Columbia SIPA v. Baruch MPA

[decisionsdecisions2020]

Hi All,

Posting here to see if anyone else can relate to my conundrum..basically, choosing between either Columbia SIPA or Baruch MPA. I am a mid-level federal employee who is obtaining a higher education degree to transition into a managerial position. I have heard great things about both Columbia and Baruch, but the obvious comes down to cost. My employer is NOT paying for schooling and I did not receive any scholarships. If I attend Baruch, I'd pay in full without loans, if I go to Columbia, I'd take out loans.

Has anyone been in a similar situation where the prestigious school helped you get a leg up in your career further down the line? I attended a public school for my undergrad due to costs and always hoped to attend a "better brand" school for grad. However, looking at the tuition costs is really making me unsure. I hear that the "better brand" is the obvious choice for those who have yet to start their careers, but I am not in that position. At the same time, I am worried that I'd be in the running for a more public position way down the line and the education would be a large factor.

In terms of location, Baruch is more convenient and I have a long commute, so I feel that is very relevant. I would also like to be involved in school activities and networking, so I feel Columbia would offer that -- but that is more for self fulfillment than anything else. 

Would you say the debt is worth it for Columbia in my position? Though I know Baruch is well-known locally, how is Baruch's credibility otherwise? 

Thank you.     

[GradSchoolGrad]

12 hours ago, decisionsdecisions2020 said:

Hi All,

Posting here to see if anyone else can relate to my conundrum..basically, choosing between either Columbia SIPA or Baruch MPA. I am a mid-level federal employee who is obtaining a higher education degree to transition into a managerial position. I have heard great things about both Columbia and Baruch, but the obvious comes down to cost. My employer is NOT paying for schooling and I did not receive any scholarships. If I attend Baruch, I'd pay in full without loans, if I go to Columbia, I'd take out loans.

Has anyone been in a similar situation where the prestigious school helped you get a leg up in your career further down the line? I attended a public school for my undergrad due to costs and always hoped to attend a "better brand" school for grad. However, looking at the tuition costs is really making me unsure. I hear that the "better brand" is the obvious choice for those who have yet to start their careers, but I am not in that position. At the same time, I am worried that I'd be in the running for a more public position way down the line and the education would be a large factor.

In terms of location, Baruch is more convenient and I have a long commute, so I feel that is very relevant. I would also like to be involved in school activities and networking, so I feel Columbia would offer that -- but that is more for self fulfillment than anything else. 

Would you say the debt is worth it for Columbia in my position? Though I know Baruch is well-known locally, how is Baruch's credibility otherwise? 

Thank you.     

Every Baruch person I have ever met was straight from undergrad (or maybe like a year of experience) and going to entry level positions after graduation. All those roles were also really tied to city level organizations. In all fairness, I did meet them at local volunteering events in New York City. Now generally speaking, I view Baruch to be an MPA program more focused on state and local level government / nonprofit matters, and that brand value is really tied to the tri-state area. I have never met any Baruch MPA person (that I can remember) in anything I have been involved in from an national and international level policy matter (be it work, conference, and etc.). Now I of all people am a big proponent of state and local policy (and I have been involved in it myself).

However, I think this is important for your to appreciate because I think we have a misalignment of brand, peer benefit, and career gains for you. As a mid-level Federal (I'm assuming you have like 5 to 8 years of work experience), you will find the classroom experience to be challenging with lots of straight from undergrads. I don't see that much of brand lift for you, especially if you try to stay federal. Aside from the higher education check the box to go managerial, I also don't see any gains.

From a pure economic perspective, SIPA probably won't exactly give you much direct additional career benefit coming out of school, but it will help you with the network in the long run. However, its value is really depending on your ability to network. I have seen people go to top flight schools (yes thinking Harvard) too network challenged to ever gain anything out of it. It will however be a much more thrilling (as you assume) to take advantage of the SIPA resources, but that will be interesting because SIPA isn't exactly big on community (nor is any NYC school). 

It really concerns me that you have to pay out of pocket for both schools. There was a lot of scholarship money floating around (they generally set aside the budget from the year prior, so it was before COVID-19 came into effect) during this admissions cycle, so I'm concerned why you didn't get enough from SIPA or Baruch that you would naturally mention it. 

Here is what I would do if I were you if I had to pay fully out of pocket. Don't go to either school. Assuming your goal is to just check box for your promotion + get some brand equity + get access to awesome resources + minimizing pain to your piggy bank, I would just find an online only (or blended with a week you have to be in person) Master's programs that are similar to an MPA. 

Some options are:

1. Northwestern's MPPA: Total Program Cost: 50K

2. Online Executive MPA from Syracuse

Oh and I do believe they are still accepting applications for Fall classes.