Decisions MPP: LBJ vs Evans vs McCourt vs SPA vs Harris

[PolicyPol]

Hello, 

like many of you, I'm freaking out about my decisions. I'm coming from undergrad, and am under financial stress. I'm also an intl student, and want to work on a PhD later on in sociology/policy regarding poverty. 

Here are my options:

-LBJ MPP (full funding)

-Harris MPP (0, but negotiating)

-Evans MPA (60%)

-American U SPA MPP (60%)

-McCourt MPP (40%)

 

Please help!!! 

 

[diyadeb]

Hey, 

I got a full ride at LBJ too. What's your background?

[PolicyPol]

14 hours ago, diyadeb said:

Hey, 

I got a full ride at LBJ too. What's your background?

I'm finishing my undergrad in a small school in the US and majored in humanities and Econ. I'm broadly interested in social policy and have a couple of publications in urban policy, but idk what I really want to focus on. Ultimately, I would like to get a PhD in policy or sociology and do research (I think...). But I may work a couple of years after the masters. Thus, international reputation and research opportunities are important, but funding too.

[GradSchoolGrad]

On 3/25/2018 at 4:01 PM, PolicyPol said:

Hello, 

like many of you, I'm freaking out about my decisions. I'm coming from undergrad, and am under financial stress. I'm also an intl student, and want to work on a PhD later on in sociology/policy regarding poverty. 

Here are my options:

-LBJ MPP (full funding)

-Harris MPP (0, but negotiating)

-Evans MPA (60%)

-American U SPA MPP (60%)

-McCourt MPP (40%)

 

Please help!!! 

 

Unless you have an outstanding personal reason to be geographically near one of the schools, LBJ MPP is a no brainer. You are coming out with no tuition debt + it is a great program for both applied + academic MPP + prestige + range of career options. 

If you had more funding at Harris, I think you can raise an argument, but you don't. SPA really doesn't have that much brand equity. McCourt has a great brand and good programming, but it has an awkward culture and overall management struggles. I would cross out Evans unless you really want to end up in the West Coast (regional pull).