LBJ MPAff/MGPS Fall 2020

[ch442]

I saw that there wasn't yet a thread this year for University of Texas LBJ School applicants. Feel free to post here. 

I applied in December for the MPAff DC Concentration. The LBJ DC office just reached out to schedule a video interview. Has anyone else gotten a similar request? I didn't see anything about interviews on the website--any idea if everyone does one or their criteria for choosing who to interview?

It looks like the first decisions are usually released in February. Good luck all!

[QP6161]

On 1/23/2020 at 3:58 PM, ch442 said:

I saw that there wasn't yet a thread this year for University of Texas LBJ School applicants. Feel free to post here. 

I applied in December for the MPAff DC Concentration. The LBJ DC office just reached out to schedule a video interview. Has anyone else gotten a similar request? I didn't see anything about interviews on the website--any idea if everyone does one or their criteria for choosing who to interview?

It looks like the first decisions are usually released in February. Good luck all!

I also sent in an app in Dec (though for the MGPS). I've heard that in the past they have frequently offered in-state tuition for out-of-state students. Have you heard anything about that or overall funding practices more generally?

Edited January 27, 2020 by QP6161

[sgr2020]

Results are out!

 

Applied 11/30/19 accepted 2/10/20.

[ch442]

Still no email

Maybe the DC Concentration decisions are going out separately?

[mpp.2020]

I applied for the non-DC track and my application is still "in review." Soon! Maybe! I hope!

[QP6161]

Got in for the MGPS (applied at the Dec. deadline), but looks like without funding, so almost definitely declining. Best of luck to everyone else!

[ch442]

17 hours ago, ch442 said:

Still no email

Maybe the DC Concentration decisions are going out separately?

Just checked the portal and accepted with a fellowship—congrats all!

Edited February 11, 2020 by ch442

[sl291]

Hi all, I have a question regarding some ambiguous wording in the email I got yesterday. 
It says “we are delighted to recommend you for admission ... but your official admittance is pending approval by the Vice Provost” etc. My portal also still says in review. Those of you who have been accepted with funding, was it an official notice of admittance or also the recommendation for admission? 
 

This email said nothing about funding. Does this mean I’m not getting any? Or should I wait until I get the official notification of admittance? I already emailed LBJ but I thought one of y’all may have some insight. 

[SketchesOfSpain]

1 hour ago, sl291 said:

Hi all, I have a question regarding some ambiguous wording in the email I got yesterday. 
It says “we are delighted to recommend you for admission ... but your official admittance is pending approval by the Vice Provost” etc. My portal also still says in review. Those of you who have been accepted with funding, was it an official notice of admittance or also the recommendation for admission? 
 

This email said nothing about funding. Does this mean I’m not getting any? Or should I wait until I get the official notification of admittance? I already emailed LBJ but I thought one of y’all may have some insight. 

If your portal says still in review then I guess the Dean of the graduate school hasn't officially signed off on your admission, but that should be more of a formality than anything else unless you have some concerning criminal record or Title 9 issues.

 

I got my "recommendation" email from LBJ yesterday in the mid afternoon, then my official admittance from the graduate school at around midnight this morning so there's probably just a backlog, I doubt the Dean of the graduate school was up after midnight reviewing my application and deciding whether or not to overrule the LBJ team.

 

Being an in-state student, I didn't get any fellowship money (it's already so cheap) and my recommendation letter from the LBJ admissions team said that if I received any fellowships it would be attached to the recommendation email. If you didn't have any fellowship documents attached to the email from the LBJ admissions team then you're probably out of luck until some other admits start turning down their offers.

[holycow815]

I applied in December for MGPS and have not heard back yet. Portal says application is under review. Fingers crossed for everyone still waiting to hear back! 

[jonathan_wa_publicaff]

I was just accepted into the Master of Public Affairs program this morning. I applied in December, but one letter of recommendation didn't get in until January, most likely the cause of the delay. I am still waiting to hear back about funding/scholarships etc., they said most likely within 2 weeks.

[mpp.2020]

After thinking I didn't get in because I hadn't heard anything, I just received my MPAff acceptance today as well, with information about funding, quant readiness, and admitted students weekend attached to the email. I am so excited about UT Austin's program, especially with the insanely low tuition price compared to most other high-quality policy programs.

[AbSynthetic]

I got accepted to the MPAff program at LBJ but no funding. 

I have an issue that is baffling me and would appreciate any and every help that I can get: I've also gotten acceptance at a bunch of other policy schools including Ford but with no funding. However, I've received an offer from School of Public Policy at Uni of Maryland that gives me in-state tuition and a GA position. Till this offer, I've been leaning towards LBJ because I live in Texas and I like Austin. But now I'm confused as to whether I ought to choose LBJ (rank-wise) or UMD (financial aid-wise)!

Would be grateful for any word of advice!

[pita513]

Got an email recently letting my know I'm on the waiting list. So if y'all could turn down your offers that would be great haha. Just kidding lol, congrats to everyone that's gotten in!

[woolscarves]

13 hours ago, AbSynthetic said:

I got accepted to the MPAff program at LBJ but no funding. 

