Ed Policy MPP -- Vanderbilt Peabody or Duke Sanford??

[maham]

Hi everyone! I have a few weeks before decision time, but I wanted to pick your brains about my top two choices. I want to work in education policy, and I applied to a mid of ed policy and MPP programs this cycle. My best options are Vanderbilt Peabody MPP and Duke Sanford MPP. Both will cost around the same price, so I'm not so much concerned about the financial component as I am the fit educationally and career-wise. Cost of living in Durham is significantly lower than in Nashville, so Duke technically wins out in the cost category, but Peabody offers pretty generous assistantships, so they could end up balancing out. 

The main difference that I can see is that Peabody is an education specific degree program whereas Duke is a general MPP but with incredible ed policy faculty and research centers. Peabody is an incredibly respected and ranked education college, but Duke's MPP program is a top 5 powerhouse as well. Has anyone else here had this dilemma with education policy? What should I do?? 

I'm currently leaning more toward Duke because I like the flexibility that a general MPP program would offer in terms of career outcomes in the event that the rona slump turns into a full blown 08 level recession. Plus it would provide a more thought-diverse cohort which could prove beneficial in terms of connections. Peabody is still really appealing because from what I've gathered, they encourage and facilitate full-time policy-related employment for their students, and that's a pretty big deal to me since I'm only one year out of undergrad. Duke has very solid experiential components but they aren't full-time paid experience.

TL;DR -- I need advice on picking between these two programs. Vandy is an education policy exclusive MPP that offers great work experience and Peabody is incredible and Duke is a general MPP with great ed policy faculty and a strong ranking and reputation. Cost is the same -- just need to know thoughts on which is best. 

[GradSchoolGrad]

I had this dilemma and I'm so glad I didn't choose Peabody MPP, because I eventually shifted my policy interests 3 times before I got to where I am now. I would say half the people I started policy school with interested in Education shifted to other areas of policy once they realize how messy the Education Policy landscape is (too many fingers grabbing at the cookie jar and not enough cookies) + they don't have the best workplace environments. 

If you have any inclination that you might want to do an Education Adjacent Policy Area, or try things different than Education, non-Peabody is the way to go.

[maham]

On 3/11/2021 at 10:40 AM, GradSchoolGrad said:

I had this dilemma and I'm so glad I didn't choose Peabody MPP, because I eventually shifted my policy interests 3 times before I got to where I am now. I would say half the people I started policy school with interested in Education shifted to other areas of policy once they realize how messy the Education Policy landscape is (too many fingers grabbing at the cookie jar and not enough cookies) + they don't have the best workplace environments. 

If you have any inclination that you might want to do an Education Adjacent Policy Area, or try things different than Education, non-Peabody is the way to go.

Thanks so much for the feedback! I'm really interested in a hybrid of education/labor/workforce development, so I can see myself shifting toward more economic policy potentially, but I really see the center of a lot of issues in education. What did you end up focusing on? Did it change during or after school? Also, how did changing impact your practical experiences like internships and policy projects? I'm worried that if I shift policy interest during my program that I may miss out on the connection building and internship-to-job pipeline.

[GradSchoolGrad]

11 minutes ago, maham said:

Thanks so much for the feedback! I'm really interested in a hybrid of education/labor/workforce development, so I can see myself shifting toward more economic policy potentially, but I really see the center of a lot of issues in education. What did you end up focusing on? Did it change during or after school? Also, how did changing impact your practical experiences like internships and policy projects? I'm worried that if I shift policy interest during my program that I may miss out on the connection building and internship-to-job pipeline.

I went from from K-12 Ed to Higher Ed to Career Technical Education to Technology Industry Workforce (the last 2 is traditionally under labor policy). The deal is this --> academically, Education folks don't get along with Labor folks. Labor is broadly speaking about butts in jobs and Education is more about equity in experience and placement. Granted a lot is changing these days, the legacy lines still matter (especially given how your professors will likely come from those lines). Not completely relevant, but I had labor policy academic mentor tell me how she went to an ed conference and got the dirty eyeball from all the ed policy folks who branded her the heartless labor policy person. 

Yes, even though Ed Policy is tied directly to labor policy and TN is the home of a lot of Workforce development innovation, broadly speaking it makes more sense to go to a broader policy school to play where you want to play. 

As for changing - as long as you can tell a coherent story about the skills you have and positive development/leadership experiences or brands, then it is fine. I got away with it because I have 8 years of work experience + picked up some amazing branded internships (Major tech companies, major research institutes, and etc.). However, I knew others who pivoted in school really easily by highlighting skills. Like I said, a vast majority of my friends pivoted in school. I would say about 1/3rd still had no idea what policy areas they cared about at graduation (yes if you asked them, they would say 5, but not really narrow it down), so you are ahead of the curve in some ways. 

Edited March 12, 2021 by GradSchoolGrad