pearl

i met one person who was sure, after having visited harris, that he likes gtown better. i can't really speak for his aid. Both programs are going to be equally expensive for me, and I'm still undecided, but one big factor in justifying gtown over harris is the professional network. Take a look at the "Areas of Focus" that was in the Harris folder, and then the "2008 Employee Profile" from Gtown. Being the most competitive MPP program in the D.C. area gives the gppi students a leg up as they have the opportunity to work for reputable organizations throughout the school year. Not so much in Hyde Park but, a current harris student told me that when summertime rolls around, they replace the gtown students with kids from harris and ksg. the statement, however, should be taken with a grain of salt. one can't go wrong with either choice, which is precisely what makes the decision so hard.

Thanks for your response, 33. I emphasize the "quant" aspect as harris was mentioning it at every single sub-event in the open house. it was their main selling point. i can surely see why, their distinguished faculty is comprised mostly of econ professors and poli scientists. gppi was promoting itself as a strong "quant" school as well, but i got the sense that harris' is definitely more analytical. so in that regard, i do agree with you that Harris would provide a solid education but what about the hands-on experience while in school? given the mpp is a professional program, i believe i am paying for an education as well as the network and work experience it will get me. some say that harris is theoretical in their teaching since most students do not practice their skills in the real-world until after graduation. i really am torn between the 2 schools because i can argue strongly for both pros and cons.

i seem to be wavering on my decision and decided to post my thoughts as i'm sure a good number of us are on the same boat. personally, i feel that the gppi open house was ok, it wasn't over-the-top fabulous but a lot of people seem to have been won over by the wine and crab cakes. however, i was impressed by their career services office and the sample class. fast forward a week. i am admiring the skyline as the plane starts to descend into chicago and think i am going to spend the next 2 years in the city. little did i know that uchicago is NOT the nyu of chicago. the open house at chicago was really intense, which is probably a good indication of how intense the program is going to be. my interest is in poverty alleviation on an international level, and i feel that harris' focus primarily is on the domestic level. also, a large proportion of the graduates find a career in chicago. for a very quant school, i was surprised that they did not hand out more statistics about employment post-grad. also, i feel that quant is a necessary skill in the public policy arena but doesn't it seem like economics is mixed into every single class? on the pro-side, i really appreciate how the other grad schools within uchicago are open to the harris students. i guess the bulk of my predicament comes down to this: i feel that georgetown would be a better fit since they offer comparative public policy core classes, have relationships with international organizations, and is less quant than harris. BUT, can you discount the rankings of the schools? thoughts? i must stop stressing and get some zzzzz. thanks!