Environmental Management and Policy 2020

[aditi.b235]

1 hour ago, monkeycat said:

Could you please link it? Where did you find it, I just assumed they didn't have one!

Here's the group that I found: Official 2020 Yale F&ES Incoming Student Group

[monkeycat]

Just got an email with funding info from Duke!

[WatercolorPainter]

3 hours ago, monkeycat said:

Just got an email with funding info from Duke!

Got one as well! Looks like Duke will be a financially realistic option! It's strange to be feeling relief during such a stressful l time. 

Bren is still slightly more affordable since it's a public university. Does anyone know if it's appropriate to negotiate a small increase in aid? I really don't want to seem ungrateful, but grad school is such a huge investment!

[zuph123]

5 hours ago, WatercolorPainter said:

Got one as well! Looks like Duke will be a financially realistic option! It's strange to be feeling relief during such a stressful l time. 

Bren is still slightly more affordable since it's a public university. Does anyone know if it's appropriate to negotiate a small increase in aid? I really don't want to seem ungrateful, but grad school is such a huge investment!

Congrats on funding from Duke! There are some threads in here that offer good advice in negotiating more aid - there's nothing wrong with asking! Are you comfortable sharing how much aid you received from Bren? Right now I am deciding between SEAS and Bren, but I am also considering asking for additional aid from U-M!

[WatercolorPainter]

16 hours ago, sage1234 said:

Congrats on funding from Duke! There are some threads in here that offer good advice in negotiating more aid - there's nothing wrong with asking! Are you comfortable sharing how much aid you received from Bren? Right now I am deciding between SEAS and Bren, but I am also considering asking for additional aid from U-M!

DM'd you!

[alaqua]

Did anyone attend.virtual visit day at SEAS? I just learned that they forgot to invite all Chinese students. Really funny story.

Edited March 20, 2020 by alaqua

[prokem]

1 hour ago, alaqua said:

Did anyone attend.virtual visit day at SEAS? I just learned about it and the fact that today is for students who reside in the US only. How did your chat with advisors go? How was the group chat this morning on BlueJeans? Please share!

Yes, I attended (and it's still going on). I read on the admitted students facebook page that they are going to do a separate one for international students in the coming weeks.

I found out about some interesting-sounding fellowships that I may apply to later on. The graduate instructor positions are also a huge plus-- they cover full tuition and provide health insurance and a stipend. ?

The convo with my advisor was fine. I didn't really have many questions so it was more just getting to know her a bit better. I'm pretty interested in her research and she seemed really nice and welcoming. Seems like a good potential fit!

TBH I haven't learned too much from the info sessions/Q&A. I would've liked to hear a bit more about plans for SEAS' development in the coming years-- when that question was asked, the dean mostly talked about fundraising and the endowment. One thing I noticed in my EPP track info session (and in my convo with my advisor) was that they were saying you could get a great policy education at SEAS, just focused on environmental policy. That differs a bit from what I've heard from some current students, who've told me that Ford is much more rigorous when it comes to a policy education. 

I was also a little ~let down~ by some of the questions people asked: there were a good amount that seemed pretty basic and easy to find answers to online. Does that say anything about the incoming class/student body? Probably not, but it still made me think.

And lastly, the dean said all signs are pointing to SEAS (and UM more broadly) having in-person classes in the fall, which was a big relief to hear. Though I swear I heard him say something about possibly having to get to know each other via video calls in the fall? Maybe I misheard though.

I'd love to hear other insights from anyone else who joined in today!

[tillyk]

35 minutes ago, prokem said:

Yes, I attended (and it's still going on). I read on the admitted students facebook page that they are going to do a separate one for international students in the coming weeks.

I found out about some interesting-sounding fellowships that I may apply to later on. The graduate instructor positions are also a huge plus-- they cover full tuition and provide health insurance and a stipend. ?

The convo with my advisor was fine. I didn't really have many questions so it was more just getting to know her a bit better. I'm pretty interested in her research and she seemed really nice and welcoming. Seems like a good potential fit!

TBH I haven't learned too much from the info sessions/Q&A. I would've liked to hear a bit more about plans for SEAS' development in the coming years-- when that question was asked, the dean mostly talked about fundraising and the endowment. One thing I noticed in my EPP track info session (and in my convo with my advisor) was that they were saying you could get a great policy education at SEAS, just focused on environmental policy. That differs a bit from what I've heard from some current students, who've told me that Ford is much more rigorous when it comes to a policy education. 

