McCourt 2018

[jml82]

I am also waiting to hear back about MS-DSPP!

[juanlisa]

18 minutes ago, jml82 said:

I am also waiting to hear back about MS-DSPP!

Me too! Seeing all the notifications for MPP has been slowly killing me. 

[strawberrian]

Has anyone not heard a decision about MPP? I had trouble submitting my transcripts and still haven’t heard anything or had anything posted on the portal, wondering if I should assume it’s a rejection? Not sure if they’ve sent out rejections yet either. 

[juanlisa]

On 3/6/2018 at 2:26 PM, strawberrian said:

Has anyone not heard a decision about MPP? I had trouble submitting my transcripts and still haven’t heard anything or had anything posted on the portal, wondering if I should assume it’s a rejection? Not sure if they’ve sent out rejections yet either. 

From what I've heard, Georgetown needs all the official transcripts to release a decision, but not make one. I had a similar concern and emailed admissions to see if I was all set; they're pretty good about responding within a day.

[wms9768]

I received an acceptance from McCourt this afternoon for the MIDP program.  Very excited and anxious to hear back regarding financial aid.  Also, I've been nervously waiting for weeks and just heard today, so don't give up hope!

Edited March 8, 2018 by wms9768

[2018Hopeful]

I am in also in the MIDP with a $25k scholarship for the first year!

[taftumas]

On 3/6/2018 at 4:39 AM, naturalish said:

I did a little digging on the website, and it seems  that "scholarships awarded for the first year of study are renewable at the same amount for the second year of study contingent on satisfactory academic progress."

(The placement of that disclaimer could suggest this applies only to partner scholarships, though the wording makes that seem unlikely.)

According to an email with a McCourt faculty member: "The fine print is as follows: the second year is conditional on academic performance during the first year of at least a 3.0 GPA. In the past 5 years, not a single MIDP student has lost funding for the second year."

[taftumas]

I've also received an acceptance for the MIDP Program this morning, with $30K/year in funding - so excited!!

I will be deciding between a full ride at Notre Dame for the new MGA program (with a concentration in Sustainable Development) and GT's MIDP, but I am currently leaning towards Georgetown. I plan to go into International Development and am looking for a program that will give me strong quantitative/analysis skills as well as a solid start in the International Development field, in other words, a job immediately after graduation. Any thoughts on this decision would be greatly appreciated!

[wms9768]

Congrats to both of you @taftumas and @2018Hopeful ! 

Does anyone know if McCourt notifies you if you don't receive aid?  My acceptance made no mention either way, so I figured it was a no-go, but I'm going to follow up with them tomorrow.

 

@taftumasIf I was in your shoes I would lean strongly towards Georgetown though it would give me some pause. For me, I know the money would make a huge difference (according to GT's COA estimates receiving 30k in funding would leave me 90k in debt).  One thing that could be a deal breaker would be if I had any significant debt from undergrad.  However, in this case I think the name brand and network of Georgetown will do a lot for you, particularly if you want to work internationally.  Even more so it appears to me  that a huge part of landing a job in International Development is based on who you know.  The number one way to develop these relationships is through internships, and DC will provide a lot more opportunities than Indiana.   

It does like like Notre Dame does some cool things to offset the distance from DC, might be worth looking at their statistics on employment placement and seeing if it aligns with your goals.

 

Edited March 8, 2018 by wms9768

[taftumas]

1 hour ago, wms9768 said:

Congrats to both of you @taftumas and @2018Hopeful ! 

Does anyone know if McCourt notifies you if you don't receive aid?  My acceptance made no mention either way, so I figured it was a no-go, but I'm going to follow up with them tomorrow.

 

@taftumasIf I was in your shoes I would lean strongly towards Georgetown though it would give me some pause. For me, I know the money would make a huge difference (according to GT's COA estimates receiving 30k in funding would leave me 90k in debt).  One thing that could be a deal breaker would be if I had any significant debt from undergrad.  However, in this case I think the name brand and network of Georgetown will do a lot for you, particularly if you want to work internationally.  Even more so it appears to me  that a huge part of landing a job in International Development is based on who you know.  The number one way to develop these relationships is through internships, and DC will provide a lot more opportunities than Indiana.   

It does like like Notre Dame does some cool things to offset the distance from DC, might be worth looking at their statistics on employment placement and seeing if it aligns with your goals.

