Applying To: Columbia SIPA (MPA Environmental Science and Policy), NYU Wagner (MPA Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy), USC Sol (MPA), UCLA Luskin (MPP), Washington Evans (MPA), Colorado-Denver SPA (MPA), Michigan--Ann Arbor SNRE MS (Environmental Policy and Planning), Penn MPA/MEnvironmental Studies Dual Degree Undergraduate institution: a top ivy Undergraduate GPA: 3.6 Undergraduate Majors: history Study Abroad: London one semester GRE Quantitative Score: 160 (84%) GRE Verbal Score: 170 (99%) GRE AW Score: 5.0 (87%) Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 4 Years of Relevant Work Experience: 2+ Describe Relevant Work Experience: in third year of Peace Corps working on economic development through agroforestry; third year with a global environment NGO Languages: local language advanced, French beginner Quant: none except a couple of required science component courses which i got As in. should i be worried about my lack of quant courses? i'm just kind of hoping they look at my GRE scores and those couple of math heavy science courses. do schools sometimes offer conditional admission, eg. say i need to take a quant course before matriculation? i can handle that but there's not enough time to take a course and get a grade before the app process is over, esp. considering my current location Strength of SOP: proven dedication to public service through PC, including in low income country; work at the grassroots level of development; outside of this not a lot in the enviro field. probably will be a challenge but think i can tie my disparate public service and enviro experiences into a unified idea but my job directly post undergrad was just retail Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): one history professor; two Peace Corps supervisors Other: i have some undergrad extracurricular in political involvement but no independent research so, am i shooting too high with my schools? i'm not expecting $. i'd only consider Penn if i got into the dual degree program because their MPA doesn't fulfill all my interests--the other dual degree schools i'd wait to apply after matriculation. other schools i've overlooked? i'd prefer to stay in an urban area along the coasts (applying to michigan and denver b/c of strong programs) anything else i should be thinking about? i know there are a lot of good mpa enviro programs out there but they often focus on broad, global policy issues and i'd rather keep my focus on urban/regional enviro because i think that would help me strengthen my expertise/specialization and get a job. i know that a lot of MPAs focus on domestic issues if you're not in an int'l specialization and that i might miss out on int'l concerns but i think with my intended job, it's best to keep my academics focused on urban/region because it's easier to translate domestic urban ideas abroad than to miss out on those issues altogether--or am i misguided in this? i've already been accepted to Columbia's MA program in Climate and Society (no $) but deferred because i extended my Peace Corps service