Environmental Management and Policy 2021

[Neha29]

Any idea about Duke waitlist ? If it actually gets cleared ?

[joolsleonore]

Also waitlisted at Yale, I'm so sad even tho i know its not a definite no, I just dont think many people ever get taken off the waitlist but i hope i'm wrong

 

Is it worth it to email folks at admissions? I'm not sure who to even reach out to

[opportunivore]

Accepted at Yale MEM. My top choice with a lot of great faculty. Good luck to those on the waitlist!

[cheobe01]

Is anyone still waiting on UCSB?

[ICDI]

2 hours ago, cheobe01 said:

Is anyone still waiting on UCSB?

Yes! I am. And I believe a few others on here are as well. Hoping to hear back soon though! Fingers crossed.

[qrrcl]

23 hours ago, policyjack said:

Hi all,

Directed to this website and forum from numerous Reddit searches - not sure if this is good for my mental health lol.

I applied to three schools - YSE, UW Evans, and CU Boulder. I received my acceptance to UW Evans last Friday, which I am very excited about! From what I have read about their MPA program and specialization offered in environmental policy, I feel like it is a great interdisciplinary program with great resources, faculty, and alumni network. Any additional insight from any of you would be greatly appreciated! I am slightly worried though - I am an out-of-state student who did not receive any additional funding. I guess the "sticker shock" of grad school is starting to settle in...

I still have not heard from Yale or Boulder. Yale is my top choice. After participating in numerous webinars and learning more about the program, it seems top-notch. I also creep pretty hard on LinkedIn and it seems like many people in the environmental management/policy field have gotten their degrees from Yale. A number of environmental wonks in the Biden admin have MEM degrees as well, so it is quite impressive where their graduates end up working after the program is complete.

Good luck to everyone here awaiting their application decisions! For me, the competitiveness and prestige of YSE seems quite daunting in regard to my application status. I'm very excited about the UW Evans acceptance that I will be happy if that ends up being the spot! Still, that YSE program...

I am really liking what UW Evans has to offer. I have gotten the sense that they really value their students and want to move forward/lead the movement of inclusivity and diversity. Right now, UW Evans is my top choice but it's really going to come down to what each program has to offer.

[mimi209]

Just received a notification from Bren to check the portal. I got the provisional admit too, yay! but no mention of funding. Was really hoping for it. I got in at SEAS (w some funding) and Duke. Was bummed about not making it to Yale. I am making a career change, so I have plenty exp but not necessarily in the relevant field, so maybe that hurt.

Edited March 4, 2021 by mimi209

[Neha29]

Just got into Bren. My first acceptance after getting a reject from Yale and SEAS. I’m waitlisted at Duke. Will still prefer Duke over UCSB. 

[qwertympp]

I'm still waiting from SEAS! Anybody else in the same boat? I'm on the verge of calling to confirm they know I exist lol.

[nvenv]

22 minutes ago, qwertympp said:

I'm still waiting from SEAS! Anybody else in the same boat? I'm on the verge of calling to confirm they know I exist lol.

that sucks, sorry! i would probably call. what track are you in?

[nvenv]

I got in SEAS for the Sustainability and Development track, but no word on funding. For those of you who got funding, was it in your acceptance letter or somewhere else? Wondering if no word equals no funding...

Also is anyone planning on visiting campuses on their own? I don't know if I can decide and move across the country without seeing the campus in-person first. 

[qwertympp]

5 minutes ago, nvenv said:

that sucks, sorry! i would probably call. what track are you in?

I applied for the Dec 15th deadline (earlier in this thread I accidentally said Jan 15th, which was Ford's deadline) and I haven't heard a peep. I applied in sustainable systems. I suppose it's possible they are waiting to admit/reject me until Ford has made its decision since I applied to their dual degree program, but I'm not sure. 

Edited March 4, 2021 by qwertympp

[joolsleonore]

2 hours ago, nvenv said:

I got in SEAS for the Sustainability and Development track, but no word on funding. For those of you who got funding, was it in your acceptance letter or somewhere else? Wondering if no word equals no funding...

Also is anyone planning on visiting campuses on their own? I don't know if I can decide and move across the country without seeing the campus in-person first. 

I went on the wolverine portal (they give log in info in your acceptance letter) and then in the financial aid section you'll find the info, but from what i've understood if you didn't get told an $$ in your letter you likely only have either work study or loans.

[coffeebean13]

18 hours ago, qwertympp said:

I'm still waiting from SEAS! Anybody else in the same boat? I'm on the verge of calling to confirm they know I exist lol.

 

On 3/4/2021 at 9:13 AM, cheobe01 said:

Is anyone still waiting on UCSB?

Still waiting on both of these. Got into Duke & waitlisted at Yale, but haven't heard a thing from SEAS (sustainable systems) or Bren. Hope we all find out soon! 

[environcheeky]

No Bren updates today?? Ahhhh

[nvenv]

Anyone in the SEAS admitted student Facebook group? I don't have a Facebook and would rather not make one, but am thinking I should just suck it up and make one. Am I missing important info and discussion? Or has anyone set up a non-Facebook group chat or something?

[nvenv]

9 hours ago, coffeebean13 said:

 

Still waiting on both of these. Got into Duke & waitlisted at Yale, but haven't heard a thing from SEAS (sustainable systems) or Bren. Hope we all find out soon! 