I was also a little ~let down~ by some of the questions people asked: there were a good amount that seemed pretty basic and easy to find answers to online. Does that say anything about the incoming class/student body? Probably not, but it still made me think.

And lastly, the dean said all signs are pointing to SEAS (and UM more broadly) having in-person classes in the fall, which was a big relief to hear. Though I swear I heard him say something about possibly having to get to know each other via video calls in the fall? Maybe I misheard though.

I'd love to hear other insights from anyone else who joined in today!

I noticed the same thing in the BEC specialization info session... the questions they chose to answer were really basic and repetitive questions that had already been discussed several times in the initial talk. But overall the info session was helpful, and I really enjoyed talking to my advisor.

I heard the dean say that, too! It was strange because he seemed confident that classes would be happening no matter what... so does that mean we'll be having online classes? I don't know if I'll be willing to pay this $$$ price tag for online classes

 

[alaqua]

7 hours ago, prokem said:

Yes, I attended (and it's still going on). I read on the admitted students facebook page that they are going to do a separate one for international students in the coming weeks.

I found out about some interesting-sounding fellowships that I may apply to later on. The graduate instructor positions are also a huge plus-- they cover full tuition and provide health insurance and a stipend. ?

The convo with my advisor was fine. I didn't really have many questions so it was more just getting to know her a bit better. I'm pretty interested in her research and she seemed really nice and welcoming. Seems like a good potential fit!

TBH I haven't learned too much from the info sessions/Q&A. I would've liked to hear a bit more about plans for SEAS' development in the coming years-- when that question was asked, the dean mostly talked about fundraising and the endowment. One thing I noticed in my EPP track info session (and in my convo with my advisor) was that they were saying you could get a great policy education at SEAS, just focused on environmental policy. That differs a bit from what I've heard from some current students, who've told me that Ford is much more rigorous when it comes to a policy education. 

I was also a little ~let down~ by some of the questions people asked: there were a good amount that seemed pretty basic and easy to find answers to online. Does that say anything about the incoming class/student body? Probably not, but it still made me think.

And lastly, the dean said all signs are pointing to SEAS (and UM more broadly) having in-person classes in the fall, which was a big relief to hear. Though I swear I heard him say something about possibly having to get to know each other via video calls in the fall? Maybe I misheard though.

I'd love to hear other insights from anyone else who joined in today!

Tough I was not invited to today’s Visit Day, another admitted student kindly gave me the links so I got to watch the Funding part. However, I was completely unaware of the individual track events happened in the morning. I guess I didn’t miss out on much. But the Funding part was quite informative.

My conversation with my advisor went a little bit meh. I was expecting so much more. My advisor just told me that he/she only came to SEAS a year ago, and clearly not familiar with how this program works. He/She told me that we’ll meet and discuss my curriculum ONCE a semester, when I thought we might meet weekly (my wishful thinking). And though he/she did introduce his/her research a little bit, he:she was somehow not interested in working with me. I understand that this advisor thing is assigned by SEAS based on the student’s Statement of Purpose, and the advisor has no power to choose. From my conversation with my advisor, it was clear that he/she didn’t know me and did not read my application materials. Maybe it’s different with other advisors I guess, but the conversation was a disappointment. 

What slightly confuses me is that my advisor spent so much time telling me about the dual-degree programs that SEAS offered. I didn’t ask about it, but he/she gave me a sense of “I’m obliged to talk to students about getting a dual-degree because SEAS told me to do so!”

Is that the case for everyone else?

 

 

[waternerd]

1)Any one here who has an idea on Yale's waitlist decisions? What are the chances to get off it? Do they offer funding to students who were initially waitlisted? 

2)Can anyone help me in comparing Duke Nicholas and Yale FES?

 

[prokem]

13 hours ago, alaqua said:

Tough I was not invited to today’s Visit Day, another admitted student kindly gave me the links so I got to watch the Funding part. However, I was completely unaware of the individual track events happened in the morning. I guess I didn’t miss out on much. But the Funding part was quite informative.