 

Thanks for the quick reply! The reasoning you gave is exactly what is giving me pause to choose Georgetown wholeheartedly. Thankfully, I don't have student debt from undergrad, but I'm not exactly fond of having to go in debt for grad school either. And yes, name brand and network certainly add so much more to the "whole package" than the curriculum itself.

I wish the Notre Dame program were a bit older, it only started Fall 2016, so they haven't even had a graduating class yet that I can reference for employment placement. From what admissions has told me, ND's new program is working off the framework of their Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, MA in International Peace Studies program, who have alumni who work in roles such as Human Rights Officers. I am hopeful that the new ND MGA program is more quant/analytical focused, but it doesn't appear to be as strong as ND's MIDP program that has been around for a few years now. 

[juanlisa]

Checked the website, and MS-DSPP decisions are up! 

Accepted with $12k/year in funding.

[alkalidz]

Did you get an email prior to checking the website? I applied to MS-DSPP too but my application portal has not shown any decisions. Called in and said it will be up in the next few weeks. Don't know if that means I am rejected. 

Edited March 10, 2018 by alkalidz

[PolicyPol]

How is McCourt regarding aid negotiation for the MPP? I only got 15K/year there but got full tuition at LBJ, so I would probably go to LBJ if I don't get more

Edited March 12, 2018 by PolicyPol

[juanlisa]

@alkalidz I got an email on March 8th that an application decision was now available. Did you have issues with submitting transcripts? It sucks that they're keeping you hanging. Is McCourt one of your top choices?

[alkalidz]

2 hours ago, juanlisa said:

@alkalidz I got an email on March 8th that an application decision was now available. Did you have issues with submitting transcripts? It sucks that they're keeping you hanging. Is McCourt one of your top choices?

I think it's just the way Georgetown sets up its application system. Waiting till the week of March 19 usually means no. Thankfully it is not one of my top choices. But thanks for the information!

[adow93]

Hi everyone,

Having a really tough choice between Georgetown's MIDP program and Columbia's MPA-DP. What do you think?

[kayemeh]

Waitlisted for MPP. 

I'm hoping after 4/15 spots start to open. This is my top choice.

[virgogrl56]

Did anyone make it to Admitted Student Days last weekend? I wasn't able to make it due to work and would love to know what people thought! 

[Policy18]

Hey! So I have a $20k/yr award for the MPP, but just found out I've been awarded full tuition at another program (late in the game, I know). Do you think it's advisable to stick with my Mccourt acceptance and the ensuing debt, or switch to the other program?

[MPPKollege]

2 hours ago, Policy18 said:

Hey! So I have a $20k/yr award for the MPP, but just found out I've been awarded full tuition at another program (late in the game, I know). Do you think it's advisable to stick with my Mccourt acceptance and the ensuing debt, or switch to the other program?

Think long and hard about the amount of debt you are willing to take for a career in Public Affairs. What is the other school?

[Policy18]

Ohio State, which I'm def not as in to, but which still is free lol!

[kayemeh]

Has anyone heard of any waitlist movement or talked to admissions? I got a very generic "we take people off the waitlist until August" but no clear picture of what the waitlist looked like

[AddSmith]

@kayemeh I think they start re-reviewing after the April deadline based on new materials you sent in or based on the same profile. She was telling me it would be in a month or two when I asked beginning of March. I think all of those factors plus people beginning to turn down and accept offers mid-April to now is a good guess for now until any time May about anything. I think one person got in off that I've talked to because that person sent in new microeconomics scores! 

[kayemeh]

1 hour ago, AddSmith said:

@kayemeh I think they start re-reviewing after the April deadline based on new materials you sent in or based on the same profile. She was telling me it would be in a month or two when I asked beginning of March. I think all of those factors plus people beginning to turn down and accept offers mid-April to now is a good guess for now until any time May about anything. I think one person got in off that I've talked to because that person sent in new microeconomics scores! 

Oh, I wasn't aware we could submit new materials! Did you happen to talk to the Admissions Director with the initials I.J.?  

Edited April 24, 2018 by kayemeh

[AddSmith]

5 hours ago, kayemeh said:

Oh, I wasn't aware we could submit new materials! Did you happen to talk to the Admissions Director with the initials I.J.?  

I did not! The day I got waitlisted, I emailed the person I had talked to the whole time, a counselor I met at Idealist and a Boston event! She said I could submit new letters of recommendation, and since I was about to be in the process of taking microeconomics, I could send my updated scores and information from the course. 

 

Edit: she also said I could retake the GRE and submit if I felt compelled. 

Edited April 25, 2018 by AddSmith