Still haven't heard from SEAS? Wow, they've been taking a while. I'm guessing that's the last track? Maybe the most competitive?

[pabloworldwide]

Wondering if it would be worth to defer my year at Duke and apply to YSE again next year... thoughts?

[EscapingBrexit]

So I'm not applying to Env programs anymore, but in previous years Yale wasn't necessarily seen as the best program, whilst Duke was known to be excellent. I highly recommend you read some of the previous year's threads and advice to compare each school's strengths and weaknesses. I wouldn't necessarily be taken in by the Yale name. It is a great school, of course - all the top 4 are. Just make sure you get that additional context. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[chaparralcountry]

@pabloworldwideThinking of doing the same! I don't think a deferral is binding, but I'll probably just submit a new application instead of sticking with one that'll be two years old by the time I matriculate. I'd feel far less guilty that way if I did end up going somewhere else haha. 

I expanded the number of schools I applied to from one last year to several this time (not in a huge rush) but YSE wasn't one of them for the reasons @EscapingBrexitmentioned above. I think their recently updated curriculum and restructuring is impressive, though. I also like SOM a lot more than Fuqua—considering a dual degree—so take that with a grain of salt. 

I probably wouldn't have considered pre-2018 Yale F&ES/Environment, but I think the rebranding has been pretty good (I've lurked here a while!) and am seriously considering applying next cycle. I'm pretty flexible on my timeline. But we'll see! 

[tiaki]

Giving perspective on this as someone whose dream program was YSE but was rejected and will likely happily be going to Nicholas- I preferred YSE for extremely specific reasons, mainly the environmental justice program (SEAS is historically much stronger for EJ, but YSE recently hired EJ scholars I’ve admired for years). NSOE does not yet have an EJ curriculum. I’m not really familiar with what else YSE has done in recent years to strengthen the overall MEM program, though! That was really the one thing I focused on.

Nicholas was basically my realistic first choice because of what I have read about their strength as specifically a professional program, particularly when it came to career support and outcomes straight out of the MEM. YSE seemed to be a little more ideal for people who had strong careers beforehand and didn’t need much support.

I have an academic/personal background in EJ and environmental science and want to go into policy or corporate work focusing on sustainability and issues like energy equity. The professional education aspect of an MEM is super important for me as I graduated last year from only a top 200 without much of an alumni network or career training and it’s made the possibility of working outside of this region a little difficult, haha.

If you’ve already gotten into a program you can see yourself attending, keep in mind that deferring so you can apply again elsewhere will mean delaying finishing the degree by an entire year. 

Edited March 6, 2021 by tiaki

[EscapingBrexit]

Nicholas is a great school, honestly! I was very interested in Remote Sensing and Drones for Environmental purposes, and they are basically the best in the world for that (drones). You should all feel so proud of getting offers from any of these schools. Make sure you try and attend any admitted students events online before making your decision. Isn't Duke really good at Energy too? 

All of these programs are great. I'm almost jealous of your options! ?

[chaparralcountry]

@tiaki, those are really great points! I felt like it was more about Yale making up for deficiencies in their environmental program (their lack of focus being a big part) by overhauling their entire curriculum, than strengthening anything in particular, to be honest. This post by a current student kind of sums up the issues they were dealing with. And it's hard to gauge YSE's success with this revamp, given that their first "new" cohort graduated right into the pandemic, but I like the direction they're headed—it's hard to explain! (I'll also be applying to 4-5 more schools, I realize I didn't make that clear originally and it sounded like I was going to throw this great opportunity away without really considering). 

There's plenty to like about Duke! They definitely do really well at preparing folks 0-2 years out of undergrad for the workforce (as someone who visited halfway through college and was convinced I'd go straight through, this was really important to know) and there are plenty of research and developmental opportunities. There are probably also institutes and centers for just about every subtopic, and the Stanback is great for meaningful internship opportunities. Grainger Hall is also a lovely building to call home. 

And yes, I think the energy program at Duke destroys the competition, hands down! It's not my thing, but for folks who are looking to work for companies in the Bay Area (or even nearby in NC, there are a couple of notable ones...) in the solar industry, for instance, I can't think of a better place to go. 

I've been a research associate at a university for the past two years, and it's been really helpful re: figuring out certain avenues of environmental work I'd like to pursue. I think I would prefer to wait another year (even though I'll feel a bit old!) because I'm weighing an MEM/MBA and going into consulting, or sticking with a pure MEM with a remote sensing focus, and another year working in a different field would help clear things up. 

But that's just me! This should be a really exciting time for everyone. 

[qrrcl]

On 3/5/2021 at 6:40 PM, nvenv said:

Anyone in the SEAS admitted student Facebook group? I don't have a Facebook and would rather not make one, but am thinking I should just suck it up and make one. Am I missing important info and discussion? Or has anyone set up a non-Facebook group chat or something?

Not sure about the non-facebook group chat but currently everyone is just introducing themselves on Facebook

[anxiouslyinlimbo]

Hey! Have most applicants already heard from Bren MESM? Wondering if silence = rejection...Also I had applied on January 5th..have others who applied on the last possible day like me heard anything?