Getting a Late Start...Is it worth it?

[funkycat14]

Hi all

So I'm getting a late start on this stuff. I am actually in the middle of applying/receiving decisions for law school and have suddenly realized that I have no desire to be a lawyer after law school (better later never!). My goal for pursuing law school has always been to pursue a gig doing policy analysis and figured law school would be the best route. Only problem is the debt just isn't worth it. 

So, now I am planning on applying to different MPP programs. My undergrad coursework was very economics-focused and included multiple statistics and econometrics courses, so I'm hoping the quant aspect of these programs won't be too daunting. 

I would prefer to start fall 2019, but I realize that I am getting a VERY late start and finance packages may be slim as we are heading into rolling admissions. A couple thoughts: a) is it worth it to apply late into the cycle and try to start Fall 2019 or b) should I wait until next cycle? 

For reference I've included a couple stats about myself below

sub3.0 GPA- BS in Economics from top 20 public, state school (concentrations in Macroeconomics and Quantitative Theory)

took my first cold GRE prac exam and got 157V 154Q (159 LSAT)

4 years of full-time work- currently working in public finance doing policy analysis and implementation

 

I'm still kind of in test taking mode since taking the LSAT within the past couple months, so hopefully I can use that momentum to get some effective studying in and boost that GRE score. Im shooting for 315-320.

I'm very new to the grad school realm of forums (law school reddit is a wild, wild place), so any advice would be very helpful.

Cheers

Funkycat