My conversation with my advisor went a little bit meh. I was expecting so much more. My advisor just told me that he/she only came to SEAS a year ago, and clearly not familiar with how this program works. He/She told me that we’ll meet and discuss my curriculum ONCE a semester, when I thought we might meet weekly (my wishful thinking). And though he/she did introduce his/her research a little bit, he:she was somehow not interested in working with me. I understand that this advisor thing is assigned by SEAS based on the student’s Statement of Purpose, and the advisor has no power to choose. From my conversation with my advisor, it was clear that he/she didn’t know me and did not read my application materials. Maybe it’s different with other advisors I guess, but the conversation was a disappointment. 

What slightly confuses me is that my advisor spent so much time telling me about the dual-degree programs that SEAS offered. I didn’t ask about it, but he/she gave me a sense of “I’m obliged to talk to students about getting a dual-degree because SEAS told me to do so!”

Is that the case for everyone else?

 

 

I didn't get that sense re: the dual degree at all during my convo. If I go to SEAS it would be with a dual degree at Ford, and to the contrary, my advisor was telling me how I could still get a great policy education solely at SEAS. Was a little confused lol

[alaqua]

1 hour ago, prokem said:

I didn't get that sense re: the dual degree at all during my convo. If I go to SEAS it would be with a dual degree at Ford, and to the contrary, my advisor was telling me how I could still get a great policy education solely at SEAS. Was a little confused lol

Haha very interesting! Our advisors reactions were completely different and I feel like I’m getting mixed information lol.

[prokem]

8 hours ago, waternerd said:

1)Any one here who has an idea on Yale's waitlist decisions? What are the chances to get off it? Do they offer funding to students who were initially waitlisted? 

2)Can anyone help me in comparing Duke Nicholas and Yale FES?

 

Don't know the answers to your questions but just wanna say I'm in the same boat! Would love to hear if anyone has answers.

on 2, anecdotally I've heard that Nic is much more focused on energy and might have more of a quant/Econ grounding than FES. I think their cohorts are likely to be a little younger. I also believe that they'll have a slightly different distribution in terms of where people end up, although I interned in an office that had a Nic and FES alum ?

[A.Z117]

On 3/20/2020 at 3:51 PM, prokem said:

Yes, I attended (and it's still going on). I read on the admitted students facebook page that they are going to do a separate one for international students in the coming weeks.

I found out about some interesting-sounding fellowships that I may apply to later on. The graduate instructor positions are also a huge plus-- they cover full tuition and provide health insurance and a stipend. ?

The convo with my advisor was fine. I didn't really have many questions so it was more just getting to know her a bit better. I'm pretty interested in her research and she seemed really nice and welcoming. Seems like a good potential fit!

TBH I haven't learned too much from the info sessions/Q&A. I would've liked to hear a bit more about plans for SEAS' development in the coming years-- when that question was asked, the dean mostly talked about fundraising and the endowment. One thing I noticed in my EPP track info session (and in my convo with my advisor) was that they were saying you could get a great policy education at SEAS, just focused on environmental policy. That differs a bit from what I've heard from some current students, who've told me that Ford is much more rigorous when it comes to a policy education. 

I was also a little ~let down~ by some of the questions people asked: there were a good amount that seemed pretty basic and easy to find answers to online. Does that say anything about the incoming class/student body? Probably not, but it still made me think.

And lastly, the dean said all signs are pointing to SEAS (and UM more broadly) having in-person classes in the fall, which was a big relief to hear. Though I swear I heard him say something about possibly having to get to know each other via video calls in the fall? Maybe I misheard though.

I'd love to hear other insights from anyone else who joined in today!

From my convos, I've definitely heard people say that EPP classes is stronger than classes at Ford. Also heard good things about my EPP advisor at SEAS. In terms of the incoming class and student body,  I've heard that it is 200 students per year (400 over two years) which is quite a bit bigger than prior years when SEAS was still SNRE and other peer schools. Conservation Ecology is the most popular track from what I have heard.

[jikaiwhgh]

On 3/22/2020 at 5:14 AM, prokem said:

Don't know the answers to your questions but just wanna say I'm in the same boat! Would love to hear if anyone has answers.

on 2, anecdotally I've heard that Nic is much more focused on energy and might have more of a quant/Econ grounding than FES. I think their cohorts are likely to be a little younger. I also believe that they'll have a slightly different distribution in terms of where people end up, although I interned in an office that had a Nic and FES alum ?

The third one on the same boat, I am also curious about the answer for the first question @waternerd  has asked.

