Last Minute Funding from LBJ? LBJ vs GW

[publicpolicy2386]

I was all set to go to GW but I just received an email from LBJ offering me an out of state tuition wave for all four semesters which would save me $20,000 over the course of GW. The problems is that the deadline is TOMORROW!

I visited both schools and liked GW more but I don't know if i like it $20,000 more. Although I think the Texas program is set to grow, parts (and students) seemed a bit Texas centered when I visited. I already have housing worked out with some friends in DC whereas I don't know hardly anyone in Austin. The other thing is that I only have two years of professional experience and wanted to intern a lot while in grad school. With LBJ, i would only be able to intern during the summer but with GW, I could intern year round.

Any thoughts?

[irhopefull2010]

I was all set to go to GW but I just received an email from LBJ offering me an out of state tuition wave for all four semesters which would save me $20,000 over the course of GW. The problems is that the deadline is TOMORROW!

I visited both schools and liked GW more but I don't know if i like it $20,000 more. Although I think the Texas program is set to grow, parts (and students) seemed a bit Texas centered when I visited. I already have housing worked out with some friends in DC whereas I don't know hardly anyone in Austin. The other thing is that I only have two years of professional experience and wanted to intern a lot while in grad school. With LBJ, i would only be able to intern during the summer but with GW, I could intern year round.

Any thoughts?

If you think the internship possibilities at GW will help you get a job that will cover the extra 20 grand, then go for it. If not, then go for the cheaper option.

It's a tough call, but the overall cost of living in Texas is lower than DC so that is something to consider besides the savings. I wouldn't let the Texas-centered part bother you too much, as the program is a growing program, and the international coursework seems pretty solid. It's sort of last minute, but you could try to look up internships at an organization in Austin or nearby and/or university affiliated but still relevant work during the school year. Austin is away from a lot of things but the University itself has its hands in national and international issues.

on the other hand, if you can't find this info out by tomorrow,and you already were settled on the idea of GW, then maybe you don't rock the boat. It's hard that it's so last minute, but you gotta go with what feels like the calmer situation.

Edited April 14, 2010 by irhopefull2010

[lbjane]

Congrats on the funding! $20k is not a huge, huge amount of debt, but I'm not sure how much you'd be looking at total. Like IRHopefull2010 said, the cost of living in Austin is dramatically cheaper than in DC, so consider that as well when running the numbers. I would say that housing in Austin, for example, is 1/2 to 1/3 of what it would cost you for something similar in DC.

I'm not sure what your aid packages are at both places, but when I was applying to DC schools, the tuition difference and cost of living difference between LBJ and DC schools ended up being $80k cheaper over two years, which was a huge amount to me. It made the difference between graduating with $80k of debt or debt free and being able to save lots more and have a more comfortable life after graduation. Although I had a job lined up when I graduated, it was nice to know that I wasn't going to have to jump at the first thing that came just to make my loan payments.

As for the Texas-centricness of the classes and/or students, it's true that there is a Texas influence since there are a lot of students from Texas and there are a lot of students interested in state and local policy as well. However, it really depends on the courses you take and the professors you choose.

Lots of LBJers intern during the year with professors, with non-profits, with state agencies, and local entities. Also, from what I can tell, LBJ grads in DC end up getting the same or similar jobs that GW students get after graduation so I don't really know that it makes that much of a difference. I had similar apprehensions about not being in DC and missing out on internship and networking opportunities, but in the end, it really didn't matter. All of the big employers recruited at LBJ and UT and I landed one of my dream jobs after graduating without incurring a ton of debt. Not saying it's the solution for everyone, but things worked out well for me.