I have an issue that is baffling me and would appreciate any and every help that I can get: I've also gotten acceptance at a bunch of other policy schools including Ford but with no funding. However, I've received an offer from School of Public Policy at Uni of Maryland that gives me in-state tuition and a GA position. Till this offer, I've been leaning towards LBJ because I live in Texas and I like Austin. But now I'm confused as to whether I ought to choose LBJ (rank-wise) or UMD (financial aid-wise)!

Would be grateful for any word of advice!

Where do you want to live and what kind of work do you want to do?

[AbSynthetic]

17 minutes ago, woolscarves said:

Where do you want to live and what kind of work do you want to do?

My interest areas are health and development. Having worked in public affairs consulting prior to this, positions in multilateral organizations / think tanks / consulting are what I'm looking for post graduation. Being an international student, I'm not aware of having much scope in state and federal level jobs.

I've never been to Maryland so I don't have an idea of where I'm going to be living but I'm assuming it would not be as expensive as Austin. I mean Austin looked nice before this UMD offer. But I don't really have a preference right now. My sole concern at the moment is whether to choose ranking over financial aid or vice versa. 

 

[woolscarves]

3 hours ago, AbSynthetic said:

My interest areas are health and development. Having worked in public affairs consulting prior to this, positions in multilateral organizations / think tanks / consulting are what I'm looking for post graduation. Being an international student, I'm not aware of having much scope in state and federal level jobs.

I've never been to Maryland so I don't have an idea of where I'm going to be living but I'm assuming it would not be as expensive as Austin. I mean Austin looked nice before this UMD offer. But I don't really have a preference right now. My sole concern at the moment is whether to choose ranking over financial aid or vice versa. 

The biggest reason why where you want to live is important is because which of these schools that you choose to attend heavily impacts where you are most likely to end up.

Look at these two pages:

• UMD: https://spp.umd.edu/career-connections
• LBJ: https://lbj.utexas.edu/career-outcomes

The majority of UMD grads end up working in and around DC, whereas most LBJ grads stay in Texas. The LBJ brand is good in Texas but you will likely struggle if you choose to live elsewhere.

Both of these schools are relatively regional (I'm not assessing their quality here, just brand reach), and so you are likely to end up in the geography of the school that you pick. So, for your "ranking over financial aid", the importance of ranking here isn't particularly relevant.

Also, your assumption that Maryland isn't as expensive as Austin isn't quite accurate. College Park is an extension of DC and as such can be quite expensive. I would look at actual apartments on Zillow etc. in both locations to check and see how they compare in price for quality.

[alexgoestogradschool]

Native Marylander here who's also lived in Austin and can confirm that housing in MD, especially around the district, is muy expensive. Austin can be pricey but if you get a house with roommates it can be affordable.

[AbSynthetic]

6 hours ago, woolscarves said:

The biggest reason why where you want to live is important is because which of these schools that you choose to attend heavily impacts where you are most likely to end up.

Look at these two pages:

• UMD: https://spp.umd.edu/career-connections
• LBJ: https://lbj.utexas.edu/career-outcomes

The majority of UMD grads end up working in and around DC, whereas most LBJ grads stay in Texas. The LBJ brand is good in Texas but you will likely struggle if you choose to live elsewhere.

Both of these schools are relatively regional (I'm not assessing their quality here, just brand reach), and so you are likely to end up in the geography of the school that you pick. So, for your "ranking over financial aid", the importance of ranking here isn't particularly relevant.

Also, your assumption that Maryland isn't as expensive as Austin isn't quite accurate. College Park is an extension of DC and as such can be quite expensive. I would look at actual apartments on Zillow etc. in both locations to check and see how they compare in price for quality.

 

Phew! THANK YOU SO MUCH for this - it provides a lot of clarity. Being an international student and without much on-ground connections in policy in the US it has been difficult choosing and applying to schools. I have been focusing a lot on ranking than other factors so this helps a LOT! 

 

Thanks again! Stay safe!

[AbSynthetic]

4 hours ago, alexgoestogradschool said:

Native Marylander here who's also lived in Austin and can confirm that housing in MD, especially around the district, is muy expensive. Austin can be pricey but if you get a house with roommates it can be affordable.

Thank you for this input! I have been under a very different assumption; this clears up the expense part.

Stay safe!

Edited March 27, 2020 by AbSynthetic

[ILAR]

Seems like the LBJ School offers additional funding to a limited number of students around early to mid-April right before the decision deadline to entice students. A quick perusing of last year's thread suggested funding offers were enhanced between April 6th-12th. 

 

Best of luck to everyone!

[chande_]

Did anyone else get a revised offer today? They increased my fellowship from $16,617 to $34,117 this afternoon... this makes the decision much more difficult!

[mpp.2020]

I got an updated funding offer this past week, which pretty much solidified my decision. LBJ is so much more financially accessible than most other schools while also being a top-notch program. Anyway, I've been really impressed by them and am excited to attend next year (hopefully in person).

Also, if anyone else is still deciding, the admitted students webpage has a ton of detailed and helpful information: https://sites.google.com/utexas.edu/lbj-admitted-students-weekend/welcome-and-overview.

[warrior66]

Re-upping this thread! Have any folks heard back from the LBJ school?

[studious_kirby]

3 hours ago, warrior66 said:

Re-upping this thread! Have any folks heard back from the LBJ school?

Not yet! Following this thread