As for the second question, I want to share some pros of Yale F&ES. I've heard about that F&ES focused more on Corporate Sustainability and the relationship between human, society and nature resource. Also the curriculum is really flexible, it is easy for students to arrange their course lists and attend courses they are interested in offered by other schools. Besides, the cohort size of F&ES is relatively smaller than Nicholas's, which might be a bonus, too.

[prokem]

Today I found out that I was accepted off of the Yale F&ES waitlist! I'm so overjoyed I've been beaming for like 4 straight hours. It's been my top choice program ever since I went to an admissions event at my school 3 years ago, though I do have to strongly consider getting 2 degrees and $15k in funding from UM. Please feel free to give your personal opinions on F&ES vs. Ford/SEAS! 

For those still on the waitlist: don't give up hope! I was really surprised they accepted me so quickly, so I have to imagine that there will be a good amount of slots left to fill.

If you're wondering how it happened: About a day or two ago, i got an email from them asking if I'd still like to be on the waitlist, then today I got an email notifying me about a new notification on my portal. 

[sourdough7]

@prokem congrats, same just happened to me!! I'm curious if they will have aid for us in off of the waitlist. 

[prokem]

56 minutes ago, sourdough7 said:

@prokem congrats, same just happened to me!! I'm curious if they will have aid for us in off of the waitlist. 

Congrats to you too!! I'm also wondering (and hoping). 

[jikaiwhgh]

9 hours ago, prokem said:

Congrats to you too!! I'm also wondering (and hoping). 

Congrats to both of you!! the same happened to me. It seems weird that they released the decision so quickly. The official letter mentions that aid info. will be available before Mar.31, so I guess we will able to know it soon.

[prokem]

3 hours ago, jikaiwhgh said:

Congrats to both of you!! the same happened to me. It seems weird that they released the decision so quickly. The official letter mentions that aid info. will be available before Mar.31, so I guess we will able to know it soon.

Yeah I was wondering about that too! I hadn't been expecting anything until at the earliest around April 15th. I wonder if that means that some of the older admits with job security are choosing to forgo spending thousands on grad school in a recession. 

[waternerd]

Universities are also extending decision and deposit deadlines!

[GradSchoolGrad]

12 hours ago, prokem said:

Yeah I was wondering about that too! I hadn't been expecting anything until at the earliest around April 15th. I wonder if that means that some of the older admits with job security are choosing to forgo spending thousands on grad school in a recession. 

If 2008 /2009 was an indication of anything, older students will be more inclined to ride out the recession and go to graduate school as job situations look bleak. With low interests right now, student loans are arguably decently affordable. 

[GradSchoolGrad]

On 3/27/2020 at 8:09 PM, prokem said:

Today I found out that I was accepted off of the Yale F&ES waitlist! I'm so overjoyed I've been beaming for like 4 straight hours. It's been my top choice program ever since I went to an admissions event at my school 3 years ago, though I do have to strongly consider getting 2 degrees and $15k in funding from UM. Please feel free to give your personal opinions on F&ES vs. Ford/SEAS! 

For those still on the waitlist: don't give up hope! I was really surprised they accepted me so quickly, so I have to imagine that there will be a good amount of slots left to fill.

If you're wondering how it happened: About a day or two ago, i got an email from them asking if I'd still like to be on the waitlist, then today I got an email notifying me about a new notification on my portal. 

I am actually really concerned that you got into Yale with no funding (at least you don't speak of any). Coming out of grad school 200K down coming straight from undergrad in a more narrowly focused graduate program in my opinion is a risky move.

With UM, I recommend you consider negotiation getting higher scholarship (they should be able to give you something).

If it was a single degree, I would go with MPP, just because it has a broader ranger of career applicability.

If you have the time, patience, and money to do a dual degree, I would do it if I were you (make that I did do a dual degree myself). Not true how this is, but I have heard stories of people at UM having more scholarship negotiation leverage by virtual of dual degreeing - think about it , two programs covering you for 3 years vs. one program covering you for 1 year.

[WatercolorPainter]

Have people started making their final decisions? I think I've settled on the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke! I hope everyone is happy with the outcome of their applications - it's been so nice to share this process with a forum of likeminded folks!! ?

[ch442]

Has anyone heard of someone negotiating more scholarship funding from Yale FES? I'm leaning toward FES over Duke, but Duke gave me more funding. Yale says that the amount is mostly based on need, so I'm not sure if they would care that another school gave me a better (merit) scholarship. Anyone have